+1 to many of the reasons already stated... cept I wish I got in on the "tax" sale uppers.
BD1 wrote: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.
BD
Wow... that's eerie. Very similar reason I went with the .450
I once owned a large diverse gun collection, but only really enjoyed shooting .22LR pistol and rifles and a Norinco "Copy of the 1911". When I started reloading (of out necessity), I decided I was going to get my initial setup going for .45acp. As time went on, I slowly sold off and traded all my centerfire non .45acp and/or anything not 1911 patterned guns for various different 1911 clones (yes, I drank the JMB koolaid). After awhile, I wanted more power for handgun hunting, so a L.A.R. Grizzly was purchased. Although it was fun and reloading for it was also enjoyable, it was a massive gun, and uncomfortable to wield... a buddy adopted it and I still reload for it. Next came the Rowland... first a mechtech carbine (which also shoots .45 acp without a fuss), and then a Clark .460 Rowland drop in kit installed on a Kimber. Pushing a 230gr XTP or Gold Dot at 1650fps out of the mechtech still isn't enough!!!
The straight walled .450B was my next obvious choice.
Although I already had several EBRs I could have mated an upper to, I purchased a complete 20" Thumper. Now that I have one, it stinks that my state doesn't allow rifles on deer... I guess its a hog gun now.
A gun in the hands of a bad man is a very dangerous thing. A gun in the hands of a good person is no danger to anyone except the bad guys... - Charlton Heston