New, In 7mm PRC: Mossberg, Savage And More To Come

A few months back, we told you that Hornady's new 7mm PRC cartridge had gained approval from the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute (aka SAAMI). A few months later, we now see quite a few rifles chambered in this round are available already.

You have the usual suspects like Christensen, Best of the West, Mesa Precision and other custom or high-end builders making firearms in 7mm PRC, but what if your budget is more, uh, limited?

Good news. Mossberg now offers the Patriot Predator in 7mm PRC. We haven't seen Canadian pricing confirmed yet, but it should be the same as the 6.5mm PRC version that's currently available. In that case, it should be around the $600 mark, coming with adjustable trigger, synthetic stock and Picatinny rail out of the box. That's about as much rifle as you can get for six bills these days. More details at Mossberg's website.

Savage, the other big player in the budget-priced rifles market, offers several rifles chambered in 7mm PRC now, including the 110 Apex Hunter XP, 110 Apex Storm XP, 110 High Country,110 Timberline and 110 Ultralite. The straight pull Impulse Big Game and Impulse Mountain Hunter, fairly new models for Savage, also come in 7mm PRC (as seen in title image). Those rifles are considerably more expensive than the 110 line, but even the higher-end 110 models are more than $1,000 in Canada now. Even the lower-priced 110 Apex Hunter XP, which often comes bundled with a scope, will cost you just shy of a grand after taxes, unless you find it on a good sale. More info at Savage Arms' website.

Finally, Remington and Ruger are also expected to bring in new rifles in 7mm PRC in coming months. Note that it might be a little while before the Mossberg and Savage rifles in 7mm PRC are available here in Canada as well.

Why would you even want a rifle chambered in 7mm PRC instead of .300 Winchester Magnum or .270 Winchester or even 6.5mm PRC or one of the other many other well-established sporting cartridges on the market? Hornady advertises its new recipe as "a 21st Century 7mm magnum," with magnum power in a cartridge that fits into long-action dimensions. Or as we told you previously:

 SAAMI specs call for a 180-grain bullet zipping along at 2,950 feet per second from a 24-inch barrel, with maximum average pressure of 65,000 psi. Basically, it's a .284-bore that Hornady designed for longish-for-caliber bullets, using a non-belted case and with theoretically a bit more accuracy and a bit less powder and recoil than the long-established 7mm Remington Magnum.

While no doubt some long-range precision rifle shooters will want to get their mitts on this cartridge for competitive use, it seems its most likely application is extended-range hunting. Television, Netflix and YouTube continue to promote hunting in mountain and prairie environments, where long shots are the norm. With 18.9 inches of drop at 400 yards, the 7mm PRC should be easy to dial in for elk, goat or other game at a distance, with plenty of hitting power behind that long bullet when it gets there.

There's a price to pay, as always. Recoil will obviously depend on rifle weight, and felt recoil will depend on factors such as a muzzle brake, buttpad, and other variables. Still, all things being equal, the 7mm PRC will kick harder than the .30-06, and almost as hard as a .300 Winchester Magnum.

Many hunters won't worry about that, though, at least not while they're standing at the gun counter, as magnum-itis (now precision rifle-itis?) is as strong a disease as always.

More information at Hornady's website here.