Top 3 Reasons You'll Need Federal's Tempting New 7mm Cartridge

Federal Ammunition has recently launched a ground-breaking long-action hunting cartridge focused on 7mm/.284 heavy-for-caliber bullets, raising the bar for what a non-magnum, centerfire rifle hunting load can achieve. The all-new, Federal-designed 7mm Backcountry cartridge is boosted by the new, patented Peak Alloy™ case technology, which provides magnum performance in a standard bolt face rifle. Through 20-inch barrels, with 170-grain bullets, it can achieve 3,000 feet-per-second (fps).

“Welcome to the future of rifle cartridges,” said Mike Holm, Federal’s Director of Centerfire Rifle Ammunition. “With our new 7mm Backcountry cartridge, hunters and shooters will experience true innovation. It utilizes a revolutionary high-strength case technology that results in the fastest production 7mm rifle cartridge on the planet.

This extreme speed allows for flat shooting while enabling the hunter to shoot a shorter barrel rifle to take advantage of a suppressor. The non-magnum-size cartridge retains magazine capacity and can be loaded with heavy bullets for greater ballistic coefficients and down-range performance.” Here is the breakdown of this new cartridge's three main benefits for hunters.

1: THE FASTEST 7MM CARTRIDGE

7mm Backcountry utilizes a revolutionary high-strength case technology that results in the fastest production 7mm rifle cartridge on the planet. One look at the packaging of Federal’s new cartridge tells the story of its speed. “Traditional ammunition typically uses brass cases with muzzle-velocity data advertised on its box that is generated using an industry-standard 24-inch factory test barrel,” explained Brad Abramowski,

Federal’s Centerfire Rifle Ammunition Engineer. “And although we still spotlight 7mm Backcountry’s astounding speed for a 24-inch barrel on the front of every box, we also detail the velocity data from 20-inch barrels on the back of the box. This is because hunters are trending toward using shorter-barrel rifles with suppressors. They want a rifle with a shorter barrel to make it more manageable while on the hunt, but they also want to achieve that blistering speed goal of 3,000 feet-per-second for flat-shooting performance.”

For example, Federal’s 155-grain Terminal Ascent bullet, the lightest bullet Federal will initially offer in 7mm Backcountry, has an astonishing 24-inch barrel muzzle velocity of 3,300 fps. And, its 20-inch barrel data comes in at 3,150 fps. Through a 16.5-inch barrel, it can still clock an impressive 3,000 fps. Federal’s load, with the heaviest bullet being offered and with the highest ballistic coefficient (the Berger Elite Hunter 195-grain bullet), produces a 24-inch barrel muzzle velocity of 3,000 fps. Its 20-inch barrel velocity still comes in at 2,850 fps. These remarkable numbers are currently unreachable, even in 7mm PRC.

Peak Alloy case technology is the cornerstone of the new cartridge. The patented, high-strength steel alloy—similar to the steel alloys used in bank safes, race cars, and nuclear reactors—is stronger than brass used in conventional cases. This allows it to safely handle higher chamber pressures, boosting velocities to magnum levels through a shorter barrel while maintaining comparable, if not reduced, perceived recoil.

“7mm Backcountry is a result of six years of development,” explained Abramowski. “Driven by the U.S. military’s need for improved performance ammunition, we tested many materials at high pressures to ensure rifle function out of a one-piece case configuration for manufacturing efficiency and design reliability. Peak Alloy delivers everything we dreamed it would. It can be loaded at a maximum chamber pressure of 80,000 pounds per square inch (psi) and achieve 3,000 fps velocities with 170-grain class bullets out of 20-inch barrels.”

When developing the cartridge, Federal engineers developed testing to confirm safety when loading high-strength steel cases at 80,000 psi. “The results showed that brass cases loaded at pressures normal for brass cases created similar stress as high-strength steel alloy cases loaded at significantly higher chamber pressures,” continued Abramowski. “Peak Alloy allows Federal to safely increase chamber pressures far beyond the limits of brass case ammunition. Additionally, Peak Alloy cases help increase muzzle velocity without a proportionate increase in felt recoil, which is a bonus.”

2: SHORT BARRELS AND SUPPRESSORS

This extreme speed allows for flat shooting while enabling the hunter to shoot a shorter barrel rifle to take advantage of a suppressor. The Federal product team constantly analyzes current market trends. Over the past several years, the market has been moving toward shorter barrels and suppressors. “We acknowledge that hunters are moving away from magnum cartridges in long barrels to short, light, compact rifles with suppressors,” said Holm. “And that move makes sense. Shorter-barreled firearms make everything easier when traveling with UTVs or other vehicles, hiking in a thick forest setting, maneuvering in hunting blinds, and you name it.

However, shooters lose velocity when barrels are shortened, so there is a trade-off. Innovation was needed to deliver the advantages of hunting with shorter barrels while maintaining high velocities for flatter-shooting trajectory and projectile energy.” Suppressors are quickly gaining popularity within the hunting market for reasons that don’t require explanation.

“We now hunt in modern times, so suppressors are everywhere, and rightfully so,” explained Holm. “However, cartridges and rifles haven’t kept pace with this trend. Installing an 8-inch suppressor on a 24-inch barrel results in an awkward and impractical platform. To counter this, many shooters are selecting rifles chambered in cartridges like 7mm PRC with 20-inch barrels to make room for their suppressor. But, in the process, they lose the magnum velocities, energy, and trajectories their cartridge supplied initially.”

Federal also followed the modern 7mm projectile trend for its new high-tech hunting cartridge. “There is a plethora of 7mm hunting cartridges in the current market,” continued Holm. “This is because of the excellent ballistic performance bullets with high ballistic coefficients and heavy weights already existing in the .284-caliber. So, choosing 7mm made the most sense compared to other calibers.

Due to its safe higher chamber pressures, a 7mm Backcountry 170-grain Terminal Ascent shot through a 24-inch barrel gives you a muzzle velocity of around 3,150 fps, whereas a 7mm PRC with the same bullet generates about 2,950 fps. Through a 20-inch barrel, 7mm Backcountry shoots approximately 3,000 fps while the 7mm PRC is only 2,850 fps.”

3: HEAVY BULLETS WITH HIGH BC

The non-magnum-size cartridge retains magazine capacity and can be loaded with heavy bullets for greater ballistic coefficients and down-range performance. Federal launched its new cartridge with some of the industry's best all-range and long-range projectiles to fully exploit the velocity, energy, range, and trajectory advantages of 7mm Backcountry. These flat-shooting, 170-plus-grain class, heavy-for-caliber bullets offer the optimal balance between sleekness and energy, touting high ballistic coefficients (BC).

“Our goal was to take the new case technology and design the ultimate, high-tech hunting cartridge that could handle loadings at a higher pressure,” said Eric Miller, Federal's Centerfire Rifle Product Line Manager. “We also wanted it to operate in non-magnum, standard long actions to keep room for round capacity. The result is a non-magnum-looking cartridge with the same neck length as 7mm PRC, body taper and shoulder angle as 6.5 Creedmoor, and a cartridge size similar to 30-06 Springfield or 280 Ackley Improved. Yet it accepts heavy bullets with a long ogive.”

Federal Ammunition will offer this new cartridge in its internally designed Terminal Ascent 155- and 170-grain bullet options. The company touts this Federal Premium® product line as the best-performing hunting projectiles it has ever built. “Terminal Ascent is our flagship all-range big game bullet that extracts the utmost performance from the 7mm Backcountry cartridge,” said Miller. “Its bonded construction penetrates deep on close targets, while the patented Slipstream polymer tip initiates expansion at extreme long range. The 155-grain load is the fastest 7mm on the market with 3,150 fps out of a 20-inch barrel, while the 170-grain achieves 3,000 fps out of 20-inch barrels. The 155-grain bullet has a G1 BC of .586, and the 170-grain is .645.”

Next is Federal’s Barnes LRX 168-grain load. This offering is specifically for those looking for an all-copper option. “Armed with a high ballistic coefficient, polymer tip, and unique nose cavity, the all-copper Barnes LRX takes down tough game at both close range and extended distances,” continued Miller. “Barnes is a well-known, well-established brand that needs little explanation. This 168-grain bullet achieves 3,000 fps from a 20-inch barrel and has a G1 BC of .513.”

The Federal-engineered Fusion Tipped 175-grain option will be popular among hunters looking for reliable, accurate ammunition at a specific price point. “Fusion Tipped was just released last year, yet was born from its extremely popular Fusion soft-point cousin,” explained Miller. “Fusion’s molecular bonding paired with a streamlined polymer tip gives Fusion Tipped 7mm Backcountry the ability to go the distance and deliver a devastating blow to big game. This 175-grain bullet achieves 2,975 fps from a 20-inch barrel and has a G1 BC of .575.”

Finally, Federal will also load its new 7mm Backcountry cartridge with Berger Elite Hunter 195-grain bullets. These bullets have an incredible ballistic coefficient, the highest on the market among hunting bullets. “We specifically designed all the dimensions of this new cartridge to be able to accept the longest, heaviest bullets the current marketplace has to offer,” said Miller. “The Berger Elite Hunter’s thin jacket produces extreme shock and a massive wound cavity on impact. This 195-grain bullet achieves 2,850 fps out of a 20-inch barrel and has a G1 BC of .755.”

A GOAL ACHIEVED

In developing 7mm Backcountry, Federal’s team of engineers set out to design a cartridge that answered a market need that seemed unsolvable—magnum velocity out of shorter barrels without a proportionate increase in felt recoil. They achieved this goal and produced true innovation in the process, creating a new way to make rifle ammunition faster, flatter-shooting and more powerful.

Federal’s 7mm Backcountry is an entirely new high-performance, all-range cartridge that reinvents ammunition as we know it. But achieving this incredible feat is nothing without the tools to ignite it. Federal Ammunition engaged with many major gun companies while developing 7mm Backcountry, realizing that a 7mm-optimized cartridge is perfect for today’s market trends. Those manufacturers are working on dozens of rifle models chambered for the new cartridge.

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