Hornady 7mm PRC: First Look

Hornady has just announced the new 7mm PRC cartridge, the newest member of its Precision Rifle Cartridge family. The new .28-caliber magnum joins the existing 6.5 PRC and 300 PRC to provide a great intermediate option.

The Grand Island, Nebraska-based bullet maker has a proven track record for bullet and cartridge innovation. Probably the most popular rifle ammunition of the past several years has been Hornady’s 6.5 Creedmoor, with which the company refined its ability to design a cartridge – and rifle chamber – that promotes precision and consistent accuracy. Its ballisticians have also been on the forefront of designing projectiles that maximize aerodynamic efficiency and exhibit extremely low drag in flight. They even figured out, using Doppler radar technology, that traditional bullets were becoming less efficient mid-flight due to heat-related deformation of their polymer tips, which lead to the Heat Shield Tip from Hornady, technology that has since been adopted by other manufacturers.

The result has been bullets such as the ELD Match and ELD-X series which are acclaimed for their high ballistic coefficients and their ability to carry velocity further downrange while exhibiting flatter trajectories and less wind deflection. They have allowed hunters and shooters to confidently extend their comfort zones and engage targets farther afield.

Expertise in chamber, cartridge and bullet design have coalesced in Hornady’s Precision Rifle Cartridge (PRC) offerings. Built from the start to offer superior performance, the cartridges are tailor-made to hold and fire highly efficient bullets that would have been too long or too heavy for legacy loadings.

According to Hornady, “The 7mm PRC represents the first truly modern 7mm magnum. This cartridge brings heavy, low-drag bullets with an appropriately designed cartridge and chamber into the 21st century. By designing the cartridge and chamber concurrently, the 7mm PRC provides accuracy, consistency and long-range performance.” Amen.

Other features of the 7mm PRC include its standard long-action footprint, Ano custom work necessary. It will be available in factory rifles, including the just-announced Savage Impulse Mountain Hunter, or can be used after a barrel swap on an existing 7mm Rem. Mag. or .300 Win. Mag. The 7mm PRC loads will use temperature-stable, magnum speed propellants for consistent velocity and longer barrel life. And, despite being a magnum, recoil is on the mild side – noticeably less than .300 Win. Mag., in my experience.

At launch, three factory loads will be available: Match 180-grain ELD Match; Precision Hunter 175-grain ELD-X; and Outfitter 160-grain CX. Components and reloading equipment will also be supported.

I recently used the Outfitter load to take a British Columbia bull moose and can speak to the new cartridge’s effectiveness as a big game getter. In fact, it may just be my new choice for best North American big game cartridge. For more information about the 7mm PRC, visit Hornady.com, and stay tuned here for an upcoming Field Review with more data and results.