6.5 PRC

[cgasner1]

I shoot a hand loaded 156 Berger at 2950 fps out of mine. My 7 mag pushes a 160 grain at 2900. On paper pretty similar but my 7mag won’t shoot bergers this will so the big benefit to me is the wind drift with this bullet. Bergers flat out fill when put in the proper spot. Gun is pleasant to shot with my can on it. The bull I killed in Wyoming this year I stuck one hand under the butt of the gun to steady it up to make the shot. I’m not doing that with a large magnum it would have rocked me the way I took the shot. I use to shoot the eld-m out of it and had amazing result a wound channel you could roll a golf ball thru I don’t see many game animals traveling very far with a hole like that in the ribs


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[JRS3]

I’ve guided three elk hunters that have used a 6.5 PRC. All three resulted in dead elk. One was a on-shot kill (dropped him in his tracks) the other two bulls each took two shots to kill. Shot placement and closing the distance is key. I wouldn’t recommend shooting an elk farther than 500 yards with this caliber, just my personal preference.


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Do you know what bullet(s) was used?

 

[nvkevin]

Do you know what bullet(s) was used?

Factory loads. Hornady 143 gr ELD-X on all three bulls.


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[mtnwrunner]

6.5 prc is more than adequate for elk. I have been using factory 147 eldm......super accurate and devastating. As with all these threads, you'll get a myriad of responses and opinions but bottom line is that the PRC works just fine.

Randy

 

[amassi]

In on this thread as im still looking for the best factory loads for this rifle. Picked up a tikka in 6.5prc a couple weeks ago.


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Factory would be the 147 eld-m. Factory + would be the unknown munitions mayhem series 147 eld m.

 

[Slinger911]

6.5 PRC is a great all around rifle but if I were concentrating on an ELK Rifle I think the 300 PRC is a better choice.

 

[ReaptheHeat]

6.5 PRC is a great all around rifle but if I were concentrating on an ELK Rifle I think the 300 PRC is a better choice.

Funny how I can only find 300 PRC on shelves and not 6.5. 300 is definitely not a round I would want in a lightweight rifle!

 

[Wolf_trapper]

My wife and I have killed 15ish elk between us maybe more with my 6.5x47. I bet 400yd average max 600. Never lost one and never had a big tracking job. Every one is dead within 100yds. Much less impressive ballistics compared to the prc.

 

[wcarper]

IMO 400-500 yards should the max to shoot an elk with a 6.5. Anything past that gets risky.
Thanks for all of the input!


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[30338]

Keep us posted after you hunt elk for the first time next fall.

 

[cgasner1]

IMO 400-500 yards should the max to shoot an elk with a 6.5. Anything past that gets risky.
Thanks for all of the input!


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After you get your load built and shot across a chronograph look at your chart the bullets have a designed fps that they work at. Maybe the one you pick is only 300 yards maybe it’s 650. Just because the gun/bullet can do it doesn’t mean you can either


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[208Logan]

I killed my two latest bulls with my 6.5 PRC. The larger was at 885 yards and the smaller was at 550 yards. Shoot them in the boiler room and they go down. Hands down my favorite gun.

 

[Watrdawg]

I'm going back and forth myself on this. If I take my 6.5PRC I'll be shooting 156gr EOL's. I'm having a 2nd 6.5PRC rebarreled into a 7mmPRC and I may take that instead. My elk hunt isn't until 2024 so I have a good bit of time to settle on a gun to take. Worst case I just take my 300WM.

 

[PNWGATOR]

Bullets matter.

That said, the 6.5 PRC is the most recoil I choose to deal with in a hunting rifle. I prefer less and wouldn’t build another.

 

[Dioni A]

To all the people making yardage limitations. How many of you have killed animals past that 400-600 yard range with an ELDM? They're absolutely devastating out of a 6.5 PRC at extended ranges. Out of my rifle it's still over 2000 fps at 1000 yards. I have friends who've shot animals with good results down to 1800fps. The cartridge isn't the limiting factor. And yes you have to pick a good shot. That's true for any cartridge.

 

[Greenhorn]

I just got one last year, and I expect it will be my goto for any hunting I do. Shot an elk last month with it. 139gr scenar.

 

[mtnrunner260]

I killed my two latest bulls with my 6.5 PRC. The larger was at 885 yards and the smaller was at 550 yards. Shoot them in the boiler room and they go down. Hands down my favorite gun.

Awesome bulls.
What bullet did you use?

 

[208Logan]

Awesome bulls.
What bullet did you use?

143 ELDX, Lapua Brass, H1000 for the powder... Right now I am working with the berger 156 to try to get a good load going

 

[davsco]

Out of my rifle it's still over 2000 fps at 1000 yards.

i was going to call you out on that, but damn that looks accurate just based on hornady's ballistic tool, esp at elevation and if you handload i guess! energy is only 1100-1200 ft-lbs though.

way back when i was a kid, the rule of thumb was a "ton" of energy AT the elk. is there a newer rule of thumb esp taking into account improvements in bullet construction?

honestly i'm just not sure i'm in the 6.5prc for elk camp. two years back with my 300wsm and factory 180tbt federals i had a perfect shot on a pretty large cow at just 200yds. there were two of them and they both ran a little and i lost track of which was which. they gave absolutely zero indication that one had been hit. finally, the one teetered and i hit her again and that was the end of that. i didn't get a chance to do an autopsy or anything, maybe the bullet wasn't the best choice... i realize lots have dropped to 6.5prc and even creedmoor and lesser, just in my very limited experience i'd like something a little more.

 

[Indian Summer]

i was going to call you out on that, but damn that looks accurate just based on hornady's ballistic tool, esp at elevation and if you handload i guess! energy is only 1100-1200 ft-lbs though.

Energy is a must! Energy is weight plus speed. No energy no penetration. Would you rather get hit with a ping ping ball doing 35mph or a golf ball doing the same speed. You know the ping ping ball is bouncing off. The golf ball could kill you.

Speed is great for accuracy but it’s far from being the factor that determines a bullet’s effectiveness.