When it comes to .450 Bushmaster vs .350 Legend, is there a clear winner? But does it deserve the attention? I have not shot any of the "leverultion ammo" in any of mine, so have no comment there. The Marlins, Winchester, Brownings and Henrys all handle those big-bore cartridges well, and among them the .444 Marlin and .45-70 Government are a pair of undeniable classics. CVA Inc Scout V2 .444 Marlin Single Shot Rifle with Stainless Barrel and Dead-On Mount $349.99; Brand: CVA Inc; Item Number: CR4913S-NB; Thompson Center Encore Pro Hunter 500SW Mag Katahdin Carbine Out of the muzzle, the .250 Marlin is flying 25 ft/s faster than the .250 Bushmaster. Is the any advantage. On my chronograph. The .450 Bushmaster was designed by the Hornady Manufacturing Company for Bushmaster Firearms International when the latter wanted a .45 caliber cartridge that would work through the short AR-15 action. By the way, if you are using ar-15, the scope for ar-15 is the good one you should had. Velocity from the 450 will be slightly lower due to the heavier weight bullets thus more of a rainbow trajectory but will give better stopping power on BIG game and more . We also had problems with the function of the .450 Marlin. Often overlooked, much to the detriment of the hunter, is how much kick theyll endure from a particular rifle-cartridge combination. of muzzle energy, and that combo will handle any North American game animal. RENE reports 6 different versions of the American Rifle in 450 Bushmaster and now the GSR makes 7. Back in January we tested this superb rifle along with the similar Marlin Guide Gun, both in .45-70. Shoot it enough and know what to expect and it shouldnt prove prohibitive, except to the most recoil shy. 450 Bushmaster 500 S&W Magnum 6.5 Creedmoor . All provide an increase in accuracythough there are some wonderfully accurate slug guns out therebut the trajectory of those . The only thing holding it back right now is the delivery system. Pick the. We dug it out with a knife, reloaded two more, and again the second round failed to feed. At the muzzle they are basically the same, .308 Win has around 2700 ft.lbf and 450 Bushmaster has just a few pounds under that. A heavier bullet will generally travel more slowly than a lighter bullet. The last doe I hit at about 35 yards after the bullet hit a thumb size bush left a fist sized hole through the deer, and she STILL ran, but the blood trail was 5' wide to where she dropped after a 30 yard run. Brass case webs on rimmed cases, like the .45-70 or .444 Marlin, are more than strong enough for whatever pressure the stout Marlin action can take. If there is an apparent divide in .450 Bushmaster vs .350 Legend rifles its muzzle devices and barrel contour. Ours didnt. The second shot told us that something was drastically wrong somewhere. This cartridge was held back for years by the lack of good factory loaded ammo. While the .450 Marlin can be used in bolt action rifles, it is most commonly found in lever action rifles. FTX bullet with a factory advertised muzzle velocity of 2,200 f.p.s. We have no doubt that with a scope both of the Marlin rifles would average well under 2 inches at 100 yards, based on our iron-sight results. You have entered an incorrect email address! A full-length 22-inch Marlin gave us only 2,064 with that load, so we doubt that youll ever see 2,100 fps out of the .450 Marlin. Yes, the ported barrel helped cut muzzle flip, but our shoulders got sore from the too-hard pads on both Marlin rifles. Big Bore Cartridges Compared - 460 S&W vs 444 Marlin vs 450 BM vs 45-70 Govt | Match Grade Machine Big Bore Cartridges Compared - 460 S&W vs 444 Marlin vs 450 BM vs 45-70 Govt Match Grade Machine did extensive testing with different barrel lengths in some of our most popular cartridges. Maybe the 450 Bushmaster is the next big thing? One would think that would have to play in to your decision making. 460 S&W vs 444 Marlin vs 450 BM vs 45-70 Govt Match Grade Machine 3.95K subscribers Subscribe 2.5K 209K views 3 years ago Match. Wed like to see Marlin spend its efforts making great rifles perfectly, rather than expending energy on useless new projects like the .450 Marlin. The .45-70 Government has quite the bullet range in comparison to the .444 Marlin; bullets will run from 250-grains all the way up to the behemoth 600-grain slugs, with a slew of choices in between. The round didnt go off. By and large, .450 Bushmaster rifles are outfitted with medium to heavy contour barrels, a function of its large bore. In Ohio, can use 45-70 and 458 win. (The .450 Marlin, by the way, is a ringer for the .458 American except for that longer belt. The .45-70 is far more versatile, and ammo is made by many companies. boar dead in his tracks erffortlessly. The .444 shoots much flatter than most folks realize. Of course, if you are planning to shoot in very close ranges (within 100 yards), trajectory may be less of a concern that stopping power. On average, factory loaded ammo for the beast rings up north of $1 per trigger pull, which in a word is spendy. Of course, with the shorter barrels on the AR-15 and some other rifles, the muzzle velocity is lower, which changes all the other numbers. Straight-wall rifles, being rifles, typically do not. Straight-walled rifle cartridgesat least most of themare a lot more consistent. At the range, the first shot told us that the Marlin .450 was a powerful rifle. Advertising - In the .450 Bushmaster's corner is Hornady 's 250-grain FTX load, which has a listed muzzle velocity of 2,200 fps, is topped with a flex-tip bullet and has a ballistic coefficient (BC) of .210. The front sight was a gold-faced bead on a ramp underneath a protective hood. If you also shoot a Trapdoor Springfield or any other kind of weak-actioned rifle that takes the .45-70, it makes sense that you should not mix up your ammunition. He was intrigued by the idea of the .450 Bushmaster cartridge but prefers hunting with a lever-action versus a bolt action rifle. from a 1.70 long cartridge case at velocities over 2000 fps. We also used the data gathered to suggest optimum barrel lengths for each cartridge to help decide which was best. The case can also be handloaded to impressive figures in a suitable rifle, and there are some excellent bullets like the Swift A-Frame which will further enhance the performance of this old design, yet the classic cast-lead bullets at low velocities are still fun to shoot. The decision may now be influenced by availability of both rifles and ammunition, with the breakup of the parent company which owned Marlin (thankfully Marlin has been purchased by Ruger). Elwood Shelton is an online content developer for Gun Digest. Over the last few years, there have been a number of straight-walled cartridges to hit the market. However, if we found a gun which didnt have ejection problems like those we note below, wed upgrade that recommendation to a Conditional Buy for the pistol shooter who already owns .44 Magnums or Specials. You have two cartridges that are headed in opposite directions. Then the Marlin 1895 lever-action rifle came along in 1972 and changed everything. Specifically, the 45-70 cartridge has an overall length of 2.55 and a 2.105 long case. Can Coolers | An Official Journal Of The NRA, Find More Great NRA Publications Perfect For Every Interest, Discover Everything That The NRA Has To Offer. The .450 Marlin is just a bit bigger, with a bullet diameter of .458 compared to the .450 Bushmasters .452. The .450 Bushmaster is designed to be used in standard M16s and AR-15s, using modified magazines and upper receiver assemblies. Formally known as the .45-70-405relating caliber-powder charge-bullet weight specificationsthe cartridge was commercially known as the .45-70 Government, and that 405-grain lead bullet travelled at a muzzle velocity of just about 1400 fps, though a heavier 500-grain bullet was soon employed. 450 Bushmaster 044176 Cartridge. For generations, a lot of states have allowed deer hunters to use only shotguns with slugs or maybe a muzzleloader during gun season. The .450 Marlin has quite a bit longer case, at 2.10 compared to 1.70 on the .450 Bushmaster. The .450 Marlin is a relatively new cartridge designed as a challenge to the classic .45-70 Government, but did not offer enough of an improvement for most hunters to justify making the switch. Ohio and southern Michigan are just two examples of areas where the shotgun slug has been replaced by straight-walled cartridges like the .45-70 Government, .444 Marlin and, more recently, the .450 Bushmaster. Col. Jeff Cooperthe widely acknowledged expert who brought self-defense firearm training to civilians by establishing what would become Gunsite Academywas a big proponent of .44-bore or larger guns for their one-shot-stop potential. This BB ammunition defines todays standard for the .45-70 for those rifles that can handle the pressure. Different states hunting laws are slightly different and are subject to change so we included case lengths for each for you to use as a guide if they are legal for your hunt or not. The performance all the way around was very impressive. The heavier bullets of the .450 Marlin might slow it down a bit, but they give a serious advantage when it comes to velocity. In the end thats what counts. Those ballistic tips expand way to fast for deer size game when backed by high amounts of kinetic energy. A small point perhaps, but the action bottom at the balance point was squared on the Winchester, but nicely rounded on the Marlins, and that made the Marlin easier to carry. Not that it hurts to have a rifle chambered for one in your arsenal if you live big county out West. Since the topic is hunting, weve selected two respected hunting rounds in common weights for calibers and with similar style bullets to side-by-side the cartridges. What about the need for an idiot-proof cartridge in the first place? This means theres precious little need for the .444 in our book. While .308 can reach out accurately to 1,200 yards (if you're pretty good), 450 . Lets see what we found. It generates 21.34 ft-lbs of energy at 12.55 fps. Powder Valley is your Reloading Superstore.. We are the largest provider of all brands of reloading brass because we offer great service and wholesale prices. vs. .340 Wby. Bryce M. Towsley Who needs more than 1 shot? The Marlins were much fatter than the 94AE. I own a 450 marlin and have been happy with it. Rifle type is the major difference between the .450 Marlin and the .450 Bushmaster. The case should come out every time, no matter how the lever is operated. Out of the muzzle, the .450 Marlin is flying 175 ft/s faster than the .45-70 Government. Many lever guns have limited accuracy past 150 yards, but the .450 BM is able to perform within MOA all the way to 200 and beyond. It goes so far as, previously mentioned, manufacturers offering the same model rifle in both .450 Bushmaster and .350 Legend. We are the largest provider of all brands of Rifle Ammo because we offer great service and wholesale prices. This advantage expands a bit as we cross more distance. Also, a synthetic stock is available with Realtree XTRA camo finish. The Hornady Flextip bullet has a BC of .225 and a muzzle velocity of 2325 fps. The rimmed .457 case is longer than the .45-70 but otherwise similar, its extra length keeping it out of chambers where it doesnt belong. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service. Dont Buy. Unless otherwise noted, these reviews carry the guns prices at the time of the original review. Yes, the Legend does tend to shoot a fraction flatter at distance, but not substantially so. The Winchester 150-grain Deer Season XP generates 8.52 foot-pounds of recoil in a 7-pound rifle. Still, the clip each moves at this range is more than adequate to ensure satisfactory penetration, proper bullet expansion (if you are using such a projectile) and an ethical kill. Four REASONS I WAS THINKING OF A 450 BUSHMASTER 20"UPPER 1.WAY LESS FELT RECOIL THAN A 12 GAUGE THANKS TO THE AR15 BUFFER TUBE DESIGN . It was easy to cycle the .444 from the shoulder, but, unfortunately, the rifle prevented that nearly half the time. The rifle was fitted with a Pachmayr Decelerator stock but had no ports. Introduced in 1964, the .444 Marlin was kind of a stretched out .44 Magnum. Both of these big bore cartridges are meant for a specific purpose: to bring down large game at very close ranges. However, we measured Buffalo Bores 350-grain .45-70 load at 2,058 from their Guide Gun (on a cold day, unlike the blazing heat in which we tested the .450 Marlin). The 45-70 never done much for me, but if you like them then so be it. They were solidly made of steel and walnut, and looked like they would hold together for a long time. One of my favorites, and a big favorite for many Alaskans, is the Marlin 1895 lever gun. 2.100 case length. And truly, it is a pleasurable cartridge, very much akin to the .30-30, which by almost anyones standard is extremely manageable. Like the Marlins, the Winchester had a cross-bolt safety but the owner had locked it out so the rifle would fire every time the hammer fell. It has been used for everything from deer to Cape Buffalo, and remains popular among the bear guides to this day. In days past these included the .348, various wildcats on that theme like the .450 Alaskan, the .45-70, and numerous blackpowder-era cartridges modernized with smokeless powder. 1.690 case length, .458 Caliber projectiles Both shed velocity like mad, the Legend losing 29-percent of its muzzle velocity at the 200-yard mark and the Bushmaster 31 percent1,648 fps and 1,515 fps respectively. The U.S. Army adopted the new cartridge, which replaced the .50-70 cartridge it employed in 1866. The muzzle velocity is 2200 fps, and the bullet carries a BC of .210. The .450 Marlin has quite a bit longer case, at 2.10" compared to 1.70" on the .450 Bushmaster. If youre looking to shoot much outside of 200 yards, youre looking at the wrong calibers. High-Dollar .22 LR Pistols: Pardini Is Our Pick As Best Buy. Save my name and email to use for future comments. At 300 yards, drop is 15.8 and 18.8 respectively. There were two large panels of checkering on the straight-hand grip. The Bushmaster got a major boost thanks to revised big game hunting laws in states like Michigan, Ohio and Indiana that allowed the use of straight-wall cartridges. The 444 Marlin (which I love) is headed in the other direction. 460 has more horsepower, as runs at higher pressures than the 450. Offers more power than any commercial lever gun cartridge except the .450 Marlin. A box of .357 Mag. The .450 Bushmaster cartridge was developed using a modified .284 Winchester case with a rebated rim. The .45-70 uses a straight-walled, rimmed case measuring 2.105 inches, and maintains an overall length of 2.550 inches. Using this web site acknowledges your agreement to the. Some companies, like Wild West in Alaska, do a bang-up business modifying existing lever rifles into whatever the mind of man can conceive. The checkering was fully functional. With a 150-yard zero, the Hornady 265-grain Flextip ammo is 1.55 inches high at 100 yards, 4.08 inches low at 200 yards and 11.16 inches low at 250 yards. The 450 bushmaster in the Ruger is a fine rifle for the money . Archive - So when it comes to the .350 Legend vs .450 Bushmaster, is there any discernable advantage of hunting one or the other? It was so far from the eye it was easy to see the front bead in just about any position within the ghost ring. The crux is terminal performance on game. For some reason, the .450 wasnt as smooth as the .444 we shot. The .444 Marlin, .450 Marlin, and .45/70 are rimmed straight-wall rifle cartridges that are most commonly chambered in lever guns such as the Winchester 1886 and Marlin 1895, though there are single-shot options like the Ruger No. A .450 Bushmaster is .452 inches while the .350 Legend is only about .3570 inches, which makes it more comparable to a .223 Remington. The inletting was nowhere near as good as on the Marlins. The .450 Marlins belt is longer than that found on most belted magnum cases, which means you cant make .450 Marlin cases out of normal belted magnum cases. These drawings will be incorporated during the next revision of the relevant SAAMI Standard. The .450 Bushmaster was developed for big game hunting with modern rifles. Big bore cartridges in particular can make lever action rifles a great choice for a bear defense gun. Well analyze the performance of these calibers across a variety of factors to help you decide which is best for your hunting needs. On the other hand, the .450 Bushmaster is primarily intended for use on the semi-automatic AR platform, while it can also be chambered in bolt action rifles. And, outside a flash hider on an AR, dont usually come with a muzzle device standard. Mag. Also, moose, elk size game out to about 175 yards. The trajectory of most .450 factory ammo allows you to zero at about 200 yards and hold right on anywhere inside that. The 444 Marlin (which I love) is headed in the other direction. Though certainly designed for black powder, the .45-70 Government survived the transition to smokeless powder, though the chosen firearm will certainly dictate the pressure levels to which the cartridge can be loaded. The Marlins rear sight was a spring-loaded buckhorn with U-notch. The following ballistics tables show a side by side comparison of the 450 Marlin vs 450 Bushmaster based on bullet weight and performance metrics including velocity, energy, usage and recoil. Year-round, you can find ammo at less than 50 per round, which isnt 5.56 NATO cheap, but is thrifty. The straight-hand stock had a sling swivel stud in the butt, and another on the steel that attached the wood forend. With a 150-yard zero, the Hornady ammo is 1.54 inches high at 100 yards, 4.68 inches low at 200 yards and 8.49 inches low at 250 yards. These two rifles were both light and, with outstanding Buffalo Bore ammunition, provided as modern and powerful ballistics as anyone could want. Non-1911 .45 ACPs: Heresy, Or Are They Here To Stay? These four are the most popular. While the .444 is near the bottom of the popularity list in current straight-walled rifle cartridges, I expect that will change as hunters discover the potential of this cartridge. Marlins introduction of the Guide Gun didnt acknowledge Wild West Guns, so perhaps the reason for Marlins new cartridge stems from a desire to avoid copying Wild West yet again. Get 12 Issues a year of the country's best firearms writing. (444 Marlin) 397117 45 Cal .452" 200 gr. the 450 marlin, the 444, 38-55, 375 win, 375 super mag, 445 super, & the 357 maximum will all ruin a deer's day at 200 yds. Bushmaster asked Hornady to produce the .45 Professional, but Hornady wanted to shorten the cartridge case to accommodate their .452-inch, 250-grain pointed SST Flex-Tip bullet. Velocity (200 yards): 1,515 feet per second. How can a bit of brass added to a cartridge case make up for the exact same amount of steel removed from the chamber that holds it? At reasonable straight-wall cartridge hunting distances, for both velocity and trajectory, there is no real out-and-out winner between .450 Bushmaster vs .350 Legend. By comparison, a 250-grain .450 Bushmaster factory load generates 22.99 foot-pounds of recoil, and a full-power 12-gauge slug generates 45 foot-pounds. This is where the differences end, as the 45 70 and 450 are more similar than they are different. The .450 Bushmaster was designed to work in an AR-15, but its also available in bolt-action rifles from Ruger, Mossberg, and others. Winchester Model 94AE Big Bore Our recommendation: We liked the Winchester .444 Marlin. Depending on the weight of the gun, recoil for the 450 varies between 15 and 20 ftlbs. Both forend and wrist checkering had a darker finish than the rest of the wood, and it added to the looks of the rifle. Both are straight walled cartridges, but the 45-70 has a longer overall length, a longer case length, and a larger diameter case than the 450 Bushmaster. And the .450 marlin used in its capacity for large game is exceptional. First, the 45-70 Government is physically larger than the 450 Bushmaster. That said, the Bushmasterwhile stoutisnt the North American version of the .500 Nitro Express. 350 Legend's 8.52 ft lbs recoil energy is less than the 30-30's 9.64 ft lbs and the 243 Win's 10.38 ft lbs. Contributor Brad Fenson takes to the grill, to cook up some delicious venison burgers. I have worked pretty extensively with this cartridge on the range with three different rifles, and I have talked with a bunch of other gun guys who have been shooting the 350 Legend. BALLISTICS: Some straight-wall loads produce muzzle velocities of 2,200 to 2,400 fps, a . I dont think anybody can say anything against the quality of marlin lever actions. The main aim of 450 bushmaster is big game hunting in the long-range distance, so the traditional scope that performs in the mid-long range is perfect for this cartridge so that we've recommended this Vortex scope. The long belt certainly does not add strength, no matter what you might have read elsewhere. The 444 Marlin is a 200 yard rifle. Specifically, the hot .45-70 Buffalo Bore (BB) ammunition gave a 405-grain bullet the astounding velocity of 1,900 fps, compared to 1,200 fps with the ordinary loading of that bullet by Remington. 450 Bushmaster Ammo; 450 Marlin Ammo; 450 Nitro Express Ammo; 450 Rigby Ammo; 450/400 Nitro Express Ammo; 454 Casull Ammo; 458 Lott Ammo; 458 SOCOM Ammo; 458 Winchester Magnum Ammo; . 450 Bushmaster can be found on the shelves at most large outfitters but don't expect to . Again, there isnt a bright clear advantage when it comes to rifles chambered for cartridges. Mag. A talk on straight-wall cartridges is, for the most part, a regional discussion. The .350 Legend is a blue-light special (if you remember that analogy) in comparison. However, the primer was apparently not struck soundly enough. 1 and Winchester's 1885. . Our velocity charts are labeled with bullet weights and barrel lengths with velocities gathered. Eight major concealed carry insurance programs are now available to the millions of Americans who carry concealed. About half the time, the fired case didnt clear the rifle. .451 Caliber projectiles Learn how your comment data is processed. It is on the wane and has long ago been supplanted by the resurgent 45-70. Winchester put decent walnut on this all-steel rifle, and did a great job of finishing and checkering the wood. That BC may not inspire glee with long range rifle shooters, but in the world of straight-walled rifle cartridges, its pretty impressive. For 450 Bushmaster, AR 15 is always the best choice. That said, I have both in rifles. 12 Gauge 1". All the calibers you mention are good hunting calibers. A good aperture sight would be lighter, just as fast, and nearly as effective in most conditions as a scope, assuming the shooter has reasonably good eyesight. While my .444 Marlin lever-action rifle shoots just over one MOA with the Hornady ammo, like all lever actions, its not built for precision work. There are a few single-shot rifles out there as well, but this cartridge needs a modern repeating rifle. There is something almost magical about big-bore lever guns; to me they represent big-game hunting at close quarters. It retains 1,000 foot-pounds of energy to about 360 yards. Eliminate trailing, disputes over the game, keep the deer on your side of the fence. Thats the exact opposite of whats in vogue with modern rifle cartridges today.