6.5PRC....Another 6.5 discussion

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precision_shooter

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I have a friend who lives in Montana and I have an open invitation to come hunting (Whitetail, Mule Deer, Elk, etc.). I live in north central TX so my hunting is limited to mostly feral hogs and whitetail where my 30-30, 6.5 Grendel, and 6.5 Creedmoor are more than enough to get the job done.

I know Elk tags are luck of the draw, but knowing that Elk-sized game is potentially available, I found myself questioning what is "enough gun". There many many articles to read ranging from 6.5 creedmoor is sufficient to it's nowhere near enough. Now, bullet weight, construction, shot placement, all that plays a factor for sure. All things being perfect, broad side shot, 100 yds or less, etc. etc. 6.5 creedmoor with 143gr ELD-X bullet is capable.

Don't think i've ever encountered "perfect conditions" when hunting, so I don't count on that.

Studying up on the 6.5 PRC, the ballistics on-paper are pretty impressive. Using the same 143gr ELD-X bullet as the Creedmoor, the PRC out-punches .270 Win., and delivers near the same TERMINAL energy as 30-06 and 7mm Mag but with less recoil.

I've been told by a few "just get a 30-06". That option isn't off the table, but I tend to like short action cartridges. I hand load so ammo availability/cost doesn't concern me.

So, I guess my questions are:
1) Do you have any experience with the PRC (I know it wasn't designed as a hunting cartridge, but neither was the 30-06 and many others), and if so, in what capacity?
2) Have you hunted with the PRC or would you consider it?
3) What is your overall opinion on the 6.5 PRC for Elk-sized game?

I don't want this to turn into a 6.5 bashing thread, there are plenty of those.

Thanks for your insight.
 
I have a prc. Haven't hunted with it. With the right bullet i don't see any reason it won't work. Brass is limited and expensive as is factory ammo. And the powders that work good in it are hard to find now.
 
I don't own a 6.5 anything, but any cartridge in the 270 or 30-06 class will work on elk.
Shot placement is more important than anything else, with a good bullet.
Find out where you're going to be hunting, and what likely ranges and terrain.
Take what you are comfortable with and what you shoot well.
Good luck.
 
I consider myself a 6.5 Looney, having a Grendel, 260. 6.5 Creed, and 6.5-06. My 6.5-06 is long throated, so I see 2935 with 140s. Since mature Bulls come in at 1,000#, I'd want a larger caliber and bullet that gives complete penetration to 200 yards.
 
The PRC shoots the same bullets faster and a little flatter. It might extend the range you can make hits but it won't kill an elk any deader than your 6.5CM.

Your 6.5 CM (26 caliber) shoots bullets of the same bullet weights as a 270 (27 caliber or 6.8mm) about 200 fps slower at the muzzle. But due to better aerodynamics the 6.5 will impact at very nearly the same speed somewhere around 250-300 yards and at longer ranges will hit harder.

People have been killing elk with 145-150gr bullets from a 270 at 400-500 yards for almost 100 years. No reason a 140-143 gr 6.5 bullet won't do the exact same thing. No animal will ever notice the .3mm difference in bullet diameter. That's less than the thickness of your fingernail.

The 143 ELD-X has earned a reputation for expanding more than a lot of guys like, especially on larger game. You might want to look at a tougher 140 gr bullet instead of the ELD-X. It will work, others have proven that, but you may need to choose shots more carefully. Another bullet that gets a lot of positive reviews is the 139 gr Lapua Scenar. It is sold as a target bullet, but lots of hunters swear by its performance on game.
 
My FrankenMauser is in 6.5PRC, and I am over the moon excited to put some time behind her. I am using it for varmints and the like. Enjoy it!
 
Elk are not Deer or pigs by any stretch. They are tough. I watched my Dad put 3 7mm Mag bullets into the mid chest of an Elk, who then ate some grass. He then shot it with my .30-06 and it was DRT. The problem was the bullets he was using. Too fast and they penciled through. With Barnes solids, get too far and drop the impact velocity, they do the same thing.

I have filled, as of last week, 38 Elk tags using a 10mm 1911 at the low end to .340 Weatherby at the top end. Placement matters, a good bullet matters at least as much. I am a big 6.5 fan...for Deer on down. For Elk, I really like folks to use at least a .270. I currently shoot a .338-06, one kid a .30-06 and one a .270. The majority of Elk lost, or needed to be tracked shot by folks I have hunted with have been with 7mm and smaller diameter calibers.

No, I am NOT saying 6.5CM or PRC won't work, they WILL. BUT, you need to be more selective with the bullets, placement and distances. But if buying a new rifle for Elk, I'd try to steer you towards something with more sectional density than a 6.5. The extra 50 to 100 yards the PRC might get you (retained energy is the key) are at distances a first time Elk hunter should not be pulling the trigger. 20 years ago, I only saw carcasses left from ML and archery season. With better gear, the hit percentage on game too far for the energy levels has gone up and I see a lot more carcasses from bullets these days.
 
sako2 said:
Bornfighting did you get it back from the smith?
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Not yet, friend. Hoping soon. Gave it to him in October, he said 6 months or thereabouts. Figuring April sometime. I still am waiting on Brownells to get me the barrel bedding tool that was backordered when I placed my order. They said 5-8 weeks, and its been 7 months. Thankfully they haven't charged me for it yet, but it's still been a hot New York minute, and I wouldn't mind getting a head start on shaping that barrel channel. I would also like to get my hands on some amount of Akra-Glass this century.

While I do agree with MarkCO on having the proper pills to do the job, and not just drill a clean hole through the quarry, having the ability to reach further and shoot flatter with a bullet than a sibling of it is worth every bit of it to me.

Like I always tell my wife about just about everything we need in the household... "Better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it."
 
Aqualife said:
Are you really getting that much more going from the CM to the PRC. I’d just use the CM.
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Going from 6.5CM to 6.5PRC is about equal to going from say 7mm-08 to 7mm magnum. Can shoot the same bullets to faster speeds, but also shoot heavier bullets than are ideal for the smaller case.
 
MarkCO said:
Elk are not Deer or pigs by any stretch. They are tough. I watched my Dad put 3 7mm Mag bullets into the mid chest of an Elk, who then ate some grass. He then shot it with my .30-06 and it was DRT. The problem was the bullets he was using. Too fast and they penciled through. With Barnes solids, get too far and drop the impact velocity, they do the same thing.

I have filled, as of last week, 38 Elk tags using a 10mm 1911 at the low end to .340 Weatherby at the top end. Placement matters, a good bullet matters at least as much. I am a big 6.5 fan...for Deer on down. For Elk, I really like folks to use at least a .270. I currently shoot a .338-06, one kid a .30-06 and one a .270. The majority of Elk lost, or needed to be tracked shot by folks I have hunted with have been with 7mm and smaller diameter calibers.

No, I am NOT saying 6.5CM or PRC won't work, they WILL. BUT, you need to be more selective with the bullets, placement and distances. But if buying a new rifle for Elk, I'd try to steer you towards something with more sectional density than a 6.5. The extra 50 to 100 yards the PRC might get you (retained energy is the key) are at distances a first time Elk hunter should not be pulling the trigger. 20 years ago, I only saw carcasses left from ML and archery season. With better gear, the hit percentage on game too far for the energy levels has gone up and I see a lot more carcasses from bullets these days.
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You're arguing to use at least .270? There is literally 0.3mm difference in the bullets and the 6.5 prc surpasses the .270 in terminal energy, while being on par with 30-06 and 7mm magnum only using 6.5mm bullets to do it. So i'm confused, are you actually arguing for larger sectional density or just what you perceive as "more power"?
 
precision_shooter said:
You're arguing to use at least .270? There is literally 0.3mm difference in the bullets and the 6.5 prc surpasses the .270 in terminal energy, while being on par with 30-06 and 7mm magnum only using 6.5mm bullets to do it. So i'm confused, are you actually arguing for larger sectional density or just what you perceive as "more power"?
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Read the post again, slowly. Happy New Year!
 
The 30-06 with Accubonds or Partitions should do you just fine.

Many elk taken every year with plain ole 308, 7mm-08.
Even 257 Roberts.
Pick a good bullet.
 
I have filled, as of last week, 38 Elk tags using a 10mm 1911 at the low end to .340 Weatherby at the top end. Placement matters, a good bullet matters at least as much. I am a big 6.5 fan...for Deer on down. For Elk, I really like folks to use at least a .270. I currently shoot a .338-06, one kid a .30-06 and one a .270. The majority of Elk lost, or needed to be tracked shot by folks I have hunted with have been with 7mm and smaller diameter calibers.
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Excellent post, MarkCO. My own choice is the 338-06, shooting 210 Partitions at 2800. I had the rifle throated for 250 Noslers, so get that velocity from 22".
 
I have a 6.5-284 Norma. My brother, cornbush here, has a 6.5 PRC.
They're .270s.
Yea, we can debate about how and where each cartridge differs. But they're just .270s with better ballistic coefficients and sectional densities.

I hunt elk with a .270 Win, as does much of my family. I intend to hunt elk with the 6.5-284 Norma. cornbush intends to hunt elk (and possibly African game) with the 6.5 PRC.
They're fine.

Choose a good bullet.
Put it where it counts.

It doesn't matter how many bigger holes you put in an elk, if they aren't in the right spot.

They're tough animals, for sure. In 2012, I took a 5x5 bull with a .444 Marlin and 275 gr bullets. One shot, at about 25 yards, failed to exit the other side of the chest. The second shot, at about 25 feet, barely made it more than half way through the neck. (Elk necks are very tough, but still... according to Fuddlore, it is a cannon suitable for blowing quarters off of the animals.)
The bullets held together very well. Expansion and weight retention were exactly what Nosler was advertising for Accubonds at the time. But 275 gr at 2,322 fps still didn't carry enough energy to exit.

Same rule as always: Right bullet + Right spot
6.5 PRC is adequate for the job.
 
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