Lots of conflicting info for a newbie hunter here.... I just got a 300 wsm I haven't even fired and am now looking at something a little nicer for blacktail and deer. The company I'm looking at has 6.5 prc and 300 prc as options. I feel like the 6.5 is too small and the 300 prc too big for the mostly deer hunting I will be doing. Decisions...
a good friend of mine has a 6.5prc, and that's been the only rifle he's shot in the past 3 years, and has killed a couple bears and a buck and bull each year with it... only one elk was under 600yds, the other 2 were within 50yds of 700yds... only one that wasn't DRT was the one he shot at 120yds. it didn't go anywhere, but he did send a couple rounds at it before it fell. the 2 longer shots the rug was pulled out from beneath them. he's been liking the ELD-X for it. last year i took him blacktail hunting, we found a buck bedded at 240-ish yds, i was watching through my binos on the tripod, i asked where he was going to shoot it... buck was facing us bedded, he said he was going to shoot it in the nose.... he centered the nose
it always comes back to the shooters actual ability... the PRC has treated him well, and he has had several people shoot deer and elk with his rifle, and it's been a gem for making stuff dead quick. if you aren't recoil sensitive, i don't think the 300prc has a downside.... if you shoot a tougher bullet for deer, it will be as clean as most "blacktail cartridges" and if not, it won't be much worse... the most messy ones i have seen were soft bullets out of a 243... i have seen some nasty bloodshot messes with them... so many bullet options these days, we can use a big boomer and it won't be worse than many traditional deer cartridges with softer bullets.
my buddy has not body shot a deer with his 6.5prc, everything has been head or neck, which keeps the edible parts as clean as can be. i shoot the gender bender (6.5 creed) and don't have the ability to confidently shoot one in the head or neck over 250yds, so i shoot more traditional angles most of the time.... he's talking about getting a 300prc (may have ordered one already) and he will have less waste with that rifle most times than i will with the creed.... lots of variables
i used a 7 rem mag for several years for everything, shot placement and projectile choice was more of a variable than the cartridge. i don't elk hunt with a rifle, so i like the 6.5... haven't shot my 7 rem mag since getting my 6.5... not really recoil sensitive, but i prefer less, haha