What’s everyone’s powder of choice for 6.5 prc?

[jrebel]

A friend has a new 6.5 prc and is looking to hand load.  I’m gonna try and help him out with some powder as it’s still scarce.  I have h1000, retumbo and a few others that might work.  What works well for you guys.  He will be shooting 140 accubonds.


I’ve never loaded for this caliber…..I’m sure either of the two powders listed will work but looking for others experience. 

Thanks in advance.

[Karl Blanchard]

N560, n565, h1000, h4831sc. N565 has produced the best speeds.

[zwickeyman]

RL23

[Wolfdog2314]

I followed this write up. I used H1000 and RL26 with 156 Berger. Found success with the RL26.

https://www.longrangeonly.com/6-5-prc/

[zwickeyman]

 I was using RL 26 with the 150's but RL23 grouped better with 140's for me

[jrebel]

I don’t have any reloader powders or VV powders.  I do have 4831, that can be added to the mix.  I have a couple buddies I may be able to trade should reloader or VV powers be needed. 

Thanks for all the responses.  Might also add that my friend who is working with this rifle is a new hunter so 400-500 yards is likely his max comfort range. 

[Karl Blanchard]

I was using RL 26 with the 150's but RL23 grouped better with 140's for me

23 is a lot more stable than 26 as well. 

[bowhunterty]

Buddy loaded me up some 143 eldx's with H1000 that group well for my rifle

[Caseknife]

I settled on RL-25 behind 127LRX for my 6.5PRC.

[jrebel]

Retumbo pushing 140 grain accubonds out of a 22 inch barrel is very anticlimactic….   My creedmoor pushes 124 gr pills at 2850 and this prc is only getting 2730.  With that said is hot a three shot group with the final product and had one small jagged hole at 100 yards…..sub half inch for sure. 

Gonna take it to 200 And 300 yards to make sure it maintains similar grouping and call it good.  Not sure why a rifle manufacturer would make a 6.5 prc with a 22 inch barrel??? 

[Karl Blanchard]

Barrel length isn't the issue. You're using too slow of a powder.

[jrebel]

Barrel length isn't the issue. You're using too slow of a powder.

I don’t doubt that, but it’s what I have on hand so it’s gonna have to work.  I still think a 22 inch barrel is cutting that cartilage short of its potential. 

[Karl Blanchard]

Any time you start chopping a barrel shorter you're removing performance. But even with a 22" barrel it's a 3,000fps chambering quite handily with the right powder.

[jrebel]

It’s also what most the manuals recommend with the 140 grain pills.  Retumbo, h1000, h869 are the recommended hodgdon powders in almost all my resources.  4831sc may work better but h4350 is to fast.  I don’t load with reloader or VV powder so it will have to work.

My guess is the deer or bear won’t notice 100-150 fps slower. 

[Karl Blanchard]

Slowest Nosler recommends lists is 8133 (basically retumbo) but definitely falls into that too slow category as its also 150fps slower than the next slowest powder listed.  Im sure you'll pick up some speed as that barrel speeds up though. Rifle has proven accuracy so I'd definitely not be able to help myself if I had some 4831 on hand 

[jrebel]

For sure....if it were my rifle, I would be searching for a new powder for my collection.  It's a friend that is getting into reloading and hunting and I hope to find him a bear in about 6 weeks so time is short.  He bought 200 rounds of target ammo to practice with  (the price on that was as much as the rifle) but cannot find hunting rounds.  Lucky for him, he has a friend that has components.  I'm pretty confident the load he has this year will crush a bear or deer.  That accubond, even at 2730 mv will perform very well.  I was actually impressed with how  accurate the load shot.  We had a 7 shot group at 1" with 6 of the shots printing 1/2".  The proof will be in the grouping at 200-300 yards. 

My friend is already planning on working up a new load after the season, new powder and likely switching to a 124 grain Hammer Hunter bullet.  That could be a pretty devastating, speedy little bugger.  With all that being said....if I want a 3000 fps rifle for hunting north america.....I will take the 300 wsm with 180 grain accubond over any 6.5.   

[Karl Blanchard]

Agreed. 6.5's of any kind are wildly unimpressive to me.