A Look at 7mm PRC: Hornady’s New Precision Rifle Cartridge

Hornady’s 7mm PRC or Precision Rifle Cartridge is being marketed as a 21st Century 7mm Magnum. But what exactly does it offer? Hornady’s new 7mm PRC cartridge updates 7mm caliber with modern cartridge design philosophy to get more performance from the 7mm/.284 bullet. It promises more performance than the 7mm Remington Magnum, without the drawbacks of 7mm hot rounds. Is it worth giving up your Rem Mags? It’s not so simple. Let’s get started. The 7mm PRC7mm PRC has a similar design to the 6.5mm Creedmoor or other modern rifle cartridges. The bullet is seated further forward while the shoulders of the case are blown forward. This increases the case capacity, but it can also keep the overall length short enough for use in a standard (.3006, aka long) action rifle. It is quite impressive. The advertised velocities place the 7mm PRC just behind true 7mm magnums such as 7mm Weatherby Magnum (7mm Shooting Times Westerner), 7mm Remington Ultra Magnum (7mm Remington Magnum), 7mm Mashburn Super Magnum (7mm Mashburn Super Magnum) and 7mm Weatherby Magnum (7mm Shooting Times Westerner). The available Hornady loads for 7mm PRC include a 180-grain Match at 2,975 FPS, a 175 grain ELDX at 3,000 FPS, and a 160 grain CX copper monometal, all at 3,000 FPS. The problem with 7mm Remington Magnum is that it never really drove the 175 grain bullets to actual magnum velocity (most factory loads are 2,850 FPS or slower), while the older 7mm magnum loads push 175-grain pills up to 3,000 FPS or more, but require a magnum length action. This problem seems to be solved by the 7mm PRC. Hornady 7mm PRC (top) versus 7mm Rem. Mag. Mag. Early reviews have shown a remarkable accuracy, close to 0.5 MOA and sub-MOA. The 7mm Remington Magnum claims that 7mm PRC is everything it is, but 7mm Remington Magnum is not. It will almost certainly be less expensive than the 7mm Weatherby Magnum, which is only a fraction as powerful. Rifles should be more affordable.7mm Remington Magnum vs. 7mm Remington Magnum Firstly, 7mm Remington Magnum generates slightly more chamber pressure that 7mm Remington. Mag. Mag. What does the extra pressure (and velocity!) do for trajectory? Let’s take a closer look at 7mm PRC (all ShootersCalculator charts were based on a 100-yard zero, 1.5-inch height above bore, a 10mph 90-degree crosswind, and no atmospheric corrections). Here’s a 1,000-yard trajectory of Hornady’s 160-grain CX load. It was calculated using the G1 Ballistic coefficient of.596 as well as the advertised muzzle velocity at 3,000 fps. As you can see, it is still supersonic at 1,000 yard (it doesn’t go transonic until 1,600 yard), and still carries 1,000 feet-pounds of energy at 995 yards, which is the legal minimum for big game in some states. The same table is used for Hornady’s 175-grain ELDX Precision Hunter load. It has a mind-boggling G1 BC value of.689 and carries more than 1,000 feet of energy at 1,000 yards. It doesn’t drop below 1,000 feet-pounds until almost 1,200 yards and stays supersonic until 1,850. The bullet travels faster and has more energy at 1,000 yards than a standard.44 Magnum at its muzzle. The 7mm Remington Magnum, however, is a powerful cartridge. Factory loadings can sometimes fail to reach their full potential…but is it as close as the 7mm PRC’s? Hornady does not offer 7mm Remington Magnum with either 160-grain CX and 175-grain ELDX. But here’s how a 160-grain CX trajectory loaded to 2,850 feet per second would look. While it’s less impressive, the 7mm Remington load is still very fast at 1,000 yards (remaining so to just over 1,500 yards) while it doesn’t drop below 1,000 feet-pounds until just past 800 yards. If Hornady were to offer the 175 grain ELD-X load in 7mm Rem. Mag. Mag. This load would be supersonic up to 1,725 yards. It would still travel faster and carry more energy at 2,000 miles than the average 230 grain.45 ACP at its muzzle. Although Hornady’s 7mm Remington Magnum cartridge is significantly faster than the Hornady’s, it doesn’t make any difference beyond 1,000 yards. The 7mm Remington is slightly slower from 0 to 300 yards, drops slightly, and is less affected by wind than its 7mm PRC counterpart but these differences are negligible. Yes, but it takes a lot more to see the benefits of 7mm PRC. Savage offers the Apex Hunter, Apex Storm, XP and 110 Timberline rifles. They also offer the 110 Ultralite, 110 High Country, 110 Timberline and 110 Ultralite rifles. The MSRP ranges between $709 for the Apex Hunter XP and $2,347 to purchase the Impulse Mountain Hunter. This includes a PROOF Research carbon fiber barrel. Mossberg offers two models for their Patriot Predator bolt action rifle. One has a matte-blue barrel on a synthetic stock, and one has a brown Cerakote finished on a Strata camo Strata camo stock. These rifles are available for purchase at $519 and $616 respectively. A 7mm PRC Mossberg Patriot Predator. Custom rifle makers are now offering 7mm PRC models. The cartridge can also fire from a 7mm Rem. Mag. Mag. You can get a mag rifle with just a barrel swap. The 7mm PRC is a significant improvement over the 7mm Remington Magnum. It can push the projectile to magnum velocities in standard-length actions and has great potential as a cartridge that has incredible long-range capabilities. It would be an excellent cartridge choice for medium game. It would perform well in long-range rifle matches, and most likely will. The real question is whether this extra capability really matters to you in real life. It might, or it may not. It won’t really make a difference to most hunters. A bullet that’s supersonic at 1,500 meters is sufficient to shoot small-to-medium-sized whitetails at 200 yards or under. The same applies to most hogs. The difference is not noticeable in animals less than 400 yards. A hole drilled through the thoracic cavity at 2200 fps will kill an animal just as quickly as one drilled at 2,500 fps. As always, placement is the key to lethality. If you are a serious long-range rifle shooter or competitor, the impressive trajectory and high ballistic coefficient may give you an advantage over a 6.5mm Creedmoor gunner. It might be worth the investment if you are. You might not like it if you just stand on a silhouette of steel 500 yards away in the back 40. 7mm Remington Magnum is unlikely to change. It is one of the most sought-after rifle cartridges in the world, and it is extremely capable with modern ammunition. It will also be much cheaper than 7mm PRC in the foreseeable future. But most Porsche 911 owners will never reach its mechanical limits. People buy a Porsche 911 because it makes them happy and not because they have any practical use for it. Only race car drivers have any real use for 7mm PRC. If you can see a legitimate use for this capability, then you should get it. But don’t let it stop your desire to have it. Raise your Ammo IQ. NEXT STEP. Download Your Storm Tactical Printable Target pack62 Printable MOA Targets with Drills – Rifle range in YARDSThis amazing target pack comes from Storm Tactical and contains62 printable targets for rifle and handgun range usage. Target grids and bullseye sizes can be downloaded in MOA. This is a great option for long-range shooting. Enter your email address below.