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One of our most popular rifle builds – three years running – has been the 7mm PRC. We are excited to share our extensive test results with you! First and foremost, this is a guide and should be treated as such. Lot to lot differences in components can yield drastically different results.
ALWAYS START LOW AND WORK UP! USE AT YOUR OWN RISK!
Test Rifle
Case: Hornady
Primer: CCI250
Powders:
Bullets:
All bullets were seated 0.030” off the lands. The rifle was cleaned every 100 rounds, with the first 10 rounds fouled with Hornady 180ELD-M and 175ELD-X factory ammo before further testing commenced. Velocity readings were taken with a Labradar chronograph.
After 1100 rounds, factory ammo still produced sub half MOA groups as it did at the beginning of testing with velocity averages within 10fps. Throat erosion measured approximately 0.037”. We were very pleased with the accuracy of this rifle throughout testing. 900 test rounds, without a single round being of the same load, averaged 1.179 MOA per 10 shot groups!
Projected loads are bracketed in green with dark green signifying a potential upper node. Observed pressure signs are highlighted in yellow and red. Shot group pictures correlate with the charge weight charts in that 1 is the lowest powder charge and 10 is the highest powder charge.
Berger 195 EOL Elite Hunter
H1000 and slower powders are the name of the game for this heavy 7mm hunting bullet. If you plan to pair this with your 7mm PRC, give Ramshot LRT a hard look. I wouldn’t pass on N570 or Retumbo either.
Hornady 190 A-Tip Match
If your plan is big BC and long distances, look no further. Hands down my favorite target bullet during testing. Not only did it have the smallest ladder size (0.636MOA with H4831SC) but it also had the smallest average for all ten ladders (0.975MOA). It’s hard to suggest just a few powders as the performance was great throughout, but if I had to narrow it down, I don’t think you’ll be upset with H4831SC or N170!
Berger 190 Hybrid
Berger’s 190 Hybrid does quite well with H4831SC, but really shines with the slower powders like N570, LRT and Retumbo. -0.030” off is a good starting point, but I would experiment with other seating depths to see what’s there.
Berger 184 F-Open Hybrid
Berger’s 184gr bullet is ready to perform! A little tweak to bullet seating depth charged with H4831SC, N560, N165 or Retumbo should be excellent.
Hornady 180 ELD-M
Hornady’s 180 ELD Match is a solid performer. Multiple powder combinations can get you to box ammo velocity. If this is your bullet of choice give Reloader 26, N560 and Retumbo a look!
Berger 180VLD Hunting
On par with the 175 Elite Hunter, the 180VLD Hunting should be a solid choice. Most of the listed powders should work quite well, with IMR 7828SSC standing out on the lower end and Reloader 26, H1000 and Retumbo producing excellent velocities.
Hornady 175 ELD-X
Just like with the 180ELD-M, box speed should be achievable with a number of powders. N560 and Retumbo would be my go-to starting powders for this bullet.
Berger 175 Elite Hunter
This is going to be a hard combo to beat in the mid-to-long-range hunting world, with many powders that should produce great results in the 3000-3050fps range. Retumbo and N560 are what I’d give a first look.
Hornady 166 A Tip
The 166 seemed to struggle more than most in testing. I think playing with seating depth will go a long way to picking up accuracy. It should be a solid performer in the 3050-3150fps range. Stand out powders would be N560, H1000 and H4831SC
In closing, I don’t have a one size fits all recommendation. There are simply too many good combinations outlined above. I would also like to point out that the Retumbo used in testing appears to have been on the fast side. New lots as well as some older lots have shown to take around 2 grains more powder to achieve similar results. This is just another reminder that components can and do vary and to always use caution.
Josh Rittel – Production Manager at TS Customs.