7mm PRC

[Lou270]

1. .22LR
2. .223 Rem/5.56 NATO
3. .308 Win
4. 6.5CM
5. .30-06SPR

And the next 5 are
30-30 win
270 win
243 win
300 win mag
7 rem mag

The prc rounds are great - but they are a niche market on folks who will spend a lot for small gain - ie the LR crowd. If the 7prc kills anything it will be the 6.5 prc or 300 prc or both. It is eating market off that niche more than anything. The 6.5 cm is low recoil and in different class than the other prc rounds - works great in cheapo light bolt guns with narrow crap recoil pads that appeal to Joe deer hunter. Fire off a 7prc with a 180 @ 3000 fps in one of those - Joe deer hunter wont like it.

Not taking anything away from 7prc - great concept. A "modern" 7mm, like the 6.8w is a "modern" 270. Doubt either will take over, but give their resepctive churner fan boys (me) something new to buy and the gun manufacturers a boost

Lou

 

[RockyMtnUT]

In the last five years those are definitely not them for general population. Military doesn't count nor do 22s

Backfire tv top 15 is fake news

No matter how butthurt others may get. It will be a top seller!
Eh!

 

[lancetkenyon]

You sir are missing a few points eh!
The twist is a moot point. That is not the reason "they" (Hornady) will be successful with this cartridge. These three; 6.5,7, and 300prc with a 4th PRC coming will cover every shooting and hunting realm needed. They have the knowledge and money to do it. These PRC lines get the backing from Hornady, Lapua, ADG, Peterson etc. Enjoy your night.

The PRCs were designed around shooting heavier for caliber bullets. Which require faster twist barrels.

What is the factory twist rate on a 300PRC rifle? 1:10" like most .300WM, with some even being 1:11"? No. 1:8" to :8.5".
What is the factory twist rate on the new 7PRC barrels? 1:9" to 1:9.5" like the 7RM? No. 1:8".
What is the factory twist rate on a 6.5PRC barrel? 1:9" to 1:9.25 like a .264WM or .260 Rem? No. 1:8".

The twist rates are definitely geared towards the newer, heavier, higher BC bullets that have hit the market in the last 10 years.

There have been three other rounds that cover the entire spectrum of hunting needs for decades. .264WM (1959), 7RM (1962), .300WM (1963).
Or for more than a century in the 6.5x55 Swede (1895), 7x57 Mauser (1892), and .30-06 (1906).

It is the advent of new projectiles that has spurred new cartridge designs, and faster barrel twists, which have gone hand in hand.

 

[RockyMtnUT]

.

 

[Lou270]

In the last five years those are definitely not them for general population. Military doesn't count nor do 22s

Backfire tv top 15 is fake news

Cmon man. These have been best sellers for 50-100 years. What the 6.5 prc, for ex, had done in couple years in terms of rifle sales these rounds have been doing it for decades and decades as top sellers. It will be a loooong time before any prc round catches up.

Normally what happens is that some new fad comes along and catches the public eye and money before that can happen. I remember beanfield rifles, ultra mags, short mags, modern sporting rifles off top of head in last couple decades of trends. "Long Range" for the general public will fall in that category. One or 2 of these new rounds will likely stay moderately popular the others barely alive. Short guns for cans seems to be up next. Bet will see some new hunting rounds "optimized" for that coming out - like we see on tacticool side

Lou

 

[RockyMtnUT]

Let's try this another way…?
Ask your gunsmith how many chamberings have been a 270, 3006, or 223s in the last 5 compared to the prcs?

 

[skipglo]

1. .22LR
2. .223 Rem/5.56 NATO
3. .308 Win
4. 6.5CM
5. .30-06SPR

Absolutely! Thanks Lance!

 

[skipglo]

Hasn't worn off on the other two or the creeds. Fact is Hornady is really good a designing cartridge cases for people that like to shoot long range. Anybody that doesn't like that is just stuck in there old ways. Remember these cartridges are designed to be effective with saami specs and long range sleek projectiles. They're not stuck in the old ways of doing things and some just don't like that.

The sales of products tell the story....haven't sold 1 box of 6.5 prc or 300 prc in the past three months....it must be that it's SOOOOOO Popular everyone is afraid to buy it so that it will ALWAYS have a shelf space and the one person that doesn't reload in North America...will be able to get his/ her box! Long live us old folks and our set ways! And as a gun shop owner....I thank God daily for the popular shells we ARE ABLE TO SELL...

 

[Trappernewt]

I think we are talking about some different things here. I have calibers sitting in the safe on that list above. Haven't bought a box of ammo for them in years. I would venture to guess you are both right in your own ways. I had a 7PRC built cause it interests me and I bought factory ammo because that's the only way to get brass. I'll likely never buy another box of factory ammo for that rifle again. New rifle sales and ammo sales I wouldn't always assume go hand in hand.
A stat I saw the other day said the average age of a hunter in the US is over 40. And 25% of all rifle hunters are between 45-50. Assuming less than 2% of those hunters are remotely interested in what we are on this forum daily to read about. I'd say there are more rifles at ranges and in the woods 10+ years old than new guns every deer season.
One a recent top ten list I saw .223 was #1 and .308 was number 2.
There is more .223 and .308 ammo purchased every year than numbers 5-10 combined.
I would tend to think that someone going out buying a NEW rifle is more interested in a "new" caliber. Just my thoughts….

 

[Lou270]

Let's try this another way…?
Ask your gunsmith how many chamberings have been a 270, 3006, or 223s in the last 5 compared to the prcs?

Not sure how much that matters. In fhe 90s, probably more custom 280s than anything. The gun writers of the day tried hard to revive it. Early 2000s - RUMs and WSMs. 6.5 cm in the 2010s. Maybe prc and 6.8w now. I would guess 270/30-06 still get some all along the way as bright and shiny come and go while still selling steady in the used / low end market. 6.5 cm will fall in the 270/06 bucket soon. Heck, I bet at this point 223/ 308w outsells next closest 2 or 3 to 1.

If you wanna bet on what is big 10 some years from now - my money is on 277 sig fury and some variants (ie 6.5 or 300 fury). It will take time for innovation to catch up to 80kpsi, but it is a military round so will catch on big eventually. think about it… 20 years ago were we looking at sub moa cheap guns, cheap laser range finders, super high bc factory loads, 1000 yards out of the box, etc.. We may be scratching our heads why PRC are not 80k psi rounds that feed in ar10 like some folks scratch their heads now on why WSM were not fast twist to begin with

Lou

 

[skipglo]

I think we are talking about some different things here. I have calibers sitting in the safe on that list above. Haven't bought a box of ammo for them in years. I would venture to guess you are both right in your own ways. I had a 7PRC built cause it interests me and I bought factory ammo because that's the only way to get brass. I'll likely never buy another box of factory ammo for that rifle again. New rifle sales and ammo sales I wouldn't always assume go hand in hand.
A stat I saw the other day said the average age of a hunter in the US is over 40. And 25% of all rifle hunters are between 45-50. Assuming less than 2% of those hunters are remotely interested in what we are on this forum daily to read about. I'd say there are more rifles at ranges and in the woods 10+ years old than new guns every deer season.
One a recent top ten list I saw .223 was #1 and .308 was number 2.
There is more .223 and .308 ammo purchased every year than numbers 5-10 combined.
I would tend to think that someone going out buying a NEW rifle is more interested in a "new" caliber. Just my thoughts….

Well written and I agree 100% with most everything above...one small exception....IMHO....selling guns 6 days a week....95% buy another caliber....not a New caliber. ..only about 5 % buy a New caliber....at least in the first few years of its introduction. And then...it's not new either....it's a proven caliber/ cartridge. And at the end of the day.....who gives a Sheeeeiet.....as long as we can all shoot...whatever we want, when we want....that's important! If Turdeau has his way....I will be selling Rocks and Slingshots in a month....and when he Bans Rocks...well I guess I'll sell Marbles till I retire...350 more pages of bans announced this week.....God Bless America! May you remain free!

 

[Trappernewt]

Well written and I agree 100% with most everything above...one small exception....IMHO....selling guns 6 days a week....95% buy another caliber....not a New caliber. ..only about 5 % buy a New caliber....at least in the first few years of its introduction. And then...it's not new either....it's a proven caliber/ cartridge.

I can see that. Now that you mention it. I was more so stuck in the mindset of the latest and greatest fad when think about new younger hunters.
As a matter of fact when I picked up my 7 PRC from my FFL I picked up 3 boxes of 6.5 PRC Precision Hunter ammo. 2 of the boxes were $46 and one was $58. That tells you that two of those were on the shelf for a bit.
I think we sometimes think that a lot of folks are like us (meaning forum members here) when in all reality we make up a really small percentage of shooters.

 

[gregsjt]

Basing the popularity, success or future longevity of relatively new rifle cartridges by ammo sales seems pretty disingenuous. Most people don't buy rifle ammo in bulk unless it's .223 or 7.62x39. Lots of people, including me, have rifles that were built years before some of these new cartridges were conceived. Rifles last a long time and many people aren't going to replace a working rifle just for the latest and greatest, therefore, you'll always have lots of ammo sales in cartridges that have been around for a long time. I came across this article by the backfire guy, he looked at various metrics to try to gauge the popularity or success of some of the newer cartridges and I think his metrics are a little more meaningful than ammo sales.

Cartridge Popularity

 

[Lou270]

You look at this list 10 or 15 years ago and you may see 300 wsm #1 across the board. That is problem with looking at 1 or 2 quarters of data or even 1-2 years of data. No relevance on what is going to make it or be popular years down the road. The 7prc may kill the 6.5 prc and 6.8W combined in long run or have a few good years while others continually selll. Maybe they will all be decent - all great rounds. Who knows. Probably not see another 6.5 cm like adoption any time soon in any case

Lou