Help me build a 300 prc.

[DapperDan]

So, for quite some time I’ve been wanting to add a bigger caliber to the arsenal and figured I’d go with a long action. I have a semi custom .308 that’s a fun gun but just too heavy to be practical on hunting. I bought my wife a GAP 7mm WSM that she loves and shoots one hole at 100 with 168 Berger’s hand loaded. (I have a friend that hand loads for it). But I’m looking to up my rifle game from a tikka t3lite .270 to something more.

My wife and I are headed to Alaska in September on a drop caribou hunt so I’d love to have something put together and rolling by then but here is the issue. I am not a gun guru by any means as far as understand which action may serve better or what barrel twist may provide best stability or what stock etc. I can tell you that I’ll probably never shoot more than a 212 to 220 grain bullet. I don’t see the need for anything more than that for any animal walking the planet that I’d hunt. I would like to have the same accuracy as my other two guns mentioned which will shoot through the same hole at 100 and stay sub 2” at 1000. I am impressed with the bartlein barrels for sure and want to keep this one fluted to cut down on weight if that works for this caliber. My buddy that loads shoots prs and suggested looking at impact precision actions. Apparently that have barrels as well that make it easy to where it’s plug and play more or less. Haven’t had a chance to call and talk to them yet. The GAP rifle had a defiance action I believe or surgeon. Can’t remember.

Anyways, was hoping there would be someone that could offer some advise and make some suggestions. Maybe someone on here has built one or had one built that can help. Was going to buy a **** nice over and under formulae this year but I don’t upland hunt and just wanted one because I think they are beautiful guns. This will be a working gun and meat stick. I just want to have an end product that shoots like the other two and can be a great backcountry gun as well. (I get it won’t be super lightweight)

Key is to get set up to hand load for all three of these guns. We don’t shoot many rounds a year Bc it’s not easy to get the casings reloaded. (Friend stays super busy with his own stuff and I don’t like asking)

I get this won’t be a cheap build. One of the actions I was looking at was around 1300 or so. But I also don’t want to go drop 10k on some custom build by some company when I know the same can be achieved for less by someone that knows what they are doing.


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[CFBASEBALL09]

Will be following this. Was wanting to potentially build one too later this year.

[trophy8]

I’ve had a bunch of LR hunting rifles built so I’ll give my advice.

First thing that stuck out is your buddies recommendation on impacts prefit barrels. Forget that. They are all heavy. Wade Stutteville makes them and they are 100% geared towards PRS.

Why a 300 PRC? Go 300 win mag. Easier to find ammo for and plenty of gun.

Action choice. MANY different good actions. I own 5-6 different ones currently. Impact is nice but not my suggestion for a hunting build. Defiance or Kelbly is my suggestion. Kelbly is a really nice hunting action. Atlas Tactical. Impact is just heavy and bulky.
You need to decide if you’re doing mag fed or standard BDL bottom metal as some of these actions are ONLY set up to run mags. My suggestion is to run an M5 Hawkins or Hawkins hunter.

Barrel. Lots of good choices. Bartlien. Krieger. Lilja. Rock Creek. Brux. Proof. All good barrels. Fluting is a waste of money. It doesn’t make a big difference on the sporter type barrels and with a magnum rifle it’s not worth losing the rigidity. Go proof carbon fiber and be done. Don’t go short. Magnums like the 300 win or PRC need that length to burn the powder. Don’t neuter it. 24-26”.

Twist rate. 1/10 is most common on the 30 cals. A 1/9 wouldn’t hurt to run up to 220s. Remember, bullet weight doesn’t have as much to do with it as the bullet design. Read up on that. But 1/9 will be your best bet for heavies. However a 300 win slinging 180s is all you’ll need.

Stock. Tons of options. This is where you’ll save weight aside from barrel and optic. Try as many as you can. Decide whether you like a more vertical grip or traditional hunting grip or somewhere in between. I find myself moving towards the vertical grips more and more. I’ve got a Mesa Altitude adjustable headed my way now. AG composites makes them and they are on sale right now. AG and Mesa make some of the most reasonably priced light weight stocks on the market these days and have the best lead times available.

Trigger. A crap trigger will ruin a nice rifle. I prefer trigger tech diamond. Everyone has their opinions here. I like mine set at 1 pound and I don’t let many others shoot my rifles due to this.

Paint/coating. Run a proof barrel. Have the ends bead blasted and it’ll save you money on paint.

DONT CHASE OUNCES. Folks spend a fortune chasing every once they can squeeze out of these builds. The juice isn’t worth the squeeze. 8-9lb rifle with optic is perfect. Light enough to pack and heavy enough to hold steady when you’re breathing hard and excited. Most of the time

Skip the titanium actions. They are not as smooth as stainless ones. Mostly due to the action body abd bolt being 2 different metals. My opinion here. But I’ve tried several and liked none of them.

A top end build can be done like this for $3500ish.

I highly recommend Crimson Accuracy in Cresson. He’s built me multiple rifles and plenty more for buddy’s.

Optic. This is where it gets very opinionated. SFP/FFP. Illuminated or not. Do you need target turrets and a good reticle or just a duplex type. Etc. This is also the costliest portion of the build as far as a single part.

Rings. Don’t go cheap. Don’t get too concerned with weight. Hawkins. Nightforce. Seekins. ARC. The gun needs to take a beating. Build it to take one. An ounce or two won’t kill you. And you’ll wish you spent the extra money if you find a failure point in the back country.

Hope this helps. Feel free to PM me if you need anymore help

[bbqfan5909]

I’d jump on ARPs build right now, heck of a deal and call Robert, he will guide you through what ya need. Scratch the 300prc, brass is about impossible to find right now. Follow what trophy just posted, he’s spot on.

[kkp005]

Just do everything Trophy8 said … lol.. and start NOW. September isn’t that far away and everything is taking longer to get / find

[Saltyag15]

I’d jump on ARPs build right now, heck of a deal and call Robert, he will guide you through what ya need. Scratch the 300prc, brass is about impossible to find right now. Follow what trophy just posted, he’s spot on.

I second this. Check out the 2022 TBH thread if you haven't done so already, and also look at APR's website. I have a 6.5 PRC from them and couldn't be happier.

I also had a 6 Creedmoor barreled action built by Southern Precision Rifles. I wanted a bartlein barrel, and they had some in stock. I also really like the Terminus Apollo action on this rifle.

Echoing what Trophy8 said, most ammo is not getting any easier to find. It's a little pricey, but Unknown Munitions has several 300 Win Mag options available right now. If it were me I'd buy 100-150 rounds of your choosing, and build a 300WM.

[JakeGraves]

Aaron Roberts is right next to you in Katy. Tell him I sent you and I promise you will have the best rifle possible.
There are so many options that it can be overwhelming.
I like everything Trophy8 said except I despise 300WM's with the dumb belt. I would run 300 PRC and get Hornady factory until you are set up to reload. Then buy Lapua brass and 220 grain Bergers.

[DapperDan]

Aaron Roberts is right next to you in Katy. Tell him I sent you and I promise you will have the best rifle possible.
There are so many options that it can be overwhelming.
I like everything Trophy8 said except I despise 300WM's with the dumb belt. I would run 300 PRC and get Hornady factory until you are set up to reload. Then buy Lapua brass and 220 grain Bergers.

I’ve found some 300 prc online in stock. Is expensive, but I’ll buy 200-300 rounds at once and that would last me a long while. I typically only shoot a hand full of rounds a year. Check zero and then it depends on how many animals I wanna shoot. My wife runs the 168 Berger’s in her 7 WSM and it’s bad bad medicine on game. That’s what she will be using in Alaska and I was going to lean that way if I can get the loading stuff set up. If not, the hornady factory stuff seems to run 1/2” or better in these if they are set up right.


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[DapperDan]

Just do everything Trophy8 said … lol.. and start NOW. September isn’t that far away and everything is taking longer to get / find

Yeah, I read on some lead times for stuff on snipers hide and I may not be able to some things by then. Manners stocks seem to be back ordered.


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[trophy8]

Yeah, I read on some lead times for stuff on snipers hide and I may not be able to some things by then. Manners stocks seem to be back ordered.


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Front Range precision has build kits in stock ready to roll usually. Check them out. Phone call works best with him.

You can find everything in stock if you know where to look.

[DapperDan]

I’ve had a bunch of LR hunting rifles built so I’ll give my advice.

First thing that stuck out is your buddies recommendation on impacts prefit barrels. Forget that. They are all heavy. Wade Stutteville makes them and they are 100% geared towards PRS.

Why a 300 PRC? Go 300 win mag. Easier to find ammo for and plenty of gun.

Action choice. MANY different good actions. I own 5-6 different ones currently. Impact is nice but not my suggestion for a hunting build. Defiance or Kelbly is my suggestion. Kelbly is a really nice hunting action. Atlas Tactical. Impact is just heavy and bulky.
You need to decide if you’re doing mag fed or standard BDL bottom metal as some of these actions are ONLY set up to run mags. My suggestion is to run an M5 Hawkins or Hawkins hunter.

Barrel. Lots of good choices. Bartlien. Krieger. Lilja. Rock Creek. Brux. Proof. All good barrels. Fluting is a waste of money. It doesn’t make a big difference on the sporter type barrels and with a magnum rifle it’s not worth losing the rigidity. Go proof carbon fiber and be done. Don’t go short. Magnums like the 300 win or PRC need that length to burn the powder. Don’t neuter it. 24-26”.

Twist rate. 1/10 is most common on the 30 cals. A 1/9 wouldn’t hurt to run up to 220s. Remember, bullet weight doesn’t have as much to do with it as the bullet design. Read up on that. But 1/9 will be your best bet for heavies. However a 300 win slinging 180s is all you’ll need.

Stock. Tons of options. This is where you’ll save weight aside from barrel and optic. Try as many as you can. Decide whether you like a more vertical grip or traditional hunting grip or somewhere in between. I find myself moving towards the vertical grips more and more. I’ve got a Mesa Altitude adjustable headed my way now. AG composites makes them and they are on sale right now. AG and Mesa make some of the most reasonably priced light weight stocks on the market these days and have the best lead times available.

Trigger. A crap trigger will ruin a nice rifle. I prefer trigger tech diamond. Everyone has their opinions here. I like mine set at 1 pound and I don’t let many others shoot my rifles due to this.

Paint/coating. Run a proof barrel. Have the ends bead blasted and it’ll save you money on paint.

DONT CHASE OUNCES. Folks spend a fortune chasing every once they can squeeze out of these builds. The juice isn’t worth the squeeze. 8-9lb rifle with optic is perfect. Light enough to pack and heavy enough to hold steady when you’re breathing hard and excited. Most of the time

Skip the titanium actions. They are not as smooth as stainless ones. Mostly due to the action body abd bolt being 2 different metals. My opinion here. But I’ve tried several and liked none of them.

A top end build can be done like this for $3500ish.

I highly recommend Crimson Accuracy in Cresson. He’s built me multiple rifles and plenty more for buddy’s.

Optic. This is where it gets very opinionated. SFP/FFP. Illuminated or not. Do you need target turrets and a good reticle or just a duplex type. Etc. This is also the costliest portion of the build as far as a single part.

Rings. Don’t go cheap. Don’t get too concerned with weight. Hawkins. Nightforce. Seekins. ARC. The gun needs to take a beating. Build it to take one. An ounce or two won’t kill you. And you’ll wish you spent the extra money if you find a failure point in the back country.

Hope this helps. Feel free to PM me if you need anymore help

I was leaning towards the prc simply because they seem to be easier to hand load for from what I’ve read and I’m not an expert on hand loading but I understand it to a good degree. And the prc stuff just shoots. I get that components are hard to find as is ammo but my wife has a 7mm WSM. Try finding that stuff. Lol. It’s a dam hammer though and just flat out shoots. That’s why I bought it. And it’s a short action so I can always rebarrel down the road to 6.5 cm or prc.

As far as actin’s, I’m sure there are several. I don’t mind a little heavier of an action but I also don’t know what the difference is between one or another as far as performance (if there is any). My goal here is to get the most accuracy out of the gun as possible but also not have a brick for a gun. I have one in my .308. That’s why I don’t hunt with it on any hunt where toting a gun of any distance.

I don’t running a mag. Wife’s gun is set up as a mag. My tikka is mag. 308 is bdl. Mag just seems to be what I’ve gotten used to as long as it’s not a large mag which makes it hard to shoot without needing the gun string up on sand bags to clear the mag from a table, etc.

As far as barrel length, I intended to go 26” min and was thinking 1:9 twist in case I get some 220’s running good. 180’s would hammer the crap out of what I’m shooting. Lol. I’d go 28 if it helps with powder burn and speed with heavier loads. Dang sure not gonna cut it short.

Not familiar with the trigger you mentioned but am familiar with jewel and timney. Won’t skim here either. I’ve gotten ruined on the trigger in the 308 and the 7wsm. 1 pound 6 ounces is the 308 trigger weight. I’d probably keep it around here or a touch lighter. Not heavier for sure. And I hate any travel in a rifle trigger.

Not familiar with what you were referring to on paint coating.

As far as stocks, I’m a huge fan of vertical grips. That’s what’s on my 308 and it’s a McMillan. Wife’s 7wsm is a more traditional stock. It’s fine, but I just like the other a lot better. I feel like I can consistently apply pressure and pull into my shoulder with my middle and ring finger and focus on breathing and slowly pulling with my trigger finger. I don’t know what my length of pull is though so many a stick that I can adjust there?? Also, I prefer an adjustable cheek rest. The more custom I can make the fun fit, the more acutely I shoot them.

I’m good without titanium actions. I like buttery smooth and with tight tolerances and stainless works just fine over titanium.

Optics: front focal plane is what I’d like. I have a 8x32x56mm NF on the 308. It isn’t FFP and can only hold moa if it’s set at 22. Otherwise gotta dial. Wife has a March 6x22 I believe and not sure of objective (smaller than the NF) and it is FFP and mil. Much prefer this set up but not a fan of the scope. Doesn’t do well in low light compared to NF and has a dot reticle instead of crosshairs. Ideally, I’d like crosshairs and a article style reticle system in mil dot with the ability to hold wind age and elevation without having to dial. Some times dialing isn’t feasible if needing to take a quick shot and i make it a point to know the dope chart on a gun I’m hunting with just in case I don’t have mine or my phone craps out and I can’t get on strelock.

And yes, I won’t be skimping on rings. I want it to be built and secured like a tank. I’ve made a bad spill in shell rock. Beat the crap out of my bow, broke arrows and almost knocked the stab off.


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[trophy8]

I was leaning towards the prc simply because they seem to be easier to hand load for from what I’ve read and I’m not an expert on hand loading but I understand it to a good degree. And the prc stuff just shoots. I get that components are hard to find as is ammo but my wife has a 7mm WSM. Try finding that stuff. Lol. It’s a dam hammer though and just flat out shoots. That’s why I bought it. And it’s a short action so I can always rebarrel down the road to 6.5 cm or prc.

As far as actin’s, I’m sure there are several. I don’t mind a little heavier of an action but I also don’t know what the difference is between one or another as far as performance (if there is any). My goal here is to get the most accuracy out of the gun as possible but also not have a brick for a gun. I have one in my .308. That’s why I don’t hunt with it on any hunt where toting a gun of any distance.

I don’t running a mag. Wife’s gun is set up as a mag. My tikka is mag. 308 is bdl. Mag just seems to be what I’ve gotten used to as long as it’s not a large mag which makes it hard to shoot without needing the gun string up on sand bags to clear the mag from a table, etc.

As far as barrel length, I intended to go 26” min and was thinking 1:9 twist in case I get some 220’s running good. 180’s would hammer the crap out of what I’m shooting. Lol. I’d go 28 if it helps with powder burn and speed with heavier loads. Dang sure not gonna cut it short.

Not familiar with the trigger you mentioned but am familiar with jewel and timney. Won’t skim here either. I’ve gotten ruined on the trigger in the 308 and the 7wsm. 1 pound 6 ounces is the 308 trigger weight. I’d probably keep it around here or a touch lighter. Not heavier for sure. And I hate any travel in a rifle trigger.

Not familiar with what you were referring to on paint coating.

As far as stocks, I’m a huge fan of vertical grips. That’s what’s on my 308 and it’s a McMillan. Wife’s 7wsm is a more traditional stock. It’s fine, but I just like the other a lot better. I feel like I can consistently apply pressure and pull into my shoulder with my middle and ring finger and focus on breathing and slowly pulling with my trigger finger. I don’t know what my length of pull is though so many a stick that I can adjust there?? Also, I prefer an adjustable cheek rest. The more custom I can make the fun fit, the more acutely I shoot them.

I’m good without titanium actions. I like buttery smooth and with tight tolerances and stainless works just fine over titanium.

Optics: front focal plane is what I’d like. I have a 8x32x56mm NF on the 308. It isn’t FFP and can only hold moa if it’s set at 22. Otherwise gotta dial. Wife has a March 6x22 I believe and not sure of objective (smaller than the NF) and it is FFP and mil. Much prefer this set up but not a fan of the scope. Doesn’t do well in low light compared to NF and has a dot reticle instead of crosshairs. Ideally, I’d like crosshairs and a article style reticle system in mil dot with the ability to hold wind age and elevation without having to dial. Some times dialing isn’t feasible if needing to take a quick shot and i make it a point to know the dope chart on a gun I’m hunting with just in case I don’t have mine or my phone craps out and I can’t get on strelock.

And yes, I won’t be skimping on rings. I want it to be built and secured like a tank. I’ve made a bad spill in shell rock. Beat the crap out of my bow, broke arrows and almost knocked the stab off.


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You don’t want adjustable LOP. Adds significant weight. Adjustable cheek piece is easy. You really need to go see a good builder that has stuff on hand to feel. It’ll be an expensive lesson otherwise.

26” is plenty. And the prc I’m sure is fine. I’m partial to a 300 win as I’ve had one for 15-16 years and killed a ton of stuff with it.

[DapperDan]

You don’t want adjustable LOP. Adds significant weight. Adjustable cheek piece is easy. You really need to go see a good builder that has stuff on hand to feel. It’ll be an expensive lesson otherwise.

26” is plenty. And the prc I’m sure is fine. I’m partial to a 300 win as I’ve had one for 15-16 years and killed a ton of stuff with it.

Sent ya a pm!


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[DapperDan]

You don’t want adjustable LOP. Adds significant weight. Adjustable cheek piece is easy. You really need to go see a good builder that has stuff on hand to feel. It’ll be an expensive lesson otherwise.

26” is plenty. And the prc I’m sure is fine. I’m partial to a 300 win as I’ve had one for 15-16 years and killed a ton of stuff with it.

I agree with putting hands on. I hate expensive lessons. Lololol


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[mzurovec]

Matt has given you some great recommendations. A quick blurb when I built my 300 PRC, with an attempt to go light, I went with a Defiance AnTi X action and a proof 26" barrel. I've got to say they're a match made in heaven and am really glad I went that direction. For optics, I went with a Mark5 HD 5-25x56mm with the PR2 MIL reticle. It was lighter than most of the other scopes in the price range and is made in America. Altus was the builder and it turned out really great. Good luck!