Maximizing 300 PRC

[ja4wheel6]

I have 26" Christenson 300 PRC. NX8 on top

I am looking at getting to handloading. I am trying to squeeze every last bit of velocity and down range performance that I can

My initial thoughts are to run
225 eldm with h1000 f215m
Questions
1.) does better brass increase your powder charge you can run before seeing over pressuring
2.) what brass
3.) are there better bullets to be considering? 215 berger, 245 long range hybrid target? 220 grain?
4.) should I plus P it?
5.) should I look at a different powder?
6.) 1600 fps is advertised minimum speed of lethality, is that accurate?

 

[wind gypsy]

I have 26" Christenson 300 PRC. NX8 on top

I am looking at getting to handloading. I am trying to squeeze every last bit of velocity and down range performance that I can

My initial thoughts are to run
225 eldm with h1000 f215m
Questions
1.) does better brass increase your powder charge you can run before seeing over pressuring

"better" brass takes more pressure before you trash it with hot loads or it shows signs like sticky bolt lift or ejector marks on the case head. Lots of people run high pressures (over SAAMI) without issue but I've seen some posts lately about how "weather" or "debris" caused pickle in the field with a pierced primer when the real culprit was running too much pressure because the brass withstood it.

2.) what brass

I've not had a PRC but I'd start with Lapua.

3.) are there better bullets to be considering? 215 berger, 245 long range hybrid target? 220 grain?
4.) should I plus P it?
5.) should I look at a different powder?

Something like N570 will get you more velocity. H1000 is a good powder though.

6.) 1600 fps is advertised minimum speed of lethality, is that accurate?

Min reliable terminal speed is bullet specific. 1600 FPS is a long ass ways out there with a 300 PRC. Just because a bullet will have acceptable terminal attributes at that range doesn't mean we have any business shooting at animals that far away.

 

[ja4wheel6]

any other suggestions????

 

[ID_Matt]

Good brass will help - Lapua would be my choice. N570 will likely be the fastest powder available. 215 bergers will also probably have the best performance on paper. They have quite a bit less bearing surface than the hornady and can generally be ran quite a bit quicker.

Either way, you are probably looking at well over 1200 yards of effective range. Unless you are competing in ELR, I wouldn't sweat too much. Just go shoot.

 

[wind gypsy]

300 PRC - Long Range Only - Cartridge Guide 300 PRC

The 300 PRC is designed to take full advantage of it's entire case capacity without having bullets seated too deep. 300 PRC SAAMI

www.longrangeonly.com

 

[willfrye027]

I’d run some numbers. A Berger 215 at 2900fps gets you to around 1200 yards for 1800fps impact at 6000ft elevation. That is…a poke. Maybe you don’t need it to be maxed out?

 

[SDHNTR]

You are going about this wrong, imo. And, no offense, you are asking rookie questions. Please study up on the subject before you waste time and money on components and worse yet, risk hurting yourself by pushing the envelope. Reloading isn’t about maximizing velocity. You’re chasing the wrong goal. It’s about accuracy and consistency. An extra 50-100 fps won’t make a difference in the field. Accuracy definitely will! And good ES and SD numbers might.

Use good brass like ADG, Lapua or Peterson because it lasts longer and is better quality/more consistent, not because you can push it faster.

“Good” bullets are entirely dependent on what your barrel likes. Let the gun tell you what it likes and listen to it! What one person tells you worked in their gun is meaninglessness. Pick a bullet for your target velocity and try it. If it shoots good, great. If not, try something else. Every barrel is different in what it prefers. Even ones from the same manufacturer and for the same cartridge.

+P is totally unnecessary.

Like bullets, powder preferences also will vary by individual barrels. Also, like bullets, you will need to experiment and find out what your barrel likes best. No way around it. H 1000 is great, IF your barrel likes it. if not, it’s not great, and you need to try something else with a similar burn rate.

Minimum velocity varies by bullet. You’ll need to check each bullet you intend to use, but unless you are really trying to hunt way out there, 800+, it’s probably irrelevant with a .300prc.

 

[ja4wheel6]

Good brass will help - Lapua would be my choice. N570 will likely be the fastest powder available. 215 bergers will also probably have the best performance on paper. They have quite a bit less bearing surface than the hornady and can generally be ran quite a bit quicker.

Either way, you are probably looking at well over 1200 yards of effective range. Unless you are competing in ELR, I wouldn't sweat too much. Just go shoot.

What ballistic software are you using? I am struggling to find any consistency between software's

 

[ID_Matt]

What ballistic software are you using? I am struggling to find any consistency between software's

Usually applied ballistics (kestrel 5700 elite or sig Kilo6K)

 

[TaperPin]

The more pressure you run, the more likely you’ll have a pressure related case or primer issue that disables the gun. Blank a primer and that little piece of metal goes somewhere - doesn’t help success much if it takes 5 minutes to sort it out.

The fastest most reliable way to get more velocity out of your gun is sell it and a get a 30-378 or 300 Norma.

 

[willfrye027]

What ballistic software are you using? I am struggling to find any consistency between software's

They will all be remarkably close, if you have the correct inputs

 

[wind gypsy]

Can plug numbers into JBM online easy enough for free.

Agree with what @willfrye027 said, if you are getting significantly different outputs, your inputs are probably off or you're using a program that has something funky happening with aerodynamic jump or other.

 

[doc holiday13]

Can plug numbers into JBM online easy enough for free.

Agree with what @willfrye027 said, if you are getting significantly different outputs, your inputs are probably off or you're using a program that has something funky happening with aerodynamic jump or other.

x2

Plus once you've gotten your MV and "theoretical" BC plugged into your program, you'll still need to verify and possibly tweak your ballistics program. You'll need a 700-800 yd range to do that

 

[Swamplord]

Want more velocity ? get a 300 RUM

 

[IrkedCitizen]

Want more velocity ? get a 300 RUM
View attachment 647063

Are you THE Swamplord of Precision Rifled Ordnance?

 

[Slick8]

You are going about this wrong, imo. And, no offense, you are asking rookie questions. Please study up on the subject before you waste time and money on components and worse yet, risk hurting yourself by pushing the envelope. Reloading isn’t about maximizing velocity. You’re chasing the wrong goal. It’s about accuracy and consistency. An extra 50-100 fps won’t make a difference in the field. Accuracy definitely will! And good ES and SD numbers might.

Use good brass like ADG, Lapua or Peterson because it lasts longer and is better quality/more consistent, not because you can push it faster.

“Good” bullets are entirely dependent on what your barrel likes. Let the gun tell you what it likes and listen to it! What one person tells you worked in their gun is meaninglessness. Pick a bullet for your target velocity and try it. If it shoots good, great. If not, try something else. Every barrel is different in what it prefers. Even ones from the same manufacturer and for the same cartridge.

+P is totally unnecessary.

Like bullets, powder preferences also will vary by individual barrels. Also, like bullets, you will need to experiment and find out what your barrel likes best. No way around it. H 1000 is great, IF your barrel likes it. if not, it’s not great, and you need to try something else with a similar burn rate.

Minimum velocity varies by bullet. You’ll need to check each bullet you intend to use, but unless you are really trying to hunt way out there, 800+, it’s probably irrelevant with a .300prc.

SD nailed it.

I have a question for you, what's your barrel twist rate? That's your limiting factor regarding bullet weight with the heavy VLDs.

Like said above, N570 will get the most velocity but H1000 will certainly get you there. In these times, it's almost shoot what you can find.

I always add velocity to what I call my minimum velocity threshold over what the OEM states as a margin of safety. For me on Berger's it's 2000 FPS. At elk altitude that's still farther than most can shoot with the PRC and heavy Berger's.

I'll echo the above, consistency is the key to reloading. WE'VE likely all been there but take it from experienced people, don't try to force your rifle to do something it doesn't like regarding velocity, seating depth or bullet selection.

Keep asking questions and get on YouTube for some help. I recommend Erik Cortina and the Ultimate Relaoder for starters on the tube.