The result of this collaboration is the .450 Bushmaster. Over the last few years, there have been a number of straight-walled cartridges to hit the market. Bullet Diameter: .452 inches (All .450 Bushmaster) Shell Case Length: 1.7 inches (All .450 Bushmaster) Bullet Size: 250 grains (Bullets range from 245 to 300 grains) Muzzle Velocity: 2,200 feet per second. We believe the development time used up by Marlin on that rifle could have been spent promoting the grand versatility of the .45-70 Guide Gun, letting folks know that it can handle good stout loads like those from Buffalo Bore, and making the Guide Gun exactly the way it should be, with an aperture rear sight right from the factory, softer recoil pad, and the slickest possible action. The choice between these calibers for many will come down to a choice between rifle platforms. I'm thinking of adding a 450 bushmaster. Even despite this weight difference, the .250 Marlin manages to maintain a small advantage in velocity over the .450 Bushmaster. That said, I have both in rifles. The .450 Marlin case is 2.1 inches long.). Depending on the weight of the gun, recoil for the 450 varies between 15 and 20 ftlbs. is even more expensive. This is where the differences end, as the 45 70 and 450 are more similar than they are different. So when it comes to the .350 Legend vs .450 Bushmaster, is there any discernable advantage of hunting one or the other? I was torn between a lever action 45-70 and a 450 bushmaster ar-15. Muzzle Energy: 2,686 foot-pounds. Most gun makers and gun buyers were not interested in new rifles chambered for this underperforming cartridge. One would think that would have to play in to your decision making. Recoil was manageable thanks to the soft pad, but the rifle had much greater muzzle flip than the ported Marlins. A box of .357 Mag. I have tested them and the results are not good. Cooper was not only an icon of modern tactical applications; he was an serious hunter as well. The only way to get near that with a Bushy is to load your own ammo. In the end thats what counts. 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. We learned the recoil pad, though firm, was almost adequate. I don't like the factory 450 loads though. 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. from a 20" barrel for 2,686 ft.-lbs. We reserve the right to correct pricing errors. vs. .340 Wby. We also had problems with the function of the .450 Marlin. The same bullet in the 450 Bushmaster at 200 yards still travels at 1524 fps with 1289 ft/lb of energy. 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 The 450 Marlin is rated at 43,500 psi compared to 28,000 psi for 45-70 Gov. Using this web site acknowledges your agreement to the. The .450 Marlin is just a bit bigger, with a bullet diameter of .458 compared to the .450 Bushmasters .452. Buy it. It drives a 350-grain bullet at 2,200 fps, about 150 fps faster than Buffalo Bores loads for that bullet weight in the .45-70. SAAMI limits the MAP to 28,000 psi. 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). Get 12 Issues a year of the country's best firearms writing. Offers more range than any commercial lever gun cartridge except the .338 ME This means theres precious little need for the .444 in our book. Re: 450 bushmaster vs 444 marlin. 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. At 300 yards, drop is 15.8 and 18.8 respectively. As far as trajectory, both start to drop excessively at 200 yards, 7.58 inches on a scope zeroed for 100 yards in the .350s case and 8.96 in the .450s. All of it is excellent ammunition, and it is packaged in clearly marked boxes as to what it is, and in which rifles it can be safely used. Straight-wall rifles, being rifles, typically do not. SAAMI Accepts 30 Super Carry As New Standardized Cartridge, SHOT 2022: Federal Premium Announces 30 Super Carry Cartridge. For you Michigan hunters, there is a new kid in town called a 460 S&W that Is awesome in a rifle. The rifle was fitted with a Pachmayr Decelerator stock but had no ports. 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. The .444 shoots much flatter than most folks realize. So I switched to the 450 bm and never regretted it and it comes with me everywhere. Copyright 2023Sportsman's Warehouse. Your rifle is your most important hunting tool, and knowing how to properly clean and store it when hunting season comes to a close is critical in keeping it in tip-top shape. Their 265-grain Superformance load ramps up the muzzle velocity to 2400 fps with a BC of .189. The 450 Marlin duplicates the 45-70 in a modern rimless case that is a little shorter. 450 a bit better with jacketed, 1" vs 1.5". Non-1911 .45 ACPs: Heresy, Or Are They Here To Stay? A 265 grain 44 Mag is measured at 1180 fps with 741 ft/lb at the muzzle. 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. Dont knock the .450 marlin. 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. Hornadys 325-grain Flextip ammo has a muzzle velocity of 2050 fps and the bullet has a BC of .230. Like the .450, the .444 Marlin rifle was very well made. View Details at Brownells. The trigger pull on the 444P was 4.3 pounds with prominent creep but very little overtravel. We are constantly adding new inventory and occasionally offer Free Shipping. And the .450 marlin used in its capacity for large game is exceptional. The old Trapdoor rifles are restricted to a lower pressure level than are the modern, strongly-built lever guns like the Marlin Model 1895 and Winchester Model 1886; though the case may be thin, it can generate impressive numbers in a modern gun. The 444 Marlin (which I love) is headed in the other direction. Not only does it reduce the possibility of developing a flinch, but it also improves the ability of the average hunter to deliver an accurate follow-up shot. The standard load will push a 240-grain .429-inch diameter bullet to 2400 fps for just over 3,000 ft.-lbs. is more comparable to the .350 Legend, but you're losing power and velocity. This comparative cartridge information puts the performance of the new .450 Marlin in context, especially when the shooter considers how a slightly less powerful round, the well-known .444 Marlin, shoots. Velocity (200 yards): 1,515 feet per second. This was adjusted by means of a stepped elevating slide, a design as old as rifles and still functional today. 444 Marlin VS 450 Bushmaster Which is Better. While there are hundreds of rifle cartridges suitable for deer hunting, when we add that straight-walled factor into the equation the list grows much shorter. The .350 Legend is a blue-light special (if you remember that analogy) in comparison. On my chronograph. Deer, hog, black bear size game. 450 Bushmaster was the first big round to come out for bolt action and AR-style rifles, It opened up possibilities for hunters where shotguns and straight-walled cartridge. Who needs more than 1 shot? Rubber meet road, because if there is anyone point in .450 Bushmaster vs .350 Legend battle where one wins out, its here. A heavier bullet will generally travel more slowly than a lighter bullet. The original rifle featured a 24" 1:38 twist microgoove (12 groove) barrel. It was easy to cycle the .444 from the shoulder, but, unfortunately, the rifle prevented that nearly half the time. The rear buckhorn blade did a grand job of obscuring everything on both sides of the target, and shooters would be much better served with a flat-top rear sight, or an aperture. Also, the steel-to-steel fit wasnt quite as good as Marlins, nor was the metal polishing. The wood pores of the 444P were no better filled than on the other rifle. Mag. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. 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. However, it does make a small improvement over the .45-70 Government that may be appealing to some shooters. I live in the dense hard woods of new England where even walking up a tall hill will put you into the pines and out of any hardwoods. They have very similar ballistics, but the .450 Marlin is most frequently found in lever action rifles, while the .450 Bushmaster is intended for semi-automatic rifles on the AR platform. It generates 21.34 ft-lbs of energy at 12.55 fps. I disagree. While we applaud Marlin for adapting the lever-rifle concept to belted cases (this is probably not the first instance of this, but we cant think of another), we reloaders dont appreciate the fact that we have only one source of brass for our new rifle. We started with 27 barrels for each cartridge and collected velocities cutting one inch off at a time and retesting all the way down to 13 using multiple loads of ammunition. For our very first shots with the .444 Marlin, we loaded two rounds. The U.S. Army adopted the new cartridge, which replaced the .50-70 cartridge it employed in 1866. Designed and developed by Winchester, the 350 Legend is the first new introduction to the market aimed specifically at straight-walled hunting regulations. When not at his press or the range he can be found chasing mule deer around the Rocky Mountains. Join F&S+ to read exclusive stories by your favorite writers. Straight-walled rifle cartridgesat least most of themare a lot more consistent. Perhaps with a longer barrel the ammunition might achieve its claimed 2,100 fps. The .450 Marlin and the .450 Bushmaster use very similar sized bullets, as their names might suggest. The Hornady bullets are heavier and have a higher ballistic coefficient. Powder Valley is your Ammunition Superstore . If your pocketbook is tight or you dont appreciate your shoulder getting thumped, then I suppose there is. Top Load: Buffalo Bore Heavy Bullet Weight: 220 grains Muzzle Velocity: 2,200 fps Muzzle Energy: 2,364 ft/lbs Almost forgotten, the .35 Remington is a favorite of hunters who chase black bears with. Those unaccustomed to hard-kicking rifles will find either the .444 or the .450 a bit much on the shoulder until they get used to it. The second shot told us that something was drastically wrong somewhere. Use: Defense. 2. However, the primer was apparently not struck soundly enough. Accuracy was all that anyone would want. Will drop a 300+lb. Many of the loads out there are designed to be safe in the trapdoor Springfields that are still around. Shoot it enough and know what to expect and it shouldnt prove prohibitive, except to the most recoil shy. For $404, wed give it a Buy rating, being a better deal than the $550 Marlin. Back in the day the only 444 ammo was Remington with a 240 handgun bullet. We also used the data gathered to suggest optimum barrel lengths for each cartridge to help decide which was best. The action was slick, about as good as the .444 Marlin. It retains 1,000 foot-pounds of energy to 399 yards. About half the time, the fired case didnt clear the rifle. This BB ammunition defines todays standard for the .45-70 for those rifles that can handle the pressure. That BC may not inspire glee with long range rifle shooters, but in the world of straight-walled rifle cartridges, its pretty impressive. It produces 28.27 ft-lbs of recoil energy at a velocity of 14.72 fps. 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 . Will it put a deer down faster. When it comes to .450 Bushmaster vs .350 Legend, is there a clear winner? But, load that bullet to 2300 fps, stick it in a rifle that can handle the pressure, and things change. The .444 Marlin has the advantage of using the jacketed and cast bullets for the .44 Magnum, making it a rather flexible design for the handloader. The .450 Bushmaster thumper round launches .452-cal. Mag. 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. Whats going on? 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 .450 Bushmaster is capable of using any .452-inch bullet, which opens a lot more doors for handloaders with the wide range of bullets on the marketincluding some outstanding choices from Barnes. 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. A good solution is to install a proper recoil-reducing pad like the Pachmayr Decelerator. Those ballistic tips expand way to fast for deer size game when backed by high amounts of kinetic energy. If you are looking for a caliber that can do on the AR what the .450 Marlin does on the lever action, then the .450 Bushmaster is the answer to this hope, though it loses a bit of ballistics in making the switch. At 100 yards, the .450 Marlin is moving 52 ft/s faster. Problem solved. In our tests, the gun was not as smooth as the .444, had less power than you can get out of a good .45-70 load, offered not a lot more power than you can get out of good .444 Marlin loads, and in short didnt offer us anything at all that we wanted. A behemoth by any standard, the large-bore rifle cartridge has been the go-to for many if not most hunters around the shores of Lake Michigan and Lake Erie up to this point. The round didnt go off. The crux is terminal performance on game. Its great skill and potentially one of the best hobbies youll ever pick up. among our first successful self-contained metallic rifle cartridges. This means Marlins, Ruger No. With the hammer block there is the possibility of forgetting to press the little button before the shot, and thus losing the shot at the game animal. Mag. Save big on firearms, accessories, tactical gear, clothing, and ammunition from now until March 29. On the other hand, the Legend is available with thinner sporter contour barrels. That size requires rifle, not pistol, bullets. It's my night hog rifle - 4x12-50 L VXR . Then the Marlin 1895 lever-action rifle came along in 1972 and changed everything. The hunting world is big enough for both the .450 Bushmaster and .350 Legend, and either will put meat on the table. The plus side of this cartridge is that recoil is pretty mild, so its a good choice for shooters who need to take recoil into consideration. New Shooters Guide: You Have Your Concealed Carry Permit Should You Carry. At the range the Winchester was flawless in function. The Wild West aperture rear sight costs $100 for Marlins, or $120 for Winchesters. 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? of muzzle energy, and that combo will handle any North American game animal. 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. It didnt punch out groups as small as those with the Marlin .444, but it was accurate enough to take hunting. On average, factory loaded ammo for the beast rings up north of $1 per trigger pull, which in a word is spendy. Still, one wonders: Is there a need for a .444 Guide Gun, the 444P? We could live with it, though wed have much preferred a softer pad. The wood at the rear of the receiver was much smaller in spots than the steel. This is pure conjecture, but the outcome is notthe .450 Marlin is pretty much a turkey, as we see it. The newer .450 Marlin is also frequently compared with it. The new Marlin .450 cartridge is supposed to be a hot choice for all medium-to-big game hunting. The quality of bluing on the Winchester was excellent, in spite of the slight metal-polishing problems. 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. The .45-70 was developed for the army to be used in the trapdoor Springfield rifle. Ballistically, the .450 Bushmaster is close to the .45/70 in terms of velocity . 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. The original loading used a 250-grain bullet with a muzzle velocity of 2200 fps from a. vs. .300 WSM.223 Remington vs. .22-250 Remington. At 300 yards, it is moving 76 ft/s faster, as the .450 Marlin is able to hold onto more of its speed for longer than the .450 Bushmaster. Commercial cartridges are available for both rounds. While the .450 Marlin can be used in bolt action rifles, it is most commonly found in lever action rifles. The .450 Bushmaster has gained more popularity, especially in regions (such as several Midwestern states) where this caliber is legal while bottlenecked cartridges are not. 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. 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. However, the trigger pull was in desperate need of work. The two Marlins had ported 18-inchers. If all you shoot are the Remington 240 grain loads they are pitiful. GunnersDen.com ~ 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; . It might be a little too much for whitetails - it would be perfect on elk and moose. The Marlins were much fatter than the 94AE. 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. Anybody who has done much range work with them knows that they are plagued with fliers. That gives it an overall length of about 2.25 inches, so the length is close to the 450. Ive used a Remington 1100 with a slug barrel on it before that but had problems getting out to the 100-150 yard mark accurately. The inletting was nowhere near as good as on the Marlins. The .444 did have its moment in the sun, and there are still quite a few shooters who quietly enjoy their lever guns each season. However, in a strong rifle like a Ruger No. And, outside a flash hider on an AR, dont usually come with a muzzle device standard. There were two large panels of checkering on the straight-hand grip. What about the need for an idiot-proof cartridge in the first place? If youre looking to shoot much outside of 200 yards, youre looking at the wrong calibers. 450 Bushmaster 500 S&W Magnum 6.5 Creedmoor . But, the numbers say it should be a great little deer cartridge if you dont get stupid with the distances. Based on the function of the gun we had, we would have to say Dont Buy the 444P. But in all honesty, it isnt for everyonebe it due to tight quarters or time constraints. Lets look at the similarities, differences and applications of each. Powered by UBB.threads PHP Forum Software 7.7.5. 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. These drawings will be incorporated during the next revision of the relevant SAAMI Standard. A straight-wall, .452-caliber cartridge with a rebated rim, it's capable of pushing a 250-grain bullet to 2,200 fps. The most common cartridges now are the .444 Marlin, the .45-70, and the new .450 Marlin. There is something almost magical about big-bore lever guns; to me they represent big-game hunting at close quarters. He is a gun owner and avid reloader from Colorado. or 260 gr. of energy. Yes, the ported barrel helped cut muzzle flip, but our shoulders got sore from the too-hard pads on both Marlin rifles. vs. .300 Wby. If you want a powerful lever-action .45-caliber rifle, you probably know what youre doing. Save. The resulting round boasts performance on par with the .45-70 Gov't but in a more compact configuration. This fall will be the first deer season with this cartridge available to the public so we dont have a lot of information on performance on game yet. Shotgun slugs require a series of small miracles to happen for them to perform well. 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.