What’s flatter 6.5PRC or 280ai??

[Colin78]

I am looking to build a custom rifle for deer sized game and long range targets. I want something really flat shooting that can take deer sized game out to 600 or so yards.

6.5PRC running 140ish gain bullets or
280ai running 160ish grain bullets???

Or maybe you have another suggestion that's flatter for this use? Yes I reload but would prefer to buy ready brass vs fire forming unless it's just light years ahead of something else.

 

[sedancowboy]

6.5 SAUM with ADG brass.

 

[Alibiiv]

I think that either cartridge will do work for the game that you want to hunt at the distance that you described; the deer will never know what it got hit with. Personally I would go for the .280 AI only because of the versatility that the round has and the options to hunt larger game if you chose to do so. This is my opinion, and.............there's certainly going to be a number of "opinions" on this thread when comparing these two cartridges.

 

[26Reload]

This is a good one.....
Have someone run QL on both for 150gr bullets.....
My 280ai is a mountain rifle....shooilting 168lrabs really makes it jump....gonna go back to 140gr....
Shoot 142lrabs in my 65284.....
Very good comparison opportunity here....oranges to oranges....
I think lighter bullets in the 280ai is the winner.....

 

[TOM H]

I shoot 280AI and I shot 6,5x284 Norma.

I prefer 280AI and live in Co so I can use 280AI elk,deer,antelope.

If your going to do more target I do 6.5.

 

[Hawkeye Pierce]

Really it will depend on the longer term end goal, are you wanting to go to bigger animals like elk or stay with deer sized as well as the question of how much target Shooting you're going to do? dont forget about action length as well .If you're staying in the deer sized and want flat out speed from a short action check out the 6.5 Sherman Short. 140 gr bullet to 3300 fps is pretty dang good from a short action. Also the 6.5 is cheaper to reload when target Shooting. If you think you might be interested in elk someday and the 280 family would be better energy on target. I know that there are guys who hunt larger game with the 6.5 and I am 1 of them, I don't know how proficient you are and how comfortable you are with nontraditional shooting positions. So the 7mm is a little more forgiving. And some one please correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the 280 ai is a long action. So if you're looking at short action https://shermanwildcatcartridges.com/7-ss
Could fit the bill.

 

[Weatherby Fan]

Flip a coin for hunting purposes, you can't go wrong with either one, I have both and can't say enough good about both, if you were going to do a lot of long range shooting and some hunting I would say 6.5 PRC

 

[Plinker147]

In terms of MOA needed to get to 600yds both the rounds you are going to be about the same within 1 MOA of each other. You can't go wrong with either choice. If factory ammo is what your using them 6.5 PRC is the choice.

Now if you are just interested in flat shooting the 257 Weatherby is about as flat as they get out to 600-700 yards. Past that the lighter bullets drop off

 

[stx]

280 Ackley.......Great All Around Cartridge!

 

[BrentM]

Flatter is a combo of velocity and BC. The 6.5 is going to send a lighter bullet faster than a heavier 7mm. For example if you run a 135A tip in a 6.5 PRC with a BC in the 630 range and a 168 vld in the 620 range the PRC will win this comparison. You can easily run the 135 at 3200 in a 26" barrel. I am running 3100 in a 22". A 280AI with a 168 is going to be 2950-3000 same barrel length. I run a 168 in a 7mag at 3050.

So in the end the you are talking 2.7-2.8 moa at 600 or 17" given this example. Flatter is flatter, which is why I am running the 135 right now for wolves. Smaller target and less error if I'm not exact on distance. If they are moving they can cover 10 yards in just a few strides and ruin your day.

 

[Milepost]

Flatter is a combo of velocity and BC. The 6.5 is going to send a lighter bullet faster than a heavier 7mm. For example if you run a 135A tip in a 6.5 PRC with a BC in the 630 range and a 168 vld in the 620 range the PRC will win this comparison. You can easily run the 135 at 3200 in a 26" barrel. I am running 3100 in a 22". A 280AI with a 168 is going to be 2950-3000 same barrel length. I run a 168 in a 7mag at 3050.

So in the end the you are talking 2.7-2.8 moa at 600 or 17" given this example. Flatter is flatter, which is why I am running the 135 right now for wolves. Smaller target and less error if I'm not exact on distance. If they are moving they can cover 10 yards in just a few strides and ruin your day.

Little apples to oranges comparison??

You are comparing the best in class bc 135 6.5 A-tip to a 168 VLD HUNTING bullet. If you were to use the 7MM 162 ELD match bulletin in your comparison, you would find that the windage is virtually the same out to 750 yards with half the drop. At these ranges it's more about correcting for the wind...Right?

IMO- If the OP has elk and black bear in his hunting plans then he should definitely go for the 7mm but for mule deer on down I'd pick the 6.5 PRC or, my personal favorite, the 6.5 SAUM/Sherman Max (if you don't mind hand loading). ADG is making excellent brass for both the PRC and the 6.5 SAUM. So finding good brass is not much of a major issue anymore.

 

[Aussie Hunter Steve]

6.5-300 Weatherby.... it's noticeably flatter shooting than both rounds you're considering, and with 140gr bullets carries plenty of energy to 600yds.

 

[BrentM]

Little apples to oranges comparison??

You are comparing the best in class bc 135 6.5 A-tip to a 168 VLD HUNTING bullet. If you were to use the 7MM 162 ELD match bulletin in your comparison, you would find that the windage is virtually the same out to 750 yards with half the drop. At these ranges it's more about correcting for the wind...Right?

IMO- If the OP has elk and black bear in his hunting plans then he should definitely go for the 7mm but for mule deer on down I'd pick the 6.5 PRC or, my personal favorite, the 6.5 SAUM/Sherman Max (if you don't mind hand loading). ADG is making excellent brass for both the PRC and the 6.5 SAUM. So finding good brass is not much of a major issue anymore.

No, realistic. I used very comparable BC values for a reason. Regardless, the BC of the 162 which I use too is higher at 670. When running it at the same speed, which it does, it nets .3 moa difference at 600. The bearing surface on the 162 is massive comparte to the vld so the speed difference to pressure is virtually the same.

In the end it is 9.2 (162) vs 6.8 (135) or 2.4 moa difference at 600 or 15".

I like the 7mm but I'd take a 156 EOL in the 6.5 at virtually the same speed without hesitation. I run a 156 at 2910 in a 22" and know this bullet runs 3000 plus in a 26. IF you compare the 162 at 3k to the 156 at 3k the 2 bullets are virtually identical in performance.

 

[vancewalker007]

I am looking to build a custom rifle for deer sized game and long range targets. I want something really flat shooting that can take deer sized game out to 600 or so yards.

6.5PRC running 140ish gain bullets or
280ai running 160ish grain bullets???

Or maybe you have another suggestion that's flatter for this use? Yes I reload but would prefer to buy ready brass vs fire forming unless it's just light years ahead of something else.

I ran a few ballistic compares and the two are pretty close at 600 yards, in the 50ish inches range, 6.5 PRC edging the 280 AI by a few inches at 600, and a little on velocity and energy. But we are talking about 100ish fps and less than 100 ft lbs. I don't have a 280 AI to test but my 6 5 PRC can provide 1930 fps and 1290 ft lbs at a 1000 yards, at 3700 ft alt and 55 deg F.

I've never reloaded for the 280 AI, so I don't know how easy it is to squeeze accuracy out of, but the 6.5 PRC is very easy to find sub 1/2 MOA loads for. The other advantage the 6.5 PRC has is fairly low recoil.

I think either cartridge will do the job you have with the right build.