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In this video, I conduct a detailed investigation into some of the complaints I've received from listeners about Hornady's 7mm Precision Rifle Cartridge falling well short of advertised velocities with Hornady Precision Hunter factory ammo.
As you'll learn, I discovered some very interesting things about this new hot rod cartridge. Some of those results I obtained in my testing were very frustrating, but I also found a couple of pleasant surprises about 7mm PRC ammo muzzle velocities too.
To read a more detailed comparison of how the 7mm PRC compares to other popular cartridges, visit these articles:
thebiggamehuntingblog.com/7mm...
thebiggamehuntingblog.com/28-...
thebiggamehuntingblog.com/6-8...
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7mm PRC Velocity
7 PRC Velocity
7mm Precision Rifle Cartridge Velocity
I don't think the situation could of been explained and demonstrated any better than that. Great job!!!
Glad you enjoyed it!
One thing that Hornady failed to mention in their response was that when they did all their testing for an alternate powder they actually knew the velocities were going to be less and failed to tell their customers. How much would it have cost them to add a little piece of paper with all the corrected velocities to every box? They would have appeared better in my estimation had they done it. Granted they would have sold less of their ammo and boosted Federal sales. Now they kind of look like swindlers and will have to reduce the price of their load if they want to sell it.
I’m with you. The problem occurs when companies lie to try to protect a reputation, then get caught, which hurts their reputation more. Same thing happened with Browning and the Duratouch stocks, and I’ll certainly never give them the benefit of the doubt again, at best.
100% this is how they dropped the ball and not knowing what lot numbers go together. Cant always get several boxers of the same lot number.
Beside their claim of having been forced to use different powders: in addition there are also too many other variables to explain the differences in speed! As a veteran gunmaker, I can assure you this round is of sound, close to perfect design closely competing in my personal view to the king of all 7mm’s, the 7RSAUM! Beside bore length, type of rifling/twist-rate, the bores ID & condition, wether different ammo with full copper bullets has been shot through it previously and neglected to remove that copper deposit, ambient temperature, ect…, which all can effect velocity & accuracy! Blaming the actual caliber for not performing as advertised, like most mfg’ers on their boxes is just plain silly and not helpful at all! I guess, for those who bought the newer, slower lot in bulk and are old-school meathunters like me, its simply ‘no biggy’, but for those long range shooters, wether of the ‘wannabee’ game sniping or paper-punching crowd out there: you all got the proper info here right now, so you can adjust it accordingly and continue wounding & searching for your game or simply sue Hornady, who acts like its companies logo is: “Our companies profits trump customers loyalties”!
Exactly. I can understand propellant shortages, but I can't forgive the deception. I am sure that hunts were ruined by zero shifts.
🤣🤣🤣🤣
Thank you for confirming what everybody has been saying and experiencing about using hornady 7mm PRC. The fact is simple. Horady is willfully deceiving their customers and trying to keep people from buying 6.8 Western instead. If they can change the lot number on the sticker... the same sticker that has the velocity printed on it, then they can fire 5 shots per lot through a test barrel, take the average and print that number on the box instead. That will also help shooters to better work out their dope, and Hornady should immediately change their ballistics chart on their website. That's just straight up false advertising and misleading the public. Hornady shouldn't just be ashamed of themselves, but I wish they get sued over this. Utterly disgraceful!!!
Shame on Hornady. Change the sticker per lot no. Better yet, keep the velocities closer.
That would definitely be a better way of doing things for the end user!
It would be nice if companies did that, but it’s not a hornady specific thing. The entire industry would need to change to lot or powder based velocity reporting and while I think it would be awesome, I also think it has some logistical hurdles we probably aren’t thinking about
I bought some of that CRAP Hornady ammo for my 300 RUM before covid. It had 75 fps difference between shot strings. I reload, but Nosler Trophy Grade and Federal were way better than Hornady. HSM loads Bergers, but haven't tried it. Barnes usually are hot loads.
This is what happens to companies who care more about profits than their customers.
I got the same exact response from Hornady word for word. And they are using a very similar response on their comment section of their YT channel. They need to just change the velocity on the box so shooters are just aware. Then get things back up when they get new powder. Honestly is always the best.
Good job! Only, I purchased 200 rounds slow lot ammo. I feel deceived! Hornady should offer to do a buy-back!😮
Three thoughts here. First - Shame on Hornady. Change the box spec. Second - Gotta love the Garmin. I bet Hornady has taken them off their Christmas card list. Third - Go Federal!!!!
100%. Losing faith in Hornady - which aligns with my struggle to get their bullets to dial in as well as I have been able to with others.
Good comment. This behavior is inexcusable. They shouldn’t be selling this ammo if they’re going to lie about velocities on the box.
Hornady knew velocities would change with different powder, every hand loader knows this too, but kept silent about it! We should all buy Our ammunition from other companies which will certainly be reflected in their bottom line!!! It’s a shame people think they can “get away “ with this type of behavior!?!?!
Sorry man for $60 or more a box, they need to take the time to update the data on the box. Not everyone has chronograph
Excellent analysis! I also appreciate Hornaday being honest about having to use a different powder but I would think they would adjust the FPS on the label since they are already printing the lot numbers.
Right on
Currently it's just false advertising.
Velocities are printed on the stickers before the lot numbers. My guess is they had a bunch of labels already made or they decided it was best to advertise their ideal velocities with the original recipe.
They only had to be honest once they got caught. They obviously wanted to try to get away with it. They make good products but they shouldn’t be lying to protect their reputation, this only made it worse.
@user-TJ365 I was wondering if the velocity information was a separate printing from lot numbers. However when looking at several different boxes of Hornaday ammo I have of various caliber they all appear to have the lot number printed at the same time the ballistics data was printed. All using the same font with the exception 22-250 uses smaller lettering than 270 or 300 wm due to a slightly narrower label to fit the smaller boxes.
My 7prc with a 24" barrel was getting 2825fps with Hornady eldx.... Pretty disappointing. Hornady is promising a lot and delivering a little.
See if you get better results with the Federal ammo...
Pathetic. It is like .280/.280 AI
@@jazon9it essentially is a short mag in a long action, so it will never be a speedster
Great video! Getting 3005 FPS out of my CVA Cascade XT 7 PRC with 24 inch barrell with the Federal Premium ELD-X and 3050 with the Terminal Ascent
Good stuff! Glad to hear you're seeing similar trends with Federal ammo!
I’m getting 2950 on average with the CX ammo.
Yeap. I have a browning xbolt 24” barrel. I got 2955 avg velocity with the federal premium. I got the average based on 20 shots. More than happy with it. Hornady came in almost 120fps slower and didnt group as good for both their elds.
@@TheTroutman85how are the groups? I got about the same with the cx but absolutely the worst grouping ammo ive ever shot
At least Hornady is finally fessing up. I trolled them on a couple video’s and they just completely blamed it on my gun
This video helped me understand why I am seeing 2788 fps out of my 22" Bergara with the factory 175 ELDX. It seems like powder unavailability is still adversely impacting the ammo industry. Now, I'm not as mad at Hornady. However, I wish they would update the advertised velocities on the box. It looks like Hornady was originally using Reloder 26 and switched to Ramshot Magnum or StaBall HD.
What a great in depth video. The time and money to do this had to be massive. Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it!
My handloaded ammo for my 7mm Remington magnum is up to the published velocities and an extreme spread of 7 fps for 3 rounds, and is extremely accurate.
Love to see what you could do with a cartridges with some of the modern advantages.
I tell people all the time "the 7mm Rem. Mag. is a better cartridge" but nobody listens !
Another reason why I’m glad I switched to hand loading.
Hornady needs to step up and issue a recall. They really burned a lot of us loyal customers with this one.
Great information, thank you!!!
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you for your testing. Excellent presentation as usual
Glad you enjoyed it!
Great video as always! You are one of the great ones.
Thanks!
Thank you. This was informative
Glad it was helpful!
Excellent analysis.
Thanks!
Great reporting, thanks
Much appreciated!
Well done on your follow up and investigation work. Very thorough. That definitely answered some questions. Nicely done.
Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for your feedback!
This is a great breakdown of what's going on! Thank you for making the video
Happy to do it. Glad you enjoyed this video!
@@Thebiggamehuntingblog would it be worth doing a test to see how accurate box numbers for other cartridges are sometime?
thank you boss . God bless you !!
Thank you too!
Gee, if a guy bought a box of ammo, doped his rifle, then picked up a new box to hunt, it could result in something terrible happening at longer ranges.
Great video……nice to see a video that’s not one sided
Glad you enjoyed it!
I shoot a 24” barrel on my PRC. I found that everything this guy said I found to be true. I have not shot the newer Hornady Precision because I reload. I had the 50 FPS speed up at roughly 175 rounds through it.
What a great video this was. Thanks for doing the homework for some of us that don't have the equipment that you do 👍
Thanks! Happy to help!
Well done!
Thanks!
Great video, well done 😊
Thanks!
Good job testing the various ammo. You seem to have taken a lot of variables into account. Keep up the good work.
Thanks!
Great video!
Glad you enjoyed it
Really appreciate your thorough testing & methodical " Post Mortem "of the various lots of ammunition, particularly when considering new to "run in " barrel velocities. Well conducted John.
Thanks!
? Finally explained in detail thanks. Thanks
Glad you enjoyed it!
Very nice video. I enjoyed that. I have seen the same with 65 PRC and 300 PRC. It’s the reason I started to reload myself. Now I’m back at the advertised ofvelocities.
My 300prc was about right I think it was like 2860 from a 26" vs their advertised 2810 from a 24" but I did buy another stack I'll have to recheck velocity and lot numbers
I’m bang on with your velocities out of the the last 3 boxes with a 22” tube
Great video. You remind me of Paul Harrell, very thorough!
That's high praise, thanks!
I remember awhile back, people were saying the Hornady dangerous game ammo was slower than listed on the box
That wouldn't surprise me. For what it's worth though, I was getting velocities very close to advertised from Hornady Dangerous Game ammo in my 458 Win Mag last time I shot it extensively in 2023.
Thanks Kevin appreciate your efforts for getting to the Truth!
My pleasure!
Did you weigh the powders in each lot? It would help to know by referring the factory charge weight to Hornady's published load data for the various powders. The two ball powder lots are most likely Winchester Staball HD. I dumped a load from one lot which averaged 2875fps out of my 22" Proof barrel, and the stick powder charge weighed 67.5gr.
Found you thru the Horizon podcast. Look forward to following you here. I prefer the KZhead format. Listened to episode 312 thru the website blog first.
Welcome aboard! And thanks for the feedback!
Surprised when I heard you were in Lufkin. I’m from Huntington so we probably know some of the same people. Small world.
Good video. Honestly hornady should change the specs on the box to the true fps. Anyone shooting long range will reload regardless. Consistency is key to accuracy. I also weigh my bullets because I find different weights with every type I’ve used. And that plays a big part of consistency at long range. Haters gonna hate. Shooters gonna shoot. Thanks for getting the info out.
Well done. Appreciate the digging, diligence and discovery. I am staying with my 7mm Rem Mags. But if I were starting out fresh I would likely give the 7 PRC serious consideration. Thank you.
I don't blame you for wanting to stay with the 7mm Rem Mag. I probably wouldn't have made the switch either if I had a 7 Mag I really liked when the 7mm PRC came out.
Very interesting video. Separately, you need a can, my friend. I felt the concussion from your muzzle brake through my phone 😂.
Great video. My 6.5 PRC w 143 Hornady ELD-X is hitting box velo and every cartridge I have tried Federal Terminal Ascent in leads all other factory rounds in getting very close to box advertised.
Similar deal with my 6.5 PRC. I think I'm getting 20fps slower than advertised, but still pretty darn close. Hornady is usually pretty good about delivering on promised velocities, which is what makes this episode so strange and frustrating.
@@Thebiggamehuntingblog lots of talk on social media about the less than expected velos but loved your deep dive into possible reasons. One of Hornady’s podcasts discussed how their powder manufacturer can tailor a specific powder to their cartridge and bullet. If they are unable to meet demand with that particular powder perhaps other options have to be explored.
I'm getting 2760 out of my 6.5 with Hornady and 28s with norma bondstrike
@@jameswilson5562how new is your barrel. Now I do not have any left. But 6 months ago my ELDX factory load and my Bondstrike both shot slow with my 20 inch barrel (2775 range) at about 100-120 rounds it jumped to 2854 with ELDX and 2836 with Norma bondstrike. As I stated these velocities are out of 20 inch barrel. Now my reloads (and not over book max charge) give me 2944 with RL 26, 2925 with N565, and 2880 with H1000. All loads shoot very good.
This actually helps me out a lot. I’ve been kinda down in the dumps about my rifle and was regretting my 7 PRC decision. Nice to see Federal is achieving the velocities and Hornady might be fixing their problem (hopefully soon)
Another commenter mentioned it, but Hornady is kinda handicapped with Hornady brass because it’s consistently not as strong as other brass. Federal brass is pretty good, so that could be one reason why they can hit those velocities.
Absolutely nothing to regret. It really is a great cartridge. In the context of cartridges...you're an early adopter and like with anything else, there are bound to be issues at first. Powder availability will improve and more more manufacturers will start producing ammo.
When the 300 PRC came out they were using RL 26. Looking at the faster powder it looks a lot like RL powder. Hornady s data for the 7 PRC shows 66 gr pushing 2950 fps . I found that RL 26 and IMR 7977 burn almost identical.
I’m surprised they haven’t changed any of their marketing or box labels since they’re selling a completely different product now.
Pretty concerning that they’re intentionally misleading consumers
Also I noticed that they use different type of primer. I have silver color primer in older box and gold color primer in newer box!
100%. I didn't mention it in this video, but 2 of the Hornady lots had silver primers and the other 2 had gold primers. Not sure what primer those were, but they darn sure were different!
I noticed a huge difference in accuracy with my .308 precision hunter. Really old lots shot really tight groups and new lots shot terrible groups. I suspected they used a different powder due to shortages, and this video pretty much confirms my suspicion. I didn't chrono them, but i think the recepie was different enough and doesn't shoot well out of my gun anymore 😞
When Hornady first released the 7 PRC they using RL26 powder which is not available now. They changed powder and did not upgrade their labeling.
Great video with a lot of explanation. I am just waiting for the documentation for a 7prc barrel for my Blaser R8. It is 27” long and I will shoot 195gr Berger EOLs… Hopefully I can get 2900fps easily 😅
Not all lots of powder perform the same either. I've been through about 5 pounds of Reloader7 and each lot has varied by 50-150 fps. Always recheck loads when jumping into a new can. Some loaders even re-do their ladder tests and re-check pressures also. I have seen a .270 that blew apart using the same exact load and carefully loaded by a good, experienced loader, but he just ran with his normal load. One way to be safer is to always drop about 100 fps and you can maintain a safe margin and if you don't need every ounce of horsepower, it really isn't missed. ;) This is more significant in high pressure bottle neck cartridges rather than straight walled 45-70 loads in my finding. There are rumors that it's the missing H4831SC that they used originally or something. ;)
I heard on another channel the original powder was RL26 and they are having a challenge procuring it.
I've heard similar things...
Up here in Northern Alberta, Alliant Powders have been unavailable for a very long time since well before covid. We have given up on Alliant. Right now in 2024, availability of Hodgdon powders is quite good, Vihtavuori powder availability is recovering, Alliant is still unobtanium.
@trevorkolmatycki4042 yeah I have a load for RL 26 in my 6.5 PRC. Problem is I have about 1/4 pound left. I have a H1000 load and it is accurate but 60-70 fps slower. I just recently bought Vihtavuori N565. That powder will get within 20 or so fps of RL 26. Now N565 I have 2 3/4 pounds of it. So I probably will never go back to RL 26. It is almost impossible to get and N565 is very close to it.
I heard the same thing
Hornady has a handycap of using hornady brass. That stuff is way to soft. I suspect that fedral using fedral brass is able to get more out of substitute powder and not have the primers fall out when the bolt opens. As to the powder, ammo manufacturers dont use the same powder we buy off the shelf. They have to test each new delivery of powder and adjust the loads all the time. Hornadys explanation seems to use current events to cover for other issues.
I have 2 boxes of PH 175 and 180 match with 2860 in the 175 and 2800 with the 180. My hand loads are 2930 with a weatherby 307 range xp 22" barrel.
Looks like you're getting pretty good velocities with those hand loads! You running ELD-X bullets with them?
I can confirm similiar results, same rifle but with brake and ~150rnds fired, when i finally got a chrono the eldm’s measured 2910-2930, just two days ago I shot with a Nomad L and measured 2784-2829, eldx measured 2816-2847, and cx measured 2961-3001. The eldm and eldx ive had for about 9 months bought them all at once. Cx purchased 3 days ago. Im gona stock up on the cx’s and test every box.
How do those CX bullets shoot for you? I had good results on game with them last year and accuracy was good, but not as good as the ELD-X
On completely clean barrel my first group was 1.83moa diagnal spread at100yds, then shots 4-6 where .78moa at 212yds poi=poa, then shot 3 eldx(had 1.82moa shift of poi to 4oclock) and 3eldm(shot way low), came back to cx and shot a .61moa group .1 mil low, and then shot another group first shot went 1moa low left, the next 2 shot .1mil low and .2mil left .16moa apart. I felt like i rushed the trigger on the first shot, so i do believe that was all me.
Awesome. Did you happen to get the grains of the powders between the different lots? This should also encourage everyone to start handloading. @backfire
Great test, wish you had weighed the powder charges
The Federal 175 ELD-X avg. 3020 fps out my 26 inch 7 PRC. It's accurate out to 850 yards so far. I'm going test it at a mile hopefully sometime this month
Awesome, glad to hear you're getting good results with the federal ammo!
Took a 7mm ruger m77 rebarreld to a 7prc with krikern target master in 27 inch first shot to 300th was 50 fps faster than box specks and a tack driver.
Did you happen to weigh the powder charge of each one? I am curious to see what they weigh. I am getting 2930 fps with a 180 ELDM out of my 22" barrel. Im loading it with 68.9 grains of H1000.
They are having trouble sourcing Reloder 26...or a similar powder is my guess.
I have a fierce ct rage 7 prc with 20” barrel and I’m at 2760, seems “low” but it sure shoots not way out there with the wind not even affecting it much
I really enjoyed that video! I am shooting current production 175ELDX through a Bergara Premier MGLITE with a 22” carbon bbl. Average velocity is 2833 and the accuracy is .6-.7 MOA.
Glad to hear you're also getting excellent accuracy out of the Precision Hunter ammo!
Great job John. The podcast is great and so are the videos. I encourage you to do more videos, time permitting. Hornady is a great company and has delivered great products to hunters and shooters. I am hopeful they will they rectify this situation when they can.
Thanks, will do!
I saw the same in all of my 7PRCs. But my Brux barrel is 25” and I ahot 6 different lot numbers of Hornady ELDX ammo and NONE reached over 2850 fps. I did get up to 2965 with the federal ELDX. My Benchmark barrel is 24” and I got about 20fps slower velocity on avg. my proof barrel was the same My dad said he saw on the news that a major ammo manufacturer has sold to an overseas company. We stopped at a gun store yesterday and they said Federal has sold to a Czech company. I do handload and I’m still working on the 180 Berger VLD and did get over 3000 fps
Vista Outdoor, parent company of 41 renowned brands that design, manufacture and market sporting and outdoor products to consumers around the globe, announced a definitive agreement to sell its Sporting Products business to Czechoslovak Group (CSG) on Oct. 1. The value of the all-cash transaction is $1.91 billion and includes ownership transfer of some of the industry’s biggest names in ammunition, including Federal, CCI, Remington Ammo, Speer and Hevi-Shot.
I’m pretty sure the velocity/drop information on the hornady boxes are stickers… they should 100% update those numbers if that’s what is expected.
My friend and I had the same problem with Hornady 6.5 PRC precision hunter ammo. Old lot matched up with advertised velocity new lot was over 100 fps slower! The best answer is reload!!!
I first want to say thanks for the effort and expense you gave putting this together. Some have speculated that the powder in question is RL 26 that Hornady originally used for the 7PRC. That is perhaps the hardest powder to find IME. I loaded 100 rds of 7SAUM with 160 gr. Nosler bullets using RL 26 for a friend last year. When I first shot that ammo it was warmer outside and the loads were reaching 3000 fps and were very accurate with a low sd/es. I shot that same ammo from the same gun when it was a bit cooler and it was a full 100 fps slower. Still very accurate with a low sd/es but 100 fps slower. It's normal for loads to shoot slower in cooler weather but this was maybe 30-40 degrees cooler than the first shooting session. I decided it wasn't worth it to use RL 26 and get that big of a temp swing. If I had shot that ammo any where near freezing temps it would have been in the 2800 fps range.
Jeez, that is a big swing indeed! Thanks for the feedback!
Yep. And this is why most people who shoot long range opt out of reloader 26. It’ll give you great speeds. (Over 3100 from a 7mm RM and 175 elite hunters) easily. But when the temp drops so does your speeds. Also seems to have a higher es when temps drop. H1000 is way more consistent. To me this is a drawback to the PRC as I’ve seen it so far. I want to be able to hit 3k with consistent temp stable powders. Not just the double base fast stuff that don’t work as well across the spectrum.
From my experiments hornadys 4DOF calculator is very good at estimating the change in MV at different temperatures, it has lots of different powders loaded but you can also customise it if you have some data
Yeah when i started seeing this ussue it definitely seemed something was wrong with the ammo as every rifle from any brand was not getting box velocities even with real long barrels 28"+ Good knews is its a powder issue and thay can be fixed and other ammo makers are now making 7PRC and meet box spec, I do think Hornady should put a thing in the box or a public statement that the velocities are not accurate do to materials shortages right now
Nickle brass is known to get more speed out of same loads… also looks like short cut powder whether H4831sc or IMR-7828ssc… Also load development begins after 200rnds lol
Watch Ron Sooners interview with Hornady. They explain it.
Great video, im having the same issues with same ammo in 300 prc. Velocity is not even close to whats advertised. I have also emailed them and got pretty much the same b.s answers. Im seeing more and more of these videos now. Something needs to happen about this false advertising, such b.s
Geezer here. Marketing has always altered reality....no matter what we choose to buy. Hornady has marketeers( they call themselves) Nothing really new out there, except in bullet and propellant development.
You're right, a 30-06 rifle produced in 1910 will shoot just as good, if not better than a 30-06 rifle produced in 2024. And of course everyone knows that the .308 brings nothing to the table that the 30-06 doesn't already do better. That .308 doesn't do anything new, it's just marketing, flash in the pan that will die off soon enough. And don't even get me started on Ackley Improved cartridges. I mean why bother? They don't do anything better than the originals. Just a guy trying to line his pockets. 🤦
Seems like if they keep changing the powder you would have to be sighting in your rifle every time you get a box of ammunition I am actually getting velocity from my 280ai with my hand loads of 2932 fps with 154 grain sst in my rifle I built it isn’t broken in yet
They should put what powder they use on the box. I have just received my Tika action back with a heavy 30" barrel with a 1:7 twist. will be testing Berger 190 gr down to 160 gr. Starting with H1000 and H4831. Wish I could afford a garman chrono as I have to use the beaten-up chrono from the range. Great analysis mate!
Thanks!
H1000 and RETUMBO rock in 7mm PRC. H4831 is good but a tad bit fast for HEAVY bullets. I also have a Tikka T3X actioned Custom Build. Good look and be safe
@@Tofazfou thanks for the info, will source retumbo.
I have a 26" barrel and my velocities were way short of claimed (100 fps if I recall correctly).
Jeez, that's frustrating! What factory loads were you using? Or were you using hand loads?
The higher velocity looks like alliant RL 25 or 26?
They also supposedly went to Winchester StaBall hd. Which gives me about 100-150fps less in all my rifles
I've heard similar rumors about powder...
Answering your question at the end. With the factory 180 gr ELDm, i got 2880-2885 FPS consistently for the entire box. With the Factory 175 gr Hunters, i got roughly 2946 FPS. ALL THIS FROM A 26" barrel. Im a reloader but, I just wanted to try the factory stuff. NEVER AGAIN! Too expensive!
Jeez, that's frustrating!
Much ado about nothing no big game animal will know the difference. I really like your page and info keep up the great work.
I think you're correct on that point most of the time. This is a frustrating problem, but not the end of the world. That extra velocity can certainly help at times, but it's also something most people won't miss.
@ronaldroehrick4872 That may be true if the Hunter generates drop tables with the correct velocity. If they plug in the mfg listed velocity and take a long shot an an animal they could easily end up with a gut shot or miss.
Is anyone noticing the same problem with other manufacturers and calibers? I’m getting irregular velocities from Nosler 120g 6.5CM E-Tips.
The 7PRC Hornady PH ELD-X ammo that I used last year was all over the place. I have custom built rifle with a 20” barrel, and even within the same box, I was getting a spread from 2650-2800. Very poor performance. The bullets were also not staying intact. The bullet in the mule deer that I shot had broken up into small pieces. Not impressed.
John, I own both the 7mm prc and the 6.8 western. The 6.8 western is my favorite for the type hunting I do--whitetail deer. I notice on the forums and even on your BGHB, that the 7mm prc is favored over the 6.8 western by the overwhelming majority of hunters. This is usually based on the performance of the 2 cartridges, with the 7mm prc claiming a slight edge in muzzle velocity. Are Browning and Winchester having this same issue with the dearth of high-performing powder? I ask this question because, based on my understanding of the ballistic performance of the 2 cartridges, the 6.8 western's performance should now match that of the 7mm prc. That is, if the 6.8 western ammunition has not changed due to availability issues. Great video as always. The information is presented in clear and concise manner. Thanks
Thanks for your comment. To answer your question, I've given a slight edge to the 7 PRC over the 6.8 Western due to a couple of factors: slight increase in bore size and bullet weight along with a little bit better external ballistics due to the advantages of the 7mm PRC with muzzle velocity and a higher BC bullet. Slower 7mm PRC ammo does indeed narrow the gap between the two rounds in terms of external ballistics or even flip it in favor of the 6.8 Western (depending on how slow the 7 PRC ammo is). And to your point, the 6.8 Western seems to deliver on advertised velocities with more readily available powders right now and doesn't seem to have the same handicap as the 7mm PRC at this instant. The 6.8 Western also has small but undeniable advantages in recoil and the fact that it's a true short action cartridge. The biggest problem with the 6.8 Western at this instant is ammo availability and variety. Same with rifles. But both seem to be improving.The difference between them was never all that big to begin with and both were always fantastic rounds. Even in light of the problems with the 7mm PRC, I still prefer that round over the 6.8 Western, but I wouldn't blame anyone for choosing the 6.8.
Subscribed
Thanks!
When you shot the reduced velocity lot of hornady, could you notice any perceptible difference in felt recoil?
Maybe a little, but I don't think it was enough that I could have picked out the slower round using a blind test.
Pretty poor decision making from Hornady management. Be honest with customers and change the velocity printed on the box. Or, pull the Precision Hunter 175gr loading until RL26 is available again and load the 175gr in an alternative ammo line in the interim. They’re doing a Remington here and it’s going to hurt the 7mm PRC…
One of the primary reasons I reload is very well illustrated in this vid, and all users of any factory ammo need to understand ---it can happen with any mfgr, any cartridge. Had a number of boxes of ammo that would not shoot anywhere near what was advertised.
100%!
Good video. There’s a couple guys on here who just hate Hornady and make it their life to find every fault in them. Trying to debunk rhe 7prc. It’s not a cartridge problem, or design flaw…it’s the ammo. Just because lots of ammo aren’t performing as advertised doesn’t make the cartridge a failure.
Thanks. I agree with your assessment of some of the other commenters here. I think this is a temporary issue that Hornady will eventually sort out.
Even at 2860 that 140 extra fps don't make or break it as a good round for me. If i were hand loading thats probably right around what i would aim for anyway. They should have been open and honest about it, not defending their choice. Just saying for me personally this would not be a factor that deters me from buying a 7prc. If it is a deal breaker for you then just buy federal... or handload and probably safely get over 3000fps. I believe berger list a max charge at 3100fps with their 180s Forgot to add: awesome video very well put together and to the point! I am curious did you see an accuracy difference between the federal and hornady? Seeing as thats something hornady mentioned and also why i said thats probably a velocity i would aim for as i have found that 2850ish seems to be a good node for a few magnum calibers.
Federal seems to have RL26 whereas hornady doesnt for the factory ammo
Certainly seems like that....
Federal and Alliant Powder have both been under the Vista Outdoors umbrella for some years....
should remark boxes to accurate feet per second misleading to say the least if Hornady knows the powder they are using wont get the feet per second they advertise SMH
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My velocity with the hornady average was 2756 with a 22 inch barrel
Yes lot numbers are wat mdt explains
My 7PRC CVA with 24” barrel averaged 2783fps vs 2975fps box velocity with Hornady factory ELD-M ammo. A 192 fps difference is terrible! Hornady needs to print new box labels. They seem to be having some truth challenges.
Jeez that's frustrating!
Heard that they were originally running H1000 and they are unable to get it now. Using a leaser powder now
Interesting. I've heard that too, but I've also heard they were using RL-26. Maybe they were using both at one time or another?
I fell like this is only a problem for the people that have a 7mm PRC and have a leupold with custom dial turrets they have set up now as they are likely going to be wrong when Hornady get the powder sorted.
They should change the velocities on the box. If not that would be deceptive to me..