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Old December 16, 2022, 11:15 PM   #1
GeauxTide
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PRC?

Got one for you. I bought a 6.5-06 barrel in the late 80s. I had it throated for 140 grain Hornady seated to the bottom of the neck. Using H4831 back then, it pushed them 2935fps. Not bad for a 1925 cartridge, and you can use plentiful and cheap '06 brass.
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Old December 16, 2022, 11:46 PM   #2
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6.5x55 charged with right powder can get close too. It was designed in 1891. Wish a modern rifle, such as RPR, would chamber it.

-TL

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Old December 17, 2022, 06:13 AM   #3
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When I was doing my first Mauser rebarrel a few years ago, I seriously considered the 6.5-06. Probably should have, but I was worried about cartridge length in the mag, so I did 257 Roberts. (Happy with that!).

Regards the 6.5x55, I think it tracks well with the 6.5 Creedmoor, but I sure wouldn't be trying for PRC velocity in mine. And I'm not shy about exceeding the manuals in my '98.

Yeah, I'll take the old rounds, but if I were starting out today, I'd go with one of the new kids.
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Old December 17, 2022, 08:58 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GeauxTide View Post
Got one for you. I bought a 6.5-06 barrel in the late 80s. I had it throated for 140 grain Hornady seated to the bottom of the neck. Using H4831 back then, it pushed them 2935fps. Not bad for a 1925 cartridge, and you can use plentiful and cheap '06 brass.
To me, the 6.5x300 Wby is the true 6.5PRC.
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Old December 17, 2022, 09:16 AM   #5
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PRC? Because it fits in a short action, works inside of the magazine with long VLD style bullets, it's what most of the shooting public wants, and the shooting industry needs to stay innovative to compete. We had a very similar discussion in USAF Ret thread "What am I Missing".

There are a lot of cartridges out there that can be used in the same capacity as the 6.5 PRC. The PRC is a long range cartridge that starts to shine beyond 500 yards. For a 100-300 yard range guy, average Eastern white tail hunter, and the majority of Western big game 500+ yards rarely enters the equation. Then there are shooters who want to buy off the shelf ammunition and when was the last time you saw SAAMI standard 6.5-06 A-Square ammunition on the shelf?
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Old December 17, 2022, 10:14 AM   #6
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PRC? Because it fits in a short action, works inside of the magazine with long VLD style bullets, it's what most of the shooting public wants, and the shooting industry needs to stay innovative to compete. We had a very similar discussion in USAF Ret thread "What am I Missing".

There are a lot of cartridges out there that can be used in the same capacity as the 6.5 PRC. The PRC is a long range cartridge that starts to shine beyond 500 yards. For a 100-300 yard range guy, average Eastern white tail hunter, and the majority of Western big game 500+ yards rarely enters the equation. Then there are shooters who want to buy off the shelf ammunition and when was the last time you saw SAAMI standard 6.5-06 A-Square ammunition on the shelf?
IMO, the shooting public wants what the magazine writers and bloggers tell them they want. A belt and a long action has for no good reason become the boogie man. Putting a high power long tube scope on a short action hunting rifle just looks dumb to me. Bench rest? Who cares? Those rifles don't get drug and dropped.
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Old December 17, 2022, 02:55 PM   #7
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IMO, the shooting public wants what the magazine writers and bloggers tell them they want.
You may be right, you may be wrong. However, I think the majority of the shooting public is no longer hunters. So the industry has to pivot to what the majority wants or die. PRS and 3 Gun are growing like wildfire while expensive, probably less cost prohibitive than big game hunting out West, Alaska, or Africa.

If a belted case and a long action makes you happy by all means use it. If you're hunting or banging a few shots off at the range it's going to work as well as it ever did. That said I enjoy shooting my .223, .308, and 6 Creedmoor a lot more than my .300 H&H, .375 Ruger, or even my .270 Win.
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Old December 17, 2022, 03:00 PM   #8
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Would someone PLEASE clarify (for those of us reading this that aren't "in the loop") what PRC refers to???

Because when I see it alone with no explanation, I think PRC = People's Republic of China aka communist China...

on this forum, sure, its a gun term, but WHAT is it??
inquiring minds of old curmudgeons want to know....
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Old December 17, 2022, 03:23 PM   #9
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6.5 PRC or Precision Rifle Cartridge is what I was assuming the OP was talking about. Especially after he mentioned his 6.5-06. However, he could also be talking about the PRC family of cartridges which includes the 7mm and .300 PRC.
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Old December 17, 2022, 04:03 PM   #10
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Yes, Taylor, I was referring to the Hornady Precision Rifle Cartridge line. Reminds me of the Winchester Short (Marketing) Magnums.
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Old December 17, 2022, 10:06 PM   #11
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Both the PRC and WSM cartridges offer advantages over previous designs. But all innovations come in small steps. Often it is hard to justify small gains in the short term. But over time small gains on top of small gains results in a game changing new cartridge.

Some cartridges are ahead of their time and their true potential isn't realized until advancements in bullets, powder, rifles, and optics catch up.

Not everyone wants of needs the improved performance and that's OK. I'll soon be 65 and am happy with the cartridges I'm using and not interested in starting over at this stage of my life.

But if I were 30 years younger you couldn't give me a 30-06 class cartridge or a belted magnum.
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Old December 17, 2022, 10:52 PM   #12
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Well said JMR40. I turned 74 in October and I'm happy with the cartridges I have acquired over the 50 years I've been loading. It is easier to produce extreme accuracy together with acceptable velocity with 308 class than the '06 class. I confess that the 7mmRM would have to be included since that was my first rifle in 1970.
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