6.5 PRC GAP.....Am I crazy to shoot them

[Hard rock]

Yeah I like that better in your pic

I have the Curtis bottom on a Curtis Axiom had to wait a year for it it is nice Hawkins has come out with a bottom metal and mag that looks nearly identical except for the release for the mag Curtis might be making those or vice versa I would check them out

 

[Kimber7man]

I looked around for them. The short mag ones are no where to be found and Curtis site won't allow to back order them.

I might have one or two I'm not using. Let me check if you're interested.

 

[Longtine88]

I might have one or two I'm not using. Let me check if you're interested.

Definitely interested

 

[JAYgs8163]

OP, any updates on how this load has been working out for you. Longer ranges, still shooting well? Thanks, JGS

 

[Longtine88]

It's a great load. Shot to temps in mid 80's and not much change at all. Shot several groups at 652 yards on a couple occasions. Dialed the turret 10.5 moa. I remember the very first shot was exactly 1/2" left of poa. Next 3 made a 1.9" group. Ended up after a couple trips and probably 7 or 8 groups shot with around 2.1" average. It's a great load. How did your load work with yours?

 

[JAYgs8163]

Have not gone out yet with that load but I plan on it this weekend. I've been testing the 131 Gr Hammer Hunter and am running between 3100/3200 FPS. Shot this 3 shot group around 3100 FPS last week which is great but I'm wanting more velocity if I'm going with a bullet 25gr lighter. So this weekend I will try a couple of other recipes for the 131HH and also test the 156 Berger, then I'll make a decision.

 

[CMP70306]

Well my first intention was to run the 123 absolutes in this rifle and get the higher speeds out of the short barrel. Just never dreamed I would get 3000+ out of the 156's. I have two other prc's one being made and the other a switch barre Zeus action that I was going to use the longer barrel for the heavier bullets.

If you plan to run the 123's you can expect between 3300 and 3400 out of a 24" barrel, that's what I'm getting depending on how hot I want to run them.

 

[JAYgs8163]

If you plan to run the 123's you can expect between 3300 and 3400 out of a 24" barrel, that's what I'm getting depending on how hot I want to run them.

What powder are you running on the 123s?

 

[Longtine88]

If you plan to run the 123's you can expect between 3300 and 3400 out of a 24" barrel, that's what I'm getting depending on how hot I want to run them.

Absolutes I'm guessing. I'm gonna play with those on my other prc later

 

[CMP70306]

What powder are you running on the 123s?

StaBall 6.5, I have them loaded to 3300 so they can be shot in other rifles but I could add more in my rifle to push them to 3400.

 

[Longtine88]

That's what I run them with in a creedmoor. Got lot's of staball

 

[Ckleeves]

I'm really curious to see how brass holds up to some of these crazy speeds guys are getting with the PRC. I can't put 57.8 grains of RL26 behind a 140 hybrid in my wife's PRC (proof barrel) without it trashing ADG brass in 3 firings and getting clickers. A few weeks ago I was out with a buddy and whatever the starting load with RL26 and the 156 (54.something if I remember right) left a massive ejector mark and stuck the bolt pretty good.

Hornady shows a max of 55.7 of RL26 with a 147 and I think that's a little more realistic. I'm really having a hard time believing Berger did any pressure testing or just quickload data on either the 6.5 or 300 PRC. Some of it seems beyond spicy to me.

 

[JAYgs8163]

I'm really curious to see how brass holds up to some of these crazy speeds guys are getting with the PRC. I can't put 57.8 grains of RL26 behind a 140 hybrid in my wife's PRC (proof barrel) without it trashing ADG brass in 3 firings and getting clickers. A few weeks ago I was out with a buddy and whatever the starting load with RL26 and the 156 (54.something if I remember right) left a massive ejector mark and stuck the bolt pretty good.

Hornady shows a max of 55.7 of RL26 with a 147 and I think that's a little more realistic. I'm really having a hard time believing Berger did any pressure testing or just quickload data on either the 6.5 or 300 PRC. Some of it seems beyond spicy to me.

Just about every load they give you that's not listed in their manual is a "quickload" software projected load. Also depends how the chamber was cut. If I remember some of the early versions of the PRC had very little freebore. Mine has .180 of Freebore and is built on a long action defiance tenacity. If I'm not mistaken that's also where Hornady eventually submitted for SAAMI approval. I'm not fully sure of this though.

I was running 56 and 56.5 RL26 last week no pressure signs at all. 58 is where I stopped as started to show pressure, slight ejector mark, with 131 Hammer Hunter. Still had more room for powder. I used a 6" drop tube to fill though.

 

[Ckleeves]

Her's is the sammi .188 freebore. I still haven't seen one that can come close to handling those kinda charges without absolutely trashing brass. The max Berger gives for the 6.5 Saum is 56.6 of rl26 with the 156 giving 2883 FPS from a 24" tube and that's pretty accurate from my experience with two different SAUM's. IME with the saum vs prc you can expect about 50 FPS more out of the saum.

I can see your load being fine with a 131 Hammer. 56-56.5 is about where I would expect to end up. I ran some 125 bulldozers thru my wife's gun and that's about exactly where I maxed out. But 56.5 behind a 130 isn't 57.8 under a 156.

The 300 prc data is even worse, most guys are ending up about a grain under bergers minimum! In my buddies 300 prc you couldn't have gotten the case out of the gun if you would have started with their minimums.