7mm PRC (Precision Rifle Cartridge) SAAMI Specs Released

Luke C.
by Luke C.
7mm Precision Rifle Cartridge SAAMI Specs Released

One of the newest long-action cartridges to hit the market has just had its official SAAMI specs released. The 7mm Precision Rifle Cartridge (7mm PRC), has been the talk of the town in various internet firearms forums and chat rooms with many people who thought that the official specs would not be released until sometime this fall. However, we’ve got the specs now and it seems to be stacking up to be a very well-balanced cartridge for hunting applications.

More Ammunition Articles @ TFB:

7mm Precision Rifle Cartridge SAAMI Specs Released

7mm PRC (Precision Rifle Cartridge) SAAMI Specs Released

So what is 7mm PRC? The SAAMI spec sheet shows us that this certification calls for a 180-grain bullet traveling at 2,950 feet per second. For many hunters out there, this strikes the perfect balance between bullet weight, velocity, and trajectory when paired with high ballistic coefficient bullets. The spec sheet also provided information about the cartridge’s maximum effective range and when comparing it to other cartridges like 6.5 PRC, 7mm Mag, .300 Win Mag, and .308 Winchester, the 7mm PRC has the greatest max effective range at 910-yards versus 6.5 PRC’s 686-yards and 300 Win Mag’s 561-yards (these ranges are determined when the bullet drops below 2,000 fps). Drop at 400-yards is similarly impressive and achieves only an 18.9″ drop at that range compared to .300 Win Mag which has about 26-inches of drop at the same range.

7mm Precision Rifle Cartridge SAAMI Specs Released

While many other cartridges that have been released by Hornady have received their SAAMI certifications months in advance of their official release, 7mm PRC was only certified on the 7th of June this year and thus I think we can still expect to see ammunition manufacturers start pumping out loaded cartridges sometime this fall. Based on the specifications listed here, I think this new cartridge might actually be the new “go-to” long-range hunting cartridge for many as it (as least on paper) demonstrates superior ballistics to other popular hunting cartridges and this would make it a great choice for hunting big game like elk, moose, etc.

Sure, many other great cartridges do already exist that excel at long-range hunting but I think it’s always good to see companies trying to push the boundaries of what’s possible in terms of long-range effectiveness. I’d also like to hear what you guys think of this new cartridge. Do you think there is enough justification to start planning for a 7mm PRC rifle for long-range hunts or do you think you’ll be sticking with your tried and true cartridge offerings? Let us know down in the comments.

Luke C.
Luke C.

Reloader SCSA Competitor Certified Pilot Currently able to pass himself off as the second cousin twice removed of Joe Flanigan. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ballisticaviation/

More by Luke C.

Comments
Join the conversation
2 of 32 comments
  • Dave Day Dave Day on Jun 30, 2022

    As a public land elk hunter in Colorado that will be using a supressor, I will likely be buying a 7 PRC once they are available. I'm hoping Sig drops a long action version of the Cross with this chambering, ideally with a carbon barrel. Otherwise I might get a Springfield Waypoint or a Savage 110 Ultralight. I think a lot of the people in this comments section don't understand the benefits of the higher twist rates and match-ish chamber tolerances.

  • Bubbalo7 Bubbalo7 on Jul 05, 2022

    Ive been shooting the 6mmARC several years already in my AR15.I loaded up on Hornady ELD-Match ammo before hard times hit. So I've been reloading off my fired brass for both rifles with it..I recently built a nice Bolt gun in 6mmARC .So between t and my 6GT I have plenty of 6mm bullets.

Next