What kind of accuracy and distance is the 450 Bushmaster bolt action rifles good for?

[Outdoorman]

I have been using a 30-30 for the last 35+ years for deer hunting out to 125 yards. I've been considering a purchasing a 450 Bushmaster bolt action rifle for deer hunting.

What kind of accuracy and groups do you get with your rifles, and about how far is a safe accurate shot for taking a deer?

What type of bolt action rifle do you have and do you shoot Factory or reload ammo?

Thanks

Edit: How hard is it take take to a Ruger Factory 450 Bushmaster muzzle brake off? I talked to Randy and he said that they are a bear to get off.

[buckey]

Have a Ruger 22" .450 American and with Hornady Black the accuracy is amazing! For a cheap light barrel rifle it will shoot under 2 " at 200yds slow fire off the bags. Mind you I hand lapped the barrel, adjusted the trigger (a bunch) and set the action screw torque. With that said with a range finder and a perfect still target and little wind I may try 250 yds, some days my limit is 100yds. All depends on your skill level and a lot of other things.

[BMT85]

Can't help you on the bolt action side of it. No personal experience.

As far as how capable 450B is, it's very capable, but it has it's limitations. It's launching a big, heavy bullet, with poor b.c.'s, at slower velocities (comparing to most centerfire rifles anyway). 150yds shouldn't be a problem. However, pushing it past that point, you will have to watch your wind drift, and figure out where the minimum expansion threshold is. Some bullets won't open much past 100yds, (200 XPB, unless pushed hard), some can open past 250yds (275 TSX, best bullet IMHO). With that said, even if you push the range of a bullet, and it doesn't expand, it's still a 45 caliber projectile passing through.

Now, If you reload, especially in a bolt gun, you can get more out of the 450B. Plus when you handload, you get some more bullet options, or reload similar ammo for a less. In the current, messed up market, who knows what cost difference will be factory vs handload. Not long ago, when the market wasn't completely f'd, some specialty ammo makers were charging like $3 a round for some loads. I can reload the same thing for less than of half that, get more speed out of it, and tailor it to the rifle. I would usually say handloading is the way to go with the 450B, but in the current market, it might not be. At a minimum, save your brass (on any cartridge really), and sell it off to recoup some money. Some factory ammo is good, some is bad. Remington Accutip (if it's still available) was absolute junk. Hornady 250 FTX is accurate in most 450B rifles, but bullet performance is iffy. After that don't really know.

[Jailer]

Took a 6 point at about 180 yards 2 years ago during season. Heart/lung, dropped it right where it stood. Shot out of a Ruger American and with Hornady factory ammo.

Most guys go for something like this or other straight wall rifle rounds so they can hunt with a rifle in the shotgun zone. It's a perfect gun for deer, if not a little overkill.

[Moleman-]

Only have experience with the 450BM in semiauto guns.

I feel confident with the one I hunt with to take shots out to 200yds at our current hunting spot. We try to set the stands up so that for the most part the deer will be around 100yds, but the shots have ranged from under the stand to about 150yds. The overall best performer has been the Barnes 275 TSX followed by the 245 Hornady interlock, then the winchester 250gr. The Hornady 250 FTX and 245interlock have been the two best accurate ones for me. The performance of the 250gr FTX was good with the shots closer to 100yds but close shots seemed to almost blow up with lots more bloodshot meat than anything else we've tried so far. Only shot deer under 60yds so far with the 245 Interlock but it seems more consistent than the FTX. Haven't tried Rem or Fed 450BM ammo. The last few years the only 450BM ammo we've hunted with has been the 275 TSX and the 245 Interlock which I reloaded.

[Aveguy311]

That big .45 caliber slug hits with authority…but with a drop of close to 30” @ 300 yds it is important to understand your distances. That said, I have heard of *some* issues with the 250g FTX essentially fragmenting in the shoulder bones at short distances, producing a less than impressive superficial wound. None of that would prevent me from buying a .450BM, especially at distances <=125 yards.

That said, if you have the luxury of hunting with a tapered rifle cartridge (as your .30-30 comment implies) and wanted better terminal ballistics than the ‘ole .30-30 I’d at least consider one of the flatter, faster medium game cartridges like .25-06, .243, or something in 7mm. Flatter by a long shot than the .450 (in the off instance you had a shot at greater than average distances) and unquestionable authority on medium sized game. And without shoulder bruising recoil like some of the big boys.

My experiences with the .450 (as I have worked on and sighted-in several, both semi and bolt action) puts recoil roughly in the ballpark of a 20ga with 3” slugs.

YMMV.

-Aveguy

[Casualty]

I rebarrelled a savage 308. I'm a bit of a savage fanboy, and they didn't offer anything in 450b when I was buying. I haven't sat down and shot my rifle for group size, but it hits what I point it at.

Bullet choice is key. Don't use the 250 gr FTX mentioned above. I've been using hornady interlock 245gr SP, and they drop deer better than anything else I've used before. You can get this bullet in factory ammo, or to reload. Federal fusion 260gr SP is also supposed to be a great round.

[Ol` Joe]

I’ve been using a Ruger American chambered in 450 for the last 3 years in the shotgun zone.
Accuracy has been excellent as you can see from my sight check targets. Recoil is as noted in an earlier post, stiff. I too would say it is similar to a heavy 20 ga slug from a fixed breech gun.
The Hornady “Black box” load has been all I have used to date and the only beef I have with it is opens very fast although I’ve no problem with it penetrating. The deer in the photo was taken from under my stand at a range of about 10/12 ft. It hit the spine and took out a couple ribs on exit in the deers arm pit, but did make it all the way through the chest. How the bullet would perform at 250 yds I do not know, but feel it would work very well on deer. I do not feel it would be the best choice for elk but would consider it for hog or black bear.
Range is similar to your 30/30 about 250yds, 300 tops IMO. The bullet has a trajectory pretty much like a 3” sabot 12 ga slug. Both run a similar 250/300 gr bullet at around 2000/2200 FPS and drop very steeply after 200 yds.

I don’t shoot this cartridge enough to warrant reloading for it. Maybe it’s just old age but, I prefer lighter recoiling cartridges for playing on the bench that I can toss 100 rds of down range and still toss a ball for the pup that evening.

F73ED444-5D1D-4A6A-926E-892D59B24DE9.jpg

These are both 3 shot groups
08EBB021-E306-48F6-B5F3-807E7B8A5161.jpg

5969B557-EF48-4080-8ADB-A8E1CCE7483E.jpg

[coobie]

Not a big fan of the hornady 450 black box they would blow right threw deer at 50-100 yards had 2 nice bucks run off (no gut shooting).Been deer hunting for 45 years and never a lost deer due to bullet choice.I switched to underwood ammo 245 grain extreme penetrator and have not lost a deer since.I use a ruger 450 cal.scout bolt and love it.

[dirtmcgirt76239]

I’ve been using a Ruger American chambered in 450 for the last 3 years in the shotgun zone.
Accuracy has been excellent as you can see from my sight check targets. Recoil is as noted in an earlier post, stiff. I too would say it is similar to a heavy 20 ga slug from a fixed breech gun.
The Hornady “Black box” load has been all I have used to date and the only beef I have with it is opens very fast although I’ve no problem with it penetrating. The deer in the photo was taken from under my stand at a range of about 10/12 ft. It hit the spine and took out a couple ribs on exit in the deers arm pit, but did make it all the way through the chest. How the bullet would perform at 250 yds I do not know, but feel it would work very well on deer. I do not feel it would be the best choice for elk but would consider it for hog or black bear.
Range is similar to your 30/30 about 250yds, 300 tops IMO. The bullet has a trajectory pretty much like a 3” sabot 12 ga slug. Both run a similar 250/300 gr bullet at around 2000/2200 FPS and drop very steeply after 200 yds.

I don’t shoot this cartridge enough to warrant reloading for it. Maybe it’s just old age but, I prefer lighter recoiling cartridges for playing on the bench that I can toss 100 rds of down range and still toss a ball for the pup that evening.

F73ED444-5D1D-4A6A-926E-892D59B24DE9.jpg

These are both 3 shot groups
08EBB021-E306-48F6-B5F3-807E7B8A5161.jpg

5969B557-EF48-4080-8ADB-A8E1CCE7483E.jpg

Now that you have three years under your belt, what's your view on 450 vs 350