Which factory 7mm PRC?

[Ten_Ring15]

Bonded bullets will do much more of what you saw in your 200 yard runner deer.

Elk are tougher in some senses. But they’re not hard to kill with vital shots. Their vitals are only protected by 4-6” of meat.

Rodeos with tough elk happen when you miss vitals. It will make your 200 yard deer chase look extremely mild. Pick the thing that helps you hit the vitals.

And one option is you don’t need to love away from Creed. You seem to be doing well with it. Keep yourself under 600 yards and you’re gold.

Let’s not get carried away, either way I want a new gun . I just have to make a couple decisions that you have now made more difficult. But thanks!

 

[JLH3]

FWIW, I have a Mk V Hunter in .270Wby that I picked up a couple of years ago. It’s been an amazing shooter.

 

[Deeker]

I’d rethink it all frankly. If you are hunting animals in North America, there are almost no meaningful advantages to a 7 PRC, including at 500 yards. Vs a 6.5 PRC, 7 will drifts slightly less in the wind but it’s not that meaningful. But it comes with penalties.

More powerful cartridges do not meaningfully make things more dead. A hit with any of these cup and core bullets in the vitals will kill anything in North America quickly in any caliber 22 and up.

What big cartridges actually do is significantly reduce your hit percentage by significantly increasing recoil and noise. These are real accuracy penalties.

The real question you should be asking is: “what platform aids my ability to achieve a vital hit more often at the ranges I actually shoot?” Under 600-700 yards, the answer is one of the Creeds. Between that and 1000, it’s 6.5 PRC. Above 1000, it’s maybe 7 PRC.

So 6.5 PRC is the easy button for guys who are looking for some power and range but are trying to focus on accuracy too.


On bullets: rethink that if the goal is to kill quickly and recover animals. Bonded bullets are simply less effective at killing. They solve very few problems and their popularity is mostly based on imaginings and misunderstandings about how bullets kill. There are extensive threads on the forum about that. And the people using match bullets are correct if the goal is to kill quickly.

My buddy has a 18 in barrel 6.5 prc. Shooting factory accubond 140’s. Right around 600 yards he had one bullet key hole going through a mule deer buck, and another bullet expand. Both shots were killing shots, but the deer was still on its feet. So I would guess he was right at the terminal window for that bullet. The 6.5 is just a much nicer caliber to shoot for me personally. I have a Christensen ridgeline in 6.5 and I shoot it way more than my custom 7.

 

[4th_point]

Not gonna lie, I was probably overlooking the brownings. Handled one today and it felt nice. It was a ShotShow special. Xbolt 2, black synthetic with stainless threaded barrel. No adjustable cheek. $775. I noticed they don’t advertise guaranteed sub MOA so I called and the rep said in 7prc accuracy would be covered under the 5 year warranty. Good enough for me.
You guys have been helpful so far getting me to this point. Any other words of wisdom helping this indecisive, over researching fellow?

One thing that Browning has done well with some models is using fast twist barrels. They have a product dev guy that gets it, and has pushed corporate for it.

But... people have had issues with scope base mounting, with the X-gimmick - thread engagement is limited. You could probably spend at least an hour reading about stripped base holes at various forums.

The MAX action addressed it with qty=4 holes, 8-40.

However, I am not sure that the ver. 2 of the X-bolt addressed it.

I fully believe that you can make the X-gimmick work, but you should review to see if you are OK with it.

 

[Travis_Will_Hunt]

I don’t think you can go wrong with a seekins or a tikka. I own both and both are great guns. I just picked up a seekins havoc 7prc at the beginning of the year and I am absolutely loving it! 3/4-1/2moa gun consistently with factory ammo.

I put a backfire recoil pad on it and a srs break and it’s honestly a pleasure to shoot! No problem watching my impacts or staying on target after shot.

Seekins I believe you are getting a lot for a factory rifle, with the m-lock rail, machined pic rail into the action and an easily adjustable trigger. Also the ability to easily swap barrels. That being said you are kinda stuck when it comes to further modification compared to a tikka

Tikkas are proven! And the customization is endless. They hold up to abuse I have one that rides in my truck everyday on the ranch and gets rode hard and put up wet and never fails when it’s time to put down a coyote! If you love to tinker and personalize your rifle go tikka but if you want to buy one gun to kinda do it all right from the factory with no plans of changing much or tinkering go seekins

 

[Ten_Ring15]

I don’t think you can go wrong with a seekins or a tikka. I own both and both are great guns. I just picked up a seekins havoc 7prc at the beginning of the year and I am absolutely loving it! 3/4-1/2moa gun consistently with factory ammo.

I put a backfire recoil pad on it and a srs break and it’s honestly a pleasure to shoot! No problem watching my impacts or staying on target after shot.

Seekins I believe you are getting a lot for a factory rifle, with the m-lock rail, machined pic rail into the action and an easily adjustable trigger. Also the ability to easily swap barrels. That being said you are kinda stuck when it comes to further modification compared to a tikka

Tikkas are proven! And the customization is endless. They hold up to abuse I have one that rides in my truck everyday on the ranch and gets rode hard and put up wet and never fails when it’s time to put down a coyote! If you love to tinker and personalize your rifle go tikka but if you want to buy one gun to kinda do it all right from the factory with no plans of changing much or tinkering go seekins

I hunted with a break a couple times and will not do it anymore. Suppressor or nothing for me.
I am interested in the Backfire Recoil pads though.

 

[Ten_Ring15]

I’d first buy a Tikka T3X lite SS JRTXB37122MT for about $900 (or a blued one for $770-ish).

I’d next back the trigger screw out as far as it would go until it broke at 2 pounds or hair under, and then drop it in the in-stock aftermarket stock of my choosing. Load up some 180 ELDM’s or Bergers over H4831SC and be done with it.

And if all that doesn’t work, buy a barrel vice and action wrench and start screwing on pre-fits and have some real fun.

What aftermarket stocks do you recommend? I’m hoping the finished weight of the rifle to be 9.5ish-10 lbs with the rings and scope installed.

 

[Walker6]

What aftermarket stocks do you recommend? I’m hoping the finished weight of the rifle to be 9.5ish-10 lbs with the rings and scope installed.

I would first shoot the factory stock with and without a vertical grip (the tikka one or the one from full frame outdoors,) and also experiment with cheek risers, extended recoil pads, etc to see what you like and what fits you. Then go stock shopping. That experience may lead you to Rokstock, ADG, MDT, Stocky’s, etc or it may leave you thinking the Tikka stock is good enough. No rush on the new stock though, which is good news, because most are backordered for weeks or months.

 

[TheSpaniard]

I shopped around extensively for quite awhile when I decided on 7 PRC. After holding and shooting several brands/models, I ended up getting the Xbolt 2 Speed. It just fit me well and the adjustable riser and handgrip options made it feel just right. The recoil was my biggest concern when going to 7 PRC. On the Xbolt 2 speed, the Hawg muzzle break really works - I find it kicks less than my 7mm-08. For me, the comfort and ergonomics make me a better shooter. There was some confusion on which size rail to get for matching hole pattern - turns out you need a magnum length and not long action. I was especially impressed with the bedding job for a factory rifle.

I have about 300 rounds through it and several hunts in the last year or so. It’s the most accurate rifle in my gun cabinet, and it’s not terrible picky on ammo like some of my other rifles. Keep in mind, though, I am not a custom rifle guy.

Trade off with Browning is lack of aftermarket stuff.

 

[Ten_Ring15]

I shopped around extensively for quite awhile when I decided on 7 PRC. After holding and shooting several brands/models, I ended up getting the Xbolt 2 Speed. It just fit me well and the adjustable riser and handgrip options made it feel just right. The recoil was my biggest concern when going to 7 PRC. On the Xbolt 2 speed, the Hawg muzzle break really works - I find it kicks less than my 7mm-08. For me, the comfort and ergonomics make me a better shooter. There was some confusion on which size rail to get for matching hole pattern - turns out you need a magnum length and not long action. I was especially impressed with the bedding job for a factory rifle.

I have about 300 rounds through it and several hunts in the last year or so. It’s the most accurate rifle in my gun cabinet, and it’s not terrible picky on ammo like some of my other rifles. Keep in mind, though, I am not a custom rifle guy.

Trade off with Browning is lack of aftermarket stuff.

Good to hear another positive review on a Browning. I’ve used breaks before and it’s quite impressive how much they cut recoil. However, the muzzle blast just isn’t worth it for me. I’ve tried using hearing protection when hunting and it’s way too inconvenient and I’ve forgotten about it in the heat of the moment before. Would love to get a suppressor at some point after my next rifle purchase.
I’m still torn on my selection between a Tikka, Weatherby or Browning.

 

[TheSpaniard]

Good to hear another positive review on a Browning. I’ve used breaks before and it’s quite impressive how much they cut recoil. However, the muzzle blast just isn’t worth it for me. I’ve tried using hearing protection when hunting and it’s way too inconvenient and I’ve forgotten about it in the heat of the moment before. Would love to get a suppressor at some point after my next rifle purchase.
I’m still torn on my selection between a Tikka, Weatherby or Browning.

Agree on the muzzle blast. One thing I did that is comfortable for me was I bought the Walker Suppressor earbuds with ambient noise pass through. But it’s not for everybody.

As for being torn, I feel your pain. I went though that struggle for over a year. At one point, I just bit the bullet and made the call and didn’t look back. In my case, I had no regrets.