450 Build

Talk about the AR15 style rifles chambered in 450 Bushmaster.

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450 Build

Postby buckeye3405 » Tue Jan 31, 2017 5:51 pm

I have just finished ordering parts for a 450 BM AR-15 build. Below are my parts:

Anderson stripped lower with closed trigger guard
JBO lower parts kit w/o trigger parts
Spikes Tactical Nickel Boron trigger
A2 rifle stock completion kit
Mgpul MOE mag404 stock

Bushmaster 16" complete upper. 1 5rd factory magazine


I'm planning on adding a Vortex Strike Eagle 1x6x24 scope. Ohio currently allows some straight wall rifles for deer gun season. There is a proposal to allow all straight wall cartridges .357 min to .50 max diameter starting this fall. I also hunt hogs in SC and black bear in WV and thought the "thumper" would be a fun round. What do you other 450BM fans think of my parts selections? Is the reliability of the current Bushmaster 16" uppers up to snuff?
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Re: 450 Build

Postby Hoot » Tue Jan 31, 2017 9:02 pm

buckeye3405 wrote:I have just finished ordering parts for a 450 BM AR-15 build. Below are my parts:

Anderson stripped lower with closed trigger guard
JBO lower parts kit w/o trigger parts
Spikes Tactical Nickel Boron trigger
A2 rifle stock completion kit
Mgpul MOE mag404 stock

Bushmaster 16" complete upper. 1 5rd factory magazine


I'm planning on adding a Vortex Strike Eagle 1x6x24 scope. Ohio currently allows some straight wall rifles for deer gun season. There is a proposal to allow all straight wall cartridges .357 min to .50 max diameter starting this fall. I also hunt hogs in SC and black bear in WV and thought the "thumper" would be a fun round. What do you other 450BM fans think of my parts selections? Is the reliability of the current Bushmaster 16" uppers up to snuff?


Welcome aboard Buckeye.
Most of my kin are in OH and WV, despite me being way the heck out here in MN.
Your planned setup looks like its well thought out. WRT stock Bushmaster uppers. I put over 2k rounds through my 20", the majority of which were at power levels in excess of the factory loads. The Bushmaster upper is plenty reliable. That having been said, I got mine back in 2010. Bushmaster has changed owners since then, so no telling if a wealth management firm at the top of the command structure will have impact upon build quality. That will always be a dice toss regardless of the manufacturer. I once bought a 450b barrel made by a reputable barrel maker and it had issues that took a lot of work to overcome. That can happen when your upper, like that no longer owned barrel that I bought, is built on a Friday, going into the 4th of July weekend. The point being, there's an excellent chance your upper will work long, hard and well for you, but there's always the occasional miscreant. Not just in this caliber or brand either.

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Re: 450 Build

Postby winman1550 » Tue Jan 31, 2017 9:58 pm

Sounds like you have a good plan! I wouldn't worry too much about a new company owner or a Friday before a holiday weekend build either. The same can be said about a new car, refrigerator, washer or your computer. How much do you think about it when you buy any of those? Maybe or maybe not. Have not heard any complaints on the new built uppers at all.

Good luck and have fun!
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Re: 450 Build

Postby buckeye3405 » Wed Feb 01, 2017 8:35 am

Thanks for the replies! I'm looking forward to getting the 450 set up. We travel to SC for the public land WMA hog hunt, which opens March 6th. I'm hoping to have everything up and running and shooting by then. I have 1 5rd mag coming with my Bushmaster upper. The magazine threads are making my head spin. If I could find a place to try a Bartz mag I would like to pick one up. The place where I bought my order, Walsh Gun and Tackle, has 6rd metal mags on their website as well, I'm sure these work fine also.

Look forward to sharing info about the 450BM.
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Re: 450 Build

Postby Hoot » Wed Feb 01, 2017 11:42 am

buckeye3405 wrote:Thanks for the replies! I'm looking forward to getting the 450 set up. We travel to SC for the public land WMA hog hunt, which opens March 6th. I'm hoping to have everything up and running and shooting by then. I have 1 5rd mag coming with my Bushmaster upper. The magazine threads are making my head spin. If I could find a place to try a Bartz mag I would like to pick one up. The place where I bought my order, Walsh Gun and Tackle, has 6rd metal mags on their website as well, I'm sure these work fine also.

Look forward to sharing info about the 450BM.


The mags don't have to be so daunting to get to run reliably. I suspect a lot of the lip tweaking, which is the real juju part, is caused by the way overkill spring force in the mags. You'd think they were lifting 50 BMG rounds as powerful as they are. I cut mine back to where there is only a few ounces of lift remaining when that last round is in place. That's all you need, plain and simple. I don't long term store my mags loaded and have yet to have a spring go soft on me. I usually advise folks with stock magazines to polish the underside of the lips, where the shells slide across them as they're often phosphated or painted, or both. Do those two things and truth be told, most stock mags work pretty well. There may be a little lip tweaking still to be done, but like the table with one short leg, once you start messing with them, your in for the duration of the war. The operative word there is not to worry about crossing that bridge until you get to it. Remember the "Internet Factor". All the owners without mag issues have no need to come here for help. So when you read these threads, it would seem like everyone posting here has problems with their mags. Not many folks stop by to carry on about how worry free their mags are. There's always something better to do with their time. Relax and savor the anticipation of the fun you'll have. ;)

Just know that we're always here to help you if you get stuck on something. I don't know how many ARs you have already, so don't take this advice the wrong way. Don't wait until the last minute to break your rig in. They run tight, sharp and stiff when they first get commissioned. Takes a while for operation to smooth out, unless you do a "melt off" (not to be confused with a destructive meltdown) and polish of all mating, gliding surfaces. Otherwise, run them wet and clean out the slurry after every range trip for a while. March is just around the corner...

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Re: 450 Build

Postby buckeye3405 » Wed Feb 01, 2017 8:32 pm

This will be my 5th AR-15 style rifle. I currently have a 16" 5.56, 16" 9mm, 16" 300BLK and a 10.5" 5.56 pistol. I'm somewhat accustomed to the ways of the black rifle. I look forward to getting the thumper up and running.
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Re: 450 Build

Postby buckeye3405 » Tue Feb 07, 2017 12:22 pm

I was able to order 2 5rd Bartz magazines from Not Just Guns in MI. Look forward to getting this build done.
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Re: 450 Build

Postby Bmt85 » Tue Feb 07, 2017 3:41 pm

Nice score on the bartz mags. Heard good things, been I haven't tried them yet. My factory 5 rd mags haven't given me an issue.

As to the bushmaster factory upper, I've had mine for about a year and a half. So far it's been great. It's accurate enough and hasn't given me a problem. I only have a few hundred down the pipe, mostly hand loads, but seems to be holding up just fine. I picked it up because of the initial cost and to experiment with the cartridge. I now love the cartridge and want a different set up, so I'm moving on. My dad loves the little rifle and the results on game (1 deer, 1 black bear), so he called dibs before I really decided I wanted to build a replacement! Lol
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