Remington Ammunition Jumps on the 7mm Backcountry Train
Jumping On The 7mm Backcountry Train
Federal’s 7mm Backcountry Cartridge was introduced in early 2025 and drew significant attention from hunters worldwide. The entirely new high-performance, all-range cartridge rewrote the rules for hyper-performance ammunition through its new Peak Allow case technology. Not only does it provide superior ballistics and terminal performance, but it also does so through compact, shorter-barreled suppressed rifles.
Soon after its release, the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute (SAAMI) quickly announced the acceptance of Federal’s new 7mm BC rifle cartridges for SAAMI standardization. SAAMI is the organization leading the charge in promoting firearm safety by creating standards that ensure the safety, reliability, and interchangeability of firearms, ammunition, and components. This acceptance opened the door for other ammunition companies to jump on board the 7mm BC train.
Announced in early 2026, Remington Ammunition will utilize the Peak Alloy case technology introduced first by Federal Ammunition and offer three loads in 7mm Backcountry, providing options across a trio of their largest and most popular bullets: Core-Lokt, Core-Lokt Tipped, and Premier Long Range Speer Impact.
Peak Alloy case technology enables the cartridge to achieve its superior performance. The physical limitations of traditional brass cases have always capped chamber pressures and stood in the path of higher performance. Remington will capitalize on Federal Ammunition ultimately removing this obstacle and unlocking the untapped energy of ammunition through the advent of the Peak Alloy case.
Built from an advanced steel alloy, the next-generation, one-piece, patented Peak Alloy case design delivers higher velocities than modern brass case ammunition. And because the cartridge is dimensionally smaller than its closest brass-case counterparts, 7mm Backcountry achieves these ballistic advantages with smaller rifles and an extra round in the magazine on most platforms. All of this is also achieved without increased perceived recoil, thanks to the strong Peak Alloy case, which helps keep it in check.
The Peak Alloy case technology is fundamentally different than brass cases. Created in response to U.S. military solicitations, it utilizes a proprietary steel alloy that includes other unique elements. This same alloy is used to manufacture safes, nuclear reactors, and other high-strength applications. Peak Alloy allows Remington to safely increase chamber pressures far beyond the limits of brass case ammunition, significantly increasing velocity and energy. The innovative Peak Alloy case is also reloadable when following Remington’s lab-tested processes and data.
Suppressors are quickly gaining popularity within the hunting market. However, cartridges and rifles haven’t kept pace with this trend. When shooters install an 8-inch suppressor on a 24-inch barrel, the result is an awkward, extra-long, impractical platform. To counter this, many shooters are selecting rifles chambered in cartridges like 7mm PRC with 20-inch barrels to make room for their suppressor. In the process, however, they lose the magnum velocities, energy, and trajectories that their 7mm PRC cartridge initially provided.
But with the new 7mm Backcountry cartridge, hunters get back magnum velocities through 20-inch barrels. Due to its higher chamber pressures, a 7mm Backcountry 175-grain bullet through a 24-inch barrel gives you a muzzle velocity of around 3,125 fps, whereas a 7mm PRC with a 170-grain bullet generates about 3,000 fps. Through a 20-inch barrel, 7mm Backcountry shoots ~2,975 fps while the 7 PRC is only ~2,850 fps.
Shipping in the Spring of 2026, Remington Ammunition will offer Core-Lokt® PSP, Core-Lokt Tipped, and Premier Long Range Speer Impact in 7mm Backcountry. All three loads will be 175-grain and achieve approximately 2,975 fps from a 20-inch barrel. They will be sold in 20-round boxes.
Core-Lokt Pointed Soft Point (PSP) has been trusted by sportsmen worldwide for more than 75 years. As a traditional cup and core bullet, Core-Lokt’s jacket is locked to a lead core, delivering consistent weight retention and two-times expansion on game. Plus, Core-Lokt delivers solid game-stopping results on any budget. The 175-grain bullet achieves 3,100 fps from a 24-inch barrel and has a G1 BC of .472.
Core-Lokt Tipped features a green polymer tip that improves long-range ballistics and in-flight accuracy and initiates rapid expansion. Its time-proven Core-Lokt jacket is tuned for optimal performance on big game, and its center of gravity is adjusted rearward to maximize its match-grade accuracy. The 175-grain bullet achieves 3,125 fps from a 24-inch barrel and has a G1 BC of .540.
“With the tipped version, it’s fair to say the Core-Lokt legend just became more legendary,” said Carson. “Core-Lokt Tipped delivers outstanding on-game performance with improved accuracy and long-range potential. Core-Lokt Tipped combines truer flight, flatter trajectory, and devastating terminal energy. It’s the consistent choice of serious hunters all over the world.”
Learn More About The Core-Lokt Line:
Remington’s Premier Long Range Speer Impact comprises a bullet jacket chemically fused to a lead core. This bonded bullet design helps stop separation and retains maximum energy and weight upon impact on its target. Its aerodynamic, boat-tail bullet and rear-adjusted center of gravity assist truer flight and long-range accuracy. Its Slipstream polymer-tipped bullet touts a high ballistic coefficient for flat trajectory and excellent accuracy; it also helps initiate expansion at a wide range of velocities. The 175-grain bullet achieves 3,125 fps from a 24-inch barrel and has a G1 BC of .549.
“Remington’s Premier Long Range ammunition, featuring Speer Impact bullets, brings surgical precision and bone-crushing performance to the farthest reaches,” concluded Carson. “It’s tough, bonded construction, and the Slipstream Polymer Tip helps the bullet to open effectively and efficiently for extreme terminal performance. In addition, the highest quality Remington primers and propellants are used to help deliver Premier performance…
The introduction of the 7mm Backcountry has answered a market need that seemed unsolvable- magnum velocity out of shorter barrels without a proportionate increase in felt recoil. Achieving this goal produced true innovation in the process, creating a new way to make rifle ammunition faster, flatter-shooting, and more powerful. And now that innovation is available in three excellent loads manufactured by the iconic Remington Ammunition company.
The contents of this article were produced by Remington Ammunition and are supplied by the company. Permission is granted to copy, reformat, and/or publish this article in whole or in part.
From high-country glassing to long shots across open basins, today’s mule deer hunters demand performance, but performance means nothing without healthy herds and habitat. Join the Mule Deer Foundation and help safeguard the landscapes and opportunities that make hunts like these possible.




