Having a Creed I too would opt for the Nosler. Not because of bears, just not enough difference between the Creed and the PRC. I shoot the PRC and 260 Rem, but I have 4 kids using rifles all the time so a little expensive overlap is a good thing.
28 Nosler or 6.5 PRC ?
- Thread starter Lee56
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Another Casual
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I'm happy with my PRC and I personally believe either would fill the role you have laid out. I kind of view it as a .270 with a little extra and better bullet selection. 140s at 3050-3100 would be a stout 270 load. I wouldn't hesitate to take a 270 out for mostly deer and some elk, don't see this as any different. At the end of the day being able to shoot well with a rifle matters the most.
A couple other things to consider that may help you narrow it down:
Do you hand load?
If so, compare bullet options.
Are you recoil sensitive?
Might need a heavier rifle for 28 nosler if you are.
Barrel length/overall length for each. With the short action you can get a longer barrel at the same overall length. Etc
A couple other things to consider that may help you narrow it down:
Do you hand load?
If so, compare bullet options.
Are you recoil sensitive?
Might need a heavier rifle for 28 nosler if you are.
Barrel length/overall length for each. With the short action you can get a longer barrel at the same overall length. Etc
Capt RB
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- Dec 1, 2014
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I'm shooting the 140 GC serria's at 3140 with Rl26 no pressure and the 91/2m's are still tight after 4 firings. Normally I have to switch to winchester or federal primers after 2 or if lucky 3 firings loading to 3100fps/H4831 or 7828
I'm no expert but from all the animals I shot ( I also made some bad shots) the 7mm mag and 28 Nosler fell more game faster and harder than any 6.5 creedmoor, 6.5 PRC or 26 Nosler ever did. For big game such as elk I would want to have more than enough power to make a quick clean kill. You can see the difference on smaller animals such as sheep and deer so I can imagine on a big bull elk. Good luck!!
In my opinion you cannot have too much horsepower when trying to kill an elk cleanly out to 1000 yards ,,,,, the Lazz 7.21 (.284) Firebird or 7.82 (.308) Warbird will get it done ,,,, ballistic values, brass & ammo at www.LAZZERONI.com ,,,
I would boil it down to what you are primarily going to use it for. I have a 7mm STW (very similar to 28 Nosler) that I originally built for long range mule deer but it has been used a lot more on elk. Makes a fine elk rifle for long range, but it is heavy and long (heavy 26 in barrel plus muzzle brake). With a high powered scope on it I have killed a couple elk in the timber with it but it sucks, I pack my pump 270 or 308 lever gun if I know I am going to be timber hunting that day. For primarily deer you could more comfortably pack the 6.5 and with good bullets you could use occasionally on elk at reasonable ranges without a problem. I guide and last year had a guy kill an elk at 300 with a 6.5 Creedmoor and it performed perfectly, complete pass through that took out both lungs. I have had more issues with 7mm Mags than any other caliber hunters have brought. Keep in mind that the two most common calibers I see are 7mm Mag and 300 Win mag. It mainly boils down to bullet selection and shot placement. For whatever reason (I suspect advertising hype) the majority of 7mm Mag users show up with ballistic tip bullets, and while there are plastic tipped bullets out there that work well a lot of those loaded in factory ammo if shot in the front shoulder tend to blow up on the bone rather than penetrating the chest cavity. Whatever caliber you choose, pick a quality bullet that is proven not to blow apart when hitting something hard like a shoulder bone when going for elk. Quality=expensive is often but not always true; the flip that expensive=quality is NOT true. At least when you are looking for controlled expansion that does not come apart, some bullets are quality for accuracy and BC but not intended for hitting heavy bone.
That being said I use Berger 180 vld's which are prone to blow up on bone at high velocities at close range. They are so superbly accurate in my rifle however and over 200 yards they have slowed down enough to stay together that I continue to use them in my long range rifle. Sometimes you have to compromise. If I was going with the 6.5 and a lighter bullet I wouldn't choose the berger, I would sacrifice a little accuracy and BC if I had to for a bullet I was more confident in.
That being said I use Berger 180 vld's which are prone to blow up on bone at high velocities at close range. They are so superbly accurate in my rifle however and over 200 yards they have slowed down enough to stay together that I continue to use them in my long range rifle. Sometimes you have to compromise. If I was going with the 6.5 and a lighter bullet I wouldn't choose the berger, I would sacrifice a little accuracy and BC if I had to for a bullet I was more confident in.
The two elk I have shot in the timber with the Bergers were both shot behind the front shoulders and never even hit a rib, worked flawlessly. I have had them blow to bug dust on deer though, both on a front shoulder and a spine, even had one go into at least three pieces on a deer rib at 40 yards. On the other hand I shot an elk at 625 with them last year and punched two through the front shoulder, one exited the other side behind the shoulder and the other was laying next the skin in a picture perfect mushroom. Every bullet I've recovered that hasn't exited at over 400 has looked perfect like that, under 150 I wasn't so impressed. I'm shooting 180's at 3100.
