Federal Terminal Ascent Bullets - Anyone used em?

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Anyone communicated with Federal regarding when Terminal Ascent will be available?
I have about 100 Edge TLR bullets for reloading which are essentially the same thing. Just wondering.

Thanks
 
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I found some “over run” 277 at midway a couple weeks ago. Didn’t draw elk, so I’ll try to get one in a scrawny whitetail this year.


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FCCDerek

Lil-Rokslider
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I've got three boxes of their factory ammo in 280AI. It honestly shoots as well as most of the hand loads I've worked up in various calibers. It chrono'd at 2960fps with my Magnetospeed, with an ES of 19. Very good stuff for factory ammo. Haven't shot any critters with it yet though. Still need to finish working up a load for 140TTSX for hunting season this year.
 

tak

WKR
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Jan 10, 2021
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As of recently, the 308 is now available directly on the federal website. All cartridges were unavailable for a good while, so hopefully that is a sign they’ll be coming back.

I shot a lot of factory TA 308 last year. They grouped great and shot right with GMM out to 600. I used those also to kill 2 whitetail bucks and one 33” aoudad. This was with a 16” 308 (suppressed), so relatively low velocity. Around 2440 at the muzzle. Hill country Texas whitetail aren’t tough obviously, but I had good wound channels and quick kills. Aoudad are tough customers, but I put it on the shoulder and had it pass through (~100 yard shot).

I’m pleased, and I know I’m pushing the lower limit of velocity for pretty much any game. I really want to find some 280AI, I think the velocity of 155gr will be about perfect for that bullet. Not sure if I believe the .300 G7 BC though, but I plan to find out.
 

chindits

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or (more importantly) how they perform when they hit something besides paper.

To the OP:

I used the 155 gr 7 mag ascent factory load on a bull 2020. It was a calm morning probably single digits or low teens at about 9500 feet. Elk spotted at 900 meters and could only close to 500 meters due to open sage on the opposite side of the draw. The shot was taken from a sitting position on a very steep ridge side off an upright framed pack. The pack slipped on the shot due to the slope and snow. By the time I got my pack and reset, I couldn’t take another shot. Not because they spooked but because they didn’t. The herd kept grazing like nothing happened and there were 3 bulls all of the same age class with the cows. Approximately 20 meters of grazing one bull bedded down and never got up as the herd foraged on.

I made a bad shot. I got lucky. Now what you really care about, at 500 meters the bullet opened up as advertised and plowed through the paunch packed full of the typical wet grass and browse coming to rest on off side hide. Gut was full of blood from what ever blood vessel was cut.

Sorry for the long windedB9BB63D2-BB97-4EC9-BBFB-9FE4DC4C88CC.jpeg less than perfect hunt report but the bullet did it’s job none the less and weighs 147.7 gr.
 

Mark at EXO

WKR
Rokslide Sponsor
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Feb 26, 2012
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602
Killed two bucks on Kodiak this fall with the 130g T/A out of my 6.5CM. Both ended-up being frontal shots at the neck/chest junction. A 300yd shot on one buck was as fast of a bang-flop as I've ever seen. The other buck was a 30yd shot, the buck jumped, spun, and did a death run for 5-6 strides.

Neither bullet exited (again, these were NOT broadside shots), but unfortunately I wasn't able to recover either one.

I plan to use them again and would love to get my hands on the 7mm to load in my SAUM.
 

Ice-kub

Lil-Rokslider
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Jan 9, 2022
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Wish I could find these in Canada in 7mm. We get shafted up here. They look good on paper.
 
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For those of you reloading Edge TLR or TA how much jump off the lands are you running?
0.308 in particular.

I'm working up a load. Chronograph at 0.02 off lands. May need to back off more from what I've read.

Thanks
 
Last edited:
Joined
Dec 28, 2019
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For those of you reloading Edge TLR or TA how much jump off the lands are you running?
0.308 in particular.

I'm working up a load. Chronograph at 0.02 off lands. May need to back off more from what I've read.

Thanks

I got the 175 grain .308 TLR over runs from Midway. I loaded them to max SAAMI COL 2.810 and got tight groups with Ramshot TAC. Never hunted with them though. I’m sure they do a great job.
 

Swamplord

FNG
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Apr 9, 2016
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12
Loaded the 175 gr Terminal Ascent in my 300 RUM with RL26 for 3400 fps with 3/4" and less 3 shot groups at 100 yards, very limited load development but was satisfied for my usual 15-600 yard moose hunting scenario, was actively hunting moose in Sept 2020 when Badlands Precision called and informed me the very first 100 pc batch of the 205 gr SBD 2 were done ! So I had them expedite the bullets asap and switched to another cartridge with the SBD 2 bullets ...
They worked phenomenal on my last day of season bull but that's another story ...

As for the 30 cal 175 gr Terminal Ascent ? my bro came out to help pack out our dads moose after the kill the next morning, and as we were loading up the bagged quarters a nice bull stepped out 150 yards out, walking towards us and grunting in a raspy annoyed tone, after confirming legal antler size (3 brow tine unit) he was right at 99 yards according to my rangefinder, I grunted and he stopped, stood staring at us drooling, and did a slow swagger that put him broadside, my bro plugged him and he totally crashed on the spot ! I ranged him again after the excitement and he was still exactly 99 yards .....

bullet did a fantastic job on a shoulder shot, breaking bones and jellying the internal operating system and came to rest hanging partially out on the offside

definitely a bullet I would trust for self defense on mr brown at close range while moose hunting, as for long range shots ? haven't had an opportunity to experience that yet but will say this .... want expansion at longer ranges ??? with any bonded or copper bullet... get a bigger cartridge , simple as that ....

B6D4ADE3-B2A9-4100-A386-4B5C4366505D.jpeg110E81A3-CCB5-4BD2-BDCF-C066F15DD381.jpegF4BD1217-1FF5-46C3-A5D3-268B3DB84810.jpeg
 

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Oakman

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185
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Michigan
Loaded the 175 gr Terminal Ascent in my 300 RUM with RL26 for 3400 fps with 3/4" and less 3 shot groups at 100 yards, very limited load development but was satisfied for my usual 15-600 yard moose hunting scenario, was actively hunting moose in Sept 2020 when Badlands Precision called and informed me the very first 100 pc batch of the 205 gr SBD 2 were done ! So I had them expedite the bullets asap and switched to another cartridge with the SBD 2 bullets ...
They worked phenomenal on my last day of season bull but that's another story ...

As for the 30 cal 175 gr Terminal Ascent ? my bro came out to help pack out our dads moose after the kill the next morning, and as we were loading up the bagged quarters a nice bull stepped out 150 yards out, walking towards us and grunting in a raspy annoyed tone, after confirming legal antler size (3 brow tine unit) he was right at 99 yards according to my rangefinder, I grunted and he stopped, stood staring at us drooling, and did a slow swagger that put him broadside, my bro plugged him and he totally crashed on the spot ! I ranged him again after the excitement and he was still exactly 99 yards .....

bullet did a fantastic job on a shoulder shot, breaking bones and jellying the internal operating system and came to rest hanging partially out on the offside

definitely a bullet I would trust for self defense on mr brown at close range while moose hunting, as for long range shots ? haven't had an opportunity to experience that yet but will say this .... want expansion at longer ranges ??? with any bonded or copper bullet... get a bigger cartridge , simple as that ....

View attachment 380121

That is great, congrats.
I don't mean to divert the topic but, can you please tell me how did you recover this giant out of the swamp?
 
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Still have not seen 175 grain .308" component bullets available. In fact, I have never seen them available once. Called Federal and they claimed they will be making a run over the summer. IDK
 
Joined
Nov 20, 2021
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52
I haven’t seen any bullets just random factory loads. I’ve experienced great velo readings like sub 20 SD. But most out of my Sako S20 300 Win mag and. 200 grain TA bullets I had them not stabilize at 100 yards. Couldn’t get to a further range but then after 30 rounds I had some amazing tight groups and stabilized bullets. Weird results? I tried to contact Federal about it and see if they had an answer but nothing.
 
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