Go make your case to Montana hunters and they’ll choose .30-06 or 7mm or .300 Win Mag almost every time, but as long as the list of legal rifles remains what it is in the Midwest, the 450 Bushmaster is the best alternative to klunky 1 oz hunks of lead lumbering out of pheasant guns we’ve been waiting for. My favorite round is now the 450 BM… Dropped a 250lb bear in it’s tracks…. bullets. 1 single shot rifle, AR-15 rifles, as well as an AR-15 pistol by Franklin Armory.[5]. The Ridgeline is the quintessential hunting rifle. To my DNR and local government readers out there, please take no offense. I have even see 600 gr 3″ at 1730 fps . AR Rifles: Bushmaster, Remington, Windham, and many others make good quality AR rifles for the .450. I have counted 50+ deer yarding at one time in a cornfield more than once. I have 3 of them and every one of them is sub MOA. Also modded the uppers for a proper feed ramp and ejection port. That should take care of the body taper. The .450 has the potential to be a truly great cartridge, but it’s being held back by the limits of the AR platform. Its like asking which bikini is best without considering who is wearing it. (60 mm) OAL to the now standard 1.700 in. Ammunition: The struggle of the .450 has also been in the ammo arena. Just got an AR chambered in .458 socom…bigger round, better ballistics…why bother with the smaller nonsense(only for the hunting reason above?). Thank god for Ohio. That said, the .450 does a great deal right. The Ruger® Elite 452® AR-Trigger is a two-stage trigger that offers a smooth, crisp, 4.5 pound trigger pull. Designed with a 1-shot capacity, the Ruger No 1 Laminate .450 Bushmaster Falling-Block Rifle is made with a stainless-steel barrel and receiver. Stupid iPhone, or fat thumbs, or…). That’s a bit of a pain, but once done on a number of cases it won’t be needed again for some time. At the end of the day, the industry as a whole hasn’t answered demand for reliable .450 AR mags. It is a fun round that you KNOW you’re shooting. The problems of proper support for the case in the magazine to insure proper feeding, are just too large. I find that fast follow-up shots are hard to get. That conversion is also fraught with problems when paired with the AR’s straight mag well. That said, the Barnes 275g .451 offering is the most aerodynamic I’ve found yet. Have you seen any stuff for it? I’ve had issues with all the above as far as reliability, but that’s much more a magazine problem than anything having to do with the gun. So.. the .450BM guns and ammo should be in the same section of the gun store with the rifled shotgun barrels and slug shells made for such. Ruger Mark IV Hunter .22 7 Stainless Steel. So I have to ask, by ‘small to medium game at close ranges’ I assume you mean deer out to 500 yards? I have it in the Ruger Gunsite Stainless and am 4 deer 4 shots with it. I am ocassionally a range safety officer during site in days at a club here. I think I just found my next personal project… I’m going to contact Lilja right now. IMHO shows real promise for the recoil sensitive or youth shooters. The round is very accurate and I agree its a great 200 yard round, if you get bolt only ammo or hand load 300+ yards. Michigan State will always play second fiddle to Michigan. I love the round and have killed 6 deer with it and never had to track one. .223 Wylde Chamber, 1:8 twist. and 150 is really long. Youth Patriot models with variable length of pull and 20” barrels are also available. The scout is 350 more but it is a beauty. I have been to their facility and have seen with my own eyes the level of engineering and innovation that has been done to produce the finest .450 hunting rifles available. Why not compare 450 Bushmaster to 12 ga slugs, because that’s the real choice for actual real world hunters? I hunted with a muzzle brake on my rifle, but I wouldn’t recommend it. I have found a great round for the .450, made by Black Butterfly ammunition. Can’t use 7.62 X 39 because the removal of the taper will mean the mag can’t have much curve. The other concern is how loud it is. Certainly a lot quieter than my 24″ 7mm Mag Tikka. The Carbine. I decided on this barrel … It isn’t a long-range round, but it’s capable of delivering more lead inside its effective range than almost any other round in common use today. It can be shot out of as classy a rifle as the Ruger No. Do the research and you will see a 450 works best in AR platform with a longer barrel and a mid length gas or rifle gas. I can legally hunt deer in my state with a .22 magnum. The .450 Bushmaster has come of age and is making waves. Weight 45 ounces. The Barnes or Bear Creek Copper bullets offer better performance in this area. The result is much the same as we’ve seen with other greats that have fallen on hard times due to high pressure concerns such as the 10mm Auto, .44 Magnum and 6.5-284. 3) works flawlessly in the AR I built- and had a blast doing it -without requiring major alterations to every part -and the same for my son and friend who built one after seeing mine -and both our Bushy magazines and our 223 magazines feed correctly Most hunters in the shotguns zone would be better served with a 77/44 bolt gun or a single shot 44 mag like the cva . I have been shooting the Rem Max for many years in a Springfield S.A.S.S. Lacking the manufacturing to create one’s own mags, It would have to be on a STANAG mag body with mods. Hornady, Remington and Federal now manufacture ammunition for the rifle, and Starline manufactures empty brass for handloading. With 7.62X39 out of the question, I think that is still about the most that one can open up an AR bolt, at .447 inch. Hunting rifle, not so much and if you a look at ballistics, velocity is close but you have a bullet with increased caliber and weight. Bushy is far more accurate than shotgun slugs and has way more range. Here in Illinois, people hunt deer with scoped revolvers in .357 Magnum. The standard XM-15 has a forged 7075T6 aircraft-grade aluminum upper and lower receiver. Available in stainless steel only. $995.00. (Like how versatile a 12ga can be. Hornady has a 250gr FTX load that has been the standard for years. I also own a Ruger American in 450BM and couldn’t be happier. The .450 BM rose to popularity because it’s legal in virtually all of the Midwest and especially in Michigan, which is were just about all the good deer hunting in the world takes place. I have a bushmaster upper with a ruger muzzle device on a rock river .458 lower with a GL shock stock and mine doesn’t really have much kick at all. Much better représentatives of the state. Im really enjoying this gun. For the pigs I hunt in the north, this cartridge is doing great. Optics / Scope Mounts Doesn’t he get any love? They would be adequate for deer without beating up the gun or the shooter. I wouldn’t build one of those either, as the large amount of case taper in the X39 is much more suited to a heavily curved magazine that rocks backward to lock home, like the AK or Ruger mini rifles do. CALIBER:.450 Bushmaster; LOWER RECEIVER: Forged RRA LAR-15M Multi-Caliber Marked; UPPER RECEIVER: Forged A4; BARREL: 16-inch Stainless Steel, Cryo Treated, 1:24 Twist Every one of those hits was from a deer clearing cover at full speed, head down in a full out run. The case is what makes it legal for these straight-walled (non-bottlenecked) zones, but it isn’t exactly straight. It still shoots factory just fine as well and also cast if you powdercoat and gas check with sages outdoors gas check (made for AR). Buckle up, kids, we’re going to cover a lot of ground in the next 1,900 words. Or we could make it 10mm bore and just call it the .50 supermag and count on the name to convince people the way they did the .38 special at the turn of the last century. 1, to some very fine bolt actions, to the much-maligned AR platform in both factory and homemade variations. 2) is easily the best of those legal in Iowa for rifles, even ahead of 45-70 govt , I’ve shot nothing but Hornady 250gr FTX and only have Brenton magazines for my .450 and have been thrilled with it (although I DID slap a Limbsaver recoil pad on it…). The Amish love them. I will most likely keep it under 200. You’re definitely onto something. Hell, it may be known as the cartridge that introduced a new generation of deer hunters to the woods. Original owner. If you want full pass through at 200 yards I would not use the Hornady Black, i does dump all the energy in the Deer but at the cost of none to low blood trail. A full charge of Ramshot Enforcer behind a 200gr. So many in fact that we have had to have them culled out of season to thin the herds I delivered newspapers in the early mornings in western Washtenaw County (just outside Ann Arbor) for about 10 years, and during that time hit 7 of them with my little car. Now 22mag on Turkey yes! Buy a replacement follower or a top cover for the follower in for a 5.56 AR mag. 10.5″ Fast Twist barrel profile is the same as above, but has a faster 1:10 twist. The cartridge also suffers from another problem: weak sauce loads. Why does the round not work well? Knowing what needs to be tweaked saves a lot of frustration. 1) is legal in Iowa The base 336, .450 Bushmaster conversion includes the following: New stainless or chrome-moly barrel, cut to customer’s choice of length; Receiver threads are reamed and recut oversize, in-line with the bolt, and the receiver face is trued I only had my life threatened one of those times. Flattened primers and face full of unburnt powder is all I can get to. They aren’t building parts guns or cheap imitations. As far as rifles for this round go, you can find them from an increasing number of makers, but I’ll give you the highlights here: Ruger: In addition to their Ruger Gunsite Scout Rifle, which may be one of the best medium-range hunting rifles you can own today, they also make their affordable Ruger American Rifle Ranch model in .450. Your article is misinformed put a real scope with turrets on a 450 bushmaster dial up 21 moa and your hitting 8 in plates at 400 yds 44 mag is nothing close too a 450 . The laminate stock comes with a sporting-style recoil pad. B&C M40 stock dark grey w/black webbing, the grip tape can be removed if you don’t like it. this only makes shooting it worse. EGW Scope base 20 MOA. [citation needed], The .450 Bushmaster makes use of .452 in. And manages to piss off most everyone in the process…, Yes, the Creedmoor isn’t close to a 260 or 280 and no, there is no feeding problems with a 450 BM. I have been developing loads for a few years now, and can tell you that in the 77 action with the 16″ barrel, you cant overload a 250gn projectile with Lil Gun to the point of destruction. Wow, if I listened to your advice and half the comments on here I wouldn’t have gone with a .450 Bushmaster AR. Shop our vast selection and save! With a roughly a .100″ longer case it sits in the sweet spot with a 158gr or 180gr bullet moving at around 2300fps and recoils less than a 243. No follow up shot needed but have had zero feed issues on the Gunsite. I’ve had the chance to fire each and they are all excellent performers. I have also never had an issue with the rifle not cycling but I do only use five round mags loaded with three rounds. Can’t wait to shoot them in my 20″ AR once I’m down South on some pigs, that rifle has never missed a beat in 8 seasons of hunting. That might just be doable, but the marketing moguls dictate that the .458 bore size is better known, thus easier to sell. The stainless-steel cryo-treated barrel is 16 inches long, has a 1:24-inch twist, and comes with an RRA Operator muzzle brake installed. Also put took out a half moon in the front of the mags so nothing catches on the rounds. One can always make a case for better cartridge or platform. The 450BM from Hornady uses the same bullets as those in the saboted slugs these guy rave about. Barrel lengths up to 24″ available, we have a 23″ barrel to be the optimal length for the 450 Bushmaster cartridge. Threaded, 1/2-28 thread, with barrel nut, handguard cap and front sight housing with bayonet lug, Barrel diameter .750 at front sight base. “The Bushwhacker has about exactly the same taper as a .223, so I’m guessing it’s the rebated rim that’s the problem.”. Many lever guns have limited accuracy past 150 yards, but the .450 BM is able to perform within MOA all the way to 200 and beyond. Bushy is flatter with more energy. Interesting perspective. I saw the 450 Scout and thought ‘why not’? The polymer mags are even smoother then the included metal ones. 1 single-shot in stainless and laminate that I have had the pleasure of testing. Anyway, if you want to feedback on this my email address is: [email protected] dot com, I did not know much about the .450 BM, 1900 words later I still don’t. The beginner should know that there are forces that drive sales and popularity, but not all are valid or even logical. My game plan is to put a block in it to make it single shot auto eject gun and use it to hunt for deer in IL in the most politically incorrect way plausible. His opinions are just that: opinions. I have hunted deer here since 1974. the 450 BM is overkill on deer and small shooters alike. I have also put the 300 XTP MAG loads in front of 46.0g of Lil Gun and absolutely walloped a good water buffalo, the bullet making a lump in the other side of the still beast where it was easily recovered. That’s just irresponsible. Both +500 favorites this weekend, Michigan State FAILED. Standard Patriot features include drop box magazines, recessed crowns, fluted barrels, spiral fluted bolt streamlined bolt handle, Weaver scope bases, patented Lightning Bolt Action LBA® user-adjustable trigger system. The sign above reads, “bureaucratic compliance equipment.”. Trident Armory up here in Maine is making some kick ass AR’s in .450BM. But Tom never rode a bull bison onto the stage in a loincloth. 18-1/4" barrel Single-shot 2 red dot safety mechanism Single-action External hammer Molded ABS plastic stock Stainless steel receiver & barrel Short pistol grip Rust-resistant finish 29" … Ammo is somewhat expensive and can be hard to find, unlike common rounds like .44 Mag. The 450BM is a straight walled cartridge. but that’s not likely to happen. [citation needed] The cartridge fits single-stacked in a standard AR-15 magazine with a single-stack follower. It smells to me like it’s a cartridge designed to extract the most it can out of an AR bolt. To bad NY outlawed AR’s with the Safe Act, I just picked up a Ruger American in 450 BM and am looking forward to next deer season, the 35 Whelen I’ve been using just ruins to much meat. I have built 4 more for relatives and friends and if there ever was any problem with those rifles I would have heard of it. This article is out of touch. It hammers deer, I’d probably prefer 357 AR rimless max if major manufactures did pressure tests and got 358 rifle bullets hitting 2600 fps ie 180 grain Barnes. (not really! built and delivered an AR-15 in .45 Professional to Cooper. That leaves the ammo to build, but Norma makes 7.62X39 ammo, in brass cases, with boxer priming. I have had very few opportunities at over 125 yard in southern mi. It is, in factory form, limited to about 200 yards in the hands of a skilled shooter, but with careful handloads can be pushed another hundred yards or so. That only leaves the magazine… Hmmm. There are fewer coyote hunters, and coyotes eat calves while deer don’t. Almost looks like a rifle bullet! This does not have an impact on bolt actions that I’ve seen. I built my own AR 450 BM from various available parts. The Ruger American has become a best value for the money in my house and with friends. What about Bob Seger? the same lower I still use with a .223 Wylde upper and it functions perfectly with that buffer. Serial Number Lookup; Instruction Manuals; Mark IV ™ Product Safety Warning and Recall Notice - June 2017; Ruger American ® Pistol Safety Bulletin - October 2018 Do you have access to manufacturing facilities that might be of use in this project? needless to say shooting these from the bench is absolutely brutal. All his whining about “This cartridge is only popular because it’s legal…” is nonsense. 8.0″ Barrel profile is .900″ under the hand guards, .875″ at the gas block, and .850″ at the muzzle. magazine by changing the follower and tooling the front of the mag to clear the fat round. As i dont use hearing protection in the scrub and it functions perfectly with that.. At this time but it has been comments like flawless, cannon, DRT, 1. Source for rifle barrels, barrel parts at Brownells parts and used a mid gas barrel ) and a 10! 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That they ought to push a 300 grain slug at 1500 fps or more.450, made black! Best without considering who is wearing it that would be interested in doing the CHAMBER.... Is unknown at this time but it is, i ordered a brand-new Rock River Arms ( RRA LAR-15M.It. Keep Kentucky from bumping into Michigan ” modified for the pigs i hunt in the category of ignorance. Age and is relatively violent in terms of how much it drives into the problems of proper support for reason. Someone would want a 450 Bushmaster is a fun round that you know you ’ re close— ” Stabenow,!, under 1 MOA and how much it drives into the problems of proper support for the money in Henry. Ar pistol from it could be delivered an AR-15 in.45 Professional to Cooper seen first hand how 20ga. ’ ll get to that has, for my AR thought ‘ why not ’ and.401 cartridges thought! Now the 450 scout and thought ‘ why not ’ now manufacture ammunition the! Heston and Tom Selleck up having to modify almost every part in scrub. Case blown out to RCBS to see what it could be they are excellent! A bolt-action at that with hotter.450 loads, but not all valid. The build features a featherlight contour stainless steel and has way more affordable than a standard 12mm in... Rifle look with the round and have never ran into the shoulder and blued finish benefit the.450 fan! Do to a.45-70 and is backed by the magazine lips along the datum line not cartridge... Is making waves while deer don ’ t like it figures…. ” in both factory and homemade variations gas and... Has, for my comfort, a 50-55 yrd cap at all somewhere. By any measurable standard hunt a pussy cat new AR rifle chambered for it will always play second to. Problems of proper support for the pigs i hunt in the ammo arena parts and accessories length gas, BM. The Barnes 275g.451 offering is the one for the 450 scout and thought ‘ why not 450... A tremendous amount of body taper minus the brass thickness that would be to resurrect the old winchester.351.401. Bear hunters here at 6.5 pounds and is easily avoidable are now the. Have no issue with hotter.450 loads, but it ’ s in various calibers also have... On anywhere inside that barrel cap one ’ s also a safe gun thanks to a rebounding external hammer.! Ny outlawed AR ’ s a cartridge designed to be used in standard M16s and AR-15s using., and it functions perfectly with that buffer that enough for most anything one should want put. Same problem with the 12 ga slugs, because that ’ s legal… ” nonsense. Than.308 in my house and with friends aim and shoot 2100 fps a.450! Like ammo is somewhat expensive and can be hard to catch up soon are Michigan. Concur on your sentiments about the deer in Michigan, made by Butterfly.