6.5 PRC: The Ultimate All-Around Hunting Caliber?
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- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
- If you had to choose one hunting cartridge for the rest of your life, what would you pick? In this episode we cover the 6.5 PRC, and why it has quickly become a favorite amongst hunters, and is one of the best all-around calibers available today.
@LeupoldOptics VX-3HD 4.5-14x40mm:
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@LeupoldOptics 1-Piece Backcountry Cross-Slot Scope Base Browning X-Bolt Short:
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@LeupoldOptics Backcountry Cross-Slot Scope Rings - 1" Medium:
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@hornady Podcast - Ep. 091:
• Ep. 091 - Critical Dut...
I’ve had a 270 win, 300 win, 6.5 PRC (twice), 308 win, and 7 PRC. I’ve sold them all and went back to a browning Xbolt 6.5 PRC for the third time cause I’ve learned my lesson lol
Oh wow, you've ran the gamut of quite a few cartridges and still landed on the 6.5 PRC. What brought you back to it over the others?
Another quick note - my 270-7PRC is getting 3230fps with a 170 Berger VLD in a 24" 4 groove cut-rifled barrel. This outperforms the 6.5PRC with anything, the 7PRC with a 180 VLD at 3000fps, and a 7PRC with a 195 EOL at 2900fps. I have one barrel chambered and another rifle in process and 5 more barrels on the way with 8, 8.5, and 9 twist. Plan to compare 150 Nosler ABLRs, 165 Nosler ABLRs, 170 Berger VLDs, and possibly some Hammer 162 (?) grain bullets and finally some 155 Barnes LRX
Great video by the way
Thanks for both of your comments and for watching!
@@HuskerHunting sure thing. By the way, I took a Tikka 300WM and a 6.5mm Brux barrel to my builder to convert it to a 6.5PRC. It will be the 4th 6.5PRC for me
Happy with my 6.5x55 Swedish
7mm-08, bullets from 110gr. To 175gr. Anything that draws breath is in the cooler.
Amen brother. My goto is a 20 inch 308 with a 155 grain Sierra TMK. At 2750 its pushing right at 1000 foot pounds at 500 yards. Here in coastal North Carolina shots are never that far. Most are under 150 yards. Either way, out to 500 (as you put it so well) if it draws a breath its in the cooler
6.8 western is the best mid tier cartridge that needs us to demand more supply. It literally beats everything without going to high on the recoil chart
The 6.8 Western is an outstanding cartridge. I nearly bought a Model 70 Supergrade in 6.8 Western last week.
I’ve been doing a lot of research and for what I’m looking for I’m planning on getting a 6.5prc. I like the combination of the ballistics and moderate recoil when using a 24” barrel. And like you said, with a brake or suppressor I think it’s a great caliber.
I think you'll like it!
I hunt with a 270 and a 7mm-08, and there isn't enough money that could get me to change over. And I have never had to take a deer at more than 250 yards.
Well no one cares
The one I have the most confidence in.
That's arguably one of the most import factors! Thanks for watching!
30/06 hands down lol let's ask Hornady what the best cartridges oh yeah when they made 😂😂😂
The .30-06 is definitely a tried and trued classic! The ammo availability and load selection is tough to argue with, too. Thanks for watching!
A 30-06 with 180 gr. Norma Bondstrike.
Great control and accuracy!
I have the same gun same scope in 6.8 western, the Xbolt is a great gun, that’s a great set up
I was SOOO close to going with the 6.8 Western on this one. It is a sweet spot caliber!
@@HuskerHunting my son bought a 6.5 prc sweet shooting rifle. I went with the 6.8 for the heavier bullets
@@jasonharmon4314 I wouldn't mind having a 6.8 Western myself 👍🏻
@@HuskerHunting
I have both and I love both. They are accurate and are very versatile. I love short actions, so these two fit the bill.
My 6.8 is a mountain rifle for those long treks in the canyons and mountains in Idaho and Oregon. It only weighs 5.3 lbs…. I use my 6.5 in the open desert country due to its accuracy. It has a longer barrel and weighs about a pound more, but the recoil is nil.
So I have both and I love both these cartridges and the rifles that go with them. Pending on where I’m hunting, will dictate which rifle I grab.
@@jimedick9496 What optics do you have on your 6.8?
all around. for me that means deer to elk and moose out to 450. it cant blow up deer at 25 yards so muzzle velocity has to be under 3000. I might have to shoot a hungry bear while hunting the the deer, so I want a few decent bullets that can achieve everything on the list, which means it cant really on superformance, berger, or the eldx to meet my above criteria.
6.5prc, fits that. 6.8 western, .280 AI. all great choices. narrow that to 400 yards and you have the .270 and the .30-06 saying hello. no need for more recoil till you are very serious about taking game past 600 or hunting dangerous game and that is outside of all purpose imo.
130 gr barnes tsx 6.5 prc everyday of the week.
If you plan on only hunting and shooting at max 300 yards, the 270 is the go-to rifle for deer and smaller game. If you like to dabble in both target and hunting then 6.5 prc is your gun. With the 6.5, you can go to the range and show off to your friends that you can hit steel at 1200yd or take it on a hunt to kill deer, pronghorn, or boar. The 270 has been around for 100 years, and i doubt it will disappear, but i dont think the 6.5 prc is going away anytime soon, either. For those who try to justify the 270 or 6.5 is an elk gun, please step up to at least a 7mm or preferably 300. I will get some flak saying it, but elk, moose, grizzly all need 30 cal or bigger cartridges.
Great comments, and thanks for watching!
I can understand 30cal for grizz but elk 6.5 is sufficient
"Need 30 cal or bigger cartridges" is obviously no true seeing all the game taken down with the 6.5 prc. I can agree that a bigger cal is more optimal.
Sweeden's have been killing moose with a 6.5 for 100 plus yrs
270 all the time
I have a slightly different viewpoint. I'll be getting a 6.5prc this year. I live in a heavily wooded area. Shots over 100 yards are very rare. 50 yards is much more common. Even if I could take those long shots I wouldn't. Just too much possibility of the animal moving during the bullet flight. So why get the long range cartridge? So I can play at the range of course! Long shots are fun! Just not my idea of ethical hunting.
If I'm gun hunting from one of our tree stands I'll usually grab the 30-30 lever action. It's much more suited for those sub-100 yard shots. Ironically enough, the buck I shot with this 6.5 PRC this year was at a whopping 15 yards. I was wishing I had the lever action that day! Thanks for watching!
@@HuskerHuntingagreed up close give me my red dot 30/30
.308Win for the win
After years of studey, the 30-30 Rifel.
The 30-30 is one of my favorites!
300 win mag.
That’s a hard question to answer. I would want something small for critters just in case for survival talking about the rabbits, birds, squirrel, variety. But can’t really use that for the full the fridge hunting. I would have to say depends on where you live and ability. I’d say a .308 would cover everything unless you have the big boy predators in your area. Then I’d pick 300 win mag being so versatile. I just can’t see picking something that you might not be able to find if things went to crap. Running around with a new or recently new cartridge sounds like a roll of the dice for only the reason of availability. I love my 300 PRC but there is no way I’d ever bet my life and existence on that cartridge.
It’s a very hard question to answer! As you noted, it’s highly dependent on your geographic location and the size of game in your area. Thanks for watching!
270 hands down
Yeah a 270 been doing the job for a 100 years now
I almost went with a .270. For a 100-year old cartridge the ballistics are still tough to beat!
Have to throw a WSM on 270 for it to beat the prc
280ai. 6.8 Western might be another good choice but I don't own one so can't say. 6.5 Prc? I do own one of those but a forever choice? .270 would be better.
You mean the president of Hornady chose a Hornady cartridge? No. Way.
Here's an old saying that still rings true today; "Not much a man can't fix, with 700 bucks and a 30-06"
There's definitely a reason some of the classic cartridges like the 30-06 and .270 are proven and popular! Thanks for watching!
Hypotheticals are only that. Hypothetical. This happens with every new cartridge that comes out “what if you could only have one cartridge?” Well there are thousands of people who hunt with one gun. And they all seem to do fine with whatever it is they use 7mm, 270, 30-06, 30-30, etc. and Hornady himself is there to sell a cartridge. He’s not that poor he can’t choose to shoot with any gun or cartridge he wants.
I agree, it’s more about the Indian than the arrow! Thanks for watching!
Why developing a 6.5 PRC if the .270 Winchester already exists.
The .270 is a solid cartridge, especially with some of the newer fast-twist barrels being available.
Why develop the 270 if the 30-40 krag already existed?
@@Manbunmen65 Because of the 7x57 at the war with Spain.
Short action instead of long action
@@zingo_man 😳
Using lighter copper bullets for hunting
I just bought a new rifle. A Browning Xbolt Hells Canyon Speed Long Range 280AI. It has a 1@8 twist and a 26-inch barrel . How do you like the Leupold? Haven't decided on a scope. Scopes I been looking at.
Leica amplus 6 3x18x44mm
Trijicon tenmile 4x24x50mm
Zeiss V4 4x16x44mm
Nightforce shv 5x20x56mm
Leupold VX5 HD 3x15x44mm
Leupold VX5 HD 4x24x52mm.
Any suggestion on a scope?
Do u have a 20 MOA base on yours?
That 280 AI is a sweet cartridge, I think you'll like it. I know @BackcountryHuntingPodcast speaks highly of it, and I think I saw in one of his recent videos that he topped it with the Leupold VX-5HD. I like my VX-3HD, and got it a great price on sale. If you're shooting really long ranges the dual rotation turret on the VX-5HD might be worth the extra cost. My base is not the 20 MOA, just the standard. I have a link to the scope, rings, and base in the description. Thanks for watching!
The Leica is in a class by itself compared to the others you listed. I was looking at the 2.5-15x50, but I can't afford something like that.
Great choice of rifle, caliber, and scope. Good combination. I have the same setup.
@mikemelina7395 the Leica is little more than what a Leupold VX5 cost. Leica Custom turret cut to my gun and load is 125.00. Trijicon is 49.99 alot cheaper.
@@ozark_trapper Yeah, I'm seeing the Leica on optics planet for $1,700 and the VX5 for like $1,100. The Trijicon is about $950...Good glass costs money I guess.
6.8 western
I would really like to get a Model 70 in 6.8 Western. Great cartridge!
@@HuskerHunting I have in xpr sr love it
.308 or 30.06, to many only consider when things go right with smaller calibers, and not the more likely scenario when things go wrong. Give me a whole big enough to create a blood trail, not one easily plugged by skin and cartilage.
Not to mention, I have seen ammo dry up and guess what, 308 was there to be had.
The rest is all marketing bullsheet.
Thanks. Good stuff!
Glad you liked it!
“Leupold” vs “Leopold”
can you hear the difference?
Yes, "Loo-pold" is the correct pronunciation, and it's a tough habit to break!
Lol who cares
Your scope is mounted high. It's pronounced Loopold. 6.5 for small game. I shoot bigger guns. My zero is 300 yards and I don't need no stinking dials for hunting😅 As you get more big game hunting experience, you'll discover that 30 cal and up are much more reliable on big animals, and on target bullet performance is just as important as shot placement. 6.5 PRC is a good deer gun.
A forgotten cartridge, 280 remington or ackley.
The .280 Ackley Improved is a great cartridge!
.308 win for 1 cartridge to do everything
Negative
Doesn't shine at much of anything but does everything good definitely the one cartridge to have
Of course Jason would pick a PRC if he didn’t then I would think he wasn’t bias😳 6.8 Western, 300 wsm, 7 rem mag! I have been hunting reloading and collecting rifles 60+ years and Hornady had done more damage to the hunting community then any other company other then the democrats. All this long range bullshit has wounded more game then the bears and cougars and had out a foul smell in the whole hunting community with the general public. Trying to turn every hunter into a sniper is not what hunting is about and that’s one of the main reasons hunting is dying off! Let’s get back to hunting and not this long range sniper bull and get the respect back that the real hunters deserve and need to promote ethical hunting!
Well said!
Yeah, I sure didn't expect him to say 6.8 Western! 😂 They are a good organization though and are an innovator for the industry. I do agree on your take about promoting ethical hunting! Just because a rifle can shoot effectively at 500+ yards doesn't mean that's a shot that should be taken on an animal depending on circumstances.
Even though I had this rifle for deer season, the irony is I shot that buck at a whopping 15 yards. I was secretly wishing I had the Model 94 lever action 30-30 with me that day, as it would have been much more suitable for the shot! Thanks for watching!
100%.
100% agree Edward, as for your cartridge picks, the first 3 that came to my mind were 6.8W, 7 rem mag and 30-06spr.
Folks have been ignoring their own max effective range long before hornady ever came along. I would argue that the avg schmuck being too unskilled to reliably execute shots on game at any distance is the number one cause of wounded and lost game.
Only a thousand round barrel life …. I don’t think so
For me the caliber doesn't matter so much, i could take a 6,5mm ,308win, 27cal ,7mm cal etc ,but choosing the gun is easier blaser r8
Thanks for watching!
6,5-284 norma.....
GBR
It’s a good cartridge for most game. Idk that it’s for the largest game. I’d probably choose something larger for anything larger than elk. IMO.
I would agree that for anything larger than an elk a guy would be well-suited to step up to a 30 caliber. Thanks for watching!
These only one cartridge thing is B.S.
You can’t eat a rabbit, bird or squirrel shot with that kind of cartridge. It’s a 22…
300win nothing else 🤷♂️
It's a great caliber!
@@HuskerHunting we’re not allowed to hunt with anything smaller then 7mm diameter where I live. So no 6.5 for me 🤣
@@eiszeit9795 Oh no way! Where are you from??
One pick... I'll stick with my 338 win mag...250 grain partition... has been working great for 37 years.
That's a great cartridge and will get the job done every time!
22 long rifle.
still too many uses where it is too big by far and others too smallby far. like fishing rod outfits no one perfect one rod choice , too many varied uses, knowing than few really need anything bigger as most chasing critters small as deer only.
Agreed. That's why we should all have several to choose from in our arsenal 😊.
Not even legal on large deer species where I hunt. 😂
280 ackley improve
I know that's a favorite of @BackcountryHuntingPodcast!
Wow, I have the same rifle and same optic.
Awesome! How do you like it?
@@HuskerHunting it’s doing everything it needs to do. Feeds great, accurate, handles good. Kills good. Only thing I don’t like is the trigger took some work. I’m going to review it eventually on my channel.
I gave you a sub and will watch for it. Thanks for watching! 👍
@@HuskerHunting thanks
.280 rem, or 06
Quoting Jason Hornady’s opinion was embarrassingly foolish.
.308
My military buddy were throwing em away 😂😂😂 free ammo for me
No mention of the new big brother - 7 prc?
I'm hoping to get a 7 PRC in the new X-Bolt 2 this year ;)
@@HuskerHunting Got it. Am thinking of the same in the Savage 110 Ultralite. Why do you prefer the X-Bolt?
@@timjude That Savage 110 Ultralite is a hella nice rifle. If I could get that rifle in a 7 PRC I'd jump on it, especially since Cabela's has the Ultralite on clearance right now!! cabelas.xhuc.net/B04Wa1
They just need something new to hype up and sell us.
44 hear in the mead west
I take my 270 over anything
He said it his self “out to 400 it’s the same”. Shit…I can’t see that far. You can still buy .270 all over the world.
The 6.5 prc is superior to the 270 in every aspect...if you care for the numbers and not that it matters that much. But it is and in a short action.
With hand loaded 145gn ELD-X
@@Manbunmen65not in frontal diameter, which matters on large game. Everything else tho, yes
Great cal.
Somewhere between 6.8 western and 300 win mag
6.5 prc just isnt enough for grizzlies and moose. 6.8 western checks those boxes and for me .277 is minimum im comfortable with on heavy and dangerous game in NA.
FYI I went to Berger's ballistic calculator and populated your data, 143 ELDX, 2887fps, G1 BC at 0.625 and compared it to my 270 Winchester, 150 Berger VLD at 3000fps in a Krieger 24" #3 barrel with a full case of H4831SC, Federal 210Match primer, and Winchester brass - out of curiosity when you said beyond 400 yards the 6.5PRC will outperform the 270. I disagreed with that statement, respectfully but wasn't sure. Here's what the numbers showed:
270 Win:
yards: 400, vel: 2311, energy: 1779, drop: -24.30
500 2154 1546 -44.37
600 2004 1338 -71.94
700 1859 1151 -108.19
800 1719 985 -154.51
900 1585 836 -212.62
1000 1455 705 -284.61
6.5PRC:
400 2310 1695 -25.61
500 2178 1506 -46.27
600 2050 1334 -74.25
700 1926 1178 -110.50
800 1808 1038 -156.13
900 1694 911 -212.41
1000 1586 799 -280.79
As you can see, it's actually not until somewhere between 600 and 700 yards where the PRC barely edges the 270 with some numbers in this case. But the 270 drops less until you get to 900 yards and those numbers might as well be identical, and, there's only a 4" difference in drop at 1000 yards and energy differences are barely remarkable, certainly if anyone wanted to fill a tag at those distances, a hit from either one isn't compatible with life. Your load does carry more energy after 600 yards
Of course there are those who will say I'm not comparing apples to apples, that I should have used factory Hornady ELDX 145 grain 270 Win data but to be fair, they should rewatch your video cautiously as you did not set any guides for the comparison, thus, I didn't either and of course used one of my best handloads but it's still a 270 Win and I was following your lead since you were speaking in general terms. I suppose I could run the numbers also with my Barnes LRX 129 grain at 3380fps in my 270 Win over a full case of Superformance powder just to add more comparison but I'm old and it's past my bedtime. Got lots of patients to see tomorrow.
Thanks for the comment and comparison. The two cartridges are very similar for sure!
Yes but you have to handload it to get that. The point of the prc is it's already there in the factory load. I'm getting 3,100 fps out of a 24 inch barrel with federal factory and 2930 with 143 hornady. Looking at Nosler's reloading data that puts the factory loads in the low to mid range as far as it's capability(teh factory will never load it as hot as it can be) So if I want to and I might, I may buy reloading equipment for it and shoot the 130's at 3300 fps and the 142s at 3100. Those loads would be a better comparison to your maxed out 270 load and still would be superior...in a short action.
@@Manbunmen65not to mention a custom fast twist barrel. Supposedly Browning has or will have a fast twist barrel in 270, that will make it interesting but still the reloading issue
Largest bullet per cal. Is naver the best huntig bullet.stick to you steel and dont bull shit your self on your long range shooting. Vast ammmount of people cant shoot 1 in. groups at 100 yrds. Ask Criag Botington he tested hunters 100 of them with thier guns and they cant deliver. This is B S past 400 with a huntig rifle good luck.
Backfire did a video not long ago offering $1,000 to anyone who could shoot 1 MOA, and his results were similar. Even with modern technology that can still be a challenge, especially with a hunting rifle and not perfect conditions. Each hunter needs to decide for themselves what their acceptable range is for hunting. Luckily for me, nearly all of my shots are less than 200 yards. Thanks for watching!
Leopold is pronounced Lupold, with a hard U. Sorry, it's hard to watch when you mispronounce a product.
Yep, I did, and it's a tough habit to break for sure, but thanks for watching anyway!
@@HuskerHuntingI really did like your show, I was just like ouch.😅
"This scope has quarter inch MoA increments on it"....
Yep, with a long single take errors are inevitable. Thanks for watching!
@HuskerHunting inches and moa are two completely different units of measurement, that's a pretty big error
Scope is mounted way too high.
Pretty sure the 6.5/284 out runs that. Just doesn't sound as cool.
Dont think it does prc has half a grain more case capacity
Modern twist/ projectile length
My choice wouldn’t be a 6.5 anything
Soon as i see anybody advocating for eldx and hunting i shake my head and stop watching. When will you people learn. Eldx and all other cup n core tipped projectiles are not hunting projectiles. Yhey open up too fast and come apart . Terrible depth of penn. Absolutely no place on killing game. Mono metal , bonded core, or partitions style bullets are game bullets. Cup n core bullets are rebranded target projectiles . Wake up and do sum unbiased research. U will see im 💯 correct
Definitely not a 6.5… you’ll tract wounded game more that actually hunting….
As @RonSpomerOutdoors said in one of his videos, the .50 BMG is the most effective caliber at taking wild game. Anything less is making compromises and tradeoffs for reduced recoil, weight, cost, less meat damage/loss, etc. It's a fun hypothetical nonetheless. Thanks for watching!
Silly and stupid. 6.5 PRC is a barrel burner. If you're shooting 12 - 15 rounds a year you're set. But if you get serious and actually shoot your rifle, your barrel will be experiencing accuracy degradation by 1000 rounds and be toast by 2000 rounds.
If you want a "deer cartridge" it's .308 or 7.62x39.
If you want a "long range hunting cartridge" it's .300 Win.
If you want "'nuff gun for Alaska and everywhere else" it's .375 H & H.
Or you can just man up and get a 12 Gauge with interchangeable barrels.
It sounds like you've got it all figured out. Thanks for watching anyway! 👍🏻
@@HuskerHunting
It got figured out in the late 60s and 70s when the gun writers of that era pitted 6.5s vs 7s and found that 6.5s burned out barrels.
No , no it’s not . There’s like 10 off the top of my head I’d pick over a 6.5 😂
Not. Too small up front.