FIELD TESTED: Weatherby’s 307 Alpine CT Rifle and Federal’s 7mm Backcountry Cartridge

The Weatherby 307 Alpine CT delivers stunning accuracy with the new ‘world’s fastest’ factory 7mm cartridge

by Mike Dickerson

As a long-time fan of Weatherby rifles, I was eager to test the company’s new Model 307 Alpine CT rifle. I was doubly eager to be among the few to test and hunt with the rifle chambered for the just-announced Federal Ammunition 7mm Backcountry cartridge, which promises to redefine hunting ammunition.

Before I get to the rifle, a quick description of the game-changing 7mm Backcountry, which Federal calls the “fastest production 7mm rifle cartridge on the planet,” is in order.

The cartridge, which has been in development for six years, launches a 170-grain bullet at 3,000 fps — and it does so out of a 20-inch barrel. It’s even faster out of longer barrels, and no other factory cartridge can touch it out of same-length barrels with the same-weight bullets. In developing the cartridge, Federal recognized that hunters are increasingly moving to lighter rifles with shorter, suppressed barrels, but shorter barrels meant sacrificing velocity and energy downrange. That’s no longer the case.

The ground-breaking aspect of the 7mm Backcountry is that it delivers this performance out of a cartridge that resembles rounds like the .30-06, fits in non-magnum, standard long actions, and delivers better-than-magnum velocity without commensurate magnum recoil. Federal achieved this by using a new, patented Peak Alloy case, which traces its roots to Federal’s work with the US military. The Peak Alloy case is made of a special steel alloy that’s similar to that used in such things as nuclear reactors. This allows cases to be safely loaded to a maximum chamber pressure of 80,000 pounds per square inch, launching bullets downrange faster.

According to Federal, the cartridge does not cause excessive wear beyond that caused by legacy ammunition, and barrel wear is comparable to common cartridges. Cases are nickel-plated to protect against corrosion. Notably, Federal includes two lines of basic ballistic information on cartridge boxes. One line shows data for 20-inch barrels, and the other shows information for 24-inch barrels. Federal says the cases are reloadable, in accordance with strict Federal guidelines, but detailed reloading information was not yet available when this story was written.

The 7mm Backcountry is initially offered in the following five loads, listed with factory-stated muzzle velocities out of 20-inch barrels: 155-grain Terminal Ascent (3,150 fps), 168-grain Barnes LRX (3,000 fps), 170-grain Terminal Ascent (3,000 fps), 175-grain Fusion Tipped (2,975 FPS), and 195-grain Berger Elite Hunter (2,850 fps). Notably, as you will see, I discovered that the two loads I had available to test were even faster than advertised out of the 307 Alpine CT’s 20-inch barrel.

I put the Alpine CT and the 175-grain Fusion Tipped load to the test on a hunt in the high-desert region of New Mexico. Both cartridge and rifle performed beautifully, allowing me to make a tricky, split-second shot on a big 3X3 desert mule deer at 226 yards. Subsequent range testing left me even more impressed with the new rifle and cartridge.

The Weatherby Model 307, introduced in 2023, fills a niche between the company’s Vanguard and Mark V product lines. The rifle is built upon a Remington 700-footprint action, but with considerable improvements. These include a new three-piece, two-lug bolt that allows tool-less takedown, a Triggertech trigger that adjusts down to a pull weight of 2.5 pounds, an improved bolt-release button, an M16-style extractor, and 8-40 screws for mounting optic bases.

The Remington 700-style action has the added advantage of accommodating a huge array of aftermarket stocks, rails, mounts, triggers, and magazines.

The new Alpine CT is a much-enhanced version of the Model 307. At the business end, you’ll find a BSF carbon fiber-wrapped stainless-steel barrel. The carbon fiber is applied under tension, which keeps rifling straighter as the barrel heats up, resulting in a stiffer, more rigid barrel. BSF says that 95% of the carbon fiber does not touch the barrel, allowing barrels to cool faster and absorb vibration, and it contributes to tighter groups. Barrels are threaded (1/2×28) and tipped with Weatherby’s Accubrake DST (Directional Self-Timing Brake).

Barrel length varies with chambering, from 22 to 26 inches. My test gun, in the new 7mm Backcountry, had a 20-inch barrel, which is ideal for those who wish to hunt with suppressors. The barrel on this gun was properly centered in the barrel channel and truly free-floated.

Additional available chamberings include .243 Win, .240 Wby, .257 Wby Mag, .280 Ackley Improved, .300 Wby Mag, .300 Win, 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5 PRC, 6.5 Wby RPM, 6.5-300 Wby Mag, .300 PRC, and 7mm PRC. Atop the action, you’ll find a 20-MOA Peak 44 rail for mounting optics.

The Alpine CT is equipped with a Peak 44 Bastion stock that weighs just 24 ounces and has a custom, hand-painted finish. It has a vertical grip and ambidextrous palm swell, making it comfortable to shoot from most any shooting position. It also has dual sling studs in the forend for attaching multiple accessories like bipods and slings.

The stock had very little flex in it, which is a good thing. It was also equipped with a 3D Hex recoil pad that seemed a tad stiff to me on initial examination. It worked well, though, and combined with the Alpine CT’s muzzle brake to further tame the already moderate recoil produced with the 7mm Backcountry ammo.

The combination of carbon fiber barrel and stock results in a rifle that tips the scales right around six pounds, even though the bottom metal is, refreshingly, actually made of metal. The action, bottom metal, and muzzle brake are protected with a chocolate brown Cerakote finish while the bolt and bolt knob have a graphite black Cerakote finish. All of this makes the Alpine CT a go-anywhere, do-anything rifle that looks as good as it shoots. Full up with a Leupold VX-5HD 3-15×44 scope and Talley rings, my test rifle weighed 7 pounds, 14 ounces.

Weatherby elected to equip the Alpine CT with a traditional hinged-floorplate magazine that holds four rounds of 7mm Backcountry ammo. It fed rounds into the chamber flawlessly, and the rifle did everything it was supposed to do, with no issues extracting or ejecting cases. The spiral-fluted, Cerakote-protected bolt cycled with admirable smoothness.

The Alpine CT comes with an adjustable Triggertech trigger, but my test rifle, interestingly, did not. Whoever played with the gun before me installed a Timney trigger, but I was not complaining. The Timney trigger had zero creep and broke at a rather light average pull weight of 1 pound, 12 ounces, which put a smile on my face. This trigger swap underscores the flexibility of the Model 307 action. The Timney trigger, like the Triggertech trigger, is paired with a two-position safety that lets you cycle rounds through the action with the safety engaged.

That trigger contributed to the rifle’s excellent performance with 7mm Backcountry ammo at the range, and that’s where things really got interesting. I only had two loads to test, but the rifle proved to be superbly accurate with both of them.

The first load I tested, which was the same load I hunted with, was the 175-grain Fusion Tipped load. Surprisingly, it launched at 3,024 fps, which is about 50 fps faster than advertised out of a 20-inch barrel. Zeroed three inches high at the altitude I was hunting, that bullet impacts less than six inches low at 350 yards with 2,461 foot-pounds of energy. The load had very good numbers for standard deviation and extreme spread, but the real surprise came in measured 100-yard groups. The load printed 0.50-inch average groups and a best group measuring just 0.30 inches.

The second test load, using a 168-grain copper Barnes LRX bullet, did nearly as well. Muzzle velocity, as measured with a Garmin Xero C1 Pro chronograph, was 3,033 fps. That was also a little faster than the load’s advertised velocity of 3,000 fps, indicating both loads were loaded a smidge hot, or the Alpine CT had a “fast” barrel, or a little bit of both. In any event, this load, like the heavier Fusion Tipped load, easily met Weatherby’s sub-MOA accuracy guarantee. Average groups measured 0.58 inches, with a 0.42-inch best group.

MSRP of the Alpine CT is $2,199, but you can find it at retailers for a bit less. With this rifle in this chambering, I consider that price a bargain. What you’ll get for your money is a package that delivers excellent accuracy, unequaled 7mm velocity, flat trajectory, and great downrange energy — even from a light, shorter-barreled rifle. If you want to hunt with a suppressed, legit backcountry gun that delivers better-than-magnum performance with less-than-magnum recoil, the 307 Alpine CT and Federal’s 7mm Backcountry cartridge are a winning combination.

Weatherby 307 Alpine CT Specifications

Caliber: 7mm Backcountry, as tested
Action: Bolt action push feed
Barrel: BSF carbon fiber/stainless-steel, 20 in.
Twist Rate: 1:8
Threaded: 1/2×28
Muzzle Brake: Accubrake DST
Action Finish: chocolate brown Cerakote
Trigger: Adjustable Triggertech
Stock: Peak 44 Bastion carbon fiber
Magazine: Hinged floorplate
Capacity: 4+1
Sights: None, drilled and tapped
Optics Mount: 20-MOA Peak 44 Picatinny rail
Weight: Approx. 6 lbs.
Overall Length: 42.3 in.
Length of Pull:13.5 in.
MSRP: $2,199

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Mike Dickerson

Mike Dickerson is an award-winning outdoor writer who has published thousands of magazine and newspaper articles. He is an avid hunter and recreational shooter with decades of experience, specializing in rifles, shotguns, optics, and ammunition. He is also a proud Vietnam veteran who maintains close ties with the US military.

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