Talk to me about the 450 Bushmaster...

[HighDesertSage]

Just looking for some input from folks who have used this cartridge for midwest whitetails. I am new to Iowa's shotgun seasons, looking for a rifle for myself and the family to use here. I looked up the ballistics for this round, and they seem to have the best of all the straight walled cartridges. I'm looking at the Ruger American GoWild, with eventually upgrading the rifle. Is it reasonable to assume this could be a 250 yard gun?

Thoughts?

 

[Addicting]

I did not like the feel or action of the Rugers. I had a Rem 700 built into one. It shoots very nice and cloverleafs 5 shot groups at 100. I’ve taken deer out to 250 with a complete pass thru. All in all it’s a great cartridge. But not one I want to keep. I’ve found that I enjoyed my muzzleloader more and it has near the same ballistics. If you want shoot me a PM. I may be interested in selling my .450.

 

[turbobrick]

I had a factory Bushmaster AR in .450 right when they came out. I loved the thing, it was a blast to shoot, and quite accurate. Recoil wasn't bad, and it carried really nice as a small carbine. If I lived in a state where straight wall cartridges were I thing, I'd absolutely own one again and hunt with it. I also had a couple Ruger Americans (300blk, .260 Rem, .30-06), and I believe they are an excellent platform for the cost. Eric from Vortex/The Hunting Public harvested a whitetail with an American in 450 and the guys all seemed to think it was great for that application. I'd be super interested in an American in 350 Legend as well, looks like another excellent cartridge for that application.

 

[HighDesertSage]

Thanks for the feedback Addicting/Turbobrick. The American definitely has a cheap feel to it, but I'm having a tough time spending more than 500 bucks on a gun that has a max range of 250 yards. The more expensive rifles are nice, but probably unnecessary.

I looked at the 350 Legend as well, but from my research, the 450 Bushmaster seemed to stretch my effective kill range another 50-100 yards.

Thanks!

 

[RUT JUNKEY]

Its pretty popular here in Indiana. I have several friends that have the Ruger and love it, its for sure a 200 yard gun. The recoil isn't too bad, and way less than the .458 SOCOM that I use and a little cheaper to shoot. Good luck.

 

[HighDesertSage]

Just ordered one today. I'll post up how it shoots.