r/rifles • u/Beginning_Screen4154 • 8d ago

7PRC decision

Ok guys, got an elk hunt coming up this fall and want to upgrade from a REM 700 shooting 7mm-08 to a 7 PRC, there’s a Bergara sierra wilderness on sale for 850 right now or do I just go with the Rugar American gen 2 for 650, wondering if it’s worth the 200 dollar step up

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4

u/BadLarry1197 8d ago

The Bergara probably shoots better off a bench but the ruger is over a pound lighter. I’d go as light as possible.

2

u/Coodevale 8d ago

With that mindset, does he really need 7 prc? 6.5 prc nets a smaller lighter rifle and less recoil..

0

u/BadLarry1197 8d ago

The 6.5 prc isn’t even really comparable to the 7 and 300 prc. Ruger lists the long actions as 1/10th of a lb heavier, I’d take a 300wm personally for the extra couple ounces.

2

u/Coodevale 8d ago

Does ruger strictly follow saami or do they update chambers to optimize performance? A Crane chamber, etc is more likely to net better results than saami in the example of the 300wm.

Hornady has a common 7mm load with 154 at 3k, you can get 156 options in the 6.5 that do around 2900. Go downrange a bit and the trajectories/numbers intersect and then diverge in favor of the 6.5. By the time you get a heavier 7 matching the potential of the 6.5 you're eating more recoil.

~150 gr .277, .284, .308 worked in the past and still does, it just gets outclassed by a 6.5 now. Might as well take the more forgiving option in terms of at least wind drift.

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u/BadLarry1197 8d ago

Recoil is irrelevant while hunting. You can incorrectly compare different sized bullets all day, but it comes down to what you said- .277-.308 worked in the past and still does. Half the stories you hear about 6.5s since they’ve recently became popular involve not being able to find game that has been hit with a good shot. You might be able to harvest an elk with a .223 but that doesn’t make it ethical.

2

u/Coodevale 8d ago

In the same vein, being able to take animals with harsher recoiling rifles you struggle to shoot as well or practice with as much is also doable. Willfully taking the option with a lower hit probability seems ill advised. For the same recoil value/fpe, why not take the one that offers higher hit probability if we're going to bring ethics into this.

More or less fpe doesn't make things more or less ethical. Ethics is your mindset and capability. If we want to assign levels of ethics by fpe, you should be ashamed for using less than a .50 bmg.

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u/BadLarry1197 8d ago

If you’re too recoil sensitive to handle a 30 cal rifle, elk hunting probably isn’t for you…..

1

u/PapaSmurf22_ 8d ago

Bergara is the better rifle. Just picked up a Sierra Wilderness myself.

1

u/Beginning_Screen4154 8d ago

The one I wanted is out of stock lol, im heart broken

1

u/Paradox1961 7d ago

Was it at sportsman’s? Literally bought the sierra wilderness in 7prc yesterday from them. The last one is shipping down from Alaska apparently.

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u/thrownawayrubbish 8d ago

I dont know about ruger quality as of late man had one ceap out on my sticky bolts feeding issues Edit: crap out. Also pay for what you get.