6.5 PRC Felt Recoil

I am just getting a 6.5 PRC from MPA dialed in. It is the ultra light hunter. Not the lightest option available but it feels solid. I have done some testing and have come to really like my setup.

Other than getting ammo right being a little more laborious than I would have thought (very good with Norma bondstrikes), the gun shoots great. I mainly run an omega 300 on it and I added one of the backstop recoil pads. It is really easy to shoot now. Bone stock and with an AB Raptor suppressor, it was fatiguing after 40 rounds. Perfectly fine to shoot but it stopped being as fun. I have tried a PVA jet blast muzzle brake. Loud but you can spot shots. Recoil really goes down to dang near nothing but I prefer the omega 300 setup. It isn’t the quietest setup, but it is a really nice compromise.

I may swap the anchor brake to the new recoilx brake or the new one from SilencerCo (would love to compare them) but it all comes down to cost benefit. Not sure how much juice is left on recoil mitigation.

Anyways, I am very happy with the 6.5 PRC. No regrets.
 
If you shoot the bigger .30 mags then the 6.5 PRC is a piece of cake. I used only a .300 win mag without brake for 20 years with a . 7 REM Mag as #2. Got the 6.5 PRC for some long range fun shooting and it’s a pleasure to shoot. Get the correct stock and that will help a lot. I am not a fan of super light guns.
 
. . . the actual felt difference between the PRC and say a 6.5 or 6 creed?
The PRC is a great hunting round not something fun to spend all day large volume shooting, and a 6mm is a great practice round that’s enjoyable to shoot all day. Trying to be all things to all people doesn’t work, which is why in 90% of cases I advocate hunters should have two rifles, one primarily for training and one primarily for hunting.

For those who choose to have a single rifle, the 6.5 creed isn’t as good of a trainer and isn’t as good of a hunting cartridge as the PRC.

Differences in fun are easy to observe, not just theoretical. Take any group prairie dog shooting and offer a wide variety of cartridges with unlimited ammo for each - folks start off trying a wide variety of guns, but quickly gravitate to the smaller ones. Even those of us who enjoy large cartridges will plink a few dogs with our super duper magnums, then finish off with something better suited. The actual differences in shooter’s accuracy with cartridges of varying recoil levels can’t be hidden, disguised, or excused away with the simple lowly prairie dog. It levels the field to what a shooter can or can’t do, and everyone in the audience from grade schoolers to grandpa can easily see when something is or isn’t working. When a new hunter comes along who doesn’t know what their recoil tolerance is, I’ve always thought dogs are a fun way to find out. It also shows a shooters field accuracy - whatever yardage someone can consistently connect at can be safely assumed to be doubled for big game.
 
I am looking at building a custom rifle for the first time and had a few questions for 6.5 PRC owners. I know I can plug everything into a calculator and get numbers but was curious on the actual felt difference between the PRC and say a 6.5 or 6 creed? I am not super recoil sensitive as I am used to a 338 win mag but I would like to step down and build something for deer and elk. I was thinking a 6.5 PRC would cover that plenty but want to get something that makes it enjoyable to shoot so that I go practice as much as possible. Was also considering a 25 creed. Any help/advice would be awesome. Thanks in advance

6.5 PRC is great, recoil is very manageable but seeing my impacts is probably 50/50 depending on shooting position. The 6CM is great but I recently built an 22CM and it’s is so fun to shoot. It’s only downside is it’s bullet splash is tough to see in some soil conditions. Building a 223 trainer is the best way to go that way as it will last forever.
 
The 6.5 creed spits out 100 gr bullets as fast as the 6-284, 6mm-06, or the 240 Weatherby mag, so that helps some folks to visualize the difference between creedmoors. The 6.5 120 gr velocity is also very similar to the 25-06.
 
If you’re goal is to reduce felt recoil and increase your enjoyment of shooting practice the first answer is get a suppressor, hands down no matter whatever cartridge you’re shooting.
If you’re willing to get a 223 trainer and you really want to keep the horsepower up there in the field 6.5PRC is probably fine but you’ll spot impacts better with a smaller choice.

Anything Creedmoor ought to maintain terminal performance out to 600yds and you definitely won’t need any more “power” than Creed unless your shooting thicker than elk/moose. I.E. Bison. Of course even a Creed in the right spot with the right bullet will drop a Bison too.

As you state wanting to stick to one rifle I suggest whatever caliber Creedmoor you’re into, or smaller.
you might be limited to ranges ~400ish for the really pleasant shooting cartridges like 223, ARC, BR/Dasher etc.

No cartridge choice will supplant the increased pleasure of shooting suppressed though. Just get on the train
 
Another round to consider for practice is the 6 ARC. Ammo is probably cheaper than heavy factory .223 ammo, and it is a blast to shoot.
 
I have a 6.5PRC in a Manner LRH and it's not terrible on recoil. Like a hot loaded 6.5 creed, or like someone else said, close to a 270 almost.
 
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