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As of this writing (03-2018), we’ve been getting requests to make some heavy-duty 450 Bushmaster loads since the cartridge was introduced around 10 years ago.
This is a cartridge that will hammer North American big game species, mostly because of its caliber. We are making four loads (which are all-purpose designed) to cover your hunting needs from smallish whitetails to bull elk, grizzly, and moose. If you know your range and understand your bullet drop, there is no reason not to use this cartridge out to 250+ yards.
These are our four current (we may add more at some time) 45 Bush loads and their projected velocities. We will post real-world velocities obtained from our test guns with each load.
- Item 45B 250 JHP — 2,250 fps
- Item 45B 275 XPB — 2,100 fps
- Item 45B 300 JHP — 1,950 fps
- Item 45B 360 HC — 1,750 fps
As each new load becomes available, we will write a short tech article about its intended uses and limitations.
With regards to Item 45B 300 JHP, which is our first 450 Bushmaster load to be released: this load is a good do-most-anything option for North American big game. In other words, the bullet will mushroom fast enough to expand on thin-bodied whitetail deer, but it will hold together well enough to kill elk—especially if you stick with broadside shots and even more so if your target is 150+ yards out, where the bullet has slowed somewhat. If you were to rely on one load to do a wide variety of North American hunting, this would be it.
YOu would notwant to hunt giant bears weighing over 800 lbs. or so, as unlike elk or moose, they tend to bite back and, if worked up, can be very hard to kill. If you want to hammer giant bears, use our 360 gr. hard cast load.
You can see my posted velocities below in real-world, over-the-counter firearms, for item # 45B 300 JHP:
- 2,018 fps — Ruger All American — 16-inch
- 1,990 fps — APF AR15 — 16-inch
