7 PRC or 28N, I'm pulling my hair out! **UPDATED**

[jmad_81]

With elk I only hunt with 30's using Bergers. I have shot them with 6.5's and the reaction to the impact is near non-existent with heart/lung shots. ELD-M's are lightyears better for game reactions. The 7's are better than the 6.5's but they are not .30's.

The 265gr ABLR out of my 338 Rum sure lets them know they've been hit. That is my primary elk rifle, and a 6.5 SAUM with a 156 VLD is my primary deer rifle. I just wanted something in the middle with a suppressor. I'll most likely use this 7 more than either of the other two, but if the particular hunt calls for something more specialized, I'm prepared.

 

[JD338]

The 265gr ABLR out of my 338 Rum sure lets them know they've been hit. That is my primary elk rifle,

Perfection right there

JD338

 

[IdahoCTD]

The 265gr ABLR out of my 338 Rum sure lets them know they've been hit. That is my primary elk rifle, and a 6.5 SAUM with a 156 VLD is my primary deer rifle. I just wanted something in the middle with a suppressor. I'll most likely use this 7 more than either of the other two, but if the particular hunt calls for something more specialized, I'm prepared.

Bigger is almost always better if the bullets perform. I shot 15+ elk with a 358STA, 375-358STA, and 416 Rem mag. Big Berger's and ELD-M's make up for the bullet diameter.

 

[TexasLife]

do you want a manbun or a big boy gun..............if you don't shoot it every month and/or 400-500 rounds per year, then 28n should last you a long time. i'm on a get another 28cal wagon to fill something bigger than the 7-08 and 7saum i have now. 7rm doesn't get me much more than the saum and i'm NOT getting a 7prc. so, i'm wanting headstamped brass to match what i'm shooting with available components. i did see where 8rm brass was available for those wanting to make 7stw. i didn't want a 7rum or 7stw due to oal goals so it came down to (not really wanting to do this) using 300wm or 300nm brass and neck down. the 28-300wm would be the best compromise. if i did that i would get brass of a different brand as not to mix up with my already stock of 300wm brass (mainly hsm). going 28-300wm would save or give more throat life than 28n for sure. i have an untested 28" 7saum barrel for bullets weights of 150, 175, 183, 185 and 195. i should be able to get over 2,800fps with the 195's at that length?

 

[xphunter]

The 7mm-300 WM is about a clone in performance to the 7mm Dakota (Which I have had several of).
It is a great performance level for what I like to do at times.
In terms of cartridge names, I could care less.
I am looking for a performance level, whether it is popular or not, that also has good quality brass.

The only thing I don't care for in the PRC line of cartridges is the body taper.
Depending on the reamer used you can end up with clicker problems
I am grateful for people like Alex Wheeler and other
The "Wheeler" reamers ( one ones like it) add a couple of thou I think, make bottom part of the case larger.
You can read to your hearts content from this link and a bunch of others if you do some searching.

The PRC die "problem"

There are a number of people experiencing sizing issues with the PRC case. When designing a chamber, brass, and resize die there is no one size fits all. We want good hard case brass, but its harder to size. We dont want sloppy chambers either. I have experience with designing reamers with...

www.longrangehunting.com

 

[countrykang8]

I am running 73.3 grains of N570 with the 175EH, 175 ABLR, and 180 VLD in a Bergara 7PRC 22" barrel. They all run between 3000-3050 in ADG brass.

 

[jmad_81]

I am running 73.3 grains of N570 with the 175EH, 175 ABLR, and 180 VLD in a Bergara 7PRC 22" barrel. They all run between 3000-3050 in ADG brass.

Thats pretty impressive! I wonder how much I'll have to back off of that to accommodate the suppressor.

 

[FOTIS]

I have both. They are both fine rifles. The PRC spits out 168 at 3115 and the 28 nosler 180s at 3100 feet per second.

 

[jmad_81]

UPDATE:

I ended up going with the 7 PRC again. I really enjoyed everything it had to offer and how it felt to shoot. I used another 22" Bartlein Carbon 1:8.5 twist barrel with a Scythe-TI on it.

Within the first 50 rounds I had this load for the 175 ABLR with RL26. Thats 4 Shots. The ES seemed way off, so I ran it out to 800. It has been incredibly windy here the last few weeks so conditions were less than ideal, but It printed a group that had less than 2" of vertical and about 8" of horizontal. I had to hold between 3 and 4 moa for wind, so all in all I was pretty dang happy. This load is just a bit warm, so I started to work down a bit and had some unfortunate luck with my Scythe.

On my last shot of a reduced charged load, a weld gave and sent the last 2/3rds of my can down range. It wasn't a baffle strike as the bullet impacted the 800-yard plate as expected. I have over 800 rounds on this can and really like it. It is back at the manufacturer now for repairs.

I grabbed my second box of brass and went to work to see what it would do with the 180 VLD. This time running a Dead Air Nomad Ti with their E-Brake on it while the Scythe gets repaired.
The first 4 shots out of the gate are the top left. I still have room to go up in charge weight, so I'll give that a try and see what happens. Really hoping to end up close to 2900. I'm very excited to see what this rifle is doing with less than 70 rounds down it.

 

[SJB358]

Nice shooting Jake!

Never seen a suppressor let go like that. Are they doing anything for you?

 

[JD338]

Jake
Looks like you are well on your way to having a great load. Nice work.

JD338

 

[jmad_81]

Nice shooting Jake!

Never seen a suppressor let go like that. Are they doing anything for you?

I'll keep you posted. They just got it.

 

[jmad_81]

I'll keep you posted. They just got it.

Well, Silencer Co. received my Scythe yesterday before noon, and I just got a Fed Ex notification that it is on its way back home. Very Impressed to say the least!!!

 

[JD338]

Well, Silencer Co. received my Scythe yesterday before noon, and I just got a Fed Ex notification that it is on its way back home. Very Impressed to say the least!!!

That's impressive service. Did they repair it or replace it?

JD338

 

[Blkram]

With elk I only hunt with 30's using Bergers. I have shot them with 6.5's and the reaction to the impact is near non-existent with heart/lung shots. ELD-M's are lightyears better for game reactions. The 7's are better than the 6.5's but they are not .30's.

The thing with elk is that they do not always react to bullet impacts like other animals. I have seen immediate reactions to no reactions on the 20+ elk I have taken over the years, and it didn't always matter as to the cartridge I have used, from the 6.5x55 with 140 gr bullets up through the 376 Steyr with 260 gr bullets, including 7mm Rem Mag, 7MM STW, 300 WSM, 338 Win Mag and 35 Whelen

Now some of this may have been whether the particular animal was worked up (rut crazed bull) or an unwary animal placidly grazing in the field. But I do think that it depends on the individual animal as well, as some are more tenacious than others. The other consideration is whether or not the bullet encounters bone, in or out of the animal, that will illicit a more significant reaction. And were the lungs full of air when the bullet encountered them?

While I would be very selective of the elk using the 6.5 again, and at a much shorter distance (my cow was at 370), I do prefer the on game performance I have witnessed with the 7's and up on elk. I have only taken one elk with the 280 Rem and 140 gr AccuBond to date; a spike that I gave a second shot to finish it quickly, although it probably did not need it. I really liked the performance of the 338 Win Mag and 210 gr Partition on 2 elk taken with it (including my first one shot and done on a rut crazed bull). The 4 elk (3 bulls and 1 cow) taken with the 7MM STW and either the 160 gr SGK or 160 gr AccuBond, at 3222 fps, I have never been dissatisfied with its performance. The 300 WSM and 180 gr AccuBond performed very well too, on the 3 bulls taken with it.
While I did take a young 5x5 elk that was very worked up, at 80 yards with the 7mm Rem Mag and the 165 gr SGK, it didn't even blink when it took the first shot through the heart, but as that bullet never hit a rib in or out, whereas the second shot smashed ribs in and out, there was definite reaction on that hit. The cow elk taken at a longer distance (300?) with the 35 Whelen and 250 gr Corelokt took 3 shots to finish her...quartering too, and less than perfect hits ( 2 single lung and liver vs double lung, and a close up finisher)
Most of my elk have been the rut crazed bulls...but a couple have also been unwary cows and bulls.
(Both bull elk in the rut with bow and crossbow reacted immediately).

 

[jmad_81]

That's impressive service. Did they repair it or replace it?

JD338

It sounded like they repaired it. I called them and they told me that they got it fixed and that it should never fail again.

I'm hoping to get the rest of my load development done this weekend so I can move on to another rifle that has been needing some final fine tuning.

 

[jmad_81]

I promised myself that I wasn't going to burn this barrel out chasing unicorns. I really wanted the 175 ABLR to be my go-to bullet in this gun. I really like the concept behind its design and the versatility it offers in the field. I told myself that I wasn't going to spend more than 100 shots getting a load dialed in for any particular bullet. I broke that rule with the 175 just because I really wanted it to work. I just couldn't get it to consistently preform. I tried several different powders and several different seating depth tests but just couldn't get anything to be very repeatable or have small velocity ES numbers.

I had a box of 180 Berger VLD sitting on the shelf and in under 50 rounds I had 2 different powders produce consistent loads. I ended up settling with N570 and ran it out to 600 and 800 for verification last week. That load produced a .63 MOA 4 shot group at 600 yards, and a .57 MOA 3 shot group at 800 with an ES under 18, single digit SDs, and an average speed of 2954 fps. I'm going to load more of that same load and run it down the range one more time, but it's looking like I'm done for now.

I ended up drawing the bull tag that I've been waiting 22 years to get, so this rifle and my 338 RUM will be getting a little exercise this summer!

 

[remingtonman_25_06]

I really like my 7-300 Win Mag shooting 180g ELDMs at a mild 3000fps with 72.5g H1000. Its a hammer and super accurate out to 1200.

Good luck on the big bull Jake. I might have to tag along and help spot and pack out your 400" bull!

 

[TexasLife]

I really like my 7-300 Win Mag shooting 180g ELDMs at a mild 3000fps with 72.5g H1000. Its a hammer and super accurate out to 1200.

Good luck on the big bull Jake. I might have to tag along and help spot and pack out your 400" bull!

if i ever get around to annealing, i want to do a 264x300wm and/or a 277x300wm or just do 300prc versions as to keep the .540 face. the 416r face would be a bit much and there would be a lack of action choices and they'll be heavier.

 

[JD338]

Good show Jake. Congrats on your bull tag!

JD338