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I asked about this a while back and I've forgotten much of what we discussed. It couldn't have been too negative because I haven't changed my mind about wanting a 450 Bushmaster. I'm on the ledge and just about to jump off and order an upper but before I take the plunge I'd like some feedback. I'm looking at a Bushmaster and a Windham upper and both have BCG included. I haven't looked into brass or dies but I guess I should before I buy the upper. So I'm curious if any of you have any experience with one. Can you load it with carbide dies, does it need a proprietary magazine, and are there any real negatives I need to be concerned with? Thank you in advance,

rob

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Is that a negative?

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Not for me...It can't be worse than my Guide Gun:) I did you a bit of perusing Midway's sight and didn't see any carbide dies so I'm guessing I'll have to lube cases but that's no big deal, especially on a straight wall case. Ordering the upper from Bud's gets a magazine included and it's cheaper than Midway without the mag and I'm pretty sure it's the same upper.

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Brass is expensive, but Midway has it on sale right now. I started a 458 SOCOM build just after the last brass sale ended. 450 is around $70.00/100. I have to pay about $85.00/100 because I was too slow. I went with the 458 because of all the choices in 45-70 moulds and bulk bullets.

Enjoy your cannon!

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I have shot a Bushmaster a little and it is a nice round. There are very few bullets that can handle that kind of velocity. It reminds me of the original .444 Marlin loads using a standard 240gr SP at 2400. Just way too much of a good thing. Expansion is gauranteed but penetration is limited.

The Beowulf is where it is at in the big AR cartridges. There's is a good supply of .500 S&W bullets out there that work great. Plus they are designed for the velocity. A 16" Beowulf is very similar velocity waist to a 8 5/8" .500 S&W. the 4 loads I use are a 334gr HP from rainier at 1850 FPS for a cheap plinking load, a 350 gr Speer at 1850 for a deer and hog hunting load. 375gr Barnes XPB at 1800 and for real penetration a Cast 450gr at 1550.

With bullets over 300 gr the Beowulf will outrun the other two and once you get to 450-500 it is noticeably faster.

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I was thinking exactly the same thing. You make good points on the Beowoulf, but but I just don't really want a big bore hammer. I already have a Guide Gun that more than handles the big stuff. What I really want is a 16" 44 Magnum AR and nobody has seen fit to make one. The 450 is the closest thing I've found, though it is a lot more being comparable in bullet weight and velocity to the 444. Someone needs to make a rimless 44 Mag round and carbine to go with it.

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The Automag case is made from cut down '06 or .308W class cases. The boltface for a SOCOM is .473, so all you need is a custom barrel, and to sort out the gas system. Pistol or carbine gas? Either could work, depending on the load. Same concern as if you were considering a suppressor. There are a huge number of AR wildcats out there. For that matter, there are 460 Rowland uppers available, and that could be even simpler yet.

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Would it be easier and cheaper to just buy a Ruger carbine?

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Honestly, it's just something I want in an AR and I'm not really sure why. I definitely don't need it.

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that would be relatively close to .44mag

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BTW, the 458 case is simply an overgrown 50 AE, necked down to 458.

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I killed two deer with the Rainier HP last winter; they worked quite well. Feeding is just fine out of a cheap 20 round Thermold mag, and components are plentiful. Recoil is much milder than my Guide Gun.
Quite a few guys up here are using the .450 now that the state is allowing use of “pistol-caliber carbines”, as long as it is a straight-wall case. Apparently the proprietary Bushmaster magazine is the way to go with that round, as guys were having trouble feeding it from standard 5.56 mags.

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those that shoot 44's and those that wish they did.

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...

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I've heard nothing good about Bushmaster since the Remington buyout. I'd go Windham for the upper. That being said, I have zero experience with the round. All my ARs were .223 and 6.8. Lost them all in a boating accident!

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I'll probably just pass on this 450 thing. I don't need another caliber to load for. That's too bad about that boating accident...such a shame. I was helping a friend run a bunch of branches and limbs through an industrial chipper and mine was grabbed with a pile of brush and summarily ground to bits so I do understand.

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