The Truth About The 7mm PRC & 7mm Backcountry

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I'm a .284 bullet diameter fan. Elk are my jam, and for the past 27 years, I've pursued these heavy-antler ungulates from the jagged Rockies to the lowland plains. My first elk rifle was a wood-stock 7mm Rem. Mag. The lightweight, pre-MB (muzzle brake) rifle kicked like a mule, but it accurately delivered Remington's tried-and-true 175-grain Soft Point Core Lokt ammo. My first bull, a public-land 5x5, fell to this caliber/bullet combo. Thus began my love affair with 7mm/.284 diameter bullets.

There are countless bullet offerings in the .284 line, from match bullets to hunting bullets, but regardless, the .284 is heralded for its long, sleek profile and flat trajectory. Ammo manufacturers have created bullet options weighing between 110 and 195 grains with some offering remarkable ballistic coefficients, making the .284—depending on grain weight and bullet type—ideal for various Western big game.

Why the 7MM PRC?

There are more 7mm rifle cartridges than Budweiser at a ball game but make no mistake: Many are as good, or in some cases, better than advertised. Hornady's 2018 release of its 6.5mm PRC (Precision Rifle Cartridge) was so well-received that the manufacturer followed it up with the non-belted magnum 300 PRC. The 7mm PRC, or as it's commonly referred to, the 7 PRC, came last. The Hornady 7 PRC is a tweener—a cartridge to bridge the gap between the 6.5 PRC, designed for medium-sized game, and the long-action 300 PRC, which will handle nearly everything in North America including costal Brown bears and Moose.

Hornady created the 7 PRC to make the most accurate and efficient .284 diameter cartridge ever. The manufacturer wanted to give target shooters and hunters a modern-day cartridge optimized to maximize the long-range efficiency of heavy-for-caliber bullets between 160 and 180 grains.

Engineered from the ground up, Hornaday ensured bullets didn't intrude on case capacity in the 7 PRC. The non-belted cartridge sports a 30-degree shoulder to minimize chambering issues while boosting brass life for those who prefer to reload. The long-action cartridge with bullet weights between 160 and 180 grains reduces wind drift and maximizes accuracy.. It trumps the 7mm Rem. Mag. in energy retention at longer ranges and offers a flatter trajectory and less recoil than .30 caliber magnums like the .300 Win. Mag. and 300 PRC.

7 PRC First Impressions

I spent the fall of 2023 chasing elk with Browning's X-Bolt LR chambered in 7 PRC. Before giving Hornady's new caliber a dance, I relied solely on my 7mm Rem. Mag, .280 Ackley, and .300 Win. Mag. to handle my elk pursuits.

After bore-sighting, I dialed the X-Bolt 2 topped with Leupold's VX-5HD 3-15x44 to 100 yards. Shooting Federal Premium's 155-grain Terminal Ascent bullets, I achieved 1/2-inch MOA accuracy while producing a three-shot fps average of 3,068 fps. The rifle's 100-yard accuracy and three-shot speed variance were remarkable. For comparison, my three-shot speed variance when shooting my X-Bolt 2 7mm Rem. Mag. Composite Hunter with 175 Grain Winchester Power Points was much greater. Tighter speed variances means increased downrange efficiency.

I spent a week banging steel and punching paper prone and, on my butt, using BOG's Death Grip Sherpa and Death Grip Infinite - Carbon Fiber. My longest shot was 870 yards on a 6-inch steel plate. I was prone, and the wind was 2-3 mph (Kestrel measured) from left to right. I cranked three shots at hunting speed and clanged steel thrice. This was shooting Hornady's Precision Hunter 175 gr. ELD-X, which produced a three-shot speed average of 2,823 fps. Due to the caliber's reduced recoil and the X-Bolt's muzzle brake and general design, I could stay in my scope, see impact, cycle quickly, reacquire the target, and bang steel again.

On September 28, 2023, I put my 7 PRC and 155 Grain Terminal Ascents to work on wapiti. The goal was to get my good buddy and hunting mentor a bull. The shot was 476 yards. Bill leaned awkwardly against a boulder with my ALPS Elite +3800 pack under the rifle's forearm. The shot broke clean and the bull stumbled forward a few steps before crashing.

The second bull—another descent 5x5 public land bull—didn't know what happened. The sound echoed through the canyon and the love-sick bull had no clue what was going on. He ran out to 503 yards. I traded places with Bill, settled high-shoulder, and put the bull down in his tracks. I've since used multiple 7 PRC makes to harvest game animals. One was a 564-pound fall Colorado black bear taken with Hornady's 7mm PRC 175 gr. ELD-X. The high shoulder shot put the monstrous boar down instantly. While I get more speed with the 155-grain bullets, I prefer the 175-grain for their reduced wind drift, remarkable energy, and devastating results on big bulls.

Why the 7mm Backcountry?

Federal tends to shock and awe, and they did so again in 2025. Branded the 7mm Backcountry, Federal wanted to develop a heavy-for-caliber bullet capable of jaw-dropping speeds when fired from a 20-inch barrel. This way, those who prefer to shoot suppressed don't have to haul a telephone pole around the Western mountains. Add a six-inch suppressor and you're still close to standard barrel length, get boosted speed, and don't blow out your ears. Those that don't shoot suppressed can tote an incredibly light and maneuverable 20-inch-barreled rifle around the Rockies while searching for big-game nirvana.

Federal claims 3,000 fps from a 20-inch barrel. That's smoking fast for a 7mm/.284 heavy-for-caliber bullet in a barrel that short. This isn't Federal's first rodeo. The manufacturer understands SAAMI. Thousands of rounds of testing proved that the 7mm Backcountry, via its patented Peak Alloy case, satisfied the standardized pressure limit for ammunition set by the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturer's Institute.

The advanced, high-strength steel alloy case provided a massive leap forward in case design. The one-piece case allows Patented Peak Alloy case technology to provide magnum performance in a non-magnum centerfire rifle cartridge. Increased speed comes from the improved steel and the one-piece case design, which, according to Federal's branding, allows hunters to get massive jumps in speed and downrange performance in 155 and 170-grain Terminal Ascent bullets from shorter-barreled rifles.

7mm Backcountry First Impressions

I occasionally shoot a few NRL Hunter matches, but field results matter. A mature bull will usually push the scale over the 700-pound mark. Bulls have heavy bones and pound-for-pound are the toughest big-game animal on the planet. I chase elk all fall, and I gauge the success of a caliber—any caliber—on the fullness of my freezer at season's end. I know when I hit high-shoulder or punch center lungs with a 7 PRC, good things happen. I don't know if that is true concerning Federal's new favorite son. However, I'm fixing to find out. I will tote the rifle on two elk hunts and a mule deer hunt this fall. My opinion about its terminal results after lots and lots of range time is: It will be devastating on Western big game, but the cartridge needs to prove it to me.

Is there room for another 7mm cartridge? That's the question I've been asked most. The simple answer is yes if it serves a purpose. If it's creating a new 7mm caliber to produce a new 7mm cartridge, then no. After range testing, I firmly believe there is a place for this new speed demon. Federal built the cartridge to sizzle, and I wanted to see how fast the new 7mm Backcountry really is. The rifle on the bench was Horizon Firearms' Wombat. The barrel length was 16.5 inches with an attached 1-11/16-inch brake, bringing the total length to 18 3/16 inches. The 16.5 inch barrel is 3.5 inches shorter than the 20 inch barrel used for cartidge deisgn with the 7 Backcountry, so the muzzle velocity will suffer quite abit.

The 7mm Backcountry cartridge resembles my all-time favorite big-game cartridge, the .280 Ackley Improved. Federal obtained faster and improved ballistics via the one-piece case design and premium steel. This allows for more speed from a non-magnum caliber in shorter-barrel rifles without increasing recoil, which was the main goal. Federal also went the non-magnum route to retain magazine capacity. The 7mm Backcountry sports the same neck length as the 7mm PRC, body taper, and shoulder angles as the 6.5 Creedmoor, and a cartridge size like the .280 Ackley Improved. However, the Patented Alloy case accepts heavy bullets with a long ogive to ensure less air resistance (lower drag) and a higher ballistic coefficient. From the outside looking in, Federal took designs from three of the most accurate non-magnum calibers ever and created what appears to be a 7mm superstar.

After bore-sighting, my first trigger put a Federal Premium 170 Grain Terminal Ascent round 5 inches right and 6 inches low of the bull's eye. The recoil wasn't heavy, but more than my 7 PRC. I expected this in a lighter, shorter-barrel rifle. After zeroing, I used Caldwell's Ballistic Precision Chronograph to capture my muzzle velocity with the first three-shot group averaging 2,925 fps. That's smoking fast from a less-than-20-inch barrel with a bullet weighing 170 grains. I was impressed! Speed kills. 

I realize 2,995 fps is not 3,000 fps. It's important to understand that these speed tests were conducted from an 16.5 inch barrel. Imagine adding a 5.5-inch suppressor like the Banish Backcountry from Silencer Central. The barrel length would be 22 inches, still shorter than the standard barrel norm of 24 inches. When you add a suppressor to help reduce muzzle blast and felt recoil, you also gain a  more maneuverable rifle that's a joy to tote with the shorter overall length.

Federal heralds the rifle caliber as the fastest production 7mm rifle cartridge on the planet. I can't write that I've tested every .284 cartridge on the planet, but I can pen that I've tested none faster from a less-than-20-inch barrel bolt-action than the 7mm Backcountry. The rifle's accuracy was remarkable. However, between 200 yards and 800 yards, the accuracy medal goes to the 7 PRC. It wasn't by much, but somehow, someway, the 7 PRC trumped the 7 Backcountry in accuracy testing. 

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