Thread: Discussion around 7mm Magnums

@Southerner223 what are those three? Is that 7mm Saum, 08? and rem mag?

Originally Posted by Speill

@Southerner223 what are those three? Is that 7mm Saum, 08? and rem mag?

Yup correct. Sold my magnum as SAUM done the same thing

Sourcing components for comp shooters who shoot shit loads of rounds compared to hunters who setup and shoot enough to get dialled in and then hunt is a completely different kettle of fish. If you are a hunter then SAUM is easy to source stuff for.

use what you have got....experiment with different projectiles...the .277 has been knee capped for years with piss poor projectile choice/selection but its finnally playing catchup to some degree,loads of folks have had great results with the 145 hornady jobbies and if you look around folks were doing some reasonably good things out reasonably long with std 140-150 grn projectiles long before that AND if your reloading components still easy to get.
now if your talking longer range hunting,the difference between what youve got and what your looking at is academic anyway as you will be dialing so another click or two means nothing.

A 7mm/6.5prc seems to be a lot of work for nothing more than a slightly shorter 284w.

I still think 284win velocities are the sweet spot for hunting with 162s in NZ.

Anything more is fine for geeking out on ballistics but realistically I need to move to Utah or Western Australia before it really means anything in the real world.

I just loaded up some 215 hybrids for a 300prc and while looking for load data read a thread about the 215 in both 3006 and long barrelled 308s. Made me think that even referring to calibre is pointless these days.

The Rem mag is still a great performer for what we hunt in NZ, one of many 7mm's I've owned over the years but I'm very looking forward to my soon arriving 7PRC to turn up.

Someone on here mentioned that there wasn't much difference between the 6.5 & 7PRC but by my calculations theres over a 25% increase according to their H2O capacity

6.5CM - 52.5, 6.5 PRC - 62.0, 7mm PRC - 78.0 & 7mm RM 82.0




All factory Hornady "precision" ammo apart from the 6.5PRC ( but similar to factory )




PS - Just a couple of observations, I'm on the fence with the 6.5 PRC, I've had a couple & I love the cartridge, it's great fun to shoot but not sold on it's killing performance & while I still like the Rem mag, down side being a magnum the projectile in factory ammo are seated very deep to mag fit, something that modern cartridges seem to have improved on.

Originally Posted by Philipo

The Rem mag is still a great performer for what we hunt in NZ, one of many 7mm's I've owned over the years but I'm very looking forward to my soon arriving 7PRC to turn up.

Someone on here mentioned that there wasn't much difference between the 6.5 & 7PRC but by my calculations theres over a 25% increase according to their H2O capacity

6.5CM - 52.5, 6.5 PRC - 62.0, 7mm PRC - 78.0 & 7mm RM 82.0


Attachment 223861

All factory Hornady "precision" ammo apart from the 6.5PRC ( but similar to factory )




PS - Just a couple of observations, I'm on the fence with the 6.5 PRC, I've had a couple & I love the cartridge, it's great fun to shoot but not sold on it's killing performance & while I still like the Rem mag, down side being a magnum the projectile in factory ammo are seated very deep to mag fit, something that modern cartridges seem to have improved on.

Yip standard saami handicap their with the old faithfull twist it up right with a long mag and a custom throat and its still the king of the mountains, im with you re the prc killing my 6 5 saum wrecked shit huge internal damage but kills were delayed compared to the 7s and 30s . Theirs alot of digits between 143 and 180

Originally Posted by Philipo

The Rem mag is still a great performer for what we hunt in NZ, one of many 7mm's I've owned over the years but I'm very looking forward to my soon arriving 7PRC to turn up.

Someone on here mentioned that there wasn't much difference between the 6.5 & 7PRC but by my calculations theres over a 25% increase according to their H2O capacity

6.5CM - 52.5, 6.5 PRC - 62.0, 7mm PRC - 78.0 & 7mm RM 82.0


Attachment 223861

All factory Hornady "precision" ammo apart from the 6.5PRC ( but similar to factory )




PS - Just a couple of observations, I'm on the fence with the 6.5 PRC, I've had a couple & I love the cartridge, it's great fun to shoot but not sold on it's killing performance & while I still like the Rem mag, down side being a magnum the projectile in factory ammo are seated very deep to mag fit, something that modern cartridges seem to have improved on.

The 6.5 PRC cases Iv weighed have held 68gr H20. The norma and Lapua 6.5x284 hold the same 68gr + or - a point , hence my opinion the that a wildcat 7mm/ 6.5 PRC would be a waste of time when a standard 284w will be its ballistic twin . Also makes me wonder why the 6.5 PRC even came to be when its just a slightly fatter 6.5x284 and only .12" shorter.
The 7mm PRC is a different beast as you stated.

Originally Posted by sneeze

The 6.5 PRC cases Iv weighed have held 68gr H20. The norma and Lapua 6.5x284 hold the same 68gr + or - a point , hence my opinion the that a wildcat 7mm/ 6.5 PRC would be a waste of time when a standard 284w will be its ballistic twin . Also makes me wonder why the 6.5 PRC even came to be when its just a slightly fatter 6.5x284 and only .12" shorter.
The 7mm PRC is a different beast as you stated.

I think you find the short fat powder columns of the magnums are just going to achieve the same speed in a shorter barrel than their counter part

Originally Posted by Gkp

I think you find the short fat powder columns of the magnums are just going to achieve the same speed in a shorter barrel than their counter part

Maybe but Iv seen no evidence of it. The difference here is only .12 of an inch. I think the vagaries of different barrels, brass, powders, individuals comfort zones and confirmation bias will have any real world difference lost in the noise.

Originally Posted by sneeze

The 6.5 PRC cases Iv weighed have held 68gr H20. The norma and Lapua 6.5x284 hold the same 68gr + or - a point , hence my opinion the that a wildcat 7mm/ 6.5 PRC would be a waste of time when a standard 284w will be its ballistic twin . Also makes me wonder why the 6.5 PRC even came to be when its just a slightly fatter 6.5x284 and only .12" shorter.
The 7mm PRC is a different beast as you stated.

Water capacity does not reflect usable capacity. How much powder can you get in under a bullet in a factory rifle without having to change magazines, bolt stops etc?

Originally Posted by sneeze

The 6.5 PRC cases Iv weighed have held 68gr H20. The norma and Lapua 6.5x284 hold the same 68gr + or - a point , hence my opinion the that a wildcat 7mm/ 6.5 PRC would be a waste of time when a standard 284w will be its ballistic twin . Also makes me wonder why the 6.5 PRC even came to be when its just a slightly fatter 6.5x284 and only .12" shorter.
The 7mm PRC is a different beast as you stated.

Easier to get components for the prc. I know lots of the f class guys are shifting to the 7 6.5 prc in place of 284 for component availibility alone.


The extra 0.14 inches of length gives you enough room to shoehorn it into a short action with 162s without sacrificing a bunch of powder space. Good option for somone looking to make a short action work.

Ive often wondered why the belt hasnt been carried on right up to shoulder..giving a fatter external with same internals...much stronger case but longer case life and ability to handle higher pressures

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

Ive often wondered why the belt hasnt been carried on right up to shoulder..giving a fatter external with same internals...much stronger case but longer case life and ability to handle higher pressures

Because the belt already supports the weakest part of the case surrounding the primer pocket. The rest of the case body is supported by the chamber wall, providing your sizing die is set properly and the necks annealed it will be the web expanding that kills the case.