George Gardner of GA Precision fame created the 6.5 PRC (Precision Rifle Cartridge) in 2012 with Precision Rifle Series (PRS) competition in mind. Gardner’s goal was a cartridge that met PRS’s

guidelines for a caliber not larger than .308 and velocity not exceeding 3,200 fps. The 6.5 PRC was specifically designed to feed on moderate charges of modern powders, while delivering excellent accuracy, moderate recoil, and reasonable barrel life. Yet while the cartridge was spawned by competition, it has become what many consider one of the most versatile long-range big-game rounds available today. 

The parent case is the 375 Ruger, shortened to 2.03 inches and given a 30-degree shoulder. Trim-to specs are 2.015 inches, and the maximum overall length is listed as 2.955 inches (but as we’ll see, I was able to exceed that in my test rifle). It is compatible with a .532-inch bolt face. Standard rifling twist for the 6.5 PRC is 1:8, which provides sufficient stabilization for bullets up to Berger’s 156 Extreme Outer Limits Elite Hunter with a G1 ballistic

coefficient of .679. The idea of the 6.5 PRC was to allow seating long-for-caliber bullets without unduly intruding into powder space. Regarding case capacity, the 6.5 PRC sits comfortably between the essentially obsolete 6.5 Remington Magnum and ancient 264 Winchester Magnum (both of which included 1:9 rifling twist, limiting them to classic 140-grain lead-core bullets). 

Since my initial introduction, I’ve become convinced the 6.5 PRC will eventually unseat the 6.5 Creedmoor as the most popular American 6.5mm cartridge, as it provides more reach, higher velocities (200 to 300 fps more), and the ability to confidently tackle larger game such as elk and moose. It does this with a marginal increase in recoil, making the 6.5 PRC a favorite chambering in the newest hunting and long-range rifles. 

The test rifle is a Best of the West ALTOPO package. This long-range package includes a custom-grade rifle, Huskemaw 5-20x 50mm Blue Diamond long-range scope, Tally Manufacturing four-screw rings, Huskemaw Wind Meter, two boxes of premium-grade factory ammunition and a Boyt hardcase. This package was assembled to make long-range shooting easier for those new to the game. 

The rifle is based on a Bighorn Arms Origin action machined from pre-hardened chromoly steel. It includes a pinned recoil lug, Savage small shank thread tenon, floating, interchangeable bolt head, controlled round feeding, spiral fluted bolt, mechanical ejector, and bayonet-style firing pin assembly. The Origin is compatible with AICS-pattern magazines with an overall length up to 2.980 inches. The Origin action holds an integral 20 MOA Picatinny rail. The stainless steel, medium-contour, spiral-fluted barrel measures 24 inches long and includes ½x24 threads to accept a suppressor. The TriggerTech Diamond trigger is exceptional. The work is bedded in a lightweight and highly ergonomic McMillan carbon fiber stock with a raised comb, near-vertical grip with pronounced palm swells, thumb ledge, and soft Pachmayr Decelerator recoil pad. 

The Huskemaw 5-20x 50mm Blue Diamond scope was designed for hunting, including a simple second focal plane (SFP) reticle. It sports a pre-etched blue Rapid Field Ballistic Compensator (RFBC) elevation turret created with TrueBC technology and a HuntSmart Reticle for wind-drift compensation. The dual stack turret is capped against dust and moisture, and includes outer ring/hash marks for 3,000 feet above sea level, and inner for 7,000 feet above sea level. The elevation turret on the test rifle is calibrated for Hornady’s 147-grain ELD Match rounds out to 1,000 yards. Each full rotation of the elevation turret provides 20 MOA of correction,

with 80 MOA of total movement in 1/3-MOA clicks available. Fully multi-coated, high-density Blue Diamond lens treatments ensure excellent light transmission and sharp viewing, and make them scratch-resistant. It is based on a one-piece 30mm tube, the SFP reticle sandwiched between two layers of glass and anchored internally with proprietary cement. The turrets include ultra-reliable titanium internal springs. Four-screw Tally Manufacturing Modern Sporting Rings provided solid mounting. 

As shot, including a Silencer Co. Harvester EVO suppressor, the ALTOPO weighed about 9.5 pounds, and the trigger broke crisply at 1.76 pounds.    
When choosing bullets for long-range big-game hunting, my goal was a minimum G1 BC of .600. The Hammer Bullets 125-grain poly-tipped HHT milled-copper bullet missed that by a smidge, but is still well suited for shots to 500 yards on game such as pronghorn or Coues whitetail. Four other bullets, a sleek milled-copper number and three lead-core bullets built specifically to go long, surpassed the .600 G1 BC mark. These included McGuire Ballistics’ remarkable 125-grain Copper Rose; Nosler’s 142-grain Long Range AccuBond; Hornady’s 143-grain ELD-X; and Berger’s 156-grain EOL Elite Hunter.

Powders ranged from 227/228 on the relative burn rate chart (Hodgdon 4831sc and Vihtavuori 565, respectively) to No. 256/257 (Vihtavuori N568 and Ramshot LRT, respectively). Federal Premium Gold Metal Large Rifle Match Primers (No. GM210M) and Lapua brass were used throughout. The 2.978- to 3.440-seating depths overran the magazine’s parameters slightly, requiring single feeding—not exactly a Greek tragedy in a long-range context. The rifle included the freebore to handle these loads, so I was curious to see how this would affect accuracy.