What to do with 7 PRC Tikka

[JCMCUBIC]

You may want to review the numbers on a 134 ELDM at 2900 MV vs. a 7PRC with a 180 and see if all that recoil is worth it. Spoiler alert, that 134 ELDM doesn't drop below 1800 FPS until around 975 yards. With 15mph wind you're looking at 2 Mils windage.

It is a cost in recoil, no doubt. It's still .645 vs .796, as you mentioned, at the cost of recoil. It's up to the shooter to determine if it's worth it. Neither would be volume shooters for me. In limited round counts, at extreme distances, I'd accept the recoil for the extra 100 yards (+/-).

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

I agree on the recoil statement and extreme distance, and we're talking more than 1000 yards in this example to realize the ballistic benefit of the 7 PRC. I will say that the 7 PRC with those long, skinny 180 ELDMs is a bad ass round for sure, I'm just not willing to pay the cost in recoil to consider it.

To put some real world numbers on paper regarding the recoil, the following are based on the 134 ELDM over 54.5 grains of H1000 in a 9 pound rifle vs. the 180 ELDM over 64.6 grains of H1000. Both of these loads are in the 2900-2930 MV range.

.25-06 / .25-06AI / .25-284- produces 15.8 ft. lbs. of recoil unsuppressed. Subtract a conservative 20% for a can, and you're sitting around 12.7 ft. lbs. This is right on par with a 135 grain 6.5 Creedmoor.

7 PRC- productes 25.8 ft. lbs of recoil unsuppressed. Again, subtract 20% for a can, and you're still sitting over 20 ft. lbs. at 20.7. So even suppressed, you're still essentially shooting 180 grain .30-06 level recoil.

Everybody reacts differently to recoil no doubt. However, my suppressed .25-284, which is essentially a medium action .25-06 performance-wise, is an absolute treat to shoot. I can shoot prone, sittting, and various other field positions with a t-shirt on, ending a session when I run out of ammo, not when my shoulder can't take any further beating.

My Dad had a Rem 7400 semi-auto in .30-06 and my brother shoots a Savage all-weather in .30-06. Call me a baby if you want, but after a box of shells out of either, I'm done with shooting them. This is especially true when you look at the cost vs. benefit compared to any of the 25s.