7mm-08 vs. 6.5 PRC for muleys

[Newtosavage]

If you had to choose between those two, which one would it be and why?

I've long been a 7mm-08 fan but have had a growing interest in the 6.5 PRC since it came out. The 6.5 CM was too anemic for me and didn't give me anything my 7mm-08 didn't give me already. But the PRC has my interest as it's fairly simple for me to swap bolt heads and I can put it in a SA Savage with its 3.00" box.

What say you?

 

[TxLite]

7-08 gang.

I can’t see a reason it wouldn’t work at distances I’d hunt at while burning less powder, offering heavier bullets, and having longer barrel life.

 

[Customweld]

Both are fine cartridges. PRC ammo is starting to be more available, and it seems 7-08 is getting harder to find. I have both and the 7-08 hasn't been out of the safe for a few years.

 

[Hippie Steve]

You are going to get many different opinions on a cartridge subject and I'm sure the haters will hate my recommendation but who cares about them. The 6.5 Creedmoor is a phenomenal hunting cartridge and has technology built into it and would be my choice over both of the above mentioned. You don't need a magnum and in the mountains you won't be shooting far (500 yards would be a long shot). I hunt big mountain mule deer only and my average shot is 83 yards. I built a custom rifle for specifically 500 max yardage. If I had to choose between the two mentioned above I would chose the 7mm-08 with 120 or 140 grain bullets for mule deer. You don't need a muzzle break or a suppressor which will give you a light weight mountain rifle for mule deer. Or whatever country you chase them in. Hope this helps.

 

[TaperPin]

I don’t want to stand in the way of anyone getting a new cool gun, but the 7mm of any flavor is a classic favorite.

You could pick up some extra oomph with the good old .284 win and not even need a new bolt. It seems the large number of competition guns in that caliber have kept it alive - and it’s ideal as a light mountain rifle.

 

[sndmn11]

If you had to choose between those two, which one would it be and why?

I've long been a 7mm-08 fan but have had a growing interest in the 6.5 PRC since it came out. The 6.5 CM was too anemic for me and didn't give me anything my 7mm-08 didn't give me already. But the PRC has my interest as it's fairly simple for me to swap bolt heads and I can put it in a SA Savage with its 3.00" box.

What say you?

I started playing around with a PRC last week.

I think that it depends on what you value in a bullet, what powder you can access, and what your preferred barrel length is.

My wife's 20" 7-08 is sending a 145lrx at 2930fps the BC of that bullet is .486/.239

My Creedmoor load in a 24" rifle is 2830fps for a 140 Berger BC of .6/.307

The PRC is 22" and hit 2840fps with the same 140 Berger and reaching pressure with Staball HD
With the 156 Berger it produces 2835fps with the Staball HD, BC of that bullet is .679/.347

The PRC with a 120gr Etip beat the creed moor by 300fps, and with 85gr hammer by 300fps.

If I was trying to shoot stuff far enough away that the BC of the bullet made a big difference in wind drift, then the PRC steps ahead with that 156gr EOL Berger. The 7-08 can't get a bullet with comparable BC to the same velocity as the Creed or PRC.

If you are shooting at stuff inside 300yds like my wife is, they are all the same but one takes 10-15 grains more powder.

If I wanted to shoot far, didn't care about lead, and thought the creed was anemic, the PRC makes a lot of sense. A 6.5-284 might do the same with a little less powder.

 

[Newtosavage]

I started playing around with a PRC last week.

I think that it depends on what you value in a bullet, what powder you can access, and what your preferred barrel length is.

My wife's 20" 7-08 is sending a 145lrx at 2930fps the BC of that bullet is .486/.239

My Creedmoor load in a 24" rifle is 2830fps for a 140 Berger BC of .6/.307

The PRC is 22" and hit 2840fps with the same 140 Berger and reaching pressure with Staball HD
With the 156 Berger it produces 2835fps with the Staball HD, BC of that bullet is .679/.347

The PRC with a 120gr Etip beat the creed moor by 300fps, and with 85gr hammer by 300fps.

If I was trying to shoot stuff far enough away that the BC of the bullet made a big difference in wind drift, then the PRC steps ahead with that 156gr EOL Berger. The 7-08 can't get a bullet with comparable BC to the same velocity as the Creed or PRC.

If you are shooting at stuff inside 300yds like my wife is, they are all the same but one takes 10-15 grains more powder.

If I wanted to shoot far, didn't care about lead, and thought the creed was anemic, the PRC makes a lot of sense. A 6.5-284 might do the same with a little less powder.

All good points.

I'm sure the 6.5 CM is adequate for most things, but I just can't get excited about a cartridge that throws 123 grain bullets slower than 140's of the same BC out of my 7mm-08 (or 200 fps. slower with comparable bullet weights) especially when the recoil of a 7mm-08 is non issue. I'd be willing to accept a hair more recoil if the 6.5 PRC gives me noticeably better performance than the 7mm-08 I've been carrying for years now. I have room in the stable for another cartridge and I've explored all the reloading options I'm interested in for the .308 and 7mm-08's I have. Looking for the next toy I guess. Thought it might be the .284 Win but my experiments with two of those left me wanting.

And it looks like the 6.5 PRC is here to stay which means available brass and bullets. I can see a time coming when 6.5 PRC components are more abundant than 7mm-08. Times they are a-changin'

 

[Plainsman79]

I put together a PRC last spring with intentions of stretching my max range out to 700 yards. Although the gun and my loads are more than capable of consistently performing, it’s just not really applicable for mature mule deer. My last 5 bucks have an average kill shot of 88 yards. Is it a great option to be able to stretch out past 500? Of course, but most of the time a guy can get closer. My 18 year old daughter shoots a short (can’t remember the barrel length) savage in 7mm-08, she killed her bull last year at 477 yards. You’re really splitting hairs with both rifles under 500 yards. I’ve seriously thought about selling my PRC and using the short 7mm-08, it’s light, incredibly accurate, great bullet and powder selection, no muzzle break (ear plugs) and really easy to get through the thick brush with.

A few of the really serious mule deer guys shoot 6.5-284, it’s another really great option but doesn’t really shine anymore than the PRC or 7-08. There are guys out there that know a heck of a lot more about this stuff than me, but this is what I’ve observed.

 

[sndmn11]

I'd be willing to accept a hair more recoil if the 6.5 PRC gives me noticeably better performance than the 7mm-08 I've been carrying for years now.

I think 30-06 recoil with a light bullet, and probably not "noticeable" from a statistical standpoint of significance.

Thought it might be the .284 Win but my experiments with two of those left me wanting.

My guess is whatever you thought about the 7-08 vs the 284 will be similar to what you end up thinking about the prc vs creedmoor.

I do think that if I had zero rifles, the PRC might get purchased but in reality once can probably accomplish the same with the creedmoor.

If I had more money and time, I might get identical 6.5prc and 6.5-284 to see what the gains are over the creed, and where the model of efficiency is between the three.

 

[KurtR]

Im a 6.5 guy but i really dont see the 6.5 prc is doing anything more than the 7-08 will do. Both can kill along ways out. If i was looking for something different it would be one of the big 30 calibers . I have killed a boat load of stuff with my creedmoor and 140 amax and now 143 eldx so a couple 100 fps either way really isnt a game changer .

 

[Newtosavage]

Im a 6.5 guy but i really dont see the 6.5 prc is doing anything more than the 7-08 will do. Both can kill along ways out. If i was looking for something different it would be one of the big 30 calibers . I have killed a boat load of stuff with my creedmoor and 140 amax and now 143 eldx so a couple 100 fps either way really isnt a game changer .

I have a stupid accurate 6.5 CM barrel for my Savage so maybe I should just stick with that and learn to be happy. LOL

 

[Newtosavage]

I put together a PRC last spring with intentions of stretching my max range out to 700 yards. Although the gun and my loads are more than capable of consistently performing, it’s just not really applicable for mature mule deer. My last 5 bucks have an average kill shot of 88 yards. Is it a great option to be able to stretch out past 500? Of course, but most of the time a guy can get closer. My 18 year old daughter shoots a short (can’t remember the barrel length) savage in 7mm-08, she killed her bull last year at 477 yards. You’re really splitting hairs with both rifles under 500 yards. I’ve seriously thought about selling my PRC and using the short 7mm-08, it’s light, incredibly accurate, great bullet and powder selection, no muzzle break (ear plugs) and really easy to get through the thick brush with.

A few of the really serious mule deer guys shoot 6.5-284, it’s another really great option but doesn’t really shine anymore than the PRC or 7-08. There are guys out there that know a heck of a lot more about this stuff than me, but this is what I’ve observed.

Funny you should mention the short barreled 7mm-08 because that's exactly what went on my Savage action when I took off the 6.5 CM barrel. 20" factory and yes, that makes for a light (6 lbs. 15 oz. scoped) and handy rifle.

 

[WeiserBucks]

Didn't you start a thread on this exact same subject that went straight off the rails and burned for days? Or is my memory failing me?

 

[Plainsman79]

Funny you should mention the short barreled 7mm-08 because that's exactly what went on my Savage action when I took off the 6.5 CM barrel. 20" factory and yes, that makes for a light (6 lbs. 15 oz. scoped) and handy rifle.

Yeah, it’s great little rifle.

 

[Newtosavage]

Didn't you start a thread on this exact same subject that went straight off the rails and burned for days? Or is my memory failing me?

Nope. Check your memory. What does any of that have to do with the question anyway.

 

[nobody]

If I was buying new today and starting from zero rifles and had it narrowed down to these two cartridges, I would be buying the 6.5 PRC. It’s been very well accepted by the industry and its availability (both ammo and factory chambered rifles) only increases day to day.

That said, if I already owned a 7mm-08 I would see zero reason to invest in a 6.5 PRC.

Heck, I own 2 6.5 creedmoors and have entertained a 6.5 PRC multiple times but just never can follow through and buy one. My dad has a PRC and it’s an awesome rifle and is a soft shooter for basically being a short mag, but it’s just splitting hairs against it and the 7mm-08/6.5 creed/260 class cartridges that I already own. If you already own and love the 7mm-08, just keep at it and don’t look back I say.

 

[WeiserBucks]

Nope. Check your memory. What does any of that have to do with the question anyway.

I just thought we'd been down this road recently, you didn't see the point of 6.5s and seemed to prefer a 7mm.

 

[Jake Larsen]

I put together a custom 6.5PRC two year ago. I’ve killed two mature mule deer with it, one at 352, one at 421 yards. It’s killed an antelope at 80 yards, a bear at 45 yards, and my wife used it to kill a whitetail at 280. I’ve got 140gr Accubonds going 2950 out of a 21” tube. Bare gun weighs in just over 6lbs. It’s the perfect mountain rifle for mule deer in my book. With the bonded bullets, I don’t worry about close shots, and if I need to, I can stretch it out a long ways. As others have said, if you’re keeping it inside 450-500, it doesn’t really matter…


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[Kerbs]

I have a 7mm-08 and love the cartridge. Its a sweetheart and really versatile. I bought a 6.5prc end of last season. (I love the 7mm-08 cartridge but not the rifle I have it chambered in.) If you are shooting anything at further range, wind calls are easier with the 6.5prc. As long as the energy is there with todays scopes, dialing for distance/drop really isn't much of an issue any more. Wind still tends to be an overlooked factor for many hunters. That said, at closer ranges, it really doesn't matter. Ammo avialblity for the 6.5prc is pretty great now. To practice, you can buy Norma Match for pretty cheap and end up with great brass to reload. More and more factory options for 6.5prc hunting ammo. All that said, it probably comes down to do you want to invest and learn a new cartridge. I find it fun, but it takes time. The 6.5prc is now my go to for my big country mule hunt in ID every year. But I love the 7mm-08 enough that I'm building one on a AnTi action because I love the round. That said I have killed more deer with my 30-06 than anything else and that cartridge is about as old as they get.

 

[Newtosavage]

I just thought we'd been down this road recently, you didn't see the point of 6.5s and seemed to prefer a 7mm.

Obviously I see more point to the 6.5 PRC than I do the CM. And do you never reconsider things while you form an opinion? I certainly hope so. Besides, it's a simple question. Pick one or find another topic that interests you. Easy peasy.