300 PRC is real
- Thread starter grobin
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The 300 PRC is NOT a short action cartridge. It's basically a necked down 375 Ruger with lots of powder capacity, but not too much. It's main goal in life is to replace the 300 Winchester as a sniper rifle round with no belt, very little body taper, and 30 degree shoulders and a long enough neck to hold those 200+ grain long 30 caliber match and hunting bullets that Hornady loads the factory stuff with. Overall loaded length exceeds most long action standard magazine lengths requiring magazines close to those used with the 338 Lapua. Many knowledgeable folks have built rifles and found hitting 2'x2' square steel at 2000 yards is pretty much a matter of being able to read the wind correctly when using a high tech scope. One might ask why not use the 300 Ultra or 30-378 WM. Both use too much powder and kick too much. Most of the super long range 30 caliber bullets have BC's near .7 and it does not take 3000FPS+ to send the bullet 2000 yards. I started reloading in 1967 when the best bullets has a BC of .35 to .40 and high velocity was needed to send them long. I remember when both Hornady and Sierra came out with their 165 gr BT .30 hunting bullets. It was turning on a light switch, the difference between those and the old 150 and 180 power points and corelokts in both the 30-06 and the 308. Bullets have come a LONG way in the last 55 years.Bob!! 8)
Quick check shows both ammo to go and midway have ammo and Midway carries brass ( currently out of stock)! There was an article by Hornady on how they developed the cartridge to test and develop bullets, but I can't find it now.
Looking forward to shooting a 300PRC, a friend wants one for elk hunting. He has an order in but no firm delivery date.
Looking forward to shooting a 300PRC, a friend wants one for elk hunting. He has an order in but no firm delivery date.
rangerbob said:
Bob, you are right & I stand corrected. My first info was that the 6.5 was going to be necked up which made absolutely no sense & was the result of my confusion.
Now seeing the 300's case will be the same diameter as the 6.5, but over a half inch longer clears things up a bit. An equivalent 300 Win mag, but without a belt. Not a bad thing.
It boils down to this; the 300PRC is what the 300 Winchester should have been. And I am not taking any credit, but I thought about necking down the 375 Ruger when it first appeared envisioning a 338, 30, and a 7mm version. The 338 would be the equal to the 340 Weatherby and the 7mm close to the 7mm STW. Yes, Hornady designed that case right. Bob!
ptypegreen
Single-Sixer
This plethora of "boutique" cartridges with their esoteric advantages is great for those wanting some real or perceived advantage over the established cartridges, but most lack in being widely available or relatively affordable. Even the parent cartridge, the 375 Ruger, is a rare sight on the shelves. I have my own share of wildcats and oddball cartridges, but I reload and the parent brass for the ones I have is readily available for conversion, thanks in some part to Starline. I understand the advantages of not having the belt the 300 Win Mag has, but it is readily available on the shelves, besides, it is good enough for the US military to adopt as a sniper round, and they have created a bunch of cartridges, 30-40 Krag, 30-06, 308/7.62x51, 223/5.56x45, 50 Browning, 45 ACP, and more. To each his own and that is one of the things that makes America great. Some have filled a previously empty niche and seem to have caught on like the 204 Ruger. Others seam to be lingering, the WSM and WSSM come to mind. Time will tell if any of them has any stamina in the marketplace, but I prefer the more common established cartridges. Just one guys opinion.
Well you have a point. 375 Ruge R brass isn't that common but there are a bunch of factory loads and supliers. Even out here the local FFL stocks 3 loads for the 375 R-comapred to 2 for the 300 Win mag.
The U.S. Has dropped the 300 Win mag and of the cartridges you mentioned only the 5.56, 45 ACP, and 50 BIG were inventions of the government and the 5.56 is a flop for its intended use although very popular!
The U.S. Has dropped the 300 Win mag and of the cartridges you mentioned only the 5.56, 45 ACP, and 50 BIG were inventions of the government and the 5.56 is a flop for its intended use although very popular!
Grobin stated: "the 5.56 is a flop for its intended use although very popular!"
For being a flop, it sure is ubiquitous in the military of multiple nations.
gramps
For being a flop, it sure is ubiquitous in the military of multiple nations.
gramps
My 2 cents worth. The Government did not design the 45 ACP or the 50 BMG. That credit goes to John Browning. In his genius, he simply scaled up the 380 to 45 and 30-06 to the 50 BMG. Note that the 45 ACP has the same rim as the 30-03 / 30-06, which was new at the time. He envisioned that this would aid manufacture as he knew the 06 would be around for a long time. Bob! :wink:
grobin, I suspect that Winchester did a lot of the T&E work on the 7.62 NATO and Remington on the 5.56. The military has already adopted the 6.5 CM as a sniper rifle round and I suspect the 300PRC will be the go to round between the 6.5 CM and the 50 in the near future. The 300PRC allows mile+ hits on enemy personnel and the big 50 does the same on material and soft skin vehicles. Other than that call in the 155's and an air strike. Bob! 
Well the 50BMG is good to a bit over 3700 yards ( a bit over 2 miles) for a recent sniper record. It is good on material destruction to nearly 3 miles.
But for a reality check the ~10sec flight time makes anything other than a heavy machine gun impractical at that long s range.
I'm not sure but I think the 6.5 adopted was the PRC not the CM, but I could be wrong.
But for a reality check the ~10sec flight time makes anything other than a heavy machine gun impractical at that long s range.
I'm not sure but I think the 6.5 adopted was the PRC not the CM, but I could be wrong.
Much to the confusion of many, it looks like the military has adopted the 6.5 Creedmoor even though the 260 Rem outperformed it in the military test. Same bolt faces.
The next step up, the military has awarded a contract for an undisclosed number of guns to Barrett in .300 PRC! Even though they have been playing with a .300 Norma for over a year. The PRC lacks some body diameter of the Norma, but is a bit longer, possibly matching chase capacity. The Norma on the other hand has a base diameter that's larger than standard mag. that's approx. .535". The Norma comes in at .585".
Just guessing, I could see an edge going to the PRC here, as the case head dia. of the Norma(think necked down .338 Lapua) really stretches the bolt face capacity of many bolt action rifles currently available. Hell, politics could have a big role; American Hornady vs. Swedish Norma :?:
If the military sticks with the PRC, the PRC will stick with civilian shooters. Otherwise????
The next step up, the military has awarded a contract for an undisclosed number of guns to Barrett in .300 PRC! Even though they have been playing with a .300 Norma for over a year. The PRC lacks some body diameter of the Norma, but is a bit longer, possibly matching chase capacity. The Norma on the other hand has a base diameter that's larger than standard mag. that's approx. .535". The Norma comes in at .585".
Just guessing, I could see an edge going to the PRC here, as the case head dia. of the Norma(think necked down .338 Lapua) really stretches the bolt face capacity of many bolt action rifles currently available. Hell, politics could have a big role; American Hornady vs. Swedish Norma :?:
If the military sticks with the PRC, the PRC will stick with civilian shooters. Otherwise????
Again, all of the existing 300 Win Mags in military service could be rebarreled or have the barrels set back a couple of turns and rechambered to facilitate the swap to 300PRC without having to purchase new weapons. Why not go with a company like Hornady, who is associated with Black Hills, since both can turn out fine ammunition. And precision sniper ammo is not needed by the millions of rounds like belted 7.62 or 5.56 for machine guns and mini-guns. I'd love to have a M70 in 300PRC in the Sporter or Alaskan format, but Winchester just now heard about the 6.5CM, let alone the 6.5 PRC or the 300 PRC. Bob!
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