the 300 PRC caliber: The modernized 300 WM.

In 2018, Hornady officially unveiled the .300 PRC. Unlike older calibers, which often evolved through successive adjustments, such as the 300 Winchester Magnum, which came from a simple neck down (reduction in the size of the neck) of a 338WM. The .300 PRC was designed from the start with a very particular approach:

300 PRC on the left, 300 WM on the right

The objective is to propel heavy projectiles of 200gr and more as quickly as possible while retaining the usual attributes of a 300WM weapon, i.e. a similar length (a few millimeters longer) and an identical base diameter. In order to make it possible to re-cannon a weapon firing a 300WM in order to increase its performance by switching to 300 PRC.

Hornady also made a very clear observation: the 300 WM is one of the most common and popular magnum calibers, but when it was created the needs were not those of 2024... The heaviest projectiles when it was created in 1963 were only 180gr with fairly unaerodynamic shapes and this magnum belt is more of a marketing argument to hold the pressures than a real physical need. In short, at the time we wanted to offer a 30-06 SPRG with just more energy, and it worked.

300 WM on the left, 30-06 SPRG on the right

But today, with shooting distances having drastically increased, thanks to laser rangefinders, ballistic applications, heavier and more efficient projectiles, the 300WM is clearly not optimized for these modern needs. Of course it works at long range, but there are simply better ones elsewhere… like on the 300 PRC.

This is how the .300 PRC caliber is built on a case without a magnum belt in order to optimize the volume of powder in the case and to avoid the problems linked to the use of a magnum belt such as the reduction in the life of the cases and the greater risk of case rupture above the belt.

The case has been shortened to allow these long projectiles to be able to come out a lot and to free up space in the case. All in order to propel heavy bullets with high ballistic coefficients such as the 208gr ELD-M or the 225gr ELD-M. This design allows to reach high speeds (between 850 and 950 m/s) for bullets of more than 200 gr.

The ballistic performance of the 300 PRC.

225 gr ELD-M 26” barrel = 880 m/s (N565 powder)

225 gr ELD-M 32” barrel = 930 m/s (N565 powder)

This level of performance allows for ballistics extremely close to a 338LM while limiting usage costs. In particular thanks to projectiles that are significantly less expensive than .338 caliber projectiles.

The icing on the cake is that the 300 PRC recoils much less than the 338LM, thanks to lighter but very ballistically efficient projectiles.

The adoption of the .300 PRC by the US Department of Defense is proof of its performance and reliability. In 2019, the US Army selected this caliber to equip some of its next-generation precision rifles. This official adoption has significantly strengthened the reputation of the caliber and inspired many sport shooters to take an interest in it.

There is no doubt that the 300 PRC will make a significant place for itself in the TLD world around the world.

Effective range .300 PRC

Very close to the effective range of a 338LM as evidenced by the attached ballistic curves:

26” 300 PRC 225gr ELD-M 880m/s barrel VS 26” 338LM 300gr Berger hybrid barrel at 830 m/s

The 300 PRC now offers an alternative to the high-performance but very expensive 338 Lapua Magnum. It is certain that many future TLD shooters will turn to this caliber! Quality cases available, affordable projectiles, impressive performance, a caliber that will surely gain popularity!