What are your thoughts on the .450 Bushmaster?

[Guest m4coyote]

The .450 Bushmaster conversion for the AR has intrigued me for some time now. It seems as if it would make a great hunting caliber for deer or larger game.

I have also considered the .458 Socom, and .50 Beowulf, but these cartridges are quite more expensive. The .458 Socom does accept the rifle bullets, and allows for more handloading freedom due to bullet selection. The .450 Bushmaster uses the .452 diameter bullets for handguns, but the bullets intended for use in the S&W .460 & .454 Cassul seem to be some pretty tough customers.

What do you guys think about the various alternatives for a big bore AR15 conversion.

[Guest gcrookston]

In my very limited experience with these (.50 beowolf), I'd consider them in the "pumkin balls" class.

Checking on Hornady's site, the .450 Bushmaster is plodding along at 1268fps/893ft/lbs at 300 yrds, with a 24"+ hold over, which doesn't impress me much for taking game. Though, I guess you all shoot a little closer here than I did growing up in Colorado.

However, at 100 yrds, they are 1840fps/1879ft/lbs, which makes them a good candidate for a guide gun or for home defense.

I believe with these sorts of ballistics it would be well suited to the camp gun or guide gun situation, where close and immediate intervention is required (nothing like a brown bear up in Idaho deciding your unwashed cookware needs you for an appetizer), but I personally wouldn't care to try to take deer with it.

This family of chamberings is interesting, but not to the point that I would care to have one. I prefer my game getters fast, flat and obscenely overpowered, like the .264 Winmag (which is my favorite "all round" deer/elk/prairie dog calibre).