Federal's 7mm Back Country - What is your opinion?

[JG26Irish_2]

Recently Federal announced their new 7mm Back Country. It is a high speed 7mm that produces magnum performance from a std action sized rifle without the need for belted cartridges. In fact it uses a proprietary Peak Alloy steel casing to enable rifles to fire 7mm ammo at significantly higher pressures (~80,000 CUP).

I own a 270 Win, a 7mm/08 and a 7mm Mag and am asking myself, "Why would I buy the new 7mmBC?" I am curious what you experienced hunters and riflemen from AH think about the new toy from Federal? I am not in the gun or ammo industry but have extensive hunting and shooting experience with a variety of rifles and ammo. For me Precision, Accuracy and Terminal performance are all more important than how fast or flat or short a cartridge may or may not be. I love Federal and their ammo is some of the best overall on the market but, This new offering has not blown me away.

My opinion? The 7mmBC is a likely barrel burner since it is running pressures about 20% higher than magnums. It is also a candidate for future dead cartridge of the year IMO if only because the proprietary steel case prevents other ammo suppliers from selling ammo for the new wundar-weapon. That is a recipe for future failure if it does not catch on fast, what is to keep Federal from killing it? How would Hornady, or Barnes or others make ammo for this new market? License the case design from Federal? Why would Federal give up their market position?

Example: I own a 338 Ruger Compact Magnum. It was developed by Ruger with Hornady to field a short action rifle that hits with the thump of a 338 Win Mag all with only a 20" bbl. What is not to like about that? Hornady claims 2750fps from 225g ammo and my Chrono backs that up with ave vel of 2725fps from my M77 Hawkeye. That is 97% of the speed gleaned from a 338WM and a 24" bbl. Impressive. The problem is the stellar speeds are achieved using Hornady's proprietary Superformance powder blending technology and nobody else on the planet could achieve those stunning results and so, nobody made ammo for the new cartridge except for Hornady. You can still get ammo for it but only in one flavor: Hornady 225g SST. I would love to load it with Barnes TSX or Nosler AB's but cannot get within 100fps of the factory loads. In mu opinion, within 10-15yrs the 7mmBC will be in the same ballpark. If you buy one, buy a lifetime supply of ammo for it. Not hard for a hunter. 10 boxes would last me a long time. Give us you opinion?

 

[wildwilderness]

Nice numbers with an impressive BC for that style bullet at that velocity; but I don't see the market.

Like mentioned won't catch on with any real shooting fanatics since you can't reload. Its not ideal for the many shooting sports, Bench, PRS, etc. That's where Hornady really hit big with the Creedmor and PRC line of cartridges.


Hard to see it get mainstream with such limited offerings and availability.

 

[Altitude sickness]

With the popularity of suppressors growing every year. And this being designed to get 24” barrel ballistics from an 18” barrel. It’s paving the way for a new generation of case design.

This is the first of many cartridges using this case technology

They will be reloaded.

 

[Wyatt Smith]

With the popularity of suppressors growing every year. And this being designed to get 24” barrel ballistics from an 18” barrel. It’s paving the way for a new generation of case design.

This is the first of many cartridges using this case technology

They will be reloaded.

But how many times and with what equipment? RCBS is allegedly working on dies but require up to a dozen passes through the sizing die.
I think the 6.8x51 could be a better set up with the brass front half and the SS case head.

 

[62flint]

I would consider a 7mm back country.
If they prove to be a good shooter and barrel life is 1000 or more rounds.
I would have no issue buying a factory rifle screwing a suppressor on it and shooting factory ammo out of it.
IF it proved to be an accurate enough round/rifle to make 500-600 yards shots.
I will wait and see. It’s either gonna be great cartridge or a great failure.

 

[Tbitty]

I voted "next dead cartridge" because I think it will be a passing phase like the short and super short mags.

The only way it might catch on would be with the big trend to suppressor use: faster speeds with shorter barrels does have an appeal, but unless Federal let's others provide factory ammo, its destined to die sooner than later.

I like the concept and thought. I dont like the proprietary nature of it. But honestly, it is an answer to a question that wasn't asked.

You need more speed with a shorter barrel and suppressor in the 7mm world? Buy a 7mm Mag instead of a 7mm-08. I am positive the deer at 400 yards (usually less) between the 7mag or 7BC, and ammo options are far less limited.

 

[Winmdl71]

I think it will be another cartridge driven more by marketers than shooters. Short barrel life and lack of reload ability are two major drawbacks for me.

 

[sgt_zim]

Just another retarded idea in high velocity, long range.

If you want to be the next incarnation of Carlos Hathcock, Rob Furlong, or Chris Kyle, join the military.

 

[Doug3006]

All of the cartridges I’m interested in were invented prior to 1940. The 22-250 Remington was designed in 1937. It’s an up-and-comer.

I had a couple of weak moments and bought rifles in 300 WSM and later 416 Ruger. No more of that nonsense. I like the convenience of having ammunition and components available.

 

[odonata]

On paper, the list of features appears to be impressive. So if the marketing department is to be believed, then this cartridge will probably appeal to some hunters. Personally I'm fond of the classics so I'm definitely not their target audience. All but one of the cartridges I shoot were designed before I was born. Most of them are over 100 years old. I don't have any short barrels, suppressors, adjustable turrets or plastic stocks. The 7mm Backcountry doesn't offer anything that I currently need because I hunt in the woods at moderate distances. Someone out in the wide open western mountains might have a totally different opinion of this cartridge.

Federal announced this cartridge in January of 2024. Since then, I think this is the first forum post I've seen that mentions it. To be honest, I had forgotten about it. That may simply be an indication that I'm hanging out in the wrong forums to accurately judge its popularity. Taking a look at AmmoSeek shows that there is a variety of Federal ammo available at not terrible prices. GunBroker had 82 rifles from six manufacturers. Only one of those rifles (a Weatherby) had blued steel with a wooden stock that appeals to someone like me. I was a little surprised that I could get a left-handed Savage chambered in it for $537.

As you might guess, I voted "No for Me".

 

[PARA45]

I own two 7mm Weatherby Magnum, and I'm quite happy with them. I'll pass.

 

[RedTag]

Why don’t they market a 14 gauge shotgun shell with a ceramic polymer non reloadable hull? Easy because it’s silly and no one wants it. But at least they’d have already met the demand for normal 12 and 20 gauge ammo so their flash in the pan modern absurdity won’t really bother anyone as it languishes on the shelves. You get where I’m going with this. I wouldn’t mind having the smorgasbord of redundant and nonsensical short/compact/alphabet-soup “magnum” abominations presented on the shelves of the local gun stores year after year if the manufacturers and retailers would simply meet the demand for normal and classic cartridges first. I haven’t seen a box of .270 Weatherby or .300 H&H Magnum on a store shelf in at least 5 years, and there are plenty of us who would love to buy those! I’m probably more than a little bit biased because I live in Alaska and a lot of ammo options don’t make their way up here. We get a decent supply of .308, .30-06, and .300 Win. Mag. Most everything else seems to be the alphabet soup variety. The truths of cartridge design were realized a century ago.

 

[Bandera]

I fall into the group of why and what is the point other than we have the fastest 7mm.
I have a 7mm Mag already. It does the job nicely at hunting distances.
I think most of us experienced hunters would fall into that thought process.

The younger guys are the main group who want the latest wiz bang boom stick.

 

[rnovi]

I see zero point in the new cartridge. At 80k psi, that thing is going to be LOUD and recoil will be more pronounced. It quite literally is forcing people to ante up for a silencer, add another 10-12 ounces and 7” to a rifle.

Unless someone wanted to hunt at extreme distances…in which case one has enough time to plug and muff up and get settled for a 700 yard shot…nahhhhh.

I don’t see it.

My suppressed set up is a Christensen Arms Carbon Ridgeline 16.5” .308 with a can on it, shooting a 165 AB at 2600 fps. The math tells me that’s plenty good for deer to 500 and Elk to 300 (*although 100 is the average visible shot where I hunt). In fact, that 165 gr. Handload is theoretically stabilized all the way out to 1000 yards if I just want to plink at that kind of distance (my range goes to 1250).

I have a couple 7’s I also shoot: 7x57r, 7mm SAUM, 7mm RemMag. The Backcountry just doesn’t bring any real value to the table to me.

 

[deewayne2003]

The younger guys are the main group who want the latest wiz bang boom stick.

Define "younger guys"?..... from my experience it's 50+ Rolex clad corporate "hunters" that seem to always be lined up for the latest and greatest flash in the pan/marketing ploy.

These are the same guys dressed head to toe in Sitka gear so they can fit in when they get invited to the company paid for put and take high fence whitetail hunt.

To the OP's question.... I'll pass on the back country for the same reasons you mentioned and as for the .338RCM the only one I've ever seen in the field was in a Sambar camp in Victoria Australia that was used to great affect by the man who had it, he also had a pill bottle full of recovered projectiles that showed stellar performance.

 

[JG26Irish_2]

Great comments all. I will get to hunt with the 338RCM this fall and next year in TX and am looking forward to what it can do. It is not the most accurate rifle in my quiver but it does pack a punch. I chrono'ed some 225g factory SST ammo in it yesterday and they averaged 2725fps which is only 25fps slower than box speed and that is with a 20" bbl. It is also within 97% of the same speeds advertised for the 338 Win Mag using a 24" bbl. I was happy with it but just wish I could buy some ammo loaded with Accubond or Sciroccos at that same weight and speed. My PH in Africa uses SST in his 308 and loves em but the guide on the Texas Nilgai hunt called it a shit bullet that could not do the job on his tough ass Nilgai. But, he also called Barnes TSX a shit bullet. So, I don't really take his word as gospel, lol.

I can imagine a hunter who is planning a trip to Wyoming for Pronghorns, or the Eastern Cape or Free State for a Safari might?? see a value in the 7BC. But, if I already have a 7mm Mag or similar rifle, why would I spend the dough? I am capable of hitting steel tgts at 2 or 3 times my typical maximum hunting distances with some rifles. Even so, I make it my practice to limit my shots on game to about where the rifles projectile velocity drops to 2000fps. Why? Well, I figure that will insure that the bullet hits fast enough to expand reliably and penetrate all the way to the vitals on PG animals. This year in Free State, I took a 7mm/08 instead of my 7mm Mag simply because I liked the rifle and optic better and I also planned to hunt Limpopo on the same trip and did not want a long ass rifle up there. Plus my 7mm Mag was so long it did not fit in my hard case and would have required my to buy another hard case. The 7/08 was adequate on PG and was able to deliver its bullets at over 2000fps out to about 400y with all loads and close to 500y with my fastest load. None of my hunting shots were that far and the longest with that rifle was 314y on a Black WB.

My most modern DG cartridge rifle is in 375HH. I think that one might catch on. I limit it to 200y. I know there are hunters who can and do shoot game effectively at 500, even 600y with some guns. I watched a guy from Peru take about 12 animals on the Eastern Cape and some of his shots were out to like 680y and none of them took a 2nd shot. He had a top tier rifle, and top tier scope and knew exactly what he was doing and honestly, if you can perform like that every time, then more power to you and in those limited cases the 7mmBC might be a great choice. A 1/2moa rifle does expand your envelope some. I have a few of them and they make shooting long distance well very easy. I also have a few that struggle to shoot 2moa at 100y and they limit your shots to about 200y.

Still, that said, most of us are better hunters and are capable of stalking closer than 400y before we send it and owe it to the animal to grant it a quick and clean kill by doing so. Where does a 7BC fit into that Hunter Ethos? In my view it does not. Sometimes more is just more and is not necessarily better. I do not reload for hunting rifles because modern factory ammo is the best it has ever been and I do not shoot them enough to justify the time and expense for the dies, etc and the slight accuracy benefit is only meaningful when target shooting.

 

[Bandera]

Define "younger guys"?..... from my experience it's 50+ Rolex clad corporate "hunters" that seem to always be lined up for the latest and greatest flash in the pan/marketing ploy.

These are the same guys dressed head to toe in Sitka gear so they can fit in when they get invited to the company paid for put and take high fence whitetail hunt.

I am just guessing here… but I bet the younger guys say 25-40 who are shooting the latest greatest caliber out number the 50+ Rolex clad hunter by a bunch.

 

[Wyatt Smith]

Define "younger guys"?..... from my experience it's 50+ Rolex clad corporate "hunters" that seem to always be lined up for the latest and greatest flash in the pan/marketing ploy.

These are the same guys dressed head to toe in Sitka gear so they can fit in when they get invited to the company paid for put and take high fence whitetail hunt.

To the OP's question.... I'll pass on the back country for the same reasons you mentioned and as for the .338RCM the only one I've ever seen in the field was in a Sambar camp in Victoria Australia that was used to great affect by the man who had it, he also had a pill bottle full of recovered projectiles that showed stellar performance.

I live in Pike County Illinois, a large whitetail hunting destination.
When I am harvesting in the fall and go to the farm store to get parts or supplies, I have trouble finding somewhere to park for all the lifted 3/4 diesel pickups with camper shells and stupid stickers. Once I get inside and collect my items I have to wait behind half a dozen 45-60 year old men wearing Sitka camouflage and Oakley sunglasses who seem to have nothing to do but be in the way.
These are the same men who brag about their new rifle in the latest caliber with a camouflage stock with threaded barrel.
We are the exception on AH, not the rule.

 

[Wyatt Smith]

I am just guessing here… but I bet the younger guys say 25-40 who are shooting the latest greatest caliber out number the 50+ Rolex clad hunter by a bunch.

In my experience, no. The 20 something’s have a savage axis or Ruger American and a pump 12 gauge. Mostly due to budget constraints.
I only seen a couple Rolex watches in my life.

 

[Gunnie]

Upcoming trip could have likely purchased any number of new cartridges that do something different better or more efficiently, I went with 7mm REM Mag. I reload it gives me what should be excellent performance comparable to this new cartridges with 60+ years worth of data and components.