450Bushmaster.net

So, being a conservative kind of guy, I first loaded some Hornady 250 grain FTX for my Bushy (I know, wild, right?). Because that’s what Hornady Custom and Black use. Then I went crazy and loaded some 225 grain FTX because they are WAY cheaper and they will still hold up to the demands of hunting deer with the Bushy. Someone recommended these Barnes bullets

But they’re almost $1 each! I could buy factory ammo for that! I like the FTX bullets so the Barnes would have to be pretty amazing.

So, do I just stick with the Hornady 225’s for fun/target and possibly deer hunting? Is there a bullet/load I should be trying? I’m not ready for the real heavy loads because I like the faster and flatter.

Honestly, I would just stick to the Barnes rated for 460 S&W and 450 bushmaster. So the 200 XPB (the pointed one), 275 XPB, and the 275 TSX. The 200 XPB is a good bullet inside 100 yds, maybe a little more depending on how fast you push it (1800fps minimum). The 275’s are very similar to one another. The XPB has three driving bands and is rated at 1400 FPS minimum, and the TSX has two driving bands and is rated at 1200fps minimum.

I’ve used the 200 xpb on a small deer at about 25yds, performance was great. Used the 275 TSX on a small elk at about 50yds with excellent results. Also used the 275 TSX on a good size black bear at about 25 yds with insane results. I will only use coppers for hunting because they just seem to work better, especially in the 450.

The cost of a deer hunt outweighs a few boxes of XPB's or TSX's, especially if like me, you have to drive 150 miles from home and stay in a motel. That's not even considering the health impact of eating little bits of stray lead in your venison. Buy the 200 XPB for whitetails and practice with 200 FTX rounds for a similar feel. 225's are OK for whitetails if you know you're going to have soft tissue or through rib strikes. They're excellent for surprise head shots too but then just about anything is good for those. The 225's give you the accuracy for a confident head shot, but again, whats that deer worth to you? Go with the Barnes.

Hoot

So, this work from 2011 is what I’m working from?



And it looks like 41 grains of Lil’Gun might be the ticket? I don’t have a chronometer yet, but I will at some point. 2462 is moving!

You still got to go through the motions of a load workup to find out what your rig likes.

Lil Gun back in 2011 IMHO had a slightly slower (better) formulation. Its a little hotter now-a-days. I would not jump right out of the gate with 41gr in an AR platform. Start at 38gr and work up in .5 gr 3-shot increments to save money. Your barrel will tell you when its happy. Remember, a Lil Gun recipe in the heat of summer will not behave the same in the cold of deer season. Most ball powders are temperature sensitive. Chemical reactions generally increase in volatility the higher the temperature. At least you have the comfort of knowing that your Lil Gun pet recipe in June will not do you any harm in November. Besides, 2.3k 2.4k 2.5k fps are all pretty deadly with the XPB.

Hoot

Yep! I love that 38 grain load with 225 FTX. I’d start at 37 grains and work up. I’ve never shot copper solids, so... Now that summer’s here, I can slip out to the range much more easily. (I’m teaching summer school but we’re done by noon.) making 5 37’s, 5 38’s, and 5 39’s, shoot ‘em, check the target and work from there will be a good afternoon’s job.