6.5 PRC overkill. I will paraphrase Craig Boddington who wrote a whole chapter on the .30 Calibre cartridges in his book Safari Rifles written in the 1990’s.
In most calibres you have a range of cartridges. They are all good for the same sort of sized game, but how easy it is to hit the target, in reality the point blank range (mpbr) or the range at which you can hit the kill zone with a centre of kill zone hold is very much dependent on muzzle velocity.
So using the .30 cal as the example
.30-30 - typically about 2,400 ish fps and good for about 150yds mpbr
.308 win - 2700 ish fps and 200 ish yds mpbr
30-06 - 3,000 ish fps and 220 yd mpbr
300 win mag - 3,200 and 250 yd ish mpbr.
And impact energies for all are about the same at pbr
In other words the magnum or big cased load does just what the little one does but 100 and a bit yds further out.
He was writing in the days before rangefinders were the norm, but I think it still holds true.
Theoretically all of the above holds true, until you add in the human wobble factor, and the ability, or really the inability to read wind.
Coming back to the 6.5s, the little Grendel works really well at the shorter ranges, Creedmoor or Swede in the mid ranges, there isn’t really an 06 sized 6.5, and then the 6.5prc or 264 win mag out on the open hill / longer ranges.
Is the 6.5 PRC needed on the close range woodland / bush type hunting. No, in the same way that 30-30 works just fine. But if you are open hill / mountain hunting and a 200 yard shot is very much the minimum that you will be taking animals then 6.5 prc etc are the right tools.
As you get to bigger animals you need bigger, heavier and longer projectiles to get the penetration needed to reach the vitals, not a higher velocity.
As to overkill, well plenty of elephants have fallen to 6.5x54, 7x57, 303, 308, 30-06 etc, using similar on a CWD probably is. I suspect a 22 lr or 22 Hornet would work just fine.
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