“federal magnum”

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

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.

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.

Hornady’s dive into a .17-caliber rimfire was met with fanfare, as it truly was—and still is—a decided improvement over the long-range ballistics of any of the .22 rimfire cartridges.

The goal was to build a magnum-class cartridge in a small package, and Weatherby has done just that with its 6.5 Weatherby RPM, featuring a rebated rim, large body diameter, low body taper and 35-degree shoulder.

Despite the magnum moniker, the .327 Federal Magnum is a pleasure to shoot, giving it a lot of flexibility. It is a viable defensive cartridge, and in a hunting rifle, is a great choice for when shot distances are on the shorter end of the spectrum.

Over the century, Federal has risen to become one of the most dominant brands in the hunting ammo market. Here’s a look back at how it all happened.

Federal’s new HammerDown ammo line has been ideally adapted to feed, cycle and function in lever-action rifles while also delivering the best level of terminal performance for hunting that can be extracted from each cartridge.

Get a closer look at the Henry Big Boy Steel Carbine, the latest addition to our #SundayGunday series.