What’s up, channel fans and family, and welcome back to Slav Guns. Believe it or not, there are still people out there who think the 6.5 PRC cartridge is just a fad. Unfortunately for them, that story keeps getting harder to believe. In this video we’re looking at Winchester’s new 6.5 PRC ammunition, announced during what was supposed to be SHOT Show week in January 2021.
Quick note: this is a Virtual SHOT Show / product-announcement first look from Winchester’s 2021 live release, not a range test and evaluation. I had not shot these loads yet when I filmed it. Specs, prices and availability below are what Winchester published (and what model-number searches showed online) at the time, so check what’s current before you buy.
TL;DR
- Winchester Match 6.5 PRC: 140-grain Sierra MatchKing boat-tail hollow point at 3,030 fps.
- Winchester Big Game Expedition 6.5 PRC: 142-grain Nosler AccuBond Long Range at about 3,020 fps (roughly 10 fps behind the Match load).
- Pricing when I looked it up: Match around $36/box; Expedition about $42–$46/box. Nothing official from Winchester on price yet at announce time.
- Why it matters: Another big manufacturer supporting 6.5 PRC with both match and hunting ammo, plus more brass capacity in the ecosystem.
Virtual SHOT week, Winchester’s 2021 drop
We were approaching what was supposed to be SHOT Show week. New product releases were landing online instead. Earlier that day Winchester did a live announcement of their 2021 products, and on the list was new 6.5 PRC ammo.
Winchester announced the 6.5 PRC Match load. In the brochure there was also a listing for the long-range Big Game Expedition hunting load. I assumed that one would be launched or announced in the next few days as well. Let’s start with Match.
Winchester 6.5 PRC Match
The Match ammo uses a 140-grain match boat-tail hollow point at 3,030 feet per second. Winchester didn’t say what barrel length that velocity was measured from. The bullet looks like the same 140-grain projectile used in their 6.5 Creedmoor 140-grain match loads, which would make it the Sierra MatchKing.
Price-wise, nothing had been announced yet. Searching online by the product / bottle number put it at right around $36 per box, which put it in line with Hornady offerings before pandemic pricing.
Winchester 6.5 PRC Big Game Expedition
The second offering, which had not yet been formally announced when I filmed, is the hunting load. It uses a 142-grain Nosler AccuBond Long Range bullet. Both loads seem to be loaded around the same powder charge: the two-grain-heavier hunting bullet comes out at about 3,020 feet per second, or just 10 fps slower than the 140-grain Match load.
The Nosler AccuBond Long Range was designed for the trend toward pushing hunting distances out toward 800 yards or so, similar in role to the Hornady ELD-X. Like the ELD-X, the AccuBond LR has a polymer tip that helps with chambering and protects the bullet at higher velocities.
Searching that model number online showed prices in the $42 to $46 per box range, consistent with the higher cost of Nosler bullets.
Why another factory 6.5 PRC load matters
With Winchester entering the 6.5 PRC market, we had another big manufacturer supporting the caliber, in addition to Hornady (who designed the cartridge), Federal, Nosler and Gunwerks, all of whom were producing ammo.
More importantly for reloaders: another manufacturer capable of producing 6.5 PRC brass, on top of Hornady and ADG. I believed Federal also made some for their own ammo, though I had not found it for sale as component brass. And for 2021, if you missed the memo, Lapua was set to begin producing 6.5 PRC brass as well.
If you want the rifle side of this cartridge, check my Ruger Precision Rifle 6.5 PRC review and the Ruger Hawkeye Long Range Target 6.5 PRC review. For bullet talk from that era, see Sierra at SHOT Show 2020 on 6.5 PRC and 300 PRC.
Bottom line
I couldn’t speak to the accuracy of this Winchester ammo from the announcement alone, but another major brand in the 6.5 PRC lane is a clear plus for the cartridge and the community. I reached out to Winchester to get some 6.5 PRC for the channel and hoped to have it soon. If you’re just learning what 6.5 PRC is about, start with the 6.5 PRC playlist on the channel.
Keep in mind this was filmed in January 2021 as a first look at the announcement. Loads, packaging and street prices may have changed since then.
Gear I use: slav.li/amazon. Channel perks: join the channel.
Keep squatting.
Match Sierra MatchKing or hunting AccuBond LR — which Winchester 6.5 PRC load would you try first? Drop it in the comments.
Some links are affiliates.
Comments