January 7, 2025

Federal Ammunition set out to create a brand-new 7mm, with an eye toward speed, suppressors and seriously heavy bullets. This pursuit, which has culminated in the 7mm Backcountry, can be encapsulated by three measurements: 20, 170 and 3,000. What does this mean? Through 20-inch barrels and with 170-grain bullets, the 7mm Backcountry—not a magnum cartridge—can achieve 3,000 feet-per-second (fps). How it does it is the real question. For the answer, read on, or check out the video embedded above.

The first and most important part of the answer is the cartridge's unique, Peak Alloy case. 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.

This leads to some incredible results. 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.

“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.

“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.”

more- https://www.americanhunter.org/content/an-in-depth-look-at-7mm-backcountry/