Creedmoor vs PRC

[callturner]

Looking at a 6.5 and trying to decide between the 2. I know the PRC is a bit hotter but is 200 - 300 fps really worth it ? This will be a hunting rifle and plinker. Not planning on 1000 yd shots. Creedmoor brass is way more available and they both shoot the same bullets. What do you all think?

[BUTTER]

I have the PRC. Yes its harder to find ammo quite a bit actually. Now For gun ballistics the PRC is far superior. Get on hornady and look at the ballistics for each caliber. I know ill get some grief for this but to me the Creedmor from what I've read is a 400 yard hunting gun and a 1000 yard rarget rifle. The PRC holds a much higher Ft/Lbs of Energy and makes it a much better hunting round at further distances.

[Cougartail]

Buy the Creedmoor and practice with it. A well hit animal always dies faster than a poorly hit one with more energy.

In field conditions 400 yards is to far for 99% of hunters regardless of the white feather in their cap..

[b23]

Kind of sounds like you're already leaning a little more toward the 6.5 CM and based on what you said will be the intended use I would recommend the CM over the PRC.

Does the PRC shoot flatter, yes.  Does the PRC hit harder with the same bullet, yes.  Will ammo cost a fair bit more for the PRC and be less available, yes.

It's all about trade offs so nail down what the gun will mostly be used for and do your research between the two before you purchase either and you'll likely have a happier ending.

Also, you'll find there are a lot more rifles chambered in 6.5 CM than there are 6.5 PRC so the selection of rifles will be much greater for the CM.

[Taco280AI]

For your use, Creed

[Stein]

Do you plan on hunting elk, or only deer & antelope?

I'm going through a similar thought process for a new rifle next year.  I have in mind how far I want to be able to shoot elk and deer as long as rules of thumb on energy and manufacturer's recommendations for minimum velocity for effective expansion.  From there, I want something that can do what I want, but not much over.

The same rifle will be used for target shooting, but likely not matches except for maybe one here are there.

As you noted, when you go up, several negative things happen.

1.  The round costs more due to powder and bullets, but also if you go to a less popular cartridge.
2.  More recoil means it's harder to shoot well and less fun.
3.  Shorter barrel life.
4.  Possibly more difficulty finding stuff like brass, dies, comparators, reloading data etc, depending on what you are looking at.

That counteracts the positives:

1.  The bullet will travel faster which increases your effective range as well as increasing the energy delivered at a given distance.
2.  You have the option of shooting a heavier bullet in some cases.
3.  Because it's going faster, at a given distance, the bullet will drop less and be less impacted by the wind.  I don't like the term "flat shooting" because no bullet is flat shooting.  Less drop and less windage, but you still need to address it but there is more room for error.

The difference in velocity is roughly the same as going from .308 to .300 win mag although not apples to apples as the 30 cal bullets are heavier obviously.

For me, it's mostly a simple question of which one will do what I want without extra recoil, powder, cost and headaches.

[mountainman]

Yes, PRC ammo/brass is currently getting hard to find, but the performance jump is huge. For me, PRC all day long

[kentrek]

Neither have much recoil so shooting ability isn't a factor

Speed = accuracy

Creedmoor seems like a novelty because of its efficiency...but missing a target is never very efficient and that extra fps will help you hit more targets

[Taco280AI]

Speed = accuracy...

... that extra fps will help you hit more targets

How so?

The most accurate load from my rifle was one of the slowest tested, a 230fps difference from the fastest. Same bullet, different powders. I've seen 338s that weren't moving very fast with 300 grain bullets, but were one hole groups.

If speed meant accuracy wouldn't everyone just shoot a max load?

[Stein]

Same as me, I'm shooting a rather light load but the ES and groups are great.  I do get the idea somewhat in that a faster bullet has less drop and wind and you have a BIT more room for error, but I also think a bunch of guys are chasing the chrono.  If your load has the velocity and energy at the max distance you want extra velocity isn't a very big advantage at the end of the day.  For a given bullet, you aren't talking huge differences between min and max loads.

[fishngamereaper]

I couldn't decide so I know currently own both.. 

[kentrek]

Speed = accuracy...

... that extra fps will help you hit more targets

How so?

The most accurate load from my rifle was one of the slowest tested, a 230fps difference from the fastest. Same bullet, different powders. I've seen 338s that weren't moving very fast with 300 grain bullets, but were one hole groups.

If speed meant accuracy wouldn't everyone just shoot a max load?

Your talking accuracy on a bench...I'm talking overall accuracy in the field...you with a slow but accurate load and you with a fast but still accurate load will always be better with the faster of the two in real world conditions given your shooting ability doesn't cave with the increase in recoil

Essentially in real world conditions your adding up errors in order to hit a target and the speed helps minimize the errors

Hope this helps