I was noodling around on the GAP website last week, and read up on the 6.5 PRC. It is basically a Ruger Compact Magnum necked down to .264" with a 30 degree shoulder.

Does anyone here have experience with using this cartridge?

There's a recent thread about this cartridge:

http://forums.accuratereloadin...6711043/m/6011056042

It's basically a 6.5-284, but uses a magnum bolt face. So if you want to try it you could screw a new barrel onto something with a mag bolt. I don't think it will see much success though. The PRS match shooters are moving away from big stuff. F-class shooters stick with 7mm and 30cal. I think hunters would prefer a larger bullet too. I'm not sure where it would find a large enough following to keep it alive.

But there's nothing wrong with it, so if you want one get it. If you do I would get a barrel's worth of brass along with it, so that you can still shoot when it's no longer supported by the manufacturers.

Just finished building two. Waiting feedback jow.

quote:

Originally posted by lawndart:
I was noodling around on the GAP website last week, and read up on the 6.5 PRC. It is basically a Ruger Compact Magnum necked down to .264" with a 30 degree shoulder.

Does anyone here have experience with using this cartridge?

There's a video from George Gardner explaining his thinking. I'm a little surprised since it seemed to me the attraction for the Creedmore, the .260 Rem, the 6.5x47 was the light recoil. The PRC ups the ante and now they're shooting a 147 grainer at 3000 FPS. That translates to more recoil than a .308, but with a higher BC bullet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rIIb3YSPj4

I think it would be the ultimate 6.5 hunting cartridge in a short/medium action. It seems to do what the 6.5-06 should do, but in a smaller package.

I'm intrigued.

I'm thinking of a 140-142-grain bullet at 3,150 fps. Will need a good muzzle brake, and a cushy recoil pad. Would build it in a short action VSS/Sendero short action with a Sendero contour. For hunting will use the 6.5x65mm RWS on a long action with a #2 or #2B Bartlein barrel. Powder will be (for 6.5 PRC) 59-grains of H-1000. Mainly for shooting bullets out to 1,000 meters in the wind versus my buddy's 7mm Rem Mag.

I think GP will push this round. Hornady is getting behind it. I believe Ruger will make long range hunting rifles in the next year. Its biggest attraction to the PRS community is its high BC for taking those long shots in the wind.

The 6 mm rounds, 6mm Creedmoor, 6x47 Lapua, and such, are harder to tune, and more liable to being blown around. The attraction for me is 140-grain bullets at 3,150 fps with H-1,000, MRP, and R?L 26.

I am trying to get experience with the 6.5 PRC but according to Sauer my rifle that was supposed to be here in June is delayed until September. Seems the delay has to do with Customs. I have all components except Brass and that is on backorder with Midway. Scope should be here by the end of week. Meanwhile patience my boy patience. Good Shooting.

I thought short & fat went out of style in the last 10 years. I know short and fat was fashionable in the oughts.

I think there has been a steady demand for cases like this. The idea is to get the most out of bolt action platforms that were originally designed around the 308 or 30-06. So the case dimensions of the WSM, RSAUM, RUM, etc. are just what you get when you start with a magnum bolt face and try to fit the most powder behind a given bullet in standard short/long action rifles.

For a short action, the long range ballistic optimum is around 7mm. Smaller bullets can be pushed faster, but their BC is too low to keep up with the 7. Bigger bullets have a higher BC, but their lower speed puts them behind the 7.

Phurly5, You could also try GAP George Anderson Precision over by Kansas City for the brass. They are the original driving force behind this cartridge.

jpl, Thank you for cogent discussion. It does make sense; take these common and inexpensive actions, and get the most power out of them. In addition the short, fat, acute shoulder angle features contribute to accuracy, as well. That is a good combination. A 7mm-30 RCM would likely push 140-150-grain premium hunting bullets at 2,900-3,000fps. That's close to 7mm Rem Mag performance. Much like the 7mm-08, it would definitely punch above its weight class.

Still I will first explore the 140-143-grain bullets in 6.5mm. They have very good ballistic coefficients, and likely penetrate the best of any 140-grain bullet.

scottfromdallas, Some of the short and fats died and went away, but the 30WSM, and 7WSM are still being sold, and bought, in decent numbers. I do wish the 270WSM had fared better. I believe some short and fats, and long and fats (on the 404 parent case) are here to stay.

Thanks to everyone for their insights and opinions. It keeps me up thinking some nights, in a pleasant way.

quote:

Originally posted by lawndart: It does make sense; take these common and inexpensive actions, and get the most power out of them.

I think this may be the appeal of the 284 or 6.5-284. You can literally take an old cheap 308 bolt action and stick a new barrel on it that will have much better ballistics.

Also, something to think about (late some night...) may be the brass. I think hornady is the only one making PRC brass at the moment, and hornady brass doesn't have a great reputation. But good 284 brass is available from a few places, notably lapua.

Very true,

Hopefully it won't take Lapua as long to make 6.5 PRC brass as it did for them to make 6.5 Creedmoor. I'm placing my medium term hopes on Norma. They have made many runs of brass for Lapua over the last twenty five years.

The other appeal of the 6.5 x 284 is you don't need to open your bolt face to magnum specifications. So many choices -it's wonderful.

I loaded for the 6.5 Hornady magnum years ago...and this new round seems to have very similar ballistics. Would be a very nice thing in a short action.

How did your 6.5X65 RWS work out lawndart?

Speaking of 6mm's I have a 6mm HOT which is basically the 6.5X47 necked down with a no turn neck.

It is even more accurate and flexible than the parent case

I am in the middle of converting an L579 in .243 to 7mm-08 for my wife. Right after that, a long action Rem 700 BDL will get blueprinted, and the 6.5x65RWS reamer will get to chamber a barrel. The switch barrel will be a 240 Weatherby. Same barrel profile for both chamberings. McMillan stock in Sako Hunter style, of course.

I've ordered an Extreme 3 (X3), 24" barrel, stainless, synthetic stock, 1 in 8 twist, in 6.5 PRC from Montana Rifle Company. It's based on their 1999 action, controlled round feed, three position safety, etc. Looking forward to getting and using it.

I have a Montana, I think you’ll like it. Mine is very accurate. They put the wrong ejector in it but other than that it works flawless. I put a Ken Ferral base and rings on it.