Federal Ammunition introduced its new 7mm Backcountry cartridge in January, 2025. Why? Does the industry need yet another 7mm rifle cartridge? New cartridge development, especially for long distance shooting and hunting (modern cartridge design) seems to be front and center on everyone’s mind today. The focus has been to produce magnum velocities in a smaller action without compromising ballistics or efficiency.
Overview of 7mm Backcountry Ballistics
In a nut shell, the 7mm Backcountry is a highly packed (with a special powder blend) steel case ammunition with long range hunting capabilities being the end goal. Produced from a “Peak Alloy” material which Federal describes as, a proprietary alloyed steel case capable of withstanding significant pressures.
The Backcountry and its new “Peak Alloy” case allows it to be safely loaded to an amazing 80,000 psi. Those high pressures, Federal claims, allow the Backcountry to achieve velocities beyond the norm from a 20-inch barrel. For example, other 7mm cartridges (7mm Rem Mag and 7mm PRC) require a 24-inch barrel to achieve 3000 fps velocities. The Backcountry meanwhile can reach 3,000 fps out of a 20-inch barrel. From a 24-inch barrel, it can push a 175-grain bullet 3,150 fps.
7mm Backcountry Velocity
Federal Ammo | Muzzle | 100 yds | 200 yds | 300 yds | 400 yds | 500 yds |
Terminal Ascent 170 gr | 3150 | 2997 | 2849 | 2706 | 2567 | 2433 |
Barnes LRX 168 gr | 3150 | 2958 | 2774 | 2598 | 2428 | 2265 |
Berger Elite Hunter 195 gr | 3000 | 2873 | 2750 | 2630 | 2513 | 2399 |
Fusion Tipped 175 gr | 3125 | 2954 | 2790 | 2632 | 2479 | 2331 |
Terminal Ascent 155 gr | 3300 | 3125 | 2958 | 2796 | 2641 | 2491 |
7mm Backcountry Muzzle Energy
Federal Ammo | Muzzle | 100 yds | 200 yds | 300 yds | 400 yds | 500 yds |
Terminal Ascent 170 gr | 3745 | 3390 | 3063 | 2763 | 2488 | 2234 |
Barnes LRX 168 gr | 3701 | 3264 | 2870 | 2517 | 2199 | 1913 |
Berger Elite Hunter 195 gr | 3897 | 3574 | 3273 | 2994 | 2734 | 2492 |
Fusion Tipped 175 gr | 3794 | 3391 | 3024 | 2691 | 2387 | 2111 |
Terminal Ascent 155 gr | 3748 | 3362 | 3011 | 2691 | 2400 | 2135 |
In case you have any doubts as to the safety of the cartridge, the Sporting Arms & Ammunition Manufacturers Institute (SAAMI), the association tasked with establishing industry standards for safety, has given the 7mm Backcountry its stamp of approval.
Is reload data available?
Yes, Federal designed the backcountry to be reloadable but you’ll need specialized dies and potentially unique reloading techniques due to its high pressure and case design. It is reported that RCBS is currently working on dies that can handle the case.
Federal hasn’t gone public with the powder types and combinations they use.
As of this writing limited reload data is reported to be available. Federal Premium and other manufacturers are working on providing reload specs so stay tuned there.
There are still a lot of questions to be answered but Federal says the cases are reloadable, even though it will require specialized dies and other associated tools.
Ammo availability
Right now, Federal is the only company making 7mm Backcountry ammo and we carry it at CheaperThanDirt.com. It is not yet clear if other manufacturers such as Hornady, Nosler or perhaps Remington will begin producing 7mm BC. If not, Federal will be the only choice and as mentioned previously it remains a bit unclear just how effective reloading the Backcountry cartridge will be.
The good news is however, Federal Premium currently lists five factory loads for the 7mm BC. I was able to easily obtain two variations of the Backcountry ammo for future testing from Cheaper than Dirt. Pricing for 7mm BC ammo is consistent with any of the newer calibers and cartridges today.
Positives
If you are accustomed to using a 24-inch barrel to hit those higher velocities with a 7mm Rem Mag or a 7mm PRC you can look at a 20-inch barrel or even shorter to achieve high velocity and still maintain good down range energy. All the while carrying a lighter package that is optimum to use with a suppressor and does not turn your 24-inch barrel into a pool cue.
7mm BC utilizes a standard 30/06 bolt face dimension making conversions as easy as a barrel swap. This also means you can carry more rounds in the magazine compared to magnum loads with relatively similar velocities.
In some circles all of this adds up to the Backcountry cartridge being a more effective “all-range” hunting caliber.
Additionally, there is somewhere in the neighborhood of eleven different gun manufactures building rifles in the 7mm BC. These include, Savage Arms, Christensen Arms, Weatherby, Geissele Automatics, Seekins Precision, Horizon Firearms, Fierce, Gunwerks, Pure Precision, Proof Research, and Bergara. These total over 80 different models for the Backcountry with more to come.
Conclusions
Barrel life will no doubt be less than some due to the higher pressures of the 7mm BC, and ammo at times may be hard to come by. How much faster a barrel chambered in this cartridge will wear out is hard to say. However, Federal doesn’t intend for high-volume shooters to chew through lots of Backcountry rounds.
Federal named this cartridge the “Backcountry” with the intent of it being primarily a hunting round, and for that use, barrel life matters far less. Most hunters will never fire 1,500- 2,000 rounds with a rifle they intend on using exclusively for hunting purposes, even if they were to hunt with it every year.
Bottom line, Federal’s new 7mm Backcountry is a compelling caliber. With the development of its new case and the intended use, it remains to be seen if the Backcountry will stand the test of time.
I will be putting this round to the test on the range and in the hunting field in the very near future. So, stay tuned!