Why 450B?

Talk about the AR15 style rifles chambered in 450 Bushmaster.

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Why 450B?

Postby the_mad_rshn » Tue Oct 20, 2009 10:02 pm

Hello again, friends.

Well. The ultimate question. Why did you choose the 450B? Curious. That’s all. I will tell you why I did it.
I got interested in the AR-15 concept in Jan 2009 right after I lost my job with Fannie Mae. Don’t ask why. I mean why AR-15. Never cared for the rifle. Not at all. I did some research then and I ordered a 6.5 Grendel barrel. I waited for months before I finally got the barrel and the bolt. I am so so happy with it. I think it is one of the best small to medium game hunting calibers for AR in many, many ways. Anyway. Since I became so engrossed in the AR concept I figure I'll get the 50 Beo. Well. Lots of research was done and I just did not want to buy another die set and another bullet mold for the .50. So I stopped on the 450B. I really like the 45 cal in general. Just the number. 450B is something of a magic to me. I love it now. Why I picked that one? Have no clue. Maybe because a new shooting buddy of mine, Roger, said he had one. Whatever. I just hope you enjoy yours.
Last edited by the_mad_rshn on Wed Oct 21, 2009 8:22 am, edited 1 time in total.
Cheers,
Mad
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Re: Why 450B?

Postby YoteAddict » Wed Oct 21, 2009 12:29 am

I will break down your question in two ways:
1) Why did I choose a big bore AR? I wanted a big bore to use for hunting elk and black bear. I wanted a big bore AR due to the platforms weight and its common operating characteristics with the standard AR-15. Once trained on the AR, it's nice to pick up a hunting rifle that operates exactly as expected.
2) Why did I choose the 450 Bushmaster? I thought that the combination of two reputable companies Hornady and Bushmaster and an apparent strategy by Bushmaster to penetrate the hunting market with an AR directly appealed to me (and seemed to be a potentially successful business proposition). The survival of the cartridge looked promising to me.

What do I like about it now that I have/use it:
a) as expected it operates exactly like an AR,
b) the extra power of the 250 grain 45 caliber projectile,
c) is very accurate, and
d) is reliable

ASIDE: Any chance I get I promote the use of semi-automatic rifles for hunting and the 450 Bushmaster allows me to do so without arguments concerning stopping power on big game.
When you have to shoot, shoot, don't talk.
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Re: Why 450B?

Postby thatguy » Wed Oct 21, 2009 4:40 am

To be honest im not sure.. I was browsing AR15.com and saw a bunch of post for the 50 Beowulf, 458 Socom, and 450B and just kept thinking.. That would be cool to have. I then put it out of my mind for about a yr or two and then about 2 mths ago I read a bunch more posts about the Big Bores and couldnt get it out of my mind 'needing' one..

To be honest I thought I really wanted a 50 Beowulf. BUT ammo was pretty non existent and uppers werent readily available.. I did not like that ammo and upper were only coming from one small/independent company as well.

I like that the 458 Socom has a variety of ammo available for it and RRA/Corbon were behind it.. BUT ammo i found online was $50/box of 20, when it was available..

I ended up with the 450B because I have a Bushy lower (and 5.56 upper) and BM make a quality firearm. It is certainly a HUGE plus that Hornady/Remington are making ammo as well.. When it was time to commit, Cabelas had the upper AND ammo in stock.. Also plenty of other companies had ammo in stock as well - so 450B it was.. I have no regrets at all..

Brian
If you are on Facebook, check out the 450 Bushmaster "Thumper" group I created.. We are always looking for new members and don't forget to share any pictures you have...
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Re: Why 450B?

Postby MudBug » Wed Oct 21, 2009 8:54 am

Bushmaster had a sale on uppers.

That's it really.

I never really had an interest in bigbore ARs other than thinking it was a cool mechanical engineering feat. Then Bushmaster had a sale on uppers and I thought "Wow that's a good deal" and I bought one.

After I got it I tried to find out what I had just purchased and found out that there was very little information about the 450b and at the time there was no brass or dies for reloading. I started to feel I had made a mistake.

Then I took it out to shoot and the damn thing put a huge grin on my face, suddenly I needed to know more about what I had, what it could do, and everything else. So I went looking for info and found the thread at Calguns which was a big help at first, but by the time it reached 60 pages it became really hard to find all the information in the thread.

So, I started this place.
Eric

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"War is less costly than servitude. The choice is always between Verdun and Dachau." - Jean Dutourd
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Re: Why 450B?

Postby thatguy » Wed Oct 21, 2009 10:01 am

MudBug wrote:Bushmaster had a sale on uppers.

<deleted text>


YES that is a great reason.. From the posts I found online when researching it, who couldnt pass up a $800 upper on sale for $550ish... I was hoping they would have another 'tax' sale this year (last years was in Oct i believe) but that hasnt happended so far and I didnt want to wait any longer..

Mudbug - thanks for starting this site.. :D


Brian
If you are on Facebook, check out the 450 Bushmaster "Thumper" group I created.. We are always looking for new members and don't forget to share any pictures you have...
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Re: Why 450B?

Postby gunnut » Wed Oct 21, 2009 10:20 am

All of the above! And to be able to shoot the same bullets as I do in my 45 auto's. I stongly agree with the AR plateform logic. I have 5.56,308 and now 450B. To be able to pick up a gun for a specific purpose and have it fit and function the same is a big plus in my book. Let's not forget about interchangeable part.
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Re: Why 450B?

Postby MudBug » Wed Oct 21, 2009 12:16 pm

thatguy wrote:Mudbug - thanks for starting this site.. :D


Brian



No problem at all. I had the web space paid for already for another project I was gonna do and gave up on so this gives me a reason for spending the cash. Plus all the stuff I learn here.

We have a surprising amount of smart folks here, and everyone is very well behaved. I think the fact that this round attracts a lot of the technical people, wildcatters, reloaders, cast boolit people, etc.. means we have a more mature crowd.

I get much more out of the info I get from you guys than I put in. I actually feel bad about not keeping up on the knowledge base, but I don't like the version we have and I'm waiting for the new one to come out so I can install it and then it will be easier.
Eric

"A coward is much more disposed to quarrels than a man of spirit." - Thomas Jefferson

"War is less costly than servitude. The choice is always between Verdun and Dachau." - Jean Dutourd
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Re: Why 450B?

Postby BD1 » Wed Oct 21, 2009 3:48 pm

I think I have been looking for the attributes of the .45 acp in a rifle for a long time: An auto loader in a widely used and available platform, familiar to me; Lower pressure levels= long brass life; Slower twist= no downside to using cast boolits, (long barrel life); happy with a wide range of bullet designs and a broad spectrum of readily available powders.

I've owned a variety of handguns in a fair range of chamberings. Yet, if you add up all the rounds I've fired, the .45 acp, (out of 1911s), is nearing 100,000 and all of the others combined probably don't amount to 20,000. I'm looking for that same shooting enjoyment and practicality in a long gun. Here's hoping the .450B can fill the bill.
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Re: Why 450B?

Postby MADONE64 » Wed Oct 21, 2009 5:16 pm

I would like to say that I just like the AR platform (Which I do) or I just liked the ballistics of the 450B cartridge(Which I do), but when I am totally honest with myself, I guess the main reason I bought one was just the look on the guys face next to you at the range when he thinks you have just pulled another everyday .223 out of the case, and then hears and feels the first BOOM! hit him in the face when you squeeze the trigger. :D Or to have the guy you meet walking out of the deer woods take one look at the rifle strapped to your chest, and say WHAT THE H%LL is THAT???? I know this is childish, but hey. Were all big kids at heart. :lol:
"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch.
Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote!" Benjamin Franklin
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Re: Why 450B?

Postby jagermaster » Wed Oct 21, 2009 7:53 pm

mature --- not me :D

All of the reasons stated above sound very familiar.

The real reason I decided to get a 450bm is the fact I love to compete in high power rifle matches with my colt match H bar. I became so good (relative term - the best at my range but not national competitor by any means) I became obsessed with hunting using my black gun. Which brought me to a problem. I believe that using .223 is unethical to hunt white tale deer. Which brought me to a choice between 6.5g, 6.8spc, 450bm, 458socom, and 50b. I ruled out the 6.5 and 6.8 because of their lack of power. Yea I know they are good enough, but do you want a woman that is good enough. I discounted the 50 right off the bat because of the proprietary thing and really bad BC. The hard choice was between the 450 and the 458, but the backing of hornady and bushmaster helped me make up my mind.

So far a 9 point a doe and lots of other things have felt the wrath of my 450 BUSHMASTER.
No question No reservations

and yea i did only pay $550 for my upper
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