450 AR upper

[Bartojc]

BCA had some 450 Bushmaster uppers for a pretty good price. I have a couple (2) ARs but in no way am I an expert. If I bought an upper to put in a lower that I am using for .223/5.56 would I need anything else ? Mags with a proper follower ? It would be used for hunting deer, is there any advantage to 18" over 16" ? For $250-$270 it seems like a nice option to have.

-Jeff

 

[CarJunkieLS1]

Not much difference between 16" and 18" the lower will work just fine. You'll need 450BM mags to make sure it runs reliably.

 

[mcb]

450 Bushmaster mag are nice but not required. Most metal straight 20rd magazines will feed 450 Bushmaster just fine. The most important thing to good feeding of 450 Bushmaster is making sure the feed lips are not sharp or have burrs. Smooth feed-lips are very helpful. Duramag is making a pretty good dedicated 450 BM mag if you want dedicated mags.

The longer barrel won't make a huge difference but it will make a difference, ~50-75 fps from 16" to 18" barrel with most factory ammo. If you going to handload for it you can make better use of that extra length than with most factory ammo. I am running a 20-inch barrel and love it.

Don't have any experience with BCA but if they have selected the correct gas port diameter for their barrel length and gas system it should run just fine on any standard lower and buffer spring a buffer.

450 Bushmaster is a lot of fun, enjoy.

 

[Bartojc]

My concern was buffer spring mainly. I'll probably get a couple dedicated mags. I couldn't help myself I just went ahead and ordered it. What the worst that could happen ?

I will be handloading for it. So a set of dies will be a needed item. Plus I can use that brass I've been saving.

-Jeff

 

[CarJunkieLS1]

My concern was buffer spring mainly. I'll probably get a couple dedicated mags. I couldn't help myself I just went ahead and ordered it. What the worst that could happen ?

I will be handloading for it. So a set of dies will be a needed item. Plus I can use that brass I've been saving.

-Jeff

When you get it and shoot let us know how it does and don't forget the camera

 

[mcb]

My concern was buffer spring mainly. I'll probably get a couple dedicated mags. I couldn't help myself I just went ahead and ordered it. What the worst that could happen ?

I will be handloading for it. So a set of dies will be a needed item. Plus I can use that brass I've been saving.

-Jeff

Standard buffer and buffer spring should most likely work just fine. I am running mine on a standard A2 style fixed stock lower with standard buffer and spring..



Ahhh as a reloader there are lots of good options for reloading 450 Bushmaster.


Left to Right: Barnes, 200gr XPB, Barnes 275gr TSX, Hornady 240gr XTP/MAG, Hornady 300gr XTP/MAG, Hornady, 225gr FTX, Hornady 250gr FTX, Remington 405gr SP (resized).

 

[Rembrandt]

Posted this on the Bear Creek thread, since you're asking about their 450BM uppers here's what I found. Ordered a 18" upper for my grandson, very pleased with it. Pin alignment was perfect, no slop or wiggle in receivers. Does'nt come with any magazines and arrived within a week of placing the order.

First shot was low 6 o'clock....adjusted sights and 5 more grouped nicely in the center. Can't argue about the price, $245.

 

[Bartojc]

Barnes, 200gr XPB, Barnes 275gr TSX, Hornady 240gr XTP/MAG, Hornady 300gr XTP/MAG, Hornady, 225gr FTX, Hornady 250gr FTX, Remington 405gr SP (resized).

My buddy uses factory FTX (not sure of the weight) for deer. What’s is your preferred game bullet ? Was thinking of trying 225 FTX to start, but is a 250 better ? Is there anything better than H110 or Lil Gun ? I guess I could post this in the hand loading section.

jeff

 

[mcb]

I have not heard good things about the FTX in 450 Bushmaster. I have loaded and shot them and got good accuracy but have not shot any critters with them. Seems some think they are a bit fragile for 450BM velocities. I picked up some blemished 300gr SST (same as the FTX but a harder ballistic tip) that is typically used in muzzle loader Sabot offered by Hornady and I think those might work better as the extra mass will force you to load them slower but I have not had a chance to load any yet. I like heavier for caliber bullets if I can get them.

My favorite so far is Barnes 275 gr TSX. It has worked very well for me. Decent accuracy and very effective terminal performance. Everything I have shot with that bullet has dropped in its tracks so far.

There are lots of options for 450 Bushmaster out there. Several companies are making bullets for it specifically and anything that would work in 454 Casull or 460 S&W is a potential candidate to try in 450 Bushmaster.

 

[Trey Veston]

I need to take mine out and shoot it more. I ordered the AR Stoner upper from Midway when it went on sale for $350 and mated it to a PSA Magpul lower I picked up on sale for $140. I had a few old aluminum-bodied GI mags from my Army days laying around, so I ordered a couple of .450 Bushmaster followers from Chamber Tactical for $7.50 each. They have been flawless. I see that they bumped the price up to $8.50 a piece lately, though.

https://www.chambertactical.com/product/ar-big-bore-follower-new/

My rifle has functioned 100% with factory ammo and my reloads using FTX and XTP bullets. Getting 1" groups at 55 yards using a red dot, so very happy with the accuracy.

 

[Bartojc]

Here it is in the raw connected to my Ruger lower. Not a great picture but..





Jeff

 

[LoonWulf]

looks good! Now go shoot it!

 

[Bartojc]

So after a couple months of scope shopping, waiting on shipping for magazines, I finally got out to shoot it.

Good news is it seems accurate, and plenty accurate for hunting. I do not think 1 MOA should be an issue at 100 yards. I only tried Hornady Black as it was all I could find. I am saving brass as I hope to never buy any more factory ammo.

Recoil is really manageable. Actually much better than I had thought it would be.

Bad news is I had a rough day with feeding. Checking what I could at the range with no tools I quit shooting. Been reading other posts about checking the gas systems, and tuning the mags. As of this morning I think the issue was the Duramag magazine needed the lips opened a bit. I polished, and etc, but until I opened the lips up, it would not feed consistently. I wont get out for a week or so, but I think I have it set now. Also ordered another mag to try in case. I only had one first time out.

-Jeff

 

[Trey Veston]

I loaned my .450 Bushmaster AR out to a buddy this week and he came back and said one of the mags would not function. Exact same Chamber Tactical followers in all mags. I inspected the bum mag and the feed lips were open enough that the rounds were tilted up slightly compared to the other mags. I tweaked the lips so that the angle is the same as the other mags. Like you, I figured the slightly sharper angle would aid in feeding, but he said when firing, the bullet was impacting the top of the chamber.

I'll have to take it out next week and make sure all is well.