by Texas Sheepdawg » Sun Nov 25, 2018 10:09 am
Damn. Wished you didn’t have to go through all that. I’ve read through most of the comments on your threads though not all, so I may have missed something. For the most part the guys have pretty much touched on “Life with Thumper”. So I will just add this. Delton is a great lower. Due to the 450B recoil, I use a limb saver pad. You should try one. But I’m also using an A1 custom stock made by one of our team members here (GunNut). It’s called the JH Recoilless stock. It takes the 20 recoil and turns it into the recoil of a 7.62x39. I’m using a Mil Spec rifle buffer and a JP Polished rifle length buffer spring.
The reputation of my rifle is pretty well known as it is the AR I used on my You Tube videos to punch steel.
As for the optics issue. Yeah. You’re learning a hard lesson there. And with that Bushnel scope, I’m regretfully afraid that you’re about to learn another one. The cheapest scope on any of my thumpers is around $290 and is a Nikko Stirling 30mm.
There’s also a high end Simmons on one and a Nikon Buckmaster on another. But during pig hunts, I use a Pulsar XP38Trail thermal optic. It’s rated at 6000 Joules of recoil. Which breaks down to a 375 H&H magnum. Of course, They are crazy expensive. But hey. I’m flat crazy. I’m half Texan/Cajun. It’s to be expected. I do my share of dumb Poo too. Don’t feel alone. But you’re on the right track about rings and optics. I use Burris PEPR mounts whenever I can. That’s the way to go on an AR where you may swap out back and forth between normal sights and thermals. There’s a tiny handful of companies that also make rock solid PEPR mounts that you can buy from. Like, Larue here in Texas.
But the weaver crap you find at Walmart will disappoint you. Bushnel on a 450 Bushmaster is just asking for a disaster in the field. Bushnel has screwed me multiple times and I finally learned in 1995 that even the high end Bushnel scopes don’t hold up to recoil. I have a 30-30 that ate five Bushnels. I have missed more deer using a Bushnel than I have even shooting deer with a 12 gauge shotgun using buckshot. (Old school, Old Days, Louisiana pre 1987). Bushnel is Poo in my book. But that’s my personal opinion based on disasters in the field.
I do hope yours holds up. And I will be watching this thread. Welcome to my addiction. And welcome to our electronic campfire.
-Texas Sheepdawg
http://youtube.com/c/TexasSheepdawg21
NRA Life Member