April 08, 2024
By Brad Fitzpatrick
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When Remington introduced the 7mm Rem. Mag. cartridge in 1962, it was an almost instant success, outperforming the .264 Win. Mag. and offering better ballistics than the .30-06. It shot flat but didn’t beat the shooter to a pulp, and it was well-suited for everything from whitetails to moose. Later .284-inch cartridges like the .284 Win., .280 Rem., 7mm WSM and others failed to claim a substantial share of the 7mm market segment, and it seemed the 7mm Rem. Mag. would continue to dominate. However, the relatively new Hornady 7mm PRC looks to be a serious threat to that dominance. The 7mm PRC had fans even before anyone had ever seen it, thanks to the relative success of the 6.5 and .300 PRCs. The 6.5 PRC is superb for deer-size game, but some hunters—justifiably or not—want something bigger than a 6.5 for elk and moose. The .300 PRC fits the bill, but it’s a handful.
7mm Remington Magnum Hits
Popular and widely available Easier for recoil-sensitive folks to shoot Could be a buyer’s market for used guns Misses
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Can’t take advantage of heavy, long bullets Lower BCs are less forgiving in the wind Not a great long-range match cartridge
Hornady found the just-right fit with the 7mm PRC. It was initially offered in an ELD Match load with a 180-grain bullet at 2,975 fps and a 175-grain ELD-X Precision Hunter load at 3,000 fps. That’s a considerable jump over the traditional 150-grain 7mm Rem. Mag. bullet with bullets traveling at 3,100 fps. Even Hornady’s own Superformance 7mm Rem. Mag. load manages just 3,030 fps with a 162-grain SST bullet. That’s fast for a 7mm Rem. Mag., but it’s not PRC fast. In practical terms, both cartridges will work just fine for most hunting applications. I’ve used the 7mm Rem. Mag. and 7mm PRC on game, and with a well-constructed bullet both are suitable for a broad range of game. The PRC benefits, of course, from the efficient cartridge design, which is perfect for heavy-for-caliber bullets, and the precise chamber specs make the 7mm PRC a better long-range target cartridge.
The 180-grain ELD Match bullet has a G1 ballistic coefficient of .796, which is far better than any 7mm Rem. Mag. bullet, and there will no doubt be heavier bullets offered. Pushed to nearly 3,000 fps, the PRC is going to be a great match cartridge. Recoil is noticeably stiffer with the PRC, but in my experience it’s less than the .300 Win. Mag. in similar weight rifles. At the 7mm PRC’s launch, Hornady listed more 30 rifle makers planning to chamber the 7mm PRC. On the 7mm Rem. Mag. side of the equation, during its long lifespan hundreds of rifle models have been offered in this cartridge, and there are still lots of options. Ammunition companies have jumped on board the 7mm PRC train. In addition to Hornady’s three load offerings—ELD Match, ELD-X and Outfitter CX—Federal has also announced it will offer 7mm PRC ammo with Terminal Ascent bullets as well as the ELD-X.
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7mm Precision Rifle Cartridge Hits
Better ballistics, minimal increase in recoil Rifle, ammunition options likely to grow Easy to rebarrel from an existing magnum Misses
Not a big difference out to 400 yards Not a ton of data out there yet Is the edge worth the money to switch? This is all great news for the 7mm PRC since it’s less likely to deal with the same uphill climb some other new cartridges face, but it doesn’t begin to touch the availability of 7mm Rem. Mag. rifles and ammunition. A popular internet site currently lists six different 7mm PRC loads but 10 times as many 7mm Rem. Mag. ammo options. It will also take time for the PRC to trickle down into smaller gunshops, a consideration when traveling. There’s a much better chance that some 7mm Rem. Mag. ammo will be lying around. Premium 7mm PRC ammo is priced similarly to premium 7mm Rem. Mag. ammunition—between $2.50 and $3.50 per round on average—but there are affordable 7mm Rem. Mag. loads that come in under $1.50 per shot. Which one is right for you? It depends if you value improved long-range performance or availability. For the hunter who keeps his shots under 400 yards, a 7mm Rem. Mag. will work nearly as well as a PRC. Start stretching things out and you’ll want to lean into Hornady’s new cartridge.
