OK, you’ve purchased the fur gun of your dreams and topped it with a high-quality scope — the best you could afford. But all of that is for naught if you feed it substandard ammunition. Fortunately, there is no shortage of high-quality ammo options out there for the discerning predator hunter. Federal’s Terminal Ascent is a good example — the ammo maker’s answer to one bullet for all hunting applications. And since I was hunting with the company’s top dog, CEO Jason Vanderbrink — the guy who provided the leadership for the conception and development of Federal’s flagship load — I got a firsthand account of the brains and brawn behind its development.

“You know, whether it’s good penetration, good accuracy, good weight retention or high ballistic coefficient — it’s just hard to get all of the best attributes and put it in one bullet,” Vanderbrink explained. “So, we started off with the Trophy Bonded Bear Claw bullet Jack Carter developed many moons ago, which is still a great bullet for us.” From there, Vanderbrink says, the Federal engineers used their knowledge of various bullet designs to produce a terminal set for a bullet that would produce optimum results across a wide range of diverse hunting applications. Terminal Ascent combines elements from those bullets with modern materials, technology and design into a projectile that kills at varying velocities and ranges.

Federal Terminal Ascent’s match-grade bonded bullet construction delivers deep penetration on close targets, while its patented Slipstream polymer tip helps flatten trajectory and initiates expansion at velocities 200 fps lower than comparable designs for long-range proficiency. The bullet’s long, sleek profile offers an extremely high ballistic coefficient and its AccuChannel groove technology improves accuracy and minimizes drag and wind drift. Its copper shank and bonded lead core retain weight for deep penetration at any range. Terminal Ascent is available in a full selection of long-range hunting cartridges ranging from 6.5 Creedmoor to .300 Win. Mag. 

Said Vanderbrink: “I’ve shot everything from Alaskan moose to Mongolian sheep to mule deer — and now a wolf — with Terminal Ascent and I can confidently say there isn’t another bullet out there that produces better terminal results across a wide range of applications.”