7wsm or 6.5 prc. What say you gun experts

[DapperDan]

Ok, I have the option of a new havak 6.5 prc with a 25% discount through a friend vs a 7wsm gap hunting rifle that’s ready to roll through same friend. Both would be for hunting, obviously, and the occasional steel target at various ranges up to 1200 yards. I already have a 1000 yard long range target gun in .308 but at 15 pounds, it’s not the best gun for lugging around hunting and especially not for the mountains.

6.5 prc: great shooting gun that will be on a 25% discount. Will have to wait 4-5 months on build time. But will kill elk out to 1000 yards and shoot a quarter moa with hand loads and half to three quarter moa with factory. It’s a new round and there is limited factory Ammo at this point. Seems to be a great round on paper and has a barrel life of around 1500 if I read correctly.

7wsm: Built by Gap rifles. Surgeon action, fluted bartlien Barrel, jewel trigger, bedded McMillan stock, Surgeon bottom metal. Plus load development done. Less than 200 rounds down range. .09” group at 100. I can get it with or without a March 3-24 x42 ffp fma 2 scope mounted. Don’t have to wait and it’s ready to go. With 100 rounds of loaded ammo and dope chart.
Less than 200 rounds fired through it with a barrel life of 1200-1400. Can easily rebarrel to 7wsm or 6.5 cm, saum, or prc. Buddy offering gun and scope for almost 30% off retail.

Decisions decisions....


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[Walker]

WSM ammo of all ilks is getting harder and harder to find. Who knows if the prc will be any different in 10 years.

[DapperDan]

WSM ammo of all ilks is getting harder and harder to find. Who knows if the prc will be any different in 10 years.

True. Very true. The wsm will come with enough brass to last the barrel life and hand loads and dope chart. I don’t see the 6.5 cm going anywhere so worse case scenario, rebarrel to 6.5 cm. The brass situation is what bothers me. May just buy it as I find it or buy factory Ammo and pull the bullets and repurpose the net brass in reloads.


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[Walker]

Sounds like a plan.

[TX03RUBI]

The Havak. Hornady SAUM brass is easily available if PRC doesn’t hold on, but I don’t think that will be an issue. I’ve ran a Havak in 6 CM out to 1100 with excellent results. I’ve ran my SAUM out to a mile. Had the Havak been out 5 years ago when I built my SAUM, then it would be in my safe instead. A good buddy laid down a NM bull a few weeks back at 720 yds with his Havak in PRC.

[DapperDan]

The Havak. Hornady SAUM brass is easily available if PRC doesn’t hold on, but I don’t think that will be an issue. I’ve ran a Havak in 6 CM out to 1100 with excellent results. I’ve ran my SAUM out to a mile. Had the Havak been out 5 years ago when I built my SAUM, then it would be in my safe instead. A good buddy laid down a NM bull a few weeks back at 720 yds with his Havak in PRC.

So what’s your thoughts on 7wsm vs prc ballistically? I know the saum is an excellent long range round for sure.


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[DapperDan]

The Havak. Hornady SAUM brass is easily available if PRC doesn’t hold on, but I don’t think that will be an issue. I’ve ran a Havak in 6 CM out to 1100 with excellent results. I’ve ran my SAUM out to a mile. Had the Havak been out 5 years ago when I built my SAUM, then it would be in my safe instead. A good buddy laid down a NM bull a few weeks back at 720 yds with his Havak in PRC.

And what build is your SAUM?


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[TX03RUBI]

So what’s your thoughts on 7wsm vs prc ballistically? I know the saum is an excellent long range round for sure.


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Personally I like the 6.5 better. I don’t think that it outshines the 7 WSM though. I prefer being able to run the lighter 140 gr projectiles with a high BC. To get the higher BC in a 7 you need to run a bit heavier projectiles, which will add a bit to the recoil. The 140 gr .284 projectiles will be considerably lower on the BC. When you’re speaking of 6-7 lb hunting rifles that recoil difference is quite noticeable. Also the PRC seems to be coming in at 2000-3000 barrel life depending on load. The WSM would be pushing it at 1400 rds. I think either would make an excellent choice for hunting round though.

[bphillips]

As a majority of the time hunting rifle I vote PRC. My 6.5saum is awesome and low recoil

[TX03RUBI]

and what build is your saum?


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Stiller predator action, manners eh4, lilja 8 twist at 23”, ptg ultra light bottom metal, timney 510. It normally wears a can, and comes in right at 10 lbs with glass and can. Pushing a 140 hvld at 3140.

[DapperDan]

7wsm or 6.5 prc. What say you gun experts

Personally I like the 6.5 better. I don’t think that it outshines the 7 WSM though. I prefer being able to run the lighter 140 gr projectiles with a high BC. To get the higher BC in a 7 you need to run a bit heavier projectiles, which will add a bit to the recoil. The 140 gr .284 projectiles will be considerably lower on the BC. When you’re speaking of 6-7 lb hunting rifles that recoil difference is quite noticeable. Also the PRC seems to be coming in at 2000-3000 barrel life depending on load. The WSM would be pushing it at 1400 rds. I think either would make an excellent choice for hunting round though.

Shooting the 168 Berger vlds right now in the wsm. The 6.5 match in 147 are definitely intriguing!


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[DapperDan]

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Stiller predator action, manners eh4, lilja 8 twist at 23”, ptg ultra light bottom metal, timney 510. It normally wears a can, and comes in right at 10 lbs with glass and can. Pushing a 140 hvld at 3140.

Sweet rig! How’s that shooting for you at range?


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[Mayhem]

I have a 7mm WSM and if I had it to do over again, I would have bought the gun in 300 wsm. The 7mm WSM is a bad MOFO, but the availability of ammo as compared to the 300 wsm sux.

[trophy8]

True. Very true. The wsm will come with enough brass to last the barrel life and hand loads and dope chart. I don’t see the 6.5 cm going anywhere so worse case scenario, rebarrel to 6.5 cm. The brass situation is what bothers me. May just buy it as I find it or buy factory Ammo and pull the bullets and repurpose the net brass in reloads.


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You won’t rebarrel the WSM to a CM. It has a magnum bolt face. You’re pretty limited on what you can put on a wsm action without changing the bolt. GAP rifles are very nice but extremely overpriced. Even at 30% off retail you can build what you want new for the same money. I’d choose the havak. If you were limited to those 2 guns.

[TX03RUBI]

Sweet rig! How’s that shooting for you at range?


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Quite well. I’ve put quite a few first time LR shooters on 1200+ hits first or second shot once they understood the fundementals. First time ever past 1250 a few years back and I laid a sub 4” 5 shot group at 1302, and then a few hours later set a new target at 1541. Went 5 for 5 with a cold bore first round hit on a 16” square place. I’ve only taken it past a mile twice now, but it’s done it’s part when I did mine.

This is with handloads. I’m running a 140 HVLD over 59.8 gr of 4831SC. It’ll cost me a little barrel life over H1000, but I only put 250 rounds through it a year. It gets taken out to play 4-5 times at 40-50 rounds each, then hunting kills. I’ve had a few more custom rifles I’ve played with over the years, but now I’m down to thie SAUM and a 223 built on a model 7 with Bartlein barrel and Manners EH1. I seem to grab the 223 for just about everything as long as I know I won’t have any real long shots presented.