450 Bushmaster and Barnes 275gr TSX and a deal to share.

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mcb

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Rambling post with lots of pictures warning...

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So 450 Bushmaster is one of my current favorite hunting cartridges. Works in the AR-15 platform and others. Has more than enough terminal effects for deer under 200 yards, and that is more than enough for the property I hunt in middle TN. The recoil impulse is stout but very manageable especially from a semi-auto, more of a push than a snap. It's a straight wall cartridge for those that need that and I am an Ohio native that still has hunting property back there.

So first the deal. My favorite bullet for 450 Bushmaster is the Barnes 275gr TSX. MidwayUSA has them on sale 20% off.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/330426/barnes-triple-shock-x-tsx-bullets-450-bushmaster-451-diameter-275-grain-hollow-point-flat-base-lead-free-box-of-20

Hodgdon has good published data for that bullet that includes pressure data too.

I am loading it with Hodgdon H110 and had worked my load up using Quickloads before Hodgdon had published their data thus my load (being conservative cause I like my fingers and eyes-balls intact) ends up at the bottom of Hodgdons data.

Hodgdon's Publish Data (there is data on other powders and bullets on their web-database too):
Hodgdon H110
OAL: 2.225"
Start
Charge: 33.4
Velocity: 1,869*
Pressure: 33,500 PSI
Max
Charge: 37.6
Velocity 2,036*
Pressure 36,100 PSI
*24-inch barrel

My personal load is:
Brass: Hornady once fired
Primer: Winchster Small Rifle
Powder Hodgdon H110
Charge 33.5 gr
OAL 2.260"
Crimp .474"
Velocity: 1845 fps**
**Velocity from my Bushmaster upper with a 20-inch barrel.

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Accuracy is good for 450 BM. I am getting a very consistent ~2 MOA on 5-shot groups @ 100 yards.

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I have not killed a deer with them yet (not for lack of trying) but I have little doubt its going to work well when I finally get a shot. The bullet has proven very very destructive on the raccoon and two armadillos I have shot with it. This was a bullet recovered from the raccoon after it passed through the raccoon and about three feet of forest floor.

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100% weight retention and nearly a perfect expansion of the bullet.

To end a rambling post a final picture of my 450 BM from one of my favorite stands from early last season.
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Good info. I have a buddy who just purchased a .450 and I'm working up loads for him with Lil Gun and 240gr Horndady XTP Mags. Since I had Lil Gun within my inventory I started there. Am considering H-110 for later development though.

I'm more of a .50 Beowulf guy myself and love the 350GR over RL7 and will be using that for deer this year here in Ohio.
 
Good info. I have a buddy who just purchased a .450 and I'm working up loads for him with Lil Gun and 240gr Horndady XTP Mags. Since I had Lil Gun within my inventory I started there. Am considering H-110 for later development though.

I'm more of a .50 Beowulf guy myself and love the 350GR over RL7 and will be using that for deer this year here in Ohio.


I like Lil'gun for the lighter stuff. I played with some of the Hornady 225 gr FTX and Barnse 200 gr PBX and Lil'gun works well. Heavier than about 240-250 and H110 seems to works better but Lil'gun will work fine for the 275gr also. I used H110 for the Barnes 275gr TSX and I loaded some 300gr XTP/MAGs

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Left to Right: Barnes, 200gr XPB, Barnes 275gr TSX, Hornady 240gr XTP/MAG, Hornady 300gr XTP/MAG, Hornady, 225gr FTX, Hornady 250gr FTX, Remington 405gr SP (resized).
 
What stock do you have on that gun?

Good to know about the 275 gr and H110. Those are the weight bullets and powder I use for .44 Magnum. I was just thinking about Barnes bullets earlier today for 450. I may just give them a try now.
 
What stock do you have on that gun?

Good to know about the 275 gr and H110. Those are the weight bullets and powder I use for .44 Magnum. I was just thinking about Barnes bullets earlier today for 450. I may just give them a try now.

My gun is a hodgepodge of old a and new 450 bushmaster parts and a few other, ie the lower is DPMS. The upper is from an old 450 Bushmaster upper kit and the stock and muzzle device is from the new Bushmaster 450 Minimalist rifle.

https://www.bushmaster.com/firearms/minimalist-sd/450-bushmaster-sd-carbine

Remington uses the same stock but in camo on the R-25 Gen II rifle also.
 
My gun is a hodgepodge of old a and new 450 bushmaster parts and a few other, ie the lower is DPMS. The upper is from an old 450 Bushmaster upper kit and the stock and muzzle device is from the new Bushmaster 450 Minimalist rifle.

https://www.bushmaster.com/firearms/minimalist-sd/450-bushmaster-sd-carbine

Remington uses the same stock but in camo on the R-25 Gen II rifle also.

Thanks. I am in the process to see if the stock is available anywhere separately but having no luck thus far.
 
I haven’t played with the 450 BM much, bought an upper that shot 3 touching at 100 with Winchester 250gn XP ammo killed a pig with it and sold it to my buddy that wanted a big bore upper.

I got another a few weeks ago, after all I already had some brass, and loaded some 240 XTP mag bullets with 36.0gn of H110 and didn’t do as well as the last one. I think I’ll get some more of the Winchester ammo to set a base line and go from there.

H110/W296 always worked well for supers in my 458 socom.

FWIW that stock looks like a lot like the Ace stocks.
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1019117750
 
I haven’t played with the 450 BM much, bought an upper that shot 3 touching at 100 with Winchester 250gn XP ammo killed a pig with it and sold it to my buddy that wanted a big bore upper.

I got another a few weeks ago, after all I already had some brass, and loaded some 240 XTP mag bullets with 36.0gn of H110 and didn’t do as well as the last one. I think I’ll get some more of the Winchester ammo to set a base line and go from there.

H110/W296 always worked well for supers in my 458 socom.

FWIW that stock looks like a lot like the Ace stocks.
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1019117750

It does look like the Ace Skeleton stocks (I have one on an old Rock River rifle) but this stock is all polymer (except the buffer tube) and it has a much better Remington Super-cell recoil pad on it that take some of the pinch out of 450BM.

Yeah H110/W296 seems like a good big bore AR powder unlike using it in magnum revolver rounds its not real flashy from a rifle length barrel. The only slight draw back to H110 is its fairly temperature sensitive. On a real hot day (85+ deg) the load I listed above will be 50-60 fps faster than at typical hunting weather.
 
Ever try 1680 in the 450 BM?

I have not yet. I bought a pound of it early this spring and am using it to push Maker REX 220gr all copper bullet in my 300 BO. I might have to try it in my 450 BM and see if it likes it too.
 
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