REVIEW OF 450 BUSHMASTER
The 450 bushmaster is a MUST have if you are a serious AR shooter.  Cabalas sell the uppers on sale for under s$700.  I was supposed to get the 16” but was sent the 20” instead.  I actually wanted the 20” anyway.  Out of the box, put my Nikon Prostaff 4-12x40 on and in five shots was “BULLSEYE” at 100 yrds on a very windy day.  After that I put 3 rounds in the same hole (bullseye).  I fired 3 rounds and let the barrel cool.  It is like shooting a cannon.  You shoot a 250 gr bullet at 2200 fps.  Even at 300 yrds it is hitting with more force than point blank with a 44 mag.  I have not shot it to that distance yet but I have no doubts with its performance at 100 yrds (tack driver).  The recoil is about that of a 20 gauge shotgun.  I do have the edidine recoil buffer and I would recommend it.  
Ammo is far cheaper than for the .50 Beowulf or 458 SOCOM.  LOOK at the fps and ft/lbs of energy for all of these along with the cost and it is a no-brainer it’s the 450 Bushmaster.  I have found the ammo for as low as $23.50 a box.  I have read many articles on this and there was concern regarding ammo.  It’s the cheapest out there for this type of AR and the more people that get this the better.  
It is just FUN to shoot!!!  This is one of the best buys I have made.  My guess is I will not have to chase deer nor will I lose any anymore because of lack of blood trail.  I hunt in very heavy forested area where you can take a long shot but the deer jump into the trees and can be very hard to find without a good blood trail.  BUY THIS GUN, YOU WILL LOVE IT!
I hope this helps if you are looking at getting this upper/gun.

I love mine. Definitely a fun round to shoot.

Shhhhhhhhhh....do you really want the price of 450b ammo to go up? Jeeze

why did you want 20 vs 16? from what I have read velocity is very close.

i've got two 450's, great guns, especially since I bought a bunch of the factory Hornady ammo for $19 a box, won't have to reload for awhile lol

Where did you get it for $19 a box?  Or should I say when?
I thought the 20" would be better for 200-300 yrds shots.

My bet's Palmetto State Armory. They were running specials on it all the time last year. I love my THUMPER! Super accurate at 100 yards.

Even at $25.00 (plus whatever shipping costs) it still remains the least expensive (for the non-reloader) to shoot. No doubt about that.

That is one advantage the Bushy enjoys over the other big-bores.

Additionally, IF a hand-loader wants to take the extra steps, .458 caliber bullets can be swaged down to work in the Bushy...which effectively makes it the "bullet selection" king!

I chose the .458 SOCOM, but for reasons other than mentioned above. The Bushy is a solid rifle working around a very nice cartridge.

Up-date
I had a chance to shoot the 450 BM at 200 and 300 yrds.  Was NOT disappointed.  1-2” groups at 200 yrds and 3-4” at 300.  Third shoot at 300 using a BDC I put the shot right smack in the bulls eye.  The wind kicked up and the kids were getting busy so I didn’t have a lot of time to shoot but was able to hit the bulls eye at 300 yrds on the third shot.  VERY impressive gun.  Not just a 100-200 yrd gun, 100-300 yrd gun and most hunters I know are not shooting beyond that on typical game.  Again, at 300 yrds it has MORE energy than a .44 mag point blank.

I love shooting my .458 SOCOM, I have a spare lower sitting here I may take the plunge and hoop on that train.

Well.......this is true, IF you pick the mildest loads you can find for the .44 Mag. Remember, there is a plethora of loads (some quite potent) for the .44 magnum...so you have to be 'careful' making the statement above.

Nonetheless, the Bushy is a great cartridge, we get that....and are happy you like it.

You are correct however you may have missed the point.  My point was that it still has "knock-down" power at 300 yards.  Not many would argue that any 44 mag standard load would not have "knock-down" power enough to kill a deer at the muzzel.  This statement was in response to comments that the 450 BM is only effective to 200 yards.  Does that make sense?  Beyond 300-400 yards it does not have enough energy for me to shot deer.

WeaponsProfessor wrote:


No, I don't think I did, or hope not.

 
Yes, all of the big bore variants do. I believe that is understood by most folks.


I would never make that argument, though I would not expect to get within "muzzle" distance of a deer.


It does make sense, its just that I didn't (and still don't) see any such comments. I do however see the statement (energy at 300 yds.) in the advertising for the 450 Bushy and thought it might be well to bring just a little levity to the hyperbole. The statement is true...but they don't "qualify" it...and any of us who shoot the .44 mag would quickly pick up on that.


It probably has enough remaining energy (though not ideal), the real limitation is trajectory. All of the popular three B/B's (Beo, Bushy, Socom) are basically 200 yd. cartridges (150 would be better) for most practical applications. ALL can be shot much farther of course, but you will be dealing with a rainbow like trajectory much beyond 225 yds.

I am glad you like your Bushy, it is a fine cartridge and should serve you well.  

yep when Palmetto had it for $19 a box, i bought I think 15 or 20 boxes

I love mine, it's very accurate!