Federal Premium Ammunition is just beginning to ship its newest product, the Edge TLR (some is already available at Brownells). This is a cartridge built specifically for long-range hunting with high BC projectiles that, according to Federal, not only expand at low velocity but perform well up-close, too. The entire run-down on Edge TLR’s features, benefits, and four current caliber offerings can be found in the following press release:
2017 NEW PRODUCTS: PREMIUM RIFLE
Edge TLR Hunting at long range requires an extremely accurate bullet that still expands, holds together and penetrates deep. That’s why Federal Premium® has developed the Edge TLR™. Unlike other so-called long-range projectiles that can fail to perform on impact at lower velocities, the Edge TLR uses the exclusive Slipstream™ polymer tip to initiate expansion at long range. At close range, the bullet’s copper shank and bonded lead core retain weight for consistent, lethal penetration. Its long, sleek profile offers an extremely high ballistic coefficient and AccuChannel™ groove technology improves accuracy and reduces drag.
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Features & Benefits
• Match-grade long-range accuracy in a bonded hunting bullet
• High-performance polymer tip material provides the industry’s highest heat resistance for the most consistent ballistics
• Extremely high ballistic coefficient
• Exclusive Slipstream tip helps flatten trajectories and initiate low-velocity expansion
• Less wind drift and drop
• AccuChannel groove technology minimizes drag
• Copper shank and bonded lead core retain weight for deep penetration at any range
• Demonstrated expansion at 900 yards
Federal Premium Edge TLR All-Range Hunting Ammunition
Choosing hunting ammunition traditionally involved selecting a round that would yield maximum performance at the range you expected to shoot. Some rounds were lethal up close, while others were designed for long-range accuracy. Finding a load capable of dropping game equally well at all distances has largely been a dream—until now.
Federal Premium’s new Edge TLR blends the features of top match bullet designs with the industry’s best bonding technology and components to make true all-range performance a reality.
The loads offer match-grade long-range accuracy and reliable expansion at low velocities. They also provide high weight retention, deep penetration and lethal terminal performance up close. There’s never been a hunting bullet that compares.
Terminal Long Range
Deadly terminal performance is a result of the bullet’s ability to penetrate straight through its target and unleash a knockout punch of energy along the way. This requires the front of the bullet to expand uniformly when it hits the target, which increases stability. And that’s where many so-called long-range bullets have traditionally fell short. These projectiles can fail to expand at all, or they expand asymmetrically, causing the bullet to veer off course or tumble—even exiting out the side of the target.
Federal Premium engineered the Edge TLR for flawless expansion at a wide range of velocities, from blistering speeds at the muzzle all the way out to extreme ranges where velocity falls off. At all distances within this vast window, the round reliably expands within the first couple inches of entering the target and punches straight through, dumping devastating amounts of energy in the process. A carefully designed nose paired with a completely new polymer tip helps make this possible.
“The Slipstream Tip features our patent-pending hollow-core technology,” said Product Development Engineer Justin Carbone. “A small cavity runs the length of the shank all the way up to just below the point itself. That point breaks free upon impact, allowing fluid to enter the hollow core, where it generates pressure and easy expansion, even at low velocities.”
A large hollow cavity in the bullet nose along with exterior jacket skiving further aid expansion and penetration. Serrations allow petals to peel back on contact at velocities as low as 1,350 fps—speeds typically seen 1,200 yards downrange in the 200-grain 30-caliber loads.
The Slipstream Tip’s hollow core sets it apart from all other polymer tips on the market—but it’s also unique in its resistance to the elevated temperatures a bullet experiences during flight. This high-tech blue material is actually the same one Federal Premium has used for a decade in the popular Trophy Bonded Tip bullet. It has a glass transition temperature—or softening point—of 434 degrees Fahrenheit. This unmatched heat resistance gives shooters the extremely consistent ballistics needed to make accurate long-range shots.
Close-Quarters Coverage With the growing popularity of long-range big game hunting, it’s not hard to find ammunition claimed to offer the accuracy and downrange terminal performance to do the job. However, to even come close to filling this tall order, these options are often built like varmint bullets, with thin jackets to encourage expansion at the low velocities experienced at longer ranges.
Unfortunately, when the bull or buck of a lifetime steps out of the brush at 20 yards, such single-purpose projectiles can completely blow apart under the high velocities of close-range impact, resulting in shallow penetration, low weight retention and poor terminal performance.
Edge TLR doesn’t make such sacrifices, combining its extreme range expansion capabilities and accuracy with the bonding and heavy-duty construction of the world’s toughest hunting bullets.
“You still get that bone-crushing bonded-core technology that’s been proven for decades in our Trophy Bonded Bear Claw and Trophy Bonded Tip,” Carbone said. “The bullet’s copper shank and bonded lead core retain weight for deep, reliable penetration—even at high velocities.”
Boosting BC Edge TLR doesn’t just pack a punch. The new round is also incredibly sleek, allowing long-range surgical strikes that have historically been limited to handloaded match bullets.
The credit goes to its extremely high ballistic coefficient (BC), which is a measurement of how well the bullet cuts through the air on its way downrange. To boost BC into the stratosphere, Federal Premium engineers gave the Edge TLR several important design features, including the small-diameter Slipstream polymer tip and a secant ogive.
A sleek, elongated boat-tail profile is another critical part of the performance package, and like the rest of the bullet’s design, it didn’t happen by accident. Longer boat-tails yield higher BCs. The tradeoff is lengthy tails can reduce stability. To conquer this, Federal Premium engineers determined the optimal boat-tail angle and extend the length as far as possible without taking a bite out of bullet stability.
To further boost BC, engineers selected bullet weights that are as heavy for caliber as possible while still maintaining stability through the different barrel twist rates common in today’s wide array of hunting rifles.
As a result, Edge TLR boasts some of the highest BCs in the industry. Doppler radar was used to verify that the 175-grain 30 caliber has a BC of 0.536, while the 200-grain version hits 0.625. Those are big numbers for these bullet weights in anyone’s book—and they’re achieved without compromising stability.
“You get the flattest trajectories, the least amount of wind drift, and the highest confidence that you’re going to make your shot,” Carbone said.
Get In the Groove Like many of the most versatile bullets, Edge TLR also features grooving along the shank to improve accuracy across a range of rifles, while decreasing barrel wear and fouling. However, unlike conventional grooving, the AccuChannel technology used in Edge TLR accomplishes these goals with only a minimal increase in drag.
Standard grooving causes approximately a 5 percent drop in BC per groove, so Federal Premium engineers ran a series of tests on both the number and location of grooves to determine the best combination for accuracy and minimizing drag.
“That’s when we made a breakthrough,” Carbone said. “We learned that by strategically placing one groove we could achieve the same benefits and accuracy as multiple grooves.”
Still not satisfied, the engineers used fluid dynamics modeling to tweak the groove geometry itself to reduce drag even more.
“Your typical groove has steep, 90-degree walls,” Carbone said. “We gave AccuChannel grooving a sloped rear wall that lets air flow more easily in and out of the groove, decreases pressure on that portion of the bullet and reduces overall drag.”
The Only One In a marketplace filled with competitor loads that make tradeoffs—sacrificing short-range terminal performance for long-range expansion, or toughness for accuracy—Edge TLR stands alone. Designed from the ground up to meet every aspect of all-range performance, it removes all doubt.
The black-nickel finish on both the bullet and case delivers corrosion resistance as well as a sleek look that appeals to serious shooters. Look for new Edge TLR in four initial offerings: 175-grain 308 Win., 175-grain 30-06 Spring., 200-grain 300 Win. Mag. and 200-grain 300 Win. Short Mag. Learn more at www.federalpremium.com.
