300 PRC for long range hunting cartridge?

[Northern Shooter]

I have a .375H&H as well that I've considered using for this but from what I'm reading it really starts to fall off after 300m and has more drop than the 338 and 30 magnums.

 

[TucsonFX4]

I think very long range hunting is best suited to .30 cal, unless you take a big step up in recoil to 338 lapua. Others may disagree, and that’s fine. I just don’t think a 338winmag can compare with upper end .30 cal flat trajectories and ballistics beyond probably 400 yards.

 

[Nevada Mike]

Being something af a contrarian, I am having a 308 Norma Magnum built on a Win M70 with a Pacnor match barrel. I think this is an overlooked cartridge. And I have accumulated about 250 new Norma cases for making ammunition.

I have used a 7mm RM for many years, but all the elk I have shot have been with 200 yards.

 

[PeteSnipe]

Also contemplating a long range hunting rifle in the .30 cal or larger size. I initially thought a 300 win mag was the one to go for, but when checking the options I just learned about the 300 PRC. It is definitely all the rage at the moment.

I have a question though. According to https://www.loaddevelopment.com/300-prc-the-top-30-cal/, it is superior ballistically to the 300 win mag at longer ranges. But mostly because of the higher BC bullets you can load in it. Now my question to you guys is, I hand load my ammo, and will for this new gun too, why can't I just load those same high BC bullets in a 300wm cartridge and shoot it at that same velocity, then it should in theory be ballistically similar to the 300 prc shooting that same bullet at that same velocity?

Or am I missing something?

 

[Puddle]

Also contemplating a long range hunting rifle in the .30 cal or larger size. I initially thought a 300 win mag was the one to go for, but when checking the options I just learned about the 300 PRC. It is definitely all the rage at the moment.

I have a question though. According to https://www.loaddevelopment.com/300-prc-the-top-30-cal/, it is superior ballistically to the 300 win mag at longer ranges. But mostly because of the higher BC bullets you can load in it. Now my question to you guys is, I hand load my ammo, and will for this new gun too, why can't I just load those same high BC bullets in a 300wm cartridge and shoot it at that same velocity, then it should in theory be ballistically similar to the 300 prc shooting that same bullet at that same velocity?

Or am I missing something?

Compare barrel twists

 

[PeteSnipe]

Compare barrel twists

Ah! Did not think of that. I did notice that two of the rifles I looked at that they only offer the 300wm in a 1-10 twist and the 300 prc in a 1-8 twist, would newer longer high bc bullets be able to be shot from both those twists?

 

[Puddle]

Ah! Did not think of that. I did notice that two of the rifles I looked at that they only offer the 300wm in a 1-10 twist and the 300 prc in a 1-8 twist, would newer longer high bc bullets be able to be shot from both those twists?

1-10 twist in the 300WM is standard. The 1-8 twist in the 300 PRC doesn't surprise me. The 1-8 twist is made for the heavier, longer bullets.

Someone with WM handloading experience will have to jump in to opine on how the heavier bullets perform with that standard twist.

Oh, and one more thing - the PRC chamber would be cut to handle those long bullets. The WM - might have to seat the same bullet deeper, and perhaps lose some powder capacity doing so.
Again, need a WM hand loader to jump in here...

 

[RR 314]

Ah! Did not think of that. I did notice that two of the rifles I looked at that they only offer the 300wm in a 1-10 twist and the 300 prc in a 1-8 twist, would newer longer high bc bullets be able to be shot from both those twists?

See if this link works. Berger has good reference data. https://bergerbullets.com/twist-rate-calculator/

 

[TucsonFX4]

I have a 300wm, but not a prc. I’m contemplating the 300prc to replace my 300wm. Barrel twist, seating depth, and case dimensions can and do play a role in capabilities and efficiencies. It isn’t a significant difference between these calibers, but I would say they may help make a decision.

 

[bowjijohn]

300 Norma Mag
1 in 9 twist
Approx 4500 ftlb

 

[NDWoods]

As stated, the PRC gets you the longer seating depth ideal for those longer bullets. Twist comes into play as well.

 

[YancyW]

I have a 300 PRC in a Bergara Premier, it is incredibly accurate and a very well build rifle. I have shot elk and numerous plains game with it, worked extremely well. It is just a platform to launch a .30 bullet on target, there are few upsides, but nothing that couldn't be replicated in several .30 chambering with a minor amount of tweaking.

220gr ELD-X at 2950, which is pretty easy to achieve, is a really fine round, I've had great performance on elk, Kudu, Eland, etc.

 

[Hogpatrol]

300 PRC has 5.1 grains more capacity than 300WM.

 

[WI-2021]

One missing options I seem to have in my current cartridge arsenal is a long range hunter (up to 600) for Elk/Moose sized game.

For those of who who hunt these distances or if you one day plan to do so, would you consider the 300 PRC or something else?

I'm also considering 300 WM, 338 WM, 7mmRM, and 7mm PRC.

Any others to consider? Looking to have ballistics that maintain >1500lb-ft and 2000fps at 600m.

I recently made a similar chambering decision. In my case, the goal was a good all-around plains game rifle which I would also use for elk/moose if the opportunity ever arises. Ammo availability was a big deal to me since I don't handload yet, so I ended up going with a .300WM. I don't hunt at the ranges you do, I mainly wanted the extra energy.

I ended up going with a semi-budget-ish custom rifle, mainly due to being a lefty. Depending on your budget, a custom could present some interesting options for you. On mine, I went with a non-standard 1/9 twist to stabilize some of the longer 200 grain hunting bullets. 1/8 would also be available. I also used a Wyatt's MBE-2 extended mag box, which allows for about 3.8" COAL, mainly because the action I chose was cut for it.

Assuming you handload, you could chamber for 300WM and have the advantage of readily available factory ammo but also be able to take full advantage of the longer VLD bullets. Order your barrel with a 1/8 twist, use the MBE-2 box and follower, and have your barrel throat cut to accommodate loading your bullet of choice to 3.8" COAL. Not sure how much this would compromise accuracy with factory ammo, since I didn't do it on my rifle. If/when I start handloading I'll probably give it a shot.

As far as rifle cost, if you choose components with a budget in mind, you could pretty easily be under $3k for a custom rifle, at least in the US. Not sure if the situation is different in Canada.

I was at about $3200 all-in on mine. Mesa Summit S/S action, Carbon Six Sendero barrel, AG CAT stock, Triggertech Primary, Mesa bottom metal, Wyatt's MBE-2 box, spring and follower. I spent extra on the CF barrel since I wanted light weight but with enough shoulder for a suppressor. I could have saved a few hundred by going with a Grayboe Outlander stock, but it's no longer available in a lefty version. For a right-handed rifle with a factory contour steel prefit barrel, it could probably be done for $2500. A $3k budget opens up options considerably though.

 

[Mike Van Horn]

Nothing against the 300 PRC. But on big game to 600 yards it doesn’t do anything a 300 Weatherby hasn’t done for a long time now. For elk and moose to 600 yards l would go with the .340 Weatherby. Awesome cartridge

 

[WAB]

I know it's not on your list but an 8x68S or its American equal the 325 WSM will be just about perfect for you application, they put big stuff down from far out.

I agree. I have a .325 WSM for exactly the application the OP is considering. It is extremely accurate and hammers the target. The 8x68 has the same ballistics, greater magazine capacity, and much greater heritage.

 

[Shooter375]

For long range hunting you need three ingredients to get the bullet in the right place to get the job done.
1. Accuracy (1 moa or better - that will be around 6 inches at 600 yards).
2. Energy (powerful enough bullet to destroy a vital organ).
3. Ballistic knowledge (both trajectory and wind drift).
When all those ingredients are present then you can be confident of success.
A 300 PRC is a good choice for elk/moose to 600 yards. So are any of the 7mm, 30 cal, or 338 cartridges that can push heavy, long, high bc bullets above 2800fps.
I have a 28 Nosler and love it. It shoots a 175 NABLR at 3090fps under 1 moa with under 10 SD (standard deviation of velocity between rounds). I have taken elk at 539, 730, 468, 201, and 469 yards with it. To deal with ballistics you need a rangefinder, ballistic solution program, and good glass to effectively see the target. A programable scope like the Burris Eliminator does all three and I would recommend it for the speed of getting an accurate shot on target quickly in a hunting situation.

 

[Shooter375]

As eluded to by Puddle and a few others in previous posts the advantages of the new long range cartridges like the 6.5 & 6 creedmoor, the 6.5, 7, & 300prc's, and the 6.8 western are in their modern SAAMI spec's. The spec's require tighter machining tolerances, shorter cases to seat long high bc projectiles, and tighter twist rates (1:8 or 1:7) to stabilize those long bullets.
1.Tighter machining tolerances have dramatically improved accuracy. For those of you like me remember the 80's and 90's a sub 1 moa rifle was on par with the search for the Holy Grail. Almost unobtainable. I have been blown away by the amazing increase in accuracy of sporting rifles after the turn of the century. Now many companies guarantee a sub moa 3 shot group at 100 yards. The new cartridges maximize the improvement in tolerances to customize the loaded ammunition to specified tolerances which improve accuracy.
2. Due to the shorter case design long projectiles can be seated further out of the cartridge to increase powder capacity. Also the SAAMI spec's dictate longer throats for long projectiles.
3. Tighter twist rates are required to stabilize heavy, long, high BC projectiles.
This is why the new cartridges have an advantage over older cartridges for long range applications. The old cartridges can be customized to duplicate these advantages but it is a custom rifle with custom reloading that is required. Lastly I wanted to add my two cents regarding bullet selection. The long heavy bullets needed to increase ballistic coefficient (bc) also increase the sectional density (sd) so shooting a standard cup and core bullet (eld-m/eld-x or Berger VLD) is okay because there is a lot more lead and copper than a standard bullet. For example in 30 cal the standard bullet for a 300WM is 180 (.271 sd) while for the 300 prc is 212 eld-x (.319 sd) or the 225 eld-m (.339 sd). All things being equal higher sd means more penetration. Lastly ballistic gel testing has shown that there really is no difference between the eld-x and eld-m on terminal performance when bullets of equal weight have been fired into ballistic gel.

 

[YancyW]

As eluded to by Puddle and a few others in previous posts the advantages of the new long range cartridges like the 6.5 & 6 creedmoor, the 6.5, 7, & 300prc's, and the 6.8 western are in their modern SAAMI spec's. The spec's require tighter machining tolerances, shorter cases to seat long high bc projectiles, and tighter twist rates (1:8 or 1:7) to stabilize those long bullets.
1.Tighter machining tolerances have dramatically improved accuracy. For those of you like me remember the 80's and 90's a sub 1 moa rifle was on par with the search for the Holy Grail. Almost unobtainable. I have been blown away by the amazing increase in accuracy of sporting rifles after the turn of the century. Now many companies guarantee a sub moa 3 shot group at 100 yards. The new cartridges maximize the improvement in tolerances to customize the loaded ammunition to specified tolerances which improve accuracy.
2. Due to the shorter case design long projectiles can be seated further out of the cartridge to increase powder capacity. Also the SAAMI spec's dictate longer throats for long projectiles.
3. Tighter twist rates are required to stabilize heavy, long, high BC projectiles.
This is why the new cartridges have an advantage over older cartridges for long range applications. The old cartridges can be customized to duplicate these advantages but it is a custom rifle with custom reloading that is required. Lastly I wanted to add my two cents regarding bullet selection. The long heavy bullets needed to increase ballistic coefficient (bc) also increase the sectional density (sd) so shooting a standard cup and core bullet (eld-m/eld-x or Berger VLD) is okay because there is a lot more lead and copper than a standard bullet. For example in 30 cal the standard bullet for a 300WM is 180 (.271 sd) while for the 300 prc is 212 eld-x (.319 sd) or the 225 eld-m (.339 sd). All things being equal higher sd means more penetration. Lastly ballistic gel testing has shown that there really is no difference between the eld-x and eld-m on terminal performance when bullets of equal weight have been fired into ballistic gel.

I have heard the same thing from people using the round on game.

 

[sureshot375]

There are still some of the Bergera Premier Highlander’s out there.

Bergara is moving away from the Grayboe fiberglass stocks in favor of lighter and more expensive carbon fiber stocks. I’m personally very pleased with the Grayboe stocks and I think the overall value of the rifle to be outstanding. I bought the premier highlander in 6.5 prc for me and one for my sister as well. There are some good deals out now on last year’s models.