Home Forums Hunting & Shooting AR and Tactical Rifles 450 Bushmaster???

I'm exploring options for a short range deer and hog gun. My original thought was a 20" barreled bolt gun in 358 Win. but I stumbled across a thread about the bushmaster on another forum.

I have a Colt AR15 with a nice trigger to start from. I want a light weight and short brush gun. Just wondering what kind of weight I would have with a 450 Bushmaster upper in an AR VS a bolt gun done light in 358 win.


If it's a good idea what upper would you suggest strictly for hunting hogs and deer at 100 yards or less? Is the 450 Bushmaster the best option or maybe something different. Hoping you guys can give me the rundown on these type AR options.

I've always liked the .458 SOCOM out of the 3 big bore AR choices. But for practicality, I'd go 6.8 SPC II. It's much better balanced and gives you more options should you want to shoot past 100.

With that said, I have a hankering for a .358. I know I'm going to end up with one. I just can't decide if I want a bolt or Savage 99.

American Rifleman did a write up on big bore Ars recently.

Thanks for the input but I can't see a 6.8 replacing the craving for the big bore thumping power of the 358 win.That's the only reason I was considering one of the 458 AR calibers. An upper would possibly be a quick and easy to scratch the itch.

I have a .458 SOCOM.

I use the same bullets as I do with my .45-70 and the same powder/primers as my .44 mag.

You do not have to have special mags for the SOCOM, but it is advised not to use Magpul mags with bullets that require longer OAL, but it can be done with modification, and no mod is needed for the 300 grain HPs I use at 2.033" oal.

I've not pursued it yet, but I am reasonably sure that nearly 1600 fps is doable with a 405 grain bullet. If so, an LBT 405 at 1500 to 1550 would be something to contend with at short(er) range.

well Mr. Clark many of us are struck from time to time with Gunitus. I would just buy the one you want, reload for it and have a ball. I have a 6.8SPC, does it kill any better than a 223? does a 308 kill better, does a 300WM, does a 358...sometimes its only in our minds but this is what we do and what we enjoy doing! Have at it!

Agreed, 6.8 won't scratch the big bore itch. Tromix has a 375 SOCOM now as well. I'd look to him for a upper and be done. Just do your research of you end up SOCOM. About half the manufactures use the reverse engineered reamer and have had issues reported with factory ammo.

Or, you could scratch both itches and get s 358 win AR-10.

That's exactly it Jimmy. I have plenty of deer and hog guns. I just don't have anything larger than a 7mm mag. Don't need one but want something that throws heavy bullets for some insane reason. I also like light and fast handling so the recoil combination may wind up sending it down the road just as fast as I dreamed it up.LOL

And it may well be the best balanced cartridge from the .458 case.

I bought a Bushmaster rifle in 450 when they first came out around 2007, mounted a NF 2.5-10x24 compact scope on it in a Armalite QD mount.

Got a hold of 4 or 5 hundred 245 gr Barnes copper bthp bullets and built a load with WW-296 powder, IIRC they chrono a bit over 2400 fps, have never recovered a bullet from deer or pigs, it puts the smackdown on game of this size within it's range capabilities.

NH-K9 used it on a Tennessee pig hunt to pole-ax a nice hog, I believe it was one shot one kill too with no bullet recovered.

I love mine, it does home defense duty when not in the woods, it's in the back with three 30 round converted AR mags bracketed together, each mag holds about 12 rounds of the 450B.

I used to shoot those 50 caliber power belt bullets from a black powder gun, in all my years of using them they gave me the impression of No Run even when I lunged a buck with them. Now I have had lunged/heart shot bucks that run with all sorts of high power rifle bullet shots, they never go beyond 100 yards or so, but run they did and do, those 50 caliber power belt bullets made them so they did not run, one I recall just fell over sideways

Do they make a 500AR?? That and a .50 cal Hornady Vmax??

The 450 uses .452 bullets, while the .458 Socom uses .458's - and you can find a somewhat wider variety of bullets in .458. Barnes makes a 300gr TTSX that is fairly steamlined, and of course the many .45-70 bullets will work too, if you can get them to feed.

There is, if course, always the .50 'Wuff

LOL, I've blown fist sized holes in deer with 7STW's, 300 Mags and such, and yes, they bolt, I have to believe the high speed bullet impact must spool up the nervous system, they have such an adrenaline dump they bolt.

Have shot all sorts of game with slow Sharps rifles and have had several boom flops, or boom slow walk trot to a fall, I guess a calmer more polite kill if you will? I don't know.

Don't know about any 50 cal AR's save the Beauwolf? cartridge.

.50 Beowulf

.458 SOCOM

I've shot quite a bit wiht the 50 beowulf. Not a single dropped on the spot. No biggie though.

And for the comments of a socom being a 100 yard cartridge, I've shot things out to 280ish with the 50... you just have to know what you are doing, thats general for life though.

I'd not go the 50 at this point, I'd lean to the 458 socom myself due to bullet choices... but I'm not trading in since I have what I have.

whose barrel and bolt did you use in yours? I assume a std. upper receiver and bolt carrier?

Is your 50B a .500 or .510" round Rost? and do they make a copper Barnes for it?

Those Barnes' at 2400 in my 450B really do a bang up job for some unknown reason, everyone knows .451" and only 245 grs isn't going to break any sec den records, and neither is 2400 fps.

I absolutely LOVE the 450 Bushmaster.

Hornady nailed it as far as "the" bullet goes. The 250 FTX is absolutely perfect for just about everything. And then you have the Barnes 275 gr. Look no further, cuz there is no need.

I will post a pic or 2 in a while......

Oh forgot to add, you do NOT need "special" magazines unless you like paying for them. Simply buy a follower or 3 for $10-11 each, You can put a 450 follower right over top of a 223 follower and turn a 30 round magazine into a 11 round 450 magazine for $11. OR you can pay 3 times that for a "special magazine".

I have my 450 set up to run 250s to 500 yards Once I get it tweaked in will get a CDS custom dial....