Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experience with this cartridge and the .284 Shehane. I’ve been trying to decide on which cartridge I should do my F-Open build. I really appreciate everything you’ve said and feel much better about jumping on this project. The brass life issues seems to have been addressed so it looks very likely that I will be joining the PRCW community. Thanks again from the USA!
Great vid mate! Just received a 30” heavy barrel in 7mm prc. Discovered the Bergers hit lands with just less the half the neck around the 180 Berger’s. obviously Saami was created for the hornady bullets, not as sleek. Now ordered a custom reamer to bring the lands closer so jam has the Bergers being supported by most of the neck. The barrel will be About 2 to 3 mm shorter.
The only content on 7prcw . Great info . I would suggest you get Eriks expander mandrel die as well. What i noticed with the expader mandrel die if i run after decaping and before sizng (mandrel removed) the sizing goes very smooth because the bottom is allready sized I noticed with my 7-08 last brass prep then i run the mandrel again with mandrel in. I am still fire forming for the 7prcw so havnt sized any yet. Norma brass. Factory loaded 6.5 prc. pulled bullets and re used powder i could not find any lapua brass. So far holding about 4'' group at 600 witch is good enough for fire forming and steel matches that i attend. Alex did my chamber so its a .535 so i had to send my die back to Erik and they will send the version 2 for .535 chamber. Also a 7 saum seater die will work because its the same shoulder angle. Im using a redding comp seater in 7 saum an affordalbe option. suscribed
That is a great information video Willow.. I have just ordered up a magnum bolt for my Pierce action so when it is time for a fresh barrel on my 280AI I can start the 6.5-7PRCW adventure. I have Erick's reamer from Mason and will be ordering up his sizing die to get things rolling but am finding brass availability here in OZ to be a problem, like nearly everything related to shooting.. Think the 284 Bergers... Down to my last 120 from my box of 500 that I suit-cased back earlier this year from the US {YES, I had the B709A ready and all went well} and have reacently scored a 500 box of Nosler 185RDF so it will be back to tuning them till Berger's are once again available... Have a friend heading down to the Kings having to use some early Sierra's in his 7SAUM but they seem to be about .283 and not .284... Mixed results at 700yds yesterday 30/12/23 at Wingham with first round looking "shot gun" but coming better second string.... Still beat him with the 184 Bergers and the 280AI. I will be back to the US late Spring and hoping that ADG will have their "Factory Ready" 6.5-7PRC brass available before I return. Looking forward to the next video when you have further results. Cheers, Fire Dog
The Open Range store in Qld has heaps of Lapua 6.5PRC brass available - more than 30 boxes. The ADG straight 6.5-7PRC would be awesome, but availability will be the challenge as always mate.
I'll get on to them as even having to neck up and neck turn is better than no brass at all and ADG could not give me any idea when in 2024 their brass would be available to the public...😊👍@@kriswilson5400
@@kriswilson5400 Adg brass was available but sold out immediately at $150 for 50 just yesterday the price is insane . I opted for Norma match loaded ammo at $30 a box of 20 . Got me 400 rounds . Pulled bullets and powder expanded necks and reloaded with Berger 180s. Primed brass and MRP powder at $1.5 each. A doable option
Hi Kris, thanks for sharing, excellent detail and really enjoyed the comparison to your other cartridges. Have a question about your testing, if you wouldn’t mind sharing a few details? I’m curious how many rounds/group you are using for your test groups, for the seating depth etc? Are you finding 3-5 is enough to give you solid data or shooting 10+ rounds per group? Thanks.
Hi Alan, for initial load data, 5 shot groups, then run a full stage over the charge that shows most promise - I'll typically work 0.2gr either side to see if there's much of a difference in impact vs velocity to determine how stable it is. For seating depth, same deal, however if it doesn't group tightly with the first 3 shots, I'll disregard and move on. For tuner testing I'll typically run 3 shot groups for the same reason. Once I find one or two that look tight, I'll shoot a full stage to get a clearer picture.
Thanks for a very informative video...greatly appreciated! Where are you getting your finishing reamer, dies made and barrel chambered. I don't see any supporting reloading gauges on sale for the caliber? Thanks
Thanks, appreciate the kind words. My finishing reamer is from JGS. Resizing die is from Erik Cortina. Bullet Seating die is a Forster 7-08 micrometer which my gunsmith ran the reamer through and works awesome, and the barrel was chambered by Matt Paroz at LRP Solutions - Sydney, Australia.
Essentially, there is the 7-08, 120-150gr bullets at an acceptable speed, the 280Rem that can handle the 150-175gr bullets better than the 7-08 and the 7PRC that is designed for using the 160-190 gr bullets, all done with beltless cases. It isn't really anything that hasn't been achieved before speedwise, IE 7RM, 7STW, 7Wby, 7Mashburn, etc, some were faster. People didn't think in terms of case efficiency the same way in the before the 6PPC was built, it spawned the trend of case efficiency with the short, fat, beltless case, but, it took some time for people to look at the bigger cases and calibres, and what could be done with them. It's just a better way to utilize case designs, and gives a shooter a bit more oomph within the same gun parameters, with a heavier bullet.. And perhaps even then, the PRC"s have that SAAMI base dia "flaw" on the chamber reamers, but, is still an improvemnet in efficiency, and is easily fixed.
What dobyou think the advantage of 7prc wheeler is over my 7saum ackley improved.I own both. I will still with my 7 Saum .I took a 338 RUM and necked it down to a 7MM. Its prfetty wicked round. The reason they built the 7prc Wheeler is becauise they had a hard time getting brass for it.Ive not had that issue but then again I shoot bigger calibers mostly. like 33XC , 338 Edge Ackley Imp and 300 RUM Ackley Imp., 375 Cheytac and 416 Stroker. Great video
Barrel life should be improved, however the SAUM retains a velocity advantage. You can run the SAUM at a comfortable 2920-2940fps with 180gr class bullets whereas to do that with the PRCW, that sort of speed would be powder dependent, and in Australia we don't have those sort of powders (N555, RL16) available. I believe it's a comfortable 2850fps case. As far as outright accuracy is concerned, both calibres have won major competitions, with the PRCW proving to be successful in the US, whereas the SAUM is hugely popular with top F-Open shooters in Australia, winning many state and national titles.
Getting my build list for my first single shot fclass style gun..... Would this be a decent starter cartridge to learn reloading on?.. Subbed and cheers from Alaska.
Kris, what was your rationale for purchasing the Cortina Micro HS 6.5-7PRCII sizing die if the Micron Precision Series sizing die was working with no clicker issues? Great that your getting a new die from Eric after the stuck case issue...just wondering which one you prefer overall as they are very similar in price? Thanks
The Micron Precision was good, but not quite sizing down enough, I reckon it's probably 1 thou away from being ideal. If you intend to run high power loads, I don't believe that sizing die will prevent clickers. I managed to get Erik's original small base PRCW die to work - it just needs a decent amount of lube on the inside each time you use prior to sizing a case (at the start of the sizing process, once you've lubed the inside before the first case goes in, it's good thereafter) - I had 6 cases all suffering from clickers after load development, and that die got rid of the clickers in all 6 pieces - it sizes down below .530 so you need to use a decent amount of lube but it's the best die out there IMO.
@@kriswilson5400 Can't argue with those results! Recently ordered the .535 base Micro HS sizing die as well. Good luck going forward and I look forward to your future segments on 7-6.5PRC performance. Tremendously appreciated Kris - Thanks!!
what is the COAL for the 7-6.5prcw I am planning out a build on a short action and curious if it would fit with. the action will accept up to 2.990. Thanks!
It's going to come down to bullet choice. With a 100 thou jump, with Berger 184s I am at 3.046. So with 180gr class bullets, you will struggle. I think you should be ok running 168gr bullets.
I talk about the 7PRC briefly at 22:17. They're completely different cartridges with a noticeable case capacity difference. The necked up 6.5 version I am shooting is more appropriate for F-class. The 7PRC is considered too big, it would probably serve reasonably well being necked up to 30cal as an alternative to the 300wsm.
@@kriswilson5400 I went the other direction. I should be getting my 270-7PRC reamer by this time next month. It's for hunting and should outperform the 6.8 Western which hasn't gained any traction. I'm planning on 170 Berger VLDs and 165 ABLR for the 270 configuration
Cool, I can wait until all this bleeding edge work trickles down to more casual shooters. I'd rather not follow every twist and turn burning $. It's interesting tho, real view of what's coming.
@@kriswilson5400 I recall you mentioning that some of your colleagues use the 7FCP. I currently have both turn and no-turn reamers in my possession. I'm curious to know their feedback on the 7FCP and whether a no-turn chamber would encounter similar issues with the 'donut'. It would be highly beneficial to be aware of all potential drawbacks before diving into deep water with 7FCP.
A no-turn chamber will suffer from donuts. Some guys just run a longer freebore so they don't have to seat the bullet so deep, that way the bullet doesn't touch the donut. It's a compromise though. I honestly think it is better to just do the extra work at the start, neck-turn everything and regularly checks the necks after each firing to see if they need the occasional skim. At first it's a bit of a pain, but once you've got it done, it's pretty easy to stay on top of and doesn't take up much extra time.@@JiuJitsuCurriculum
This is necked up to 7mm, so it's an alternative offering to the 284, 280AI and 7SAUM. I wouldn't consider it for F-class as a 6.5 variant. It will torch your barrel in less than 1000 rounds.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experience with this cartridge and the .284 Shehane. I’ve been trying to decide on which cartridge I should do my F-Open build. I really appreciate everything you’ve said and feel much better about jumping on this project. The brass life issues seems to have been addressed so it looks very likely that I will be joining the PRCW community.
Thanks again from the USA!
Thank-you. On the road to building one so absorbing all the info I can. I’ve shot my friend’s and it’s a fantastic cartridge.
Thank you, great info. I too am a fan of large jumps.
Great vid mate! Just received a 30” heavy barrel in 7mm prc. Discovered the Bergers hit lands with just less the half the neck around the 180 Berger’s. obviously Saami was created for the hornady bullets, not as sleek. Now ordered a custom reamer to bring the lands closer so jam has the Bergers being supported by most of the neck. The barrel will be About 2 to 3 mm shorter.
The only content on 7prcw . Great info .
I would suggest you get Eriks expander mandrel die as well. What i noticed with the expader mandrel die if i run after decaping and before sizng (mandrel removed) the sizing goes very smooth because the bottom is allready sized I noticed with my 7-08 last brass prep then i run the mandrel again with mandrel in.
I am still fire forming for the 7prcw so havnt sized any yet. Norma brass. Factory loaded 6.5 prc. pulled bullets and re used powder i could not find any lapua brass. So far holding about 4'' group at 600 witch is good enough for fire forming and steel matches that i attend.
Alex did my chamber so its a .535 so i had to send my die back to Erik and they will send the version 2 for .535 chamber. Also a 7 saum seater die will work because its the same shoulder angle. Im using a redding comp seater in 7 saum an affordalbe option. suscribed
Expander mandrel arrived today so I'll put it to the test over the coming days.
Great info, especially the clicker / sizing die portion. Thank you.
That is a great information video Willow..
I have just ordered up a magnum bolt for my Pierce action so when it is time for a fresh barrel on my 280AI I can start the 6.5-7PRCW adventure.
I have Erick's reamer from Mason and will be ordering up his sizing die to get things rolling but am finding brass availability here in OZ to be a problem, like nearly everything related to shooting..
Think the 284 Bergers... Down to my last 120 from my box of 500 that I suit-cased back earlier this year from the US {YES, I had the B709A ready and all went well} and have reacently scored a 500 box of Nosler 185RDF so it will be back to tuning them till Berger's are once again available... Have a friend heading down to the Kings having to use some early Sierra's in his 7SAUM but they seem to be about .283 and not .284... Mixed results at 700yds yesterday 30/12/23 at Wingham with first round looking "shot gun" but coming better second string.... Still beat him with the 184 Bergers and the 280AI. I will be back to the US late Spring and hoping that ADG will have their "Factory Ready" 6.5-7PRC brass available before I return.
Looking forward to the next video when you have further results.
Cheers, Fire Dog
The Open Range store in Qld has heaps of Lapua 6.5PRC brass available - more than 30 boxes. The ADG straight 6.5-7PRC would be awesome, but availability will be the challenge as always mate.
I'll get on to them as even having to neck up and neck turn is better than no brass at all and ADG could not give me any idea when in 2024 their brass would be available to the public...😊👍@@kriswilson5400
@@kriswilson5400 Adg brass was available but sold out immediately at $150 for 50 just yesterday the price is insane . I opted for Norma match loaded ammo at $30 a box of 20 . Got me 400 rounds . Pulled bullets and powder expanded necks and reloaded with Berger 180s. Primed brass and MRP powder at $1.5 each. A doable option
Very interesting , thanks for sharing !……
I hope this will help you turn it while it's still a 6.5 that will prevent the donut it's fine to go down and touch the shoulder at that time too I do
Hi Kris, thanks for sharing, excellent detail and really enjoyed the comparison to your other cartridges.
Have a question about your testing, if you wouldn’t mind sharing a few details?
I’m curious how many rounds/group you are using for your test groups, for the seating depth etc? Are you finding 3-5 is enough to give you solid data or shooting 10+ rounds per group? Thanks.
Hi Alan, for initial load data, 5 shot groups, then run a full stage over the charge that shows most promise - I'll typically work 0.2gr either side to see if there's much of a difference in impact vs velocity to determine how stable it is. For seating depth, same deal, however if it doesn't group tightly with the first 3 shots, I'll disregard and move on. For tuner testing I'll typically run 3 shot groups for the same reason. Once I find one or two that look tight, I'll shoot a full stage to get a clearer picture.
Thanks for a very informative video...greatly appreciated! Where are you getting your finishing reamer, dies made and barrel chambered. I don't see any supporting reloading gauges on sale for the caliber? Thanks
Thanks, appreciate the kind words. My finishing reamer is from JGS. Resizing die is from Erik Cortina. Bullet Seating die is a Forster 7-08 micrometer which my gunsmith ran the reamer through and works awesome, and the barrel was chambered by Matt Paroz at LRP Solutions - Sydney, Australia.
@@kriswilson5400 Thanks!
I’m currently using 7mm PRC , 180grn, 66grn 2225, 2880fps. Still in testing phase.
This is based off of the 6.5 PRC.
GREAT CONTENT MAN!! SUBBED! What's your final bullet choice, velocity and expected brass & barrel life?
Berger 184gr hybrid, 2850fps. Brass life and barrel life are an unknown, but I'm guessing around 1500 rounds for the barrel.
Essentially, there is the 7-08, 120-150gr bullets at an acceptable speed, the 280Rem that can handle the 150-175gr bullets better than the 7-08 and the 7PRC that is designed for using the 160-190 gr bullets, all done with beltless cases. It isn't really anything that hasn't been achieved before speedwise, IE 7RM, 7STW, 7Wby, 7Mashburn, etc, some were faster. People didn't think in terms of case efficiency the same way in the before the 6PPC was built, it spawned the trend of case efficiency with the short, fat, beltless case, but, it took some time for people to look at the bigger cases and calibres, and what could be done with them. It's just a better way to utilize case designs, and gives a shooter a bit more oomph within the same gun parameters, with a heavier bullet.. And perhaps even then, the PRC"s have that SAAMI base dia "flaw" on the chamber reamers, but, is still an improvemnet in efficiency, and is easily fixed.
What dobyou think the advantage of 7prc wheeler is over my 7saum ackley improved.I own both. I will still with my 7 Saum .I took a 338 RUM and necked it down to a 7MM. Its prfetty wicked round.
The reason they built the 7prc Wheeler is becauise they had a hard time getting brass for it.Ive not had that issue but then again I shoot bigger calibers mostly. like 33XC , 338 Edge Ackley Imp and 300 RUM Ackley Imp., 375 Cheytac and 416 Stroker.
Great video
Barrel life should be improved, however the SAUM retains a velocity advantage. You can run the SAUM at a comfortable 2920-2940fps with 180gr class bullets whereas to do that with the PRCW, that sort of speed would be powder dependent, and in Australia we don't have those sort of powders (N555, RL16) available. I believe it's a comfortable 2850fps case. As far as outright accuracy is concerned, both calibres have won major competitions, with the PRCW proving to be successful in the US, whereas the SAUM is hugely popular with top F-Open shooters in Australia, winning many state and national titles.
Getting my build list for my first single shot fclass style gun.....
Would this be a decent starter cartridge to learn reloading on?..
Subbed and cheers from Alaska.
Great Video, what is the H2O on that prc?
About 67gr
Kris, what was your rationale for purchasing the Cortina Micro HS 6.5-7PRCII sizing die if the Micron Precision Series sizing die was working with no clicker issues? Great that your getting a new die from Eric after the stuck case issue...just wondering which one you prefer overall as they are very similar in price? Thanks
The Micron Precision was good, but not quite sizing down enough, I reckon it's probably 1 thou away from being ideal. If you intend to run high power loads, I don't believe that sizing die will prevent clickers. I managed to get Erik's original small base PRCW die to work - it just needs a decent amount of lube on the inside each time you use prior to sizing a case (at the start of the sizing process, once you've lubed the inside before the first case goes in, it's good thereafter) - I had 6 cases all suffering from clickers after load development, and that die got rid of the clickers in all 6 pieces - it sizes down below .530 so you need to use a decent amount of lube but it's the best die out there IMO.
@@kriswilson5400 Can't argue with those results! Recently ordered the .535 base Micro HS sizing die as well. Good luck going forward and I look forward to your future segments on 7-6.5PRC performance. Tremendously appreciated Kris - Thanks!!
What are you using to neck turn? Thank you
Good video. Did you ever wear out the MOD 400 BB Bartline you were running? Did you find it to be worth the extra money?
It's still running strong!
@@kriswilson5400 GREAT CONTENT MAN!! SUBBED! What's your expected round count on the Mod 400
What is your OAL with the 6.5 PRC necked up to 7MM?
what is the COAL for the 7-6.5prcw I am planning out a build on a short action and curious if it would fit with. the action will accept up to 2.990. Thanks!
It's going to come down to bullet choice. With a 100 thou jump, with Berger 184s I am at 3.046. So with 180gr class bullets, you will struggle. I think you should be ok running 168gr bullets.
There is 7 PRC. How does this cartridge compare?
I talk about the 7PRC briefly at 22:17. They're completely different cartridges with a noticeable case capacity difference. The necked up 6.5 version I am shooting is more appropriate for F-class. The 7PRC is considered too big, it would probably serve reasonably well being necked up to 30cal as an alternative to the 300wsm.
@@kriswilson5400 Thank your for the response
@@kriswilson5400 I went the other direction. I should be getting my 270-7PRC reamer by this time next month. It's for hunting and should outperform the 6.8 Western which hasn't gained any traction. I'm planning on 170 Berger VLDs and 165 ABLR for the 270 configuration
I think for hunting purposes that would make an excellent combination.@@Accuracy1st
Cool, I can wait until all this bleeding edge work trickles down to more casual shooters.
I'd rather not follow every twist and turn burning $.
It's interesting tho, real view of what's coming.
Did you try Sierra bullets (183gr)?
No, I only know of a couple of guys who have this bullet shooting as good as Bergers.
@@kriswilson5400 I recall you mentioning that some of your colleagues use the 7FCP. I currently have both turn and no-turn reamers in my possession. I'm curious to know their feedback on the 7FCP and whether a no-turn chamber would encounter similar issues with the 'donut'. It would be highly beneficial to be aware of all potential drawbacks before diving into deep water with 7FCP.
A no-turn chamber will suffer from donuts. Some guys just run a longer freebore so they don't have to seat the bullet so deep, that way the bullet doesn't touch the donut. It's a compromise though. I honestly think it is better to just do the extra work at the start, neck-turn everything and regularly checks the necks after each firing to see if they need the occasional skim. At first it's a bit of a pain, but once you've got it done, it's pretty easy to stay on top of and doesn't take up much extra time.@@JiuJitsuCurriculum
Are you filming in a machine shop?
No mate, just the good old garage.
Why?
7-6.5 prow
So it’s the 7mm PRC? If so that round already exists.
No this is completely different if you watch the video.
How much new .284 Lapua brass do you need ?
so its just like the cartridges we already have in 6.5 cal,,
This is necked up to 7mm, so it's an alternative offering to the 284, 280AI and 7SAUM. I wouldn't consider it for F-class as a 6.5 variant. It will torch your barrel in less than 1000 rounds.