16 v 20

[pballa115]

hello everyone i have been looking at getting a bushmaster .450 upper (planning to upgrade to hydraulic buffer also) but i was wondering what would be a better choice the 16 or 20 in barrel. i have read that the velocity is only 60 fps different, but is there any advantage as far as range and accuracy? i plan do use this primarily for deer hunting, or other larger game in Maine. would this be adaquate for moose? also i have the bushmaster 223 m4 MOE if it matters

thanks in advance!!

[2zero6]

Get the 16" if your hunting in dense woods it is a much handier rifle and I don't think the deer will notice the 60-75 fps less difference. I have both but actually prefer the 16" when I am hunting the forest and use the 20" for the open plains in the western part of the state. If you really want a win/win get the 16" and order the 20" upper later.

[pballa115]

haha, thanks for the input!

[wildcatter]

206 has it down pat, short is way better in the heavy Forrest, and even a 100fps difference is only barely noticeable to the shooter, when a kill is eminent. The 16" will dispatch Moose with deadly aplomb, I have dozens of testimonies to this fact. It was even reported that a hand-load with a 230gr FMJ-FP killed two moose with one shot. The bullet traveled the full length of the Bull, from tail-end to chest, and then killed the second moose, a cow, which was standing at 90 degrees to the bull which her chest in front of the Bull and at the bullet exit point. Oopsie!! So, there is plenty of penetration with the 450b, only bullet construction is of any consequence, needing careful consideration to the mission at hand.

I use the 20 inch'ers, but only for the advantage I get, when manipulating the gas system. I prefer the 20" model for every thing else.

[pballa115]

hmm interesting, so from the sound of that report the 450b would be serious over kill for white tail?

[deo62]

Try the 18" from Remington, just got mine two months ago. Great accuracy with hornady. Replaced stock with afrx, handles great

[wildcatter]

hmm interesting, so from the sound of that report the 450b would be serious over kill for white tail?

Nope..

I have always been teased about using too much gun. But when you are in the mountains and shoot say, a Mulie, in the lungs, if it runs ten minutes before it drops over, it could be a two day hike to recover the animal. Another example, if you punch a white-tail, again in the lungs, and you are in the swamps or heavy Forrest, you'd better have extreme tracking skills, unless you have enough gun to be able to decide any issue there, as well. Lung shot animals typically run off, the 300WM and everything under it, are absolutely notorious for this and the 30cals are real serious meat wreckers, but, not with the 450b, on both counts!

Don't get me wrong the 22lr has killed elephants. I myself killed a moose with a 22lr and seen many moose killed with with 22-250 & 243's. So, anything can work...Buuttt...

.."when the shots are marginal and they always seem marginal at trigger break, you'd better have enough gun to decide the issue at hand"..Tim LeGendre

.."I no-longer have to hone my tracking skills" .. Bushmeister

The 300mag with 180gr bullets and a Texas Heart Shot on Moose, will almost never make the liver, let alone the lungs or heart. That jobs needs a 338WM at the very least and even then that 250grainer won't clear the breast very often.

I find I destroy, FAR LESS, meat with the 450b than any other caliber/cartridge combination, I've ever used on deer sized animals and everything through Moose.

How 'bout it guys, anyone care to verify that last statement about meat damage?

Over-Kill for deer? Hardly!

Use the right bullet for your particular mission and you'll never think the 450b is over-kill on anything from ground squirrels to Godzilla. The 450b will change your life and make you a real fire breathing convert..t

[2zero6]

Plus the Remington comes in some nifty camo patterns. You'll be thankful you had enough gun when you run into a bear or mountain lion hunting for deer. You can never have too much gun with the right shot placement. Just my 2 cents.

[centurion]

Wildcatter

While i agree with most of your statements i have to argue the one about the 300wm and texas heart shots. It depends on the bullet design, and range at which the animal is shot. A 180gr Barnes TSX would more than likely reach vitals but of course this is an argueable point. Also, if you shoot an animal in the shoulder with a 450 bushmaster i would hate to see the results. As i always the case, shot placement, shot placement , shot placement, but i do not believe in over-kill, dead is dead and the quicker the better

[AR167]

After seeing what my 16" did to hogs at 50yds, I don't have any issues using it for deer. The Hornady load expands really fast at that range and likely to 150 or so. Anything close to the shoulder on a deer would be catastrophic. There isn't as much meat on one shoulder to worry about the 450 being too much gun. I have a feeling after seeing the expansion or explosion as I like to call it of the Hornady load, you wouldn't have to worry about ruining "both" shoulders. He'll be dead before he hits the ground. Some of the guys around here refer to the 450 as the buck bomb load, I can't argue with that comparison.