The PRC Gig
Hornady introduced the Precision Rifle Cartridge family in 2018 with the 6.5 PRC. By 2019, the .300 PRC had taken the industry shows by storm. Though many expected another addition by 2020, the next PRC didn’t appear until 2022, with official SAAMI recognition in June of that year. That was the launch of our 7mm PRC.
Believe it or not, all three existing PRC rounds have roots in the .375 Ruger parent casing. The 7mm PRC shows the same 0.532-inch rim diameter as common belted magnums like the 7mm Rem Mag and .300 Win Mag. The 7mm PRC, though, is essentially a necked-down .300 PRC. With a cartridge overall length of 3.340 inches, it can be used in standard (non-magnum) action lengths like the .30-06.
The 7mm PRC is of the rimless variety, headspacing instead off its shoulder. It was designed specifically for longer range, open country types of hunting, along with a related penchant for extended distance target shooting.
Long, Heavy Bullets
Like both the 6.5 and 300 PRCs, the 7mm PRC – along with so many young cartridges these days – answers the demand for longer, heavier bullets with impressive ballistic coefficient options.
For instance, Hornady’s most ballistically impressive offering, the 180-grain ELD-Match, touts a .796 BC, while our favored hunting round, the 175-grain ELD-X Precision Hunter, checks in at .689. The latter is advertised to run at 3,000 fps through a 24-inch barrel with 3,497 foot-pounds of energy at the muzzle.
The Twist Difference
On paper, the 7mm Rem Mag and 7mm PRC have a lot in common. They distance themselves drastically, though, as the shooting range extends, due largely to the young chambering’s ability to host and stabilize those longer, heftier projectiles.
To accomplish that, the 7mm PRC almost unilaterally finds itself slinging bullets through barrels with a 1:8 twist rate. That’s exactly what we found on our test Mossberg Patriot Predator.
Bullet weights run the widest gamut of any in the 7mm family, from 150 to 195 grains – meaning the 7mm PRC can stabilize a wider range and heavier projectiles than the 7mm Rem Mag. While not all hunters need or even appreciate such, those who do will want to get behind a PRC.
Not the Fastest
New rounds often come with grandiose claims of being the fastest, flattest, or best in class at something noteworthy. In the case of the 7mm PRC, Hornady makes no wild claims. The round is not even the quickest of all the 7s. Where it excels, though, is the efficient, unbelted casing that doesn’t require overbore capacity for performance.
Hornady engineers clearly thought through the barrel life equation, which seems of little concern for even high-volume 7mm PRC shooters. What’s more, the round is purpose-built for heavier bullets. Ideal for longer range hunting and shooting, it achieves those goals with manageable recoil, and even more surprisingly, on a standard action length.
The Recoil Question
Performance almost always comes at a recoil cost. Although we don’t have a way to measure felt recoil on the range and in the field, we can offer subjective thoughts. Our test Mossberg Patriot Predator is a fairly light model at 6.5 pounds. Its synthetic stock is utilitarian and not a high-end, well-fitting piece of furniture. Even with that shortcoming aside, firing the 7mm PRC proved more than manageable.
Without a brake or suppressor, shooting Hornady Precision Hunter 175-grain was comparable to the same type of 7mm Rem Mag rifle and load. Add a decent brake, and that lessens. After direct-threading a Banish 30 suppressor, recoil and muzzle rise fell into such a pleasant level that it could be compared much more closely with the 6.5 PRC class than with a magnum.
If the 6.5 PRC is the lowest recoiling of the bunch and a short action, and the .300 PRC a magnum thumper on a magnum-length action, that leaves the youngest 7mm PRC with its 0.284 diameter dead set in the middle.
The 7mm PRC represents an appealing blend of non-magnum characteristics. Recoil is far more manageable on the 7mm PRC than the .300 PRC, but so are the performance numbers. Though we didn’t have the chance to stretch its legs past 300 yards, distances beyond that point are where the round really sets itself apart from its PRC kin.
Ammo Options
Some three years after the initial launch, factory ammunition offerings have finally caught up with the round’s popularity. The only one we’ve used extensively has been Hornady’s Precision Hunter, though options now abound. Hornady offers a 154-grain SST American Whitetail Tipped, 160-grain CX Outfitter, 180-grain ELD Match, and our chosen 175-grain ELD-X Precision Hunter. The latter ticks along at 3,000 fps.
For what it’s worth, that round shot easily MOA through the Mossberg Patriot Predator topped with a Trijicon Credo HX scope in advance of a Canadian black bear hunt. Most major manufacturers are also on board with the PRC lineup, including Federal Premium, Remington, Nosler, Barnes, Weatherby, Fiocchi, and Norma.
Plus, reloaders will find an abundance of components, including exiting .284 bullets, longer, modern ones, plus brass, dies, and all other equipment needed to build your own.
Rifle Options
No fewer than 30 firearm manufacturers are currently chambering the 7mm PRC. While we won’t go into listing them all, with many customs among them, some of the most common include: Christensen Arms, Fierce firearms, H-S Precision, J.P. Sauer & Sohn, Mossberg, Proof Research, Ruger, Savage, Seekins Precision, Springfield Armory, and Weatherby.
The nice thing for hunters (and long-range shooters) is they can find a 7mm PRC rifle in everything from affordable, entry-level bolt actins like the Mossberg Patriot and Ruger American for under six bills, to common gems like the Savage 110 and Weatherby Mark V families, all the way to semi- and full-custom jobs costing thousands.
Final Thoughts
It’s unlikely any 7mm cartridge will ever supplant the 7mm Remington Magnum, though many others are in the mix. The “most popular” belt may not be relinquished by that six-decades-old classic, but there are several other 0.284-inch bullet launchers more capable, practical, user-friendly, and purpose-built for open country hunters and shooters.
Regardless of how you feel about another young cartridge, the 7mm PRC has the engineering, marketing, ammunition, and components availability to make the round a surprising success.
