The “PRC’s” 7mm vs 300

So I’m on the fence of what to do. I’ve been shooting my custom built on a savage action 260 Remington for 5 years, by far my favorite bolt gun and now I have a gas gun to match it. With that said, I really enjoying the 260 gas gun for PRS and out to 1000 over my bolt gun. But I’m wanting something with more “get er done”. I’ve been really thinking about doing a 30-06 build off a savage 110 ultralight but the 7 PRC and 300 PRC really have caught my attention as well.

What do you guys think?

I do roll my own ammo, but the I like the idea of having a rifle that if/when everything shits the bed, I can still go to Wally World or Rural King and raid the ammo area for 06’ or I’ve even seen 300 PRC on shelves.

I know a lot of people who swear by the 7 REM Mag, which is what has me interested in the 7 PRC over 300 PRC, get 7 REM Mag or better performance from a non-belted non-magnum chamber.

I guess what would you guys recommend. Im in no hurry, just doing research

I’ve thought about this after seeing the new 7mm PRC. I think we are going to see a bit of PRS inspired caliber wars over the next decade, but I’m guessing the PRCs will still be on the shelf after the dust settles. I wouldn’t be surprised to see 300 PRC push 300 Win Mag off the shelves, etc. I still think you’ll find 30-06, 243, etc, but I expect popular PRS calibers will go mainstream just like 6.5 Creedmoor has.

6.5 PRC is being pretty common around here. Not at Walmart yet that Ive seen, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s there by the end of the year. I think the 7 PRC is going to do better than the 300 PRC.

If I were looking at them Id be going with 7 PRC. It will have less recoil and the 180 and 190 class 7mm bullets are going to be phenomenal at range. On the hunting side those heavy 7mms will kill anything you shoot with it.

I was actually mulling this over recently as well. I was pretty well set on going for a 300 PRC until I spent a few days shooting a lot of 300 Win Mag. I was sufficiently “over” 300 Win that when I realized 300 PRC has even more recoil, I lost interest. The 7 PRC seems like a better alternative with a bit less recoil than 300 Win Mag but slightly more than 30-06. As a long range gun, 7mm projectiles have a lot going for them that I find appealing.

The biggest issue is going to be finding a consistent supply of ammunition. It’s been several years since 300 PRC came out and it’s still hard to find. 7 PRC only gets worse.

Seems like a great opportunity for reloaders, though.

I’ve been hunting with 7Rem Mag for years, and just moved to 300 PRC last year (mostly for fun, but also for more energy on big game animals). I might have gone with 7 PRC if it was out when i switched, because i like the 7mm bullet options and have 7mm reloading equipment, but i’ve been impressed with the 300PRC for accuracy and energy transfer. I shoot the Hornady 225gr ELD Match factory ammo, and it has a .777 G1 BC, and doesn’t drop below 900 ft lbs of energy until 2,000 yards, so it definitely hits hard.

In terms of recoil, I thought the 300 PRC would have more honestly, but i’m also running an APA Fat Bastard Gen 3 brake, which mitigates a lot of recoil. With a good brake 300 PRC recoil isn’t bad.

I’m not sure if any of that helps answer your question, but the 300 PRC and 7 PRC are definitely a step up in long range energy from the 7 Rem mag. I haven’t personally shot a 7 PRC, so i can’t really compare the two, but i’ve been happy moving from the 7 Rem Mag to 300 PRC for long range hunting applications.

I’m looking to build a 7prc. Seems to be a great all round, round for any North American medium, and big game. 300 PRC is gonna be overkill for the medium game though.

I have a 7PRC on the way. Actually I sent one of my 6.5PRC’s back to Alamo Precision to have it re-barreled in 7PRC. What started me on this is that I’m going on an Elk hunt in 2024 and originally planned on taking one of my 6.5PRC’s. Then I settled on taking a 300WM. I’d take the 6.5PRC as a back up gun. Well last Oct I read the first article on 7PRC and then started doing more research. The 7PRC with 175gr pills actually starts out performing the 300WM pretty quickly. It does it with less recoil also. After looking at quite a few article and then reading first hand results online I ditched taking my 300WM and decided to send in a 6.5PRC to be re-barreled in 7PRC. Ammo is out there. Over the last month or so I’ve been able to obtain 200 rds of 175gr ELDX. I’m starting to reload so I’ll use the brass for future reloading. I should have my rifle back in about 3 months then I’ll start shooting it. The 7PRC looks like it will do everything and more than the 300WM at the same bullet weights.

That’s what has me interested in 7PRC. It’s 300WM or better performance from a standard long action, no magnum action or belted cartridge to deal with.

Exactly. I’m really interested in getting a hold of some Berger 196gr EOL’s and see if I can get a good load worked up.

Im curious. Id like to see how far this can be pushed. Im considering over 6.5prc for elr.

Same here. I have a range near by that goes out to a mile and I want to shoot both my 6.5PRC and 7PRC there. I would think the 7PRC is going to have an easier time of it.

Yeah, the 7 should be transonic right around a mile.
Though Im betting these bullets will still be accurate in the subsonic zone.

I want to hit at 2k, but I need to buy land first.

I just ran the numbers for Hornady’s 180gr Match on their calculator and it is still Supersonic out to 2K. Actually just a bit faster at 1169fps. Last night I got a call from Alamo Precision and my rifle will be done with the re-barrel next week. A lot quicker than what I was expecting. I’ll be headed to the range soon thereafter. I have a NF NX8 4x32 I’m going to mount on it.

Nice! What was your muzzle velocity and G1?

The guys at Alamo are great. Have a Maverick in 6.5 PRC and thinking my next one will be a Maverick in 7 PRC. We have thumped a lot of Elk with 7 RM and the PRC will just be a touch better. I’m planning to give it maybe another year before I order though. Let the dust settle. It sucked getting my 6.5 PRC during the ammo and reloading shortages and being “ammo challenged”.

Honestly there are not a lot of guns out there yet in 7 PRC.

The 300 has a certain “merica badass magnum yeah” appeal but upon analysis I think the magnum 7’s are the sweet spot for longer range larger game.

I was recently reading an “Outdoor Life” article where the 7 PRC needed around 5.9 mils to get to 1K. That is pretty amazing.

I have to think the PRC cartridges are going to take off. I talk to new shooters often from the Gen Z cohort, and they are about science/performance and not really heritage. Their numbers who showing interest in shooting also seem to be growing. For that matter, even the old guys are enjoying advancements in cartridges. A lot of guys tinker and want hobbies and chasing the most efficient is a part of that hobby. If that is any indication of what the future holds, the PRCs should see some strength. As one who has messed with belted magnums for 25 years, I encourage people to go to the non belted, especially the PRCs with their factory ammo support.

As to the 7 PRC, again there is a lot to like, especially for new shooters. Not sure I could justify the 6.5PRC (assuming long action) or the 300 PRC when the .284 PRC is available. I hand load for 5.56, 6mm ARC, 6.5 CM, 270 win, 308 and 300 win mag. I enjoy it, but sometimes I would like to trade all my bolt gun handloading for one caliber.

I used the data on Hornady’s sight. So those are factory numbers and data for the 180gr Match ammo.

I do believe 7PRC is gonna be the way I go.

This AR10 in 260 just doesn’t shoot like my bolt gun did (made the mistake of selling it) so I’m gonna sell the Wilson Combat 20in 260 Barrel I have in it and replace it with 308 barrel and just be done with 260 (that being said, anyone need 260 Remington Ammo? I’ll make a good deal on 257rds of Fed Gold Medal Match 142gr and 560rds of 130gr Hornady ELD Match) and make 7PRC my go told Bolt Action for ELR and to fill the roll of everything past what I’ll be setting this AR10 up for once I get a 308 barrel for it.

Here’s the new 7mmPRC. Actually it started out as a 6.5PRC that I had re-barreled to 7PRC. At this point I have a Leupold VX6HD 3-18 on it. However, I have a NF NX8 4-32 and I may swap it over to this rifle.

Never shot the PRC, but we’ve been on the 300 WM for many years. Not sure what the issue with the belted cartridge is though. I do have to run the Larry Willis collet die every so often, but big deal! It’s not like we shoot 50 rounds per week.

Orkan (used to post here) also didn’t like the belted cartridge, but it’s never bothered me a bit. I like running cartridges solidly on the beaten path. 6.5cm, 308, 300wm, etc.