Federal 7mm Backcountry Increases Velocity From Shorter Barrels

Ammo, Article, News

By Paul Rackley, GunBroker Editor

Most shooters and hunters don’t put a whole lot of thought into barrel length. A rifle comes with whatever barrel length it should. In fact, many don’t understand the importance of barrel length to velocity.

They only really think about barrel length when adding a suppressor. The main thought being how a suppressor makes it even longer. Most popular calibers come in a rifle using a 22- or a 24-inch barrel to obtain optimal velocity.

Adding a suppressor to a 24-inch barrel makes a rifle long and unwieldy. Shortening the barrel relieves that issue, but it also affects velocity, which in turn can affect downrange power and, sometimes, accuracy. While this might not matter in some situations, it can in others, which is the reason for the development of the Federal 7mm Backcountry.

Announcing Federal 7mm Backcountry

For the last few years, Federal has been working on a new round, trying to obtain high velocity levels with heavier bullets in shorter barrels. With the 7mm Backcountry, Federal succeeded. In fact, Federal says three numbers — 20, 170 and 3,000 — define this long-action, non-magnum hunting round. The three numbers represent a 20-inch barrel, 170-grain bullet and 3,000 feet-per-second.

“Those three numbers spotlight the three advantages of this new cartridge,” said Mike Holm, Federal’s Director of Centerfire Rifle Ammunition. “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.”

Federal claims the cornerstone of the this cartridge is its Peak Alloy case technology. The case is made from a patented, high-strength steel alloy. This alloy is much stronger than brass. As such, it can handle much higher chamber pressures. This alloy case can, in fact, handle magnum level velocities through shorter barrels. And it does this without increasing felt recoil.

“7mm Backcountry is a result of six years of development,” said Brad Abramowski, Federal’s Centerfire Rifle Ammunition Engineer. “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.”

These higher pressures create more velocity, even in shorter barrels. This, in turn, reduces both the barrel and overall length when using a suppressor, making the rifle easier to handle. However, it doesn’t do this by sacrificing power.

Random Thoughts on BC

When I saw the potential for the 7mm Backcountry, I got pretty excited. All the charts and information showed some amazing velocity in shorter rifles. Now, 3,000 fps isn’t that lofty of a goal. There are quite a few rounds that meet or exceed that speed. However, all are either magnum cartridges or using a much lighter bullet. And all of them are from longer barrels than 20 inches.

Some people are not going to be impressed by this new round. They will say we already have plenty of options for hunters and that 300 or so fps isn’t going to make a difference in most cases. They are correct for the most part. The average hunters almost never shoots beyond 100 to 200 yards. At that range, velocity isn’t the biggest factor toward success. However, some hunters want the ability to take game at longer distances. And doing so with a rifle that can be easily handled with a suppressor is a very nice benefit.

However, what they’re really not thinking about is the advancement in technology. The Peak Alloy case, which makes higher pressures possible, shouldn’t have to be limited to 7mm Backcountry. Who knows if or when this technology might be brought out in other chamberings, but it has serious potential.

I really only have a couple of questions. First, will this round perform in the real world as well as it does in testing? I figure yes, as Federal spent years working on this round, and the few people with hands-on experience on the 7mm Backcountry have been singing its praises. I was not one of the lucky.

Next, will this new chambering become popular enough to become readily available? There have been some really good cartridges that just never really took off with the shooting public. There have been others that have flashed into popularity before fizzling out. Most are still available, but can be hard to find in both rifles and ammunition. Since this round uses patented technology, Federal will be the only maker for a while at least.

Ammo Tech

Whether or not the 7mm Backcountry becomes popular, the Peak Alloy case technology is a huge jump in ammunition development. These steel cases, which load smoothly and are reloadable, handle much higher pressures than brass cases. This is what provides the extra fps, particularly in the shorter barrels. The 7mm Rem. Mag. handles a maximum of 61,000 PSI (pounds square inch). The 7mm BC can be loaded up to 80,000 PSI.

Because of this, the Backcountry uses faster burning powders. The faster powders pushes the bullet down the barrel faster, creating more velocity. Many other rounds require slower burning powders to keep PSI within safe ranges. This is the reason for longer barrels. The slower burning powders need more time and distance to burn completely. Shortening a barrel typically means a loss of velocity because less powder is burned before exiting the barrel.

7mm Backcountry Offerings

To start, Federal is bringing this new cartridge out in five configurations, with bullet weights ranging between 155 grains to 195 grains and four different bullet types.

155-grain Terminal Ascent
170-grain Terminal Ascent
195-grain Berger Elite Hunter
168-grain Barnes LRX
175-grain Fusion Tipped

Regardless of the potential of a new round, without a rifle chambered in the caliber, it is pretty much useless. So, Federal partnered with a variety of firearm companies to bring out rifles in 7mm Backcountry. More should be forthcoming soon, but at this time, nine companies are producing rifles chambered in 7mm Backcountry.