7SAUM vs 7PRC....Click before you judge

[WildBoose]

I know there are a ton of posts comparing these two...but this one is a little different.

I am hellbent on building a 18in suppressed rifle.

That being said, is the 7saum the best choice? Wanting to shoot 162 ELD-X.

I know that the PRC edges it out in a couple categories in the 22-24in range, but that's not what I'm interested in. Thanks!

 

[Brucebarker024]

I was just having this conversation with a buddy of mine yesterday. I shoot a 7 SAUM with 180s and 162s from a short action with a 24 inch barrel. If you don’t care about having a long action and want better factory ammo availability then go prc. If you’re gonna reload and want a short action go 7 SAUM. My SAUM shoots 162 eldm at 3050 and 180 hybrids at 2900. 150 pieces of adg brass will last you the barrel for either. I imagine the prc feeds a little bit better just because of the case length but I’ve never had an issue. If I was starting over and picking one I’d still go 7 SAUM.

Edited to add: I don’t know for sure but I imagine that between the SAUM and a prc at 18 inches the difference is going to be nil.

 

[TxLite]

I was between the two when I built my 18” tikka. Ultimately I decided on the 7prc to squeak out as much performance as possible.

I figured if I have 3.34” of space I’m gonna use the whole thing and get the most out of it (also applies outside of rifle building).

No regrets. My 18” prc is doing ~2850 with 180 hybrids and has been great to shoot.

Figure out what yardage you intend to use the rifle at and what MV you need to hit your expansion velocity threshold at your desired yardage.

Good chance both the 7prc and saum will meet/exceed your goal.

 

[Mark at EXO]

My 7SAUM is 18" on a short action, with a SAAMI chamber, shooting 175 ELD-X at 2760 MV. If you run the numbers, it is terminally capable to distances that most of us (myself included) have no business shooting game at.

The only advantage I see of the PRC is factory ammo. Otherwise, you're just forced into a long action, burning more powder, introducing more recoil, and getting more speed that isn't needed in all practical hunting scenarios.

PRC makes sense if you want ammo and/or a rifle off the shelf, but the ballistic "benefits" it offers aren't really needed, and don't come free.

 

[wind gypsy]

7 PRC is bigger and will be able to be pushed faster in an 18" just like it can in a 22-24" tube.

Question is more about the platform you want to push it from and what magazine config you are using. Obviously SA is a SAUM only. With a LA I might lean more towards a PRC thinking it might feed better.

 

[Mojave]

7 PRC is bigger and will be able to be pushed faster in an 18" just like it can in a 22-24" tube.

Question is more about the platform you want to push it from and what magazine config you are using. Obviously SA is a SAUM only. With a LA I might lean more towards a PRC thinking it might feed better.

All of these are true.

7mm PRC

1. Feeds better.
2. Weighs a slosh more long action
3. Goes faster
4. Factory available ammo.
5. More bullet options, as COAL isn't such a big challenge.
6. Chicks dig it!

 

[Dave Thomas]

Both will be very close to each other. Decide on the rest of the components for the rifle first and then Decide which cartridge fits your needs best.

 

[199p]

the saum is cooler but i have a prc
if i was doing it again i would go 7saum but only because of the muck arounds with factory ammo atm was the reason i went prc

 

[Ucsdryder]

I really like my 7saum. It pushes 180 eldms at 2760, no pressure. My 12 year old daughter has killed 4 animals with it and my wife has killed a pile of stuff. It’s a travesty that Remington put their name on it. The 7PRC with hand loads will outrun it, but I think the 7saum really hits the sweet spot for a suppressed magnum in 284.

 

[N2TRKYS]

My 7 SAUM has never had a feeding issue.

 

[TheCoyote]

My 7SAUM is 18" on a short action, with a SAAMI chamber, shooting 175 ELD-X at 2760 MV. If you run the numbers, it is terminally capable to distances that most of us (myself included) have no business shooting game at.

The only advantage I see of the PRC is factory ammo. Otherwise, you're just forced into a long action, burning more powder, introducing more recoil, and getting more speed that isn't needed in all practical hunting scenarios.

PRC makes sense if you want ammo and/or a rifle off the shelf, but the ballistic "benefits" it offers aren't really needed, and don't come free.

In a short action what limitations do you have on the COAL?

I want to build a 7SAUM but I was told I need a "medium" action, short will limit overall lengths and long action would have feeding issues.
Is this true?
Anyone running 7saum in a long action?

 

[Mark at EXO]

In a short action what limitations do you have on the COAL?

I want to build a 7SAUM but I was told I need a "medium" action, short will limit overall lengths and long action would have feeding issues.
Is this true?
Anyone running 7saum in a long action?

My first 7 SAUM was an XD/medium action. It didn't feed great. And with a SAAMI chamber, I wasn't getting benefits over a short action.

If you do XM/medium, you are more limited on magazine/stock/chassis options. And if you do XM/medium, be sure to use a custom reamer that will actually take advantage of the length. But, for me and my needs, that is all unnecessary.

For a hunting-focused rifle and shooting hunting-focused bullets, I am 100% happy with my short action and SAAMI chamber.

 

[Mike D Texas]

In a short action what limitations do you have on the COAL?

I want to build a 7SAUM but I was told I need a "medium" action, short will limit overall lengths and long action would have feeding issues.
Is this true?
Anyone running 7saum in a long action?

If you buy the right action, and use Unknown Munitions bottom metal you can seat out to 3.150”.

Or build on a Tikka and be able to seat out to 3.400 or so.

 

[Soskop]

My first 7 SAUM was an XD/medium action. It didn't feed great. And with a SAAMI chamber, I wasn't getting benefits over a short action.

If you do XM/medium, you are more limited on magazine/stock/chassis options. And if you do XM/medium, be sure to use a custom reamer that will actually take advantage of the length. But, for me and my needs, that is all unnecessary.

For a hunting-focused rifle and shooting hunting-focused bullets, I am 100% happy with my short action and SAAMI chamber.

Planning out my first build ever and landed on a short action 7 SAUM with an 18" barrel.

Also going to hand load, but have confused myself more than anything so trying to get some clarification...

Are you limited (in terms of COAL) to what can fit in your mag on your 7SAUM?

Also, have you shared your loading data anywhere? Trying to get an idea of where I would be at!

 

[TheCoyote]

Will a 7saum just not work in a long action?

 

[Krumfola]

Planning out my first build ever and landed on a short action 7 SAUM with an 18" barrel.

Also going to hand load, but have confused myself more than anything so trying to get some clarification...

Are you limited (in terms of COAL) to what can fit in your mag on your 7SAUM?

Also, have you shared your loading data anywhere? Trying to get an idea of where I would be at!

COAL is gonna be the limiting factor in a short action due to the longer length of heavier bullets.

To fit in a standard length short action mag would require a OAL pretty close to the saami spec of 2.825”.

Doing this with a heavy (and therefore long) 7mm bullet would intrude on powder space and yield a lower velocity, especially in a shorter barrel. This is why some guys go with a medium or long action when building a SAUM. The great thing about heavy 7mm bullets is their high BC which makes up for the lower velocity.

I’m leaning toward an 18” barrel in my SAUM build and plan to shoot 162s. I’m hoping for 2800fps but even at 2700fps it’s gonna do everything I’d need it to out to 600ish yards.

 

[Soskop]

COAL is gonna be the limiting factor in a short action due to the longer length of heavier bullets.

To fit in a standard length short action mag would require a OAL pretty close to the saami spec of 2.825”.

Doing this with a heavy (and therefore long) 7mm bullet would intrude on powder space and yield a lower velocity, especially in a shorter barrel. This is why some guys go with a medium or long action when building a SAUM. The great thing about heavy 7mm bullets is their high BC which makes up for the lower velocity.

I’m leaning toward an 18” barrel in my SAUM build and plan to shoot 162s. I’m hoping for 2800fps but even at 2700fps it’s gonna do everything I’d need it to out to 600ish yards.

This is where I confuse myself. If the Saaami specs COAL is 2.825" how are guys loading COAL out to 3"+?

I know it's me who is misunderstanding. Trying to plan a reloading system and build a rifle all at the same time has been a bit on my brain hah

 

[Krumfola]

They’re probably using a custom reamer and throating it for longer bullets to be able to seat them longer than the saami spec. If you go this route, you’ll need the longer action.

 

[sdupontjr]

One thing to consider that is mentioned above is using the 7SAUM in a shorter action. I just got finished loading some rounds for my buddy's custom 7SAUM with 160 AB. When the shop built his gun, the spec'd the chamber in accordance with the magazine length. So, he can't load longer and single feed. The short action is sweet, however, that 160 AB is wayyyy down into the powder column. We were using RL26 and 4831SC.

I was also loading some 155 scenars in my CTR 308 20". When we went to the range my Scenars were running 2882 and his 160 AB in his 20" carbon six barrel was running 2860 with about 14.7 more grains of powder. He had the ass that a 308 using 5grain less bullet and 14.7 less grains of powder was out running his $6000 custom setup. I believe that if he would have gone with a longer chamber, little more mag length to seat them out further, he could really utilize and maximize the capability of the 7SAUM.

 

[Anubis]

The 7 saum is an awesome, dead cartridge with no factory ammo suuport.
The PRC is a well designed cartridge that has some support.