To Reload or Not? 30 Nosler vs 300 PRC

[Pelagic]

I'm about to do my first rifle build and am hoping to make this one what I'll use for many years to come. Background: I hunt out west a few times a year, and will be using the rifle mainly for deer and elk, but possibly bear or moose in the future. Once I get dialed in, I'd be practicing and target shooting 5-8 times a year here at home in the midwest.

I know very little about guns, and mainly use them more as a tool to get meat. However, to that end, I am interested in becoming proficient at long range shooting, should the opportunity for a 500+ yard shot present itself.

Right now, I don't have a lot of time to dedicate to reloading, but could definitely find a way to put in time if it meant a significant improvement in accuracy down range. I'm looking at the 300 PRC because of the availability of the 212 ELDx which to my understanding should work well with that barrel. This would allow me to buy factory ammo, and shoot it well at long range (theoretically), while also giving the option of re-loading for it, should I decide to.

However, based on what I've read, if I were to decide on re-loading, it seems the 30 Nosler might be the preferred choice of the two, given my needs and use. So, if that is the case, what I'm wondering is if you guys think it is worth it to get into re-loading and go with the 30 Nosler. I don't mind the financial investment (I know I won't save money by re-loading), it's mainly the investment of time I'm concerned about, so if it's only 100-200 cartridges a year I'm making would it be pretty minimal time traded for the level of accuracy improvement I'd see over the PRC?

Or, might the performance of the factory 212 ELDx in the PRC be just as good out to, say 1000 yards, as a re-loaded 30 Nosler?

 

[mt100gr.]

I will leave the cartridge selection to others here with more experience on the specs.

I'll instead speak to the reloading and time investment question:
I definitely believe that handloading for precision rifles gives you a better understanding of the ballistics and the 'why' of it all.

That said, with such limited range time, proper load development would negate any practice time. It might take a couple trips and some research time just to find an acceptable factory load. If time is truly your biggest constraint, make any time you have extra into range time if you really want to develop the skills to hunt at longer ranges. 5 or so range trips only gives you 5 or so sets of conditions to practice in. Confidence to 500-600 isn't out of the question if you put in the time both at home and on the range, but in hunting scenarios you'll have to know and stick to your limitations.

I reload for a handful of rifles and have 600yards to play with, 5 minutes from home. I usually shoot around 1000 rifle rounds per year. Yesterday, a cruel and inconsistent cross wind made me feel silly at 590yards.

 

[ckleeves]

The factory PRC ammo is pretty good. On the ones I have played with if they don’t like the 212 they usually like the 225 and vice versa. But you could also end up with a barrel that doesn’t like either and you might have to reload for it so it’s a little bit of a gamble. I chronographed one box of 225’s that had a pretty big ES but the others boxes I have checked have been pretty decent.

Your splitting hairs on prc vs Nosler. No elk shot with either is going to know the difference.

There is a good chance the PRC will shoot good with factory ammo with the option of reloading if you need/want to. The Nosler is pretty much a reload only cartridge IMO.

IMO if I wasn’t reloading already and wanted to get my feet wet in LR shooting I would go PRC. You can always reload for it later down the road, whereas with the Nosler your kinda jumping in with both feet.


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[OSU Fisher]

If you dont wanna reload why not go 300wm and shoot factory Berger 215?

 

[elkguide]

.300 Win Mag camper here.
Your opening statement said that you were looking for a long term rifle and both of the calibers that you inquired about are short lived barrel burners. The .300 WM will hang right there with those others and still give you what you are looking for.

 

[FURMAN]

If you are not going to reload the odds of finding a suitable ammo are much higher with the 300 WM(although many of the options I personally would not shoot long range). My 300 PRC hates factory ammo. I hate the factory options for 30 Nosler. For reloading everyone will have an opinion but mine is the 30 Nosler rules. I am going to be blunt and tell you you are not going to get proficient at long range hunting in 8 practice "sessions" a year. Those who think they can go out and ring steel long distance a few times a year and you're good to go have no business shooting at game at long distances. Conditions change, getting accurate ranges on animals in terrain is not cut and dry, shooting from field positions accurately takes practice the list goes on.

 

[wind gypsy]

.300 Win Mag camper here.
Your opening statement said that you were looking for a long term rifle and both of the calibers that you inquired about are short lived barrel burners. The .300 WM will hang right there with those others and still give you what you are looking for.

Add me as another vote for starting with a 300 WM and berger factory 215s. Listed velocities make it almost identical to the Hornady factory 212 eldx ammo ballistics and you have more room for other choices if it doesn't work out for you.

That said, I wouldn't make any choice based on barrel life, they are too close in case capacity to be that big of a difference.

 

[FURMAN]

I have yet to see a SAAMI chamber that did not like the Berger factory 215 ammo which is awesome for game. Obviously there is no guarantee it will shoot in the rifle you go with but odds are good.

 

[ckleeves]

.300 Win Mag camper here.
Your opening statement said that you were looking for a long term rifle and both of the calibers that you inquired about are short lived barrel burners. The .300 WM will hang right there with those others and still give you what you are looking for.

Short lived barrel burners?


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[FURMAN]

Every single cartridge suitable for killing elk quickly at 800-1000 yards will have barrel life around 800-1000 rounds and none will have an appreciable advantage in that department over the other. You are not going to notice any difference until you step up to something like a RUM. You would have to shoot probably 20-30 barrels of each to even see a statistical proof of one being longer living than the other. I have owned 7SAUM, 7WSM, 7 rem mags, 7-300WMs, 7LRMs, 300 WMs, 30Noslers, 300 PRC, 6.5x284s, 6.5PRCs. I may have missed one or two. If you are shooting them enough to be proficient at long range hunting barrel life will be 800-1000 rounds.

 

[Middleofnowhere]

I went 30 Nosler route because I got a smoking deal on a couple hundred Nosler 210 ABLR rounds. They shoot sub MOA with my rifle. I’ll basically be working over the next couple years to work up loads and get proficient at longer ranges than I am now.

 

[brisket]

Put me in the Win Mag camp. Plenty of good factory options plus tons of historical reloading information make it a great cartridge to start with. Plus when you're proficient enough at distance to shoot things further than the win mag allows you will for sure have burned the barrel out.

 

[recurveman]

Well this is simple. The cartridge is really not important. All are plenty accurate and carry enough energy to kill just about everything. So pick something and be done. With your experience level I would stay more mainstream than your first two options. Don't forget about recoil. Bunch of those rounds have plenty of bark and bite. Muzzle breaks will require hearing protection.......saw a buddy this year get really excited and forgot to wear protection. He didn't remember the shot but his ears were ringing for DAYS.

With that said. Shooting longer than 500 yards has WAY more to do with the shooter than the gun. I would rather have a great shooter with a MOA gun than a guy that has a 1/4MOA gun that only shoots 100 rounds a year down the tube. The environment will choose your point of impact more frequently than the gun once you hit the 500-600 yards mark. Shooting 800+ really gets interesting. Knowing how the environment affects the point of impact is the name of the game. Shooting game at long distances is a huge challenge and is much tougher than people think. First you need the animal to be in one location for a period of time to set up the shot. The conditions better be very, very good. If it is windy plan to look like a fool (just talking from experience). You will need a GOOD spotter to call hits and MISSES. Hopefully your barrel isn't clean, you don't have a change in elevation, good rest, read the wind, solid rest (easier said than done).........We haven't even started to talk about nerves!!!!!!! It gets exciting when you see your crosshairs go a foot above and then a foot below the animal when you are trying to pull the trigger. Then what?

Honestly I would shoot a normal cartridge and shoot as often as possible. If you find yourself wanting more accuracy then think about reloading. My guess is you won't shoot enough or far enough for it to make a difference.

 

[Totoro]

I will throw my 2 bits into the mix.

I have shot and owned various 300mags over the years, both custom and off the shelf, SAAMI and wildcats.

First, the animal will NOT know the difference between this or that 300mag.

That aside, as other members have said, range time is paramount. I applaud your efforts in going out to practice what you have learned as well as learning as you go.

The shooter, ultimately, is the limiting factor.

Quick tangent, the group I hunted with this year added two more hunters. Both had top of the line gear from their firearms to optics to clothing. At the informal range verification, both shot well enough at 100yds but at 600yds neither could get on target. Yes, they had LRF and all gizmos to boot. But neither was effective in using the tools.

Lesson 1, understand the tools work before going into the field. The animals deserve that respect from all of us hunters.

So back to your question, I toiled with the same questions and for me it boiled down to TIME.

Between work, family and my other outlets my time is short to work on developing a load tuned to my rifle to hunt. So it boiled down to the 300Winnie or 300PRC. Why?

The 300Winnie has a proven track record, no one can dispute. Tons of factory ammo offerings in all sorts of shapes and sizes, practically available most anywhere (except Fredonia AZ, LOL). The touted 215 Berger hybrid is loaded by Berger and soon Federal.

The new kid on the block, 300PRC, has only 2 factor offerings both from Hornady. Neither bullet weights or velocity are slouches.

The kicker for me, being in California, it's downright impossible to get my hands on Berger ammo; legally speaking. BUT I can order 300PRC and get it at BPS without too much hassle.

Those factors helped me pick the 300PRC.

Best of luck to your quest!

 

[dirtytough]

I was in your same boat. I went 300 prc.

I doubt any of them are harder on a barrel than the other despite what you read on the net. Since you are looking to shoot factory ammo to start I would pick the cartridge based on the factory ammo you want to shoot. If you want to shoot the 212/225 go prc. If you want to shoot the 215 go wm. I’m not sure what factory is available for the nos but last I looked it wasn’t very good.

 

[jacknifejc]

My factory M48 30 Nosler shoots the factory 210 ABLR ammunition 1/4 moa. I bought a bunch of the factory ammunition because it was about the same price as the brass. I planned on getting some brass built up and reloading. However, I doubt I can reload anything that shoots as well as the factory ammunition. I bought a lot more of it when it was on sale.

 

[Pelagic]

I appreciate all the input here. My question was more of a "all other things being equal" type of question, to get as focused an apples to apples comparison of those two options as I could. Obviously, practicing more will make somebody better at just about anything, long range shooting included. I would never take a shot an an animal at 500 yards if I could not hit consistent groups at that range. But I want to be able to grow into this rifle. So I'm accounting for the strong possibility that I will need to practice more and more as time goes on, in order to be accurate at farther and farther distances, and so that I will not be limited by the chambering I go with.

That being said, it sounds like I'll definitely need to look strongly into the 300 Win Mag as well.

 

[Totoro]

For shear flexibility with a variety of factory offerings and a plethora of reloading data, it is difficult to beat the 300Winnie.

 

[codym]

All things being equal I would say 300 PRC. By equal I mean sammi spec chambers. The 300 PRC has a better setup for longer bullets and takes advantage of longer free bore. The 300 prc was made for a guy like you that doesn’t reload and wants to get into the LR game. That being said give me a 30 nos throated long every day of the week, but I reload and have no problem building a dummy round and building a rifle around that. The PRC is the easy button and imo the better factory rifle. Going custom with a custom reamer I would take the 30 nos or even 300 win mag for better brass options. Either will serve you well.

 

[Mountaingates]

30 nos...who wants that 375 case when you can have a 404 jefferys case