• Watch Out for Scammers!

    We've now added a color code for all accounts. Orange accounts are new members, Blue are full members, and Green are Supporters. If you get a message about a sale from an orange account, make sure you pay attention before sending any money!

300 PRC update

What's the optimal twist on this? Will the standard 1:10 get it done or is 1:9 better?
Gonna run 215 Hybrids or the heavy hornady offerings.

Also, has the ammo spec's been released? Wondering what the actual COAL is...
 
1:10 will work for most everything that's out there currently. 1:9 or 1:8 could handle something longer/heavier if it ever showed up, and stuff like the Warner flatlines. The tighter twists might also slightly improve BC on the heavies, 225-240gr stuff. As long as you keep the bullets heavier than ~150gr I don't think you'd ever need to worry about spinning them apart in .30 cal.

I went with 1:9.
 
...but I do have the feeling that the PRC on average will be a little more lenient ES/SD-wise with load development. JMO, YMMV, etc. Overall, a good, modern magnum...

The guys in the video talked about the 300 PRC having similar case proportions to the 6.5 Creedmoor, if the PRC is nearly as easy to tune as the Creedmoor it will have outstanding ELR potential (I suspect that Dave Tooley and others already know the answer). I did a quick and dirty ladder test with my Creedmoor (thread in the bolt rifle section on Prime ammo and high SD’s) and got an SD of 5 on the first run with .5gr powder increments, if the PRC is this easy to tune...
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ledzep
1:10 will work for most everything that's out there currently. 1:9 or 1:8 could handle something longer/heavier if it ever showed up, and stuff like the Warner flatlines. The tighter twists might also slightly improve BC on the heavies, 225-240gr stuff. As long as you keep the bullets heavier than ~150gr I don't think you'd ever need to worry about spinning them apart in .30 cal.

I went with 1:9.

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking.. I just did a bit of looking and that sleek 200 grain SMK calls for a 1:9 minimum. Don't have any experience with this bullet but looks good on paper. Similar numbers to the 230 berger.
 
As I see it , the main issue with the acceptance of the 300 PRC will be based Hornady's reputation for producing inconsistent high quality brass.

IMO - They should come out with a line of match grade brass and then have several third party tests done to confirm their brass measures up to or exceeds Lapua, RWS, Ruag, ADG, Peterson, Norma etc.... This would go a long way for the long term success of any new cartridge they design including the the 300 & 6.5 PRC

The type of people that get involved in ELR and stay with it for the long term are willing to spend the extra money to for high quality brass. They all hand load and develop pet loads for their comp rifle. Everything you buy in this sport is on the expensive side anyway and good brass is no different.

The 300 prc has a lot of well thought out positive attributes but why build a dream house on a shitty foundation? C'mon Hornady give us some decent brass!

I agree to a point, as a handloader I would love better brass for the PRC . From a business perspective the 6.5 Hornady brass has made sense and the beancounters are right. They don't make Lapua quality but they make really affordable, accurate factory ammo that's made the 6.5 super popular. It has basically replaced 308, as first time buyers get into long range. So they have tapped into a way bigger market with mass-produced, good enough brass.

Of course handloaders want better brass because we have been spoiled by 10-20 firings on Lapua brass. Look at it this way though, if the PRC is a commercial success ADG or someone else will make better brass and we'll have cheap accurate factory ammo from Hornady and more rifles in 300 PRC.

I would love to see the Seekins Havak in the PRC.
 
I wonder how hard it would be on their end to keep pumping out the current quality of brass, but offer a "match" quality brass for hand loaders and all their factory match ammo.

I would gladly pay the premium price to have an expanded choice of match quality brass for calibers that no one else offers.

Meanwhile, I can't wait for this cartridge to take off.
 
I wonder how hard it would be on their end to keep pumping out the current quality of brass, but offer a "match" quality brass for hand loaders and all their factory match ammo.

If Hornady or any other manufacturer with sufficient budget set that as their goal, I believe they could accomplish it. I don't think there is huge black art in the metallurgy of brass that Hornady can't figure out if they chose to compete with Lapua, Peterson, etc., on the high end product.
 
...Of course handloaders want better brass because we have been spoiled by 10-20 firings on Lapua brass. Look at it this way though, if the PRC is a commercial success ADG or someone else will make better brass and we'll have cheap accurate factory ammo from Hornady and more rifles in 300 PRC..

Historically Lapua has been pretty fast to adopt/make brass for new cartridges, Lapua now makes Creedmoor brass alongside their own pet 6.5 and from what I have heard make 300NM brass (haven’t seen it myself because I don’t have a Norma ?). The ELR crowd is used to spending more money for better quality and Lapua knows it, if the PRC does half as well as it should I would be surprised if we didn’t see Lapooey brass in a few years. @steve123 wildcatted this round a long time ago and I recall him having quite a few firings on his 375R brass.
 
Historically Lapua has been pretty fast to adopt/make brass for new cartridges, Lapua now makes Creedmoor brass alongside their own pet 6.5 and from what I have heard make 300NM brass (haven’t seen it myself because I don’t have a Norma ?). The ELR crowd is used to spending more money for better quality and Lapua knows it, if the PRC does half as well as it should I would be surprised if we didn’t see Lapooey brass in a few years. @steve123 wildcatted this round a long time ago and I recall him having quite a few firings on his 375R brass.

I really hope this new cartridge succeeds as it fixes a lot of minor problems for the 30 cal ELR crowd. It will be a very user friendly design and anyone who owns a Remmy mag face LA rifle will also be able to switch over.

The problem with Lapua or anyone else making high quality brass is there is not a parent case for the .532'' case size in their cartridge range. They have the long and short versions of the standard, magnum, Jeffrey and Lapua/Rigby's cases. Now it shouldn't be too hard to set up tooling for this but then it does take time and money.

The 6.5 creed came around at the perfect time when PRS was just taking off and fit the niche for a low recoil, short mag friendly LR cartridge. The Norma Mags fixed a problem when the newer longer bullet designs would not fit in a AI CIP mag easily using a .338 Lapua cartridge. The military saw this and with their new MC rifle platforms all they need is a simple barrel change and their off and running. The big military ammunition contracts have now ensured the long term success of the Norma Mags.

So again Hornady great job but please give some decent match grade brass to keep the ball rolling.
 
Its my useless opinion that....
Hornady doing this is a good thing for those of us serious about the applications for this round. Many people will jump on it that should only have a daisy red ryder. Let the fools fund hornady and wecan reap benefits. Do I plan on buying or rechambering one of my elr setups for it, no not now but that change. Especially if the masses drive down the cost of components etc.

It's like the new 338 savage. I dont want one but I will buy stuff at a discount from the idiot that boughtone to be cool and changed his mind!!!
 
Historically Lapua has been pretty fast to adopt/make brass for new cartridges, Lapua now makes Creedmoor brass alongside their own pet 6.5 and from what I have heard make 300NM brass (haven’t seen it myself because I don’t have a Norma ?). The ELR crowd is used to spending more money for better quality and Lapua knows it, if the PRC does half as well as it should I would be surprised if we didn’t see Lapooey brass in a few years. @steve123 wildcatted this round a long time ago and I recall him having quite a few firings on his 375R brass.

True, that's what I'm hoping for.
 
Just read that proof research has some 300 prc stuff in the works. I'm not sure if this will include any prefits or just complete rifles. I hope this cartridge catches fire and succeeds.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Milepost
Just read that proof research has some 300 prc stuff in the works. I'm not sure if this will include any prefits or just complete rifles. I hope this cartridge catches fire and succeeds.

Curious where you read this? Pre-fits would be great. I can confirm it will be offered in their Proof long action rifles, but not in the "switch" as those are short action only. Those start around $6k, so not cheap but I will be doing my own PROOF barreled PRC eventually.
 
I'm seeing factory loadings are 3.685", so these are limited to CIP mags?
 
Hornady just confirmed the coal at 3.685" for their factory 225 eld load. So long range shooters who have actions that won't accept cip mags are limited to handloading. So much for just swapping out your 300 Win mag barrels.
 
  • Like
Reactions: LastShot300
Hornady just confirmed the coal at 3.685" for their factory 225 eld load. So long range shooters who have actions that won't accept cip mags are limited to handloading. So much for just swapping out your 300 Win mag barrels.
Im sticking w the 300 NM! The other option is have the mag well opened up to a CIP cut. This should keep our smiths busy if the 300 PRC takes off.
 
Im sticking w the 300 NM! The other option is have the mag well opened up to a CIP cut. This should keep our smiths busy if the 300 PRC takes off.

No big deal, just more down time and cost because the action will need to be re-coated.

I think you may be right about the 300 Norma. I guess I have to find an action now.
 
No big deal, just more down time and cost because the action will need to be re-coated.

I think you may be right about the 300 Norma. I guess I have to find an action now.
I have a Remington 700 donor action but I added up the cost of having it trued and pinning a scope base and it wasn’t very much less than a Defiance action and no amount of gunsmithing in the world will make a 700 as rigid as an action with an integral rail and lug. I was already looking in this direction because my instructor in a recent class had a Surgeon XL with .532 and .585 bolts and 300 WinMag, 300 Norma and 338 Lapua barrels with wrench flats machined behind the muzzle threads.
 
Does anyone know the cost to open up a mag well to CIP length to run this 300 PRC?
 
Hornady just confirmed the coal at 3.685" for their factory 225 eld load. So long range shooters who have actions that won't accept cip mags are limited to handloading. So much for just swapping out your 300 Win mag barrels.

Do you know what the 212 eldx coal is? Can't find much info right now. Im only .04 off from running the current mags I have now with those 225s.

Having @DAVETOOLEY rebarrel a Cadex 300 win mag for me with a 26in proof, and now I'm thinking I could go with the 300 prc. I could swap in a Cadex magazine sleeve for 49 bucks and be able to use accurate 3.775 or 3.85 mags. Other then the brass issue seems like it might be a good time give it a go, assuming a 26" 10 twist is good enough.
 
Last edited:
Additionally since the .300 Win Mag and most other .30 cal magnums are hampered by the SAAMI design it prevents all but a handful of small ammo companies, such as ABM, from loading them to their full long range potential.

Could you explain this a bit to me..... My buddy has been shooting ABM 230gr Berger Win mag load in his AI with great results and we cant seem to find another factory load that even comes close even with "better cartridges" What is ABM or Berger ammo now doing different than every one ells ? so they not have to go buy SAAMI specs?

Sorry for the derail but as i have been reading along trying to see what this 300 PRC was all about... I am not seeing much improvement over what you can get from Berger ammo in 300 win mag..
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: BCX
Most major ammo c
Do you know what the 212 eldx coal is? Can't find much info right now. Im only .04 off from running the current mags I have now with those 225s.

Having @DAVETOOLEY rebarrel a Cadex 300 win mag for me with a 26in proof, and now I'm thinking I could go with the 300 prc. I could swap in a Cadex magazine sleeve for 49 bucks and be able to use accurate 3.775 or 3.85 mags. Other then the brass issue seems like it might be a good time give it a go, assuming a 26" 10 twist is good enough.

I apologize I do not remember the coal of the hunting load as I was beyond furious when they were telling me what the match load was. I was a week away from having an action in my hands to build for this cartridge and be able to shoot factory ammo as I do not have a lot of time to spend reloading, only to find out it won't work.

Hill Country Rifles just did an article on this and they built a rifle specifically for this cartridge before the ammo was ever released. Had to single feed just to test it once they had ammo in their hands. Check out the article and anyone will be able to extrapolate what will be required to run this cartridge. CIP mag length is not the only issue.

I did speak to Matt who I'm assuming is the owner and he was very helpful. Great guy and I will be using them to get this up and running once I find an action that will work.

I thought this cartridge was going to fill the most requirements for what I was looking for and not having to hand load was the selling point because a major manufacturer was backing it. But I should have realized that nothing is ever as easy as it's made out to be.
 
Hill Country knows what they're doing but it sounds like they just got ahead of themselves this time. Feeding issues. Not a problem around here as my action will accept CIP mags and extended box mags. Also an easy fix on any Remington action or custom action for that matter. I've built quite a few of these and never had a complaint about feeding. Predicting a future problem with the mag spring tension. Seems kind of lame. I don't think in 35 years of building rifles I've ever had to replace a magazine spring.
 
How many major firearms makers are going to produce rifles off the shelf to accept CIP magazines?
 
That's unfortunate that the COAL is that long on the 225 load. I'd imagine if/when they come out with some lighter stuff (hopefully including the existing ELD-X load) that it'd be short enough to work in most magazines. From the outside looking in, it would seem better-- you'd get more support for it-- if it was just a rebarrel.


I guess I built my parts list from the beginning to allow for the most length I could possibly squeeze. 3.85" accurate mags and specifically asked for the CIP manners mini-chassis.
 
The KRG Bravo chassis I'm building with also accepts CIP mags so I'm not worried but I was always planning to handload. Hopefully makers that start producing facrory or semi custom rifles realize this and build them long for CIP mags from the start. I can see that it might hamper the wide adoption we are all hoping for with this round if it's not just a barrel swap, but more and more people are building on custom actions like Bighorn, American Rifle CO, etc. If someone like criterion starts chambering a small shank Savage pre-fit around $350 then that would offset the cost of a custom action somewhat.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the link, I think I got the last box of 225s they had and the 212s were already gone.
 
Thanks for the link, I think I got the last box of 225s they had and the 212s were already gone.

I left one box out of the cart. I would have snagged them all, but I felt bad and left one box up for someone else. They just put it up today and only had 7 of the 225s in inventory and 4 of the 212s. That's all they got from Hornady in the first shipment according to the customer service guy I spoke to.

The date of more in stock moved also from the 5th to the 10th. So I think that shows the 10th now on the site.
 
I left one box out of the cart. I would have snagged them all, but I felt bad and left one box up for someone else..

Thanks, I appreciated it.
One box will get me started for now and I can wait for the rest.
 
Optimal can be many things depending on requirements, location etc. I'm at sea level and deal with cold temperatures ( 10-20 degrees) a few months out of the year. Granted I'm not shooting a ton between December-March but I wanted to be on the safe side without twisting it faster than I need to.

Ended up going with a 9.5 twist to shoot the bullet weights you mentioned and I'm undecided on length but probably 25"
 
I also have a 9.5 on one rifle and a 9 on another. I don't see any reason to faster than a 9.
26" min unless it's a conventional hunting rifle then make it as short as you want.

I figured since the military is using 24" with their MK 248 mod 1 and some of the 300 Norma's I have come across are 25" , I was ok at that length.
Definitely will be shooting out to a mile and maybe longer so I want to be efficient as possible without going too long.