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.450 Bushmaster Bolt Action

Rossignol

The Original Sheriff
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Ive only little more than heard of .450 bushmaster and I’m only familiar with it as a round that the AR platform has been chambered for and I think it was based on an idea from Jeff Cooper.

But now I am seeing a bolt action chambered for this round and I’m curious. I have no serious intention on purchasing one, I just want to understand it. The rifle is the savage wolverine with the new “accu-fit” accustock. 18” barrel with 1:24 twist and integral 20 MOA rail. 20 MOA rail. This is the part I’m most curious about because I’m thinking there are flatter shooting cartridges that are still suitable for big game well beyond the reach of the .450. A .300 winmag maybe? From the little I kinda know of the .450 is that it seems like it drops pretty fast after a somewhat flat trajectory to around 200 yards. But why a 20 MOA rail then just to get to 200 yards? Usually people start looking at an MOA rail when they’re hitting 1000 yards.

I find this all very interesting.
 
The 450 is popular because it is being adopted for use in the shotgun only areas of a few states. That is why I built my 450 AR.

Its a good gun to 200 yards, possjbly to 300 but I have not pushed it that far yet. At 400-500 there is just not enough energy left IMHO.

I took a deer with mine at 177 yards last season.

Not sure on the rail. Perhaps the model was already set up for it so it was easier to keep it than modify the assembly process any more.

Ruger has been making them for a few years through exclusive contract with Randys guns here in MI. Now that that contract has run out and other states are adopting the same rules, we are seeing them coming from more manufacturers.

I find it to be a very accurate round in just the factory loadings (Hornady Black Box) and the recoil is not nearly as bad as a 12g slug or 30-06 (at least in my gun).

I would like to pick up a single shot or bolt gun. Something easier and quiter to load in the dark when I get to my blind early and cant load up til shooting hours.
 
Oh ok, and that makes sense. Ohio doesn’t allow tapered, or necked down, cartridges. But straight wall cartridges are ok for “primitive” gun season which is still separate from shotgun season I believe. Unless that has changed in the last couple years. But in any case, it’s only recently that straight wall cartridges were given the ok which made way for things like single shot rifles in .45-70 and pistol caliber carbines and lever guns.

So I can see where it could fit in for that.
 
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In MI they put a limit on case length. The maximum limit of 1.80" and the 45-70 with a case length of 2.105 exceeds that and therefore off limits. A lot of people were PO'd about that.

A .35 caliber or larger rifle loaded with straight-walled cartridges with a minimum
case length of 1.16 inches and a maximum case length of 1.80 inches.


Some have trimmed down the 45-70 cases to make them fit the legal requirement and loaded appropriately but I'm not going to stand and argue with a DNR officer who is only looking at the chambering stamped on the barrel. My thought is that if the longer case can be chambered, then you will have to fight it out in court.
 
Yeah, unfortunately, I agree Mike.

And to further that, I doubt many of them carry around their own set of calipers with them.
 
Although off topic, I want to throw in, Indiana has went the other way on what they allow for firearms season, last year it only allowed centerfire rifle calibers of .243, and .30. With no limitation to cartridge length. How anyone in this state would have the need to hunt deer with a .300 win mag is beyond me, but it was legal. Fortunately only on private property. This year (or last year by the calender) they've broadend the range of calibers.
 
I used to think that about the 300 winmag as well until I hunted a field where I can clearly see 1000+ yards.

Thats why I built the 450BM as its in the "shotgun zone" where these new rules apply
 
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