In the world of backcountry hunting, where precision, reliability and performance are paramount, Federal Premium has just introduced an innovative product set to redefine how hunters approach their craft. The new 7mm Backcountry promises to be a game-changer. Offering unmatched versatility, power and performance that will revolutionize the way we utilize ammunition in remote and rugged environments.
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. Three numbers quickly back the innovation behind it: 20, 170 and 3,000.
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 and with 170-grain bullets, it can achieve 3,000 feet-per-second.
“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. Those three numbers spotlight the three advantages of this new cartridge. 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 and 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.”
Raising the Bar
Backcountry hunting presents unique challenges, often requiring hunters to traverse vast, unforgiving terrain while remaining nimble and capable of taking long, accurate shots at distant targets. Federal Premium’s new 7mm Backcountry ammunition is designed specifically for these conditions. Backcountry hunters have traditionally lugged in long, heavy rifles that are capable of great accuracy at long-range. Finding the balance between weight, power, and accuracy has always been a tough one. With the 7mm Backcountry, Federal Premium has managed to break this mold, offering a round that delivers long-range performance without the need for a heavy rifle or long barrel.
The 7mm Backcountry ammunition is packed with innovative features that make it a standout in its class. Some stats can’t be ignored, and these numbers make it easy to see why the round stands out. The 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.
The 7mm Backcountry ammunition is designed to deliver more than just speed. It offers high energy retention and deep penetration, ensuring that even large game can be ethically taken down with a single shot. With a powerful charge and advanced bullet construction, the 7mm Backcountry round can strike through dense hide and bone, making it a perfect choice for hunters pursuing big game in the wild.
Whether you’re hunting at high altitudes, in dense forests, or across open plains, the 7mm Backcountry ammunition is engineered to perform reliably under various conditions. The high-energy delivery and superior accuracy make it adaptable for all kinds of backcountry hunting adventures, allowing hunters to pursue different types of game with confidence.
Solution Driven
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.
“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.”
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.”
What Sets It Apart
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.
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.”
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. I was lucky enough to try some of them out at Federal’s Summit last summer, and all of them ran the round flawlessly. I was even lucky enough to have a Horizon Firearms Venatic Carbon in 7mm Backcountry with a 16” barrel on hand during Minnesota’s youth deer season. My son harvested an 8-point buck that dropped in its tracks on a clean 150-yard shot using the Fusion Tipped 175-grain bullet. The Venatic Carbon came in at 6lbs. 3oz., and on the range we saw an average of 2,880 fps out of that short barrel.
As backcountry hunting continues to evolve, Federal Premium has set a new standard with the 7mm Backcountry. By combining a revolutionary design with superior accuracy, energy retention, and less felt recoil, this new round will empower hunters to engage in their passion with more confidence and capability than ever before. It’s not just an improvement in ammunition technology — it’s a revolution in how hunters will equip themselves for the adventures of the future.
Find out more at federalpremium.com/rifle/shop-by-caliber/7mm-backcountry
