Why do I want one? New Ruger GSR in .450 Bushmaster

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Jason_W

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http://www.ruger-firearms.com/products/gunsiteScoutRifle/specSheets/6837.html

It would be a completely impractical gun for me. Expensive, hard to find ammo, rainbow trajectory, and way too much gun for the paper punching I do.

Still, it's a really cool looking and there's just something about bore diameters over .40 that call to me.

Justification time: Cast bullet handloads could make it a little less expensive to shoot once a decent supply of brass is on hand.
 
Because now you have a reason to take up hog hunting, bison someday.... That is one fine rifle! I have a 458WM, and it's plenty practical. Loaded to 45/70 ballistics it's a great hunting gun. The bullet arrives at the caliber you wish the 243 would expand to. 1396005_437134916391629_1175567596_n.jpg
 
That rifle, and the Ruger American in the same chambering were designed to meet legal requirements in a couple of states that used to be shotgun or muzzle loader only. They will sell very well in those states and even a few will go to states where they are not required. But I see no advantage unless restricted by law. You basically get 45 caliber muzzle loader performance, but in a repeater. There are lots of cartridges including 30-30 that would be more practical, if legal.

But it is good to see Ruger step up and offer something for guys who want to hunt with a rifle but are heavily restricted.
 
I was head over heels for the American Ranch version and almost ordered one but now I may have to get the GSR instead!


jmr40 said:
That rifle, and the Ruger American in the same chambering were designed to meet legal requirements in a couple of states that used to be shotgun or muzzle loader only. They will sell very well in those states and even a few will go to states where they are not required. But I see no advantage unless restricted by law. You basically get 45 caliber muzzle loader performance, but in a repeater. There are lots of cartridges including 30-30 that would be more practical, if legal.

But it is good to see Ruger step up and offer something for guys who want to hunt with a rifle but are heavily restricted.
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Do you just automatically dislike anything new and different???

It's the perfect host for super quiet suppressor use, without that clanging in your ear or having to bother with getting an AR to function with reduced loads. IMHO, it's a better option than the .458SOCOM because you don't really need a bullet 'that' heavy to penetrate well at subsonic velocities. Lots of options for tough bullets designed for the .454 and .460S&W. Not to mention heavy cast bullet loads with no worry of clogging up the gas system. And last I checked, a solid .45 caliber bullet 300-360gr in weight was good for a whole lot more than a friggin' .30-30. The 1-16" twist will stabilize anything you want to stuff in it.
 
CraigC said:
I was head over heels for the American Ranch version and almost ordered one but now I may have to get the GSR instead!



Do you just automatically dislike anything new and different???

It's the perfect host for super quiet suppressor use, without that clanging in your ear or having to bother with getting an AR to function with reduced loads. IMHO, it's a better option than the .458SOCOM because you don't really need a bullet 'that' heavy to penetrate well at subsonic velocities. Lots of options for tough bullets designed for the .454 and .460S&W. Not to mention heavy cast bullet loads with no worry of clogging up the gas system. And last I checked, a solid .45 caliber bullet 300-360gr in weight was good for a whole lot more than a friggin' .30-30. The 1-16" twist will stabilize anything you want to stuff in it.
Click to expand...

I've never done it and don't expect to, but the guns and cartridge seem to me to be ideal for suppressed shooting in nighttime hog hunts. The 30-30 thing is a comparison without foundation; the dissimilarities are too great.
 
jmr40 said:
That rifle, and the Ruger American in the same chambering were designed to meet legal requirements in a couple of states that used to be shotgun or muzzle loader only. They will sell very well in those states and even a few will go to states where they are not required. . . . You basically get 45 caliber muzzle loader performance, but in a repeater. . . .

But it is good to see Ruger step up and offer something for guys who want to hunt with a rifle but are heavily restricted.
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Interesting. I was pretty oblivious to that info until now.
 
I can't speak to the Ruger but I can speak to the cartridge since I have a Bushmaster chambered in .450 Bushmaster and it's a thumper for sure. I shoot Remington's 260gr bonded bullet in mine but it's a fun cartridge with lots of options whether it's a semi auto or a bolt action. I have a 20" barrel but really need to get it cut down to 16" and have the muzzle threaded to something that makes sense for suppression.

I do prefer the look of the GSR vs. the Ranch Rifle but would prefer a laminate stock over the walnut.
 
i don't live in one of the states with a straight walled cartridge requirement, but I'm very tempted to get one anyway. I think it looks great with the walnut stock.
 
Sorry, but I don't see the advantage of this rifle over a Marlin 1895 rifle, which has the ability of loadings from 250 to over 400 grains. The incrementally caliber increasing laws of the Rustbelt states are confounding. Indiana opened with several caliber-based centerfire calibers this year that included poor choices and left out "good" calibers (no .270 Winchester but .30 Carbine?). How many hunters would pick a .458 WM to hunt in Ohio?
 
I like it... Already use a 458 socom AR, but have always wanted to toy with a bolt action version.

308 GSR is excellent here, the deer hate it lol. Also shoots a 150 GC cast FN REALLY well, consistently 1 MOA without too much fuss. Maybe I got lucky right off haha.
 
stonecoldy said:
Sorry, but I don't see the advantage of this rifle over a Marlin 1895 rifle, which has the ability of loadings from 250 to over 400 grains.
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As an 1895 owner, I don't see its advantages either, but I don't see any dis-advantages as well. I have a GSR in 308 with the Synthetic stock. Very light. I might see its .452 bore diameter as an issue versus the .458 of the 45-70. Only for bullet choices. But hey, what do I know. If I didn't have an 1895, I might give it a try.
 
Makes Hog hunting downright casual. You'll feel guilty with the ease the hogs drop.
 
It does sound interesting. It also sounds like a "cool idea" scenario that would result in later "buyer's remorse" due to lack of practicality and the cost/ trouble of getting ammo at a reasonable price or without reloading (which isn't cheap unless you make and shoot lots of rounds). This is exactly why I don't have a 300 B-O.
 
stonecoldy said:
Sorry, but I don't see the advantage of this rifle over a Marlin 1895 rifle, which has the ability of loadings from 250 to over 400 grains. The incrementally caliber increasing laws of the Rustbelt states are confounding. Indiana opened with several caliber-based centerfire calibers this year that included poor choices and left out "good" calibers (no .270 Winchester but .30 Carbine?). How many hunters would pick a .458 WM to hunt in Ohio?
Click to expand...

In terms of terminal performance, .458 rifle bullets are technically superior, but if it's only light skinned medium game on the menu, the difference is academic. It would be like the difference between a pedestrian getting hit by a pickup truck going 50 MPH or a big rig going 50 MPH.

From the perspective of a handloader, straight walled cases are way more fun to work with as you can skip the step of adding and then removing case lube. Additionally, so people simply prefer a bolt action for hunting. Don't get me wrong, I love lever actions, but it is admittedly way more convenient to be able to unload at the end of a hunt by simply removing a magazine than by working each round through the chamber.

None of this is really enough to justify it my case. I don't hunt enough to need a dedicated big game rifle that takes rare ammo/components and would ultimately be used occasionally to poke expensive .45 cal holes in paper. I just really like the concept and if I still lived and hunted the thick woods, I'd be all over it.
 
I can't believe I'm about to espouse a boltgun over a lever but here it goes. It never occurred to me to compare this rifle to the Marlin .45-70 I already have. For the Marlin is 22" and isn't threaded. The .45/70 is nearly a half inch longer, which makes it less suited to subsonic use and is restricted to flat nosed bullets in its tubular magazine. Whereas the 275gr Barnes would make a great whitetail bullet in the .450. What we need is more loading data and perhaps with Ruger building boltguns in the cartridge, we'll begin seeing that.


FL-NC said:
It does sound interesting. It also sounds like a "cool idea" scenario that would result in later "buyer's remorse" due to lack of practicality and the cost/ trouble of getting ammo at a reasonable price or without reloading (which isn't cheap unless you make and shoot lots of rounds). This is exactly why I don't have a 300 B-O.
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Yes, some folks should stick to what they can get at Walmart. :barf:

If you can't find .300BO ammo you're not looking very hard.
 
CraigC said:
I can't believe I'm about to espouse a boltgun over a lever but here it goes. It never occurred to me to compare this rifle to the Marlin .45-70 I already have. For the Marlin is 22" and isn't threaded. The .45/70 is nearly a half inch longer, which makes it less suited to subsonic use and is restricted to flat nosed bullets in its tubular magazine. Whereas the 275gr Barnes would make a great whitetail bullet in the .450. What we need is more loading data and perhaps with Ruger building boltguns in the cartridge, we'll begin seeing that.



Yes, some folks should stick to what they can get at Walmart. :barf:

If you can't find .300BO ammo you're not looking very hard.
Click to expand...

I would think that in a bolt gun, loads equivalent to the .460 S&W would be possible. If one could get that 275 grain barnes you mentioned up to 2400 f/s or so, it would be good for most North American game out to 200-250 yards. Farther if you're good at the Arkansas elevation game.
 
If one could get that 275 grain barnes you mentioned up to 2400 f/s or so, it would be good for most North American game out to 200-250 yards.
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Remington drives the 275gr XPB to 2,125 fps for the .450 Bushmaster using a 24" barrel. I'd be surprised if 2,400 fps would be possible out of a 16" barrel while keeping pressure around the SAAMI spec of 38,500 psi.

https://images.remington-catalog.com/5689962b9a43f
 
MCMXI said:
Remington drives the 275gr XPB to 2,125 fps for the .450 Bushmaster using a 24" barrel. I'd be surprised if 2,400 fps would be possible out of a 16" barrel while keeping pressure around the SAAMI spec of 38,500 psi.

https://images.remington-catalog.com/5689962b9a43f
Click to expand...

Definitely not at the SAAMI spec pressure.

That said the .308 win around which the GSR was designed is rated up to a SAAMI spec limit of 62,000 psi. The .284 Win off which the .450 is based has a max pressure rating of a touch over 63,000 psi. It seems like there is some opportunity to ramp things up over what could sanely be accomplished in an AR.
 
Definitely not at the SAAMI spec pressure.

That said the .308 win around which the GSR was designed is rated up to a SAAMI spec limit of 62,000 psi. The .284 Win off which the .450 is based has a max pressure rating of a touch over 63,000 psi. It seems like there is some opportunity to ramp things up over what could sanely be accomplished in an AR.
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The .450 BM was definitely choked down to be safe in the AR15 platform with the 55,000 psi .223 Rem and 38,500 psi .450 BM resulting in very similar bolt thrust values. I still don't see how 2,400 fps would be possible from a 16" barrel, even at 63,000 psi. According to QL I'd need about 43.0gr of H110 to get a 275gr XPB up to 2,275 fps at 63,249 psi from a 16" barrel. The same load would get me 2,356 fps from a 20" barrel and 2,415 fps from a 24" barrel. I use H110 in my .450 BM but other popular powders include Lil'Gun, Accurate 1680 and IMR 4227 but none of them will get a 270gr bullet up to 2,400 fps from a 16" barrel.
 
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