Best of Both Worlds
Federal’s Terminal Ascent combines match-grade accuracy with all-range performance
By Slaton L. White
Many ammo companies have the talent and experience to build fast-expanding bullets for hunting big game. And many of these same companies can also create sleek, accurate, match-grade bullets for long-range target shooting. But creating a bullet that can do both is a good deal more complicated. Federal, however, decided the effort to create just such a product would be worth it.
It was a tall order, sure, but the company didn’t exactly start from scratch. Why should it? Not when it had years of experience creating such successful designs as Trophy Bonded Bear Claw, Trophy Bonded Tip, and Edge TLR.
Federal took the lessons learned in developing those time-tested bullets and then poured all that knowledge and experience into creating what it believes to be is its best hunting bullet to date—Terminal Ascent. The new Terminal Ascent blends the features of top match-style bullet designs with the high weight retention, deep penetration, and lethal terminal performance, both up close and at extreme distances, of superior hunting ammo.
The foundation of Terminal Ascent’s performance rests on three pillars: a solid-shanked and bonded bullet construction; AccuChannel grooving; and the Slipstream polymer tip. Let’s take a quick look at each.
A bonded bullet has a lead core bonded to the copper jacket around that core. A solid shank means the bullet has a thick, solid copper base at the bottom of the bullet to support that lead core. And this, in turn, means the bullet retains its weight downrange for deep penetration. Furthermore, a large hollow cavity in the bullet nose, along with exterior jacket skiving, further aids expansion and penetration. Such penetration often means the difference between hitting a deer or elk and having it go down or having the wounded animal run off where it can’t be recovered.
Like many versatile bullets, Terminal Ascent features grooving along the shank to improve accuracy across a range of rifles. These grooves also help decrease barrel wear and fouling. But such grooves typically cause aerodynamic drag to the point where the bullet experiences more drop and wind drift while in flight. Federal’s Great Leap Forward here, though, is that its AccuChannel groove technology—accomplished through meticulous experimentation in the number, location, and configuration of the grooves—achieves these goals with only a minimal increase in drag.
The patent-pending polymer Slipstream Tip could be considered Terminal Ascent’s piece de resistance. A small cavity runs the length of the shank all the way up to just below the point itself. That point breaks free upon impact, allowing fluid to enter the hollow core, where it generates pressure and easy expansion, even at low velocities. The Slipstream Tip’s hollow core sets it apart from all other polymer tips on the market—but it’s also unique in its high resistance to the elevated temperatures a bullet experiences during flight.
Federal engineers arrived at the unique design after extensive testing of other tipped bullets. They learned these tipped bullets failed to expand consistently at distances past about 600 yards. Obviously, a new approach was needed to ensure all-range performance.
The inspiration came when the Federal engineering team drilled a hole through the center of the tip. Upon impact, that hole would allow target media into the front end of the bullet to initiate expansion. When the engineers tested that concept, they found it to be elegant solution that worked perfectly by extending the performance range by a few hundred yards.
In addition to the AccuChannel and Slipstream Tip, Federal engineers incorporated other important features to boost ballistic coefficient (BC), delivering flat trajectories and less wind drift. Finally, Terminal Ascent also features nickel plating that resists corrosion while providing a hunter with ammo that will run smoothly through his rifle. The end result is a package capable of delivering accuracy and reliability both at close ranges (higher velocity) and at long ranges (lower velocity). And since it will expand reliably at even a low velocity of 1,400 fps, the bullet will appeal to hunters using shorter-barrel rifles or hunting handguns.
“It’s true that this new ammunition was initially designed with long-range shooting in mind. However, retailers need to know and understand that the engineers who created Terminal Ascent accomplished this goal without sacrificing short-range performance. The result is simply the best all-range, all-velocity hunting ammunition available,” says Federal Ammunition centerfire rifle product manager Eric Miller. “Its design outperforms everything else in the vast Federal catalog of options. In our opinion, it also outperforms our competition’s best hunting loads.”
Federal clearly believes Terminal Ascent stands alone in the marketplace, and Miller stresses that retailers should emphasize that when talking with customers about ammo choices.
“In a marketplace filled with competitor loads that make tradeoffs, such as sacrificing short-range terminal performance for long-range expansion or toughness for accuracy, Terminal Ascent does it all,” he says. “That versatility may be its greatest asset. Consumers looking for the absolute best component bullet or loaded factory ammunition that will do it all will find Terminal Ascent to be the clear choice.”
Federal’s goal was to produce a target-grade match bullet that had best-in-class terminal performance. Does the company believe it met that objective?
“Not only did we reach that goal, we even surpassed our expectations on the overall performance of the bullet,” says Miller. “The Terminal Ascent bullet is produced in the Anoka plant, which allows us to control production. We take a lot of pride in this bullet, and we will continue to expand the line-up into new calibers and heavier-grain bullets where we can.”
The new line of ammunition is available in 11 cartridge options: 130-grain 6.5 Creedmoor; 130-grain 6.5 PRC; 136-grain .270 Win.; 136-grain .270 WSM; 155-grain .280 Ackley Improved; 155-grain 28 Nosler; 155-grain 7mm Rem. Magnum; 175-grain .308 Win.; 175-grain .30-06 Spring.; 200-grain .300 Win. Mag.; and 200-grain .300 Win. Short Mag. All are sold in 20-count boxes. Prices run from $57.99 to $104.99 per box. Handloaders can also get in the game, as Terminal Ascent bullets are available 130-grain .264, 136-grain .277, 155-grain .284, 175-grain .308, and 200-grain .308. All are packaged in 50-count boxes. Prices run from $77.99 to $79.99. (federalpremium.com)