Editor’s Choice: Federal Premium Terminal Ascent

Federal Premium is having its cake and eating it too with the new Terminal Ascent projectile, which offers a high ballistic coefficient and deep penetration.

Starting off with the Trophy Bonded Tip, the company’s engineers devised a bullet that will expand from point blank range all the way down to 1350 f.p.s. This is a bonded bullet; the jacket and shank are of copper and the core is lead. Skiving, which is different for each bullet in the line, controls expansion, which is initiated by what Federal calls its Slipstream Tip.

On impact, the tip pushes into the cavity at the bullet’s nose. And the polymer used for the tip doesn’t soften until 434° F, meaning it’s very stable in flight. There are also AccuChannel grooves that reduce fouling and wear, but they have been re-designed to reduce drag and result in a 5 percent increase in ballistic coefficient.

The bullets have secant ogives and small meplats, meaning that these heavy-for-caliber bullets have excellent BCs. There are 11 factory loadings to start, including: 130-gr. 6.5 mm Creedmoor, 130-gr. 6.5 mm PRC, 136-gr. .270 Win., 136-gr. .270 WSM, 155-gr. .280 Ackley Improved, 155-gr. 28 Nosler, 155-gr. 7 mm Rem. Mag., 175-gr. .308 Win., 175-gr. .30-’06 Sprg., 200-gr. .300 Win. Mag. and 200-gr. .300 WSM.

I’ve already hunted with the 6.5 mm Creedmoor, and it works as advertised. Component bullets are already available for handloaders. For more information on these new hunting rounds, visit federalpremium.com.