Three new cartridges have been accepted by the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute (SAAMI). Complete specifications, mechanical drawings and chamber specifications are already on the organization’s website. SAAMI has promoted firearm safety by creating the industry’s standards that ensure reliability, safety and interchangeability of firearms, ammunition and components, since its founding in 1926 at the request of the federal government.
The trio of new cartridges includes 7 mm Backcountry—introduced by Federal—with a maximum average pressure at 80,000 p.s.i. It employs an innovative alloy-steel case rather than the more traditional brass design. By comparison, few brass-cased cartridges approach or exceed 65,000 p.s.i.
When NRA Publications Editor Emeritus John Zent tested the new cartridge, Federal Rifle Ammunition Managing Engineer Jake Burns explained, “… brass cases are largely containers for propellant and it’s the gun really managing all the pressure, the Peak Alloy case [a trade name], acts as its own mini pressure-containment vessel, absorbing some of the energy without cracking or stretching. That’s part of the case’s ability to manage pressure.”
SAAMI standardized the cartridge with a 170-grain bullet, traveling at a velocity of 3,000 f.p.s.
Two From Hornady
Hornady’s new 25 Creedmoor was also accepted by SAAMI. Loaded with a 134-grain bullet, it travels at a velocity of 2,810 f.p.s. and is rated at a maximum average pressure of 62,000 p.s.i.
Hornady, working with Creedmoor Sports, developed the trailblazing 6.5 mm Creedmoor cartridge in 2007. The flat-shooting and modest-recoiling cartridge was an instant success with competitors and sportsmen alike. Today the family of cartridges with the same last name include .22, 6 mm, .25 and 6.5 mm siblings.
Also new from Hornady is the .338 Advanced Rifle Cartridge (ARC). Its 175-grain bullet travels at 2,050 f.p.s. and has a maximum average pressure of 52,000 p.s.i.
Its predecessor, the 6 mm ARC, was introduced to the commercial market in 2020. The .22 ARC was unveiled in 2024.
