Ideas for Repurposing a 300 PRC

[GunnyUSMC]

I have a friend who built a beautiful 300PRC consisting of a Defiance Ruckus LA, 30” Bartlien barrel, MDT ACC chassis, Diamond trigger and etc. It is a great system. The purpose of this build was to get more into ELR shooting. However, his ELR involvement has fizzled out and is looking for suggestions on what can do with his rifle so it does not just sit on the shelf. Here are some Ideas we started kicking around:

1. Sell the 300PRC and build something else. The downside here is that he wont get out of it what he has put into it.
2. He is currently shooting the Berger 245gr Hybrid and one thought is to go to a Berger 200.20x (or even the 185gr Juggernaut) in an effort to reduce recoil sufficient to be comfortable using it in FClass Long Range matches (F-Open of course). This would reduce recoil but it is still a lot of energy being used given the smaller bullet.
3. Rebarrel to something like a 7mm SAUM or 6.5PRC that provides a smaller case but still uses the standard magnum bolt face.

Looking for ideas and suggestions….

 

[Maurygold]

Nothing about that setup is well equipped for f-class in 300 prc - he will likely shoot even less f-class than whatever ELR means to him.

Rebarreling is a waste of money if you’re going to shoot steel

Sounds like he doesn’t enjoy the recoil. I highly recommend he keep the 300, shoot 215 hybrids and get a really good brake or a supressor with a brake and enjoy the gun.

You guys seems to be searching for solutions to a problem that doesn’t really exist unless you can better explain what the issue with 300 prc is for his usage - which doesn’t seem well defined. ELR to me is 1200 yards plus but this gun is excellent for a 1k range.

If he just doesn’t like the caliber to shoot less than 1k yards buy a second barrel and chamber in 6.5 prc.

 

[DownhillFromHere]

Why did ELR involvement wane?

If it was recoil, then I would wonder about the brake. I have a buddy who is just starting ELR with a rifle somewhat similar to your friend's, chambered in .300 Ackley Improved* which is ballistically very close to .300 PRC. I think the brake on it is an APA Fat Bastard. He says the recoil is quite manageable. I haven't shot that rifle, but I did fire a few rounds from another buddy's .300 PRC - it was a 13ish-pound hunting rig, again with the big APA 5-port brake and I was surprised at how well the recoil was tamed. Of course, a couple of shots is not the same as a few dozen, and the blast was utterly ferocious from both.

Otherwise.... yeah, there's not really a great caliber option to use a magnum bolt face in a long-action rig for 1000 yards and in.

OP, I see you're in South Carolina. If you and your friend are anywhere near the border with central NC and you haven't tried Coleman's Creek Training Center near Ellerbe, CCTC's Range 6 goes out to a mile and Range 7 to 1200ish yards and they run occasional ELR matches. Shooting a .300 PRC to 1000 yards is vast overkill, as your friend may be discovering... but shooting the mile with it would be fun. Question is, is that fun worth the $$$?
_________
* He ended up with this crazy wildcat because he bought the rifle from a mutual acquaintance of ours who loves to build exotic ELR beasts, shoot them a little, and sell them. Plan is to rebarrel in .300 PRC down the road.

 

[diggler1833]

If F-Class is really something hes looking into, you'll probably want to look at the 7-6.5 PRC. Only real swap to get going is the barrel.

Otherwise, perhaps something in a lighter hunting-type build might be his thing. Any magnum cartridge is a possibility, but if he has good and reliable feeding already it wouldn't be a bad idea to stick with a 7 or 300 PRC.

This is one of those questions where 100 guys will give 100 different answers.

 

[Emerson0311]

You never get your $$ out, even for a factory rifle. A custom you get even less back. I’ve got a 300 PRC that is a bit heavier, shooting the same bullets. Good brake, loud, recoil is not a big deal. Sell the whole rifle/chassis combo to the next wannabe ELR shooter in line, and choose a shooting sport that is locally accessible and seems fun. If he starts “rebuilding” it will cost a lot and probably end up with a bunch of expensive parts that won’t sell for much. Buy a decently set up used rifle from someone who recently upgraded or fizzled out.
This is just real life experience from someone who lives and sees this cycle of shooting sport’s enthusiasm constantly.

 

[GunnyUSMC]

OP, I see you're in South Carolina. If you and your friend are anywhere near the border with central NC and you haven't tried Coleman's Creek Training Center near Ellerbe, CCTC's Range 6 goes out to a mile and Range 7 to 1200ish yards and they run occasional ELR matches. Shooting a .300 PRC to 1000 yards is vast overkill, as your friend may be discovering... but shooting the mile with it would be fun. Question is, is that fun worth the $$$?

We actually shot an ELR event at Coleman’s Creek last year and we occasionally go to Clinton House for the odd one-mile shoot. The issue is more about time availability because ELR events require 2 or more days. He shoots at a local monthly FClass match with a 6.5 Creedmoor for fun.

 

[Rocketmandb]

If F-Class is really something hes looking into, you'll probably want to look at the 7-6.5 PRC.

This would be my recommendation. Solid components (Lapua brass, good choice of Bergers), good performance at decent ranges, moderate recoil.

That said, I'm shooting 220s out of my 300 PRC with VV N568 getting 2815 fps out of a 28" barrel. A slower powder like that combined with a lighter bullet yields a very tame recoil impulse. I'd try a 215 or 220 gr bullet with a slow powder before rebarreling.

 

[GunnyUSMC]

That said, I'm shooting 220s out of my 300 PRC with VV N568 getting 2815 fps out of a 28" barrel. A slower powder like that combined with a lighter bullet yields a very tame recoil impulse. I'd try a 215 or 220 gr bullet with a slow powder before rebarreling.

I didnt think of using a slower powder with the lighter bullets. Good Idea and I do have some slower powders available to test with.

 

[Rocketmandb]

I didnt think of using a slower powder with the lighter bullets. Good Idea and I do have some slower powders available to test with.

I gotta say, I'm giving up 100 fps, but the recoil is a very pleasant thump vs. the high-impulse crack I got with RL26. And with the grouping I'm getting, I'm not really missing the speed all that much.

 

[Kaldor]

I have a rifle that is very similar. ARC Nucleus, 30" Bartlien, Manners stock, TT Diamond, Mark 5 35x, EC tuner brake. Weighs 18# empty. EC brakes are not noted for their aggressive braking ability compared to something like an APA brake. I shoot Berger 220s at 2980. Its an all day gun for me personally as my recoil tolerance is very high because I am 6'7" and 290#. Well, its an all day gun until I have to reload for it again and my wallet and better half is asking why I bought more components!

As far as what to do with it? Sell it might be the best option, but it sucks to eat it that bad on a nice gun. That type of a rig is not particularly well suited to something like F-class. 300 PRC is not really a great choice for F open gun with no brake and worse yet on a stock without a RAD for that heavy of a hitter. The stock could be used, but I cant recall the exact rules for using a sled in place of a mag. He could pull the barrel, and go to something like a 6.5-7 PRC (surprising light recoil IMHO) and give it a try with that stock, and see how he likes it. At most he is out the cost of the barrel in that scenario. If he finds he likes it, but certain things are holding him back, stock with a RAD would probably be the biggest upgrade he could make, he could simply sell the chassis to offset cost, and update that and still have a solid rifle. And if he holds onto the old 300 PRC barrel, he could swap barrels back, and the much heavier F open stock with a RAD, in combination with an aggressive brake, would probably make it very shootable for just messing around.