6.8 Western or 7 PRC?

[Unckebob]

My 6.5 Creedmoor is great! Easy to shoot and kills everything I’ve shot it at quickly and cleanly. Pronghorn, Whitetails, Muleys and elk.

I’m trying to settle on two loads for it, a mono for meat hunts and a heavy for trophy hunts. I already know the 127 LRX is the mono load. The darn rifle pretty much shoots all 140-147gr bullets well so the “heavy load” is more difficult to decide on. I just need something I can break both shoulders of a bull elk with. My favorite and one that has proven to be very effective at this is the 142 ABLR load from Winchester. I can’t find any, though, and I only have 29 rounds left.

I’ll probably end up with 140 NBT or ELD-M.

From a reloading perspective, Accubond and Accubond LR bullets in pretty much any caliber are hard to find. In 7mm, they are unobtanium and have been for some time.

Good luck with your search.

 

[MJB]

I went with the X bolt LR Max in 6.8 Western really nice gun, swapped out the sear spring and damn it's 1.8# pull.

Lots of Hammer bullet weight options if you reload

My buddy uses the lead factory loads and is happy

 

[Stinky Coyote]

Not much 6.5prc on the shelves either

Ya it’s gonna be popular for a bit and the 7prc will be no different...surprised to hear the western is findable. So is that because demand?

And to the folks bringing up the 20th century options...wrong thread, op knows his shizzo and clearly after a 21st century option.

The bc and sd on those heavy 6.8 and 7mm are pretty amazing but the only issue with them is you go into a different league of recoil levels when you start pushing over 150 grains of lead at decent velocities. Some guys like that shizzo though, totally unnecessary but this a relatively free world still, go for it man, that 180 eld-m has pretty amazing bc/sd but I see that 180gr number and my shoulder says not today Satan.

About shot 3 trying to maintain a sub moa group at 600 with a 7-8 lb rig I’d be very unhappy. I’d get it done but I’d dislike it and not wanna do it again.

 

[EmperorMA]

Ya it’s gonna be popular for a bit and the 7prc will be no different...surprised to hear the western is findable. So is that because demand?

And to the folks bringing up the 20th century options...wrong thread, op knows his shizzo and clearly after a 21st century option.

The bc and sd on those heavy 6.8 and 7mm are pretty amazing but the only issue with them is you go into a different league of recoil levels when you start pushing over 150 grains of lead at decent velocities. Some guys like that shizzo though, totally unnecessary but this a relatively free world still, go for it man, that 180 eld-m has pretty amazing bc/sd but I see that 180gr number and my shoulder says not today Satan.

About shot 3 trying to maintain a sub moa group at 600 with a 7-8 lb rig I’d be very unhappy. I’d get it done but I’d dislike it and not wanna do it again.

Yeah, I’m definitely looking for 21st century solutions. My time is nowhere near what it used to be and there just isn’t enough of it to work up loads with a bunch of different bullets in a few different rifles chambered for different cartridges. I do too much other stuff now.

I’ve also thought about getting a “higher quality” rifle in 6.5 Creedmoor and transferring my high quality scope to it, then buying a solid low-mid priced scope to put on the existing cheap-ass 6.5 Creedmoor that shoots well. I’d go with a longer barrel (24-26”) and a good brake in the new Creed and leave the 22” unbraked rifle as-is.

 

[762 ULTRAMAGA]

I'm not excited about the 7 PRC cuz I'm a hadloader and it brings nothing new to the table if you build and roll your own.
However it is going to be about the best thing out there for a guy who wants a factory setup and understands the LR benefits of a 175-180 class bullet.

I have a theory about why Hornady waited so long to release the
7 PRC..
It has a hair more recoil than the 6.5 prc, and totally punks it in every LR category especially when it comes to killing shit.
Basically the 6.5 prc is so redundant to the Creed that a 7mm version would have killed it in it's crib before all the bros started believing it was a good 1000 yard elk slayer.

 

[Bayouhunter]

I agree.. I think they staggered the release so that it would give the 6.5prc some "solo" time.... but I am guilty of "falling for the 7prc", but I don't reload and will likely be factory only so it does check a lot of boxes for me... I see one in my future likely...

 

[762 ULTRAMAGA]

I agree.. I think they staggered the release so that it would give the 6.5prc some "solo" time.... but I am guilty of "falling for the 7prc", but I don't reload and will likely be factory only so it does check a lot of boxes for me... I see one in my future likely...

For a guy like you it's a great choice

 

[Steve O]

I am not worried about long-term adoption of either cartridge. One bein g offered jointly by two companies as large and influential as Winchester and Browning almost guarantees support. Ditto for Hornady who has been on a roll lately.

Nobody has that kind of skin in the game for the 7 SAUM or .280 AI. And older cartridges just aren't set up for the big, long, heavy bullets.

I am a HUGE Winchester fanboy so there's that. Big Nosler fanboy, too. I'll probably lean toward a Browning rifle if I get the 6.8 Western just for the 1:7.5" twist, which is likely to be better with the purported 175gr ABLR for .277" I have been hearing about, which should come in close to a .660 BC. Nothing wrong with a Winchester Model 70 Extreme Weather shooting 162 monometals, 165 ABLR, 170 NBT and 175 TGK, either.

The worst we can get from Hornady will be the 175 ELD-X and 180 ELD-M. A CA Ridgeline flinging those would be quite all I'd need.

Just purchase about 250-500 rounds of whatever the rifle likes best when available and call it good.

How’s that 7 WSM that they were behind doing?

I don’t think I’d pick either listed. Long range step up power for me means 300 something Mag. 300 Win does pretty well and has a lot of factory support and availability.

 

[Sevens]

.... but I am guilty of "falling for the 7prc", but I don't reload and will likely be factory only so it does check a lot of boxes for me... I see one in my future likely...

I’m building one due to those same reasons. Short barrel performance seems good too, opted for a 20” barrel and will run suppressed.

 

[dsotm]

Don't see 6.8 western sticking around. An answer to a question absolutely nobody was asking.

 

[EmperorMA]

Don't see 6.8 western sticking around. An answer to a question absolutely nobody was asking.

I don't know about that. I have seen many, many folks who have been clamoring for long, heavy, high-BC bullets in .277 cal. This cartridge has given us those and given us a very accurate, efficient, powerful and relatively low-recoil cartridge to shoot them from .... the first of its kind.

 

[jrfred]

The 7mm PRC is not going to be commonly available for at least two years and requires a long action. In terms of performance, it is basically a beltless 7mm Rem Mag. I am building a 280AI because I reload and don't want to mess with reloading a belted case. I would get either of those cartridges before I wait 2-3 years to see if the 7PRC is a hit.

The 6.8Western is basically a short action 270. From what I can tell, it is not a big hit as nobody besides Winchester/Browning is chambering rifles for it or offering factory ammo for it. I would I avoid it.

Looks like Christensen Arms is offering the 6.8 Western in their Titanium FFT model, short 20" barrel too.

 

[bmart2622]

The 6.8 is cool but it wont/doesnt have the backing the 7 prc does and it will slowly phase out

 

[762 ULTRAMAGA]

I just got this in the mail directly from Hornady, man they're a marketing behemoth!

 

[MTNHUNTER76]

Neither, I think the 6.8 will be out of style eventually. Not a huge following so limited factory ammo. 7prc should've never come to be. The 6.5 has a big following and i see it being around for the long haul. Very important if you depend on factory ammo.

I shoot a 6.5prc 99% of the time. If more is needed it's a big 30 or 33 cal.

 

[Unckebob]

I just got this in the mail directly from Hornady, man they're a marketing behemoth!
View attachment 484462

They do have marketing down.

 

[762 ULTRAMAGA]

Neither, I think the 6.8 will be out of style eventually. Not a huge following so limited factory ammo. 7prc should've never come to be. The 6.5 has a big following and i see it being around for the long haul. Very important if you depend on factory ammo.

I shoot a 6.5prc 99% of the time. If more is needed it's a big 30 or 33 cal.

I'm not a 7 prc fanboy by any stretch, but I will say it makes a ton more sense than the 6.5 prc.
The creedmoor already covered the 6.5 arena, adding 150-200 fps was super redundant.
With the 7 prc you can jump to a 180 class bullet with the same velocity as a 140 from the 6.5, now we're getting somewhere.
I'm still pissed that Hornady didn't base it off the 300 prc case, but I'll get over it

 

[Twitch]

I just got this in the mail directly from Hornady, man they're a marketing behemoth!
View attachment 484462

I got one of those too! LOL
And my action just cleared my ffl... winter projects are about to begin

 

[MTNHUNTER76]

I'm not a 7 prc fanboy by any stretch, but I will say it makes a ton more sense than the 6.5 prc.
The creedmoor already covered the 6.5 arena, adding 150-200 fps was super redundant.
With the 7 prc you can jump to a 180 class bullet with the same velocity as a 140 from the 6.5, now we're getting somewhere.
I'm still pissed that Hornady didn't base it off the 300 prc case, but I'll get over it

6.5 prc makes great sense for long range hunting, creedmoor doesn't. I shoot a 156 berger a little over 200fps faster than a creed with a 140. That's a big difference in energy at distance. It kills everything! Its a great round that can be used for a very broad spectrum of hunting. Less recoil and less powder burned.

 

[762 ULTRAMAGA]

6.5 prc makes great sense for long range hunting, creedmoor doesn't. I shoot a 156 berger a little over 200fps faster than a creed with a 140. That's a big difference in energy at distance. It kills everything! Its a great round that can be used for a very broad spectrum of hunting. Less recoil and less powder burned.

I've been shooting and hunting long range with a 6.5 saum before the PRC was even a twinkle in your eye
They're both great cartridges but I've spent enough time trying to make mine into a 7mm to realize it will never do much more than the 6.5 creed. If you're loading same same the creed will be within 200 fps of your prc with a 156 not a 140.

At the end of the day I can't tell a bit of difference in recoil between my 6.5 saum shooting 144s and my 7-300 wsm improved shooting 180s with a whopping 5 grains more powder.
I shoot suppressed though so recoil is mild with any short mag