8 Great Backcountry Defense Guns Lead

8 Great Backcountry Defense Guns

From rifles and shotguns to pistols and revolvers, these eight sidearms will keep you safe when you’re far from help.

Behind the Bullet: 26 Nosler

The first of the Nosler proprietary cartridges, the 26 Nosler remains a flat-shooting, hard-hitting choice for hunting open country. Being a 6.5mm cartridge, it will use the high ballistic coefficient projectiles which retain their energy downrange, resist the effects of a crosswind and offer a flat trajectory.

Behind the Bullet: 6mm Remington

Introduced in 1955, the 6mm Remington was designed to be a dual-purpose cartridge that could handle varmints and predators just as well as it could deer and similar-sized game.

Behind the Bullet: .270 Winchester Short Magnum

Loosely based on a shortened .404 Jeffery case with the rim rebated to the .535-inch case head of the H&H family, the .270 WSM was the third commercial cartridge using the .277-inch bore diameter, and betters the velocity of the .270 Winchester by 200 to 250 fps.

First Look: Federal HST .357 Magnum Ammo

When hunters are toting their trusty bear-defense handguns outside of the backcountry, its often wise to change out ammunition—away from hard-nosed, monolithic rounds that focus primarily on penetrating thick skull plates and the like. Federal Premium is helping hunters do exactly that, with the addition of Personal Defense HST 357 Magnum and 327 Federal Magnum.

Behind the Bullet: 360 Buckhammer

Remington’s new 360 Buckhammer straight-wall cartridge is optimized for lever-action rifles, deadly and accurate out to 200-plus yards.

Federal Ammunition Adds Train + Protect 10mm Ammo

Federal Premium recently added a new line extension to its Train + Protect product line—featuring packaging that honors any shooter’s birthright to bear arms—with a new load in 10mm Auto.

Behind the Bullet: 30 Nosler

If you’re a velocity hound, the 30 Nosler is among the fastest .30-caliber cartridges housed in a long-action receiver.

Behind the Bullet: 7-30 Waters

Developed in 1976 by Ken Waters as a wildcat cartridge, the 7-30 Waters is based on the .30-30 Winchester necked down to 7mm to improve velocity and trajectory, with a significant drop off in felt recoil. In 1984, Winchester began to produce rifles chambered for cartridge, legitimizing Waters’ dream, and establishing it as a commercial cartridge.

Behind the Bullet: .370 Sako Magnum

In 2003, Finnish firearms manufacturer Sako released its own variant of the 9.3mm rimless cartridge: the 9.3x66mm Sako, or as it is known in the U.S., the .370 Sako Magnum. It delivers performance on par with the beloved .375 H&H in a package which can hold one additional round in the magazine in a lighter rifle.

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