Bullets suggestions for 450 bushmaster?

[Tripplebeards]

I haven't received the rifle yet but have a Ruger American on order so I obviously haven't slugged it yet but everything I've read its .452. I am looking at the lee 300g and 255g flat nose. I plan on using it for whitetail and black bear over bait. I'll PC them as well. any other boolit mold suggestion that will throw tight groups for this 1/16 twist?

[Tripplebeards]

Anyone?

i ordered a lee .452 300g two bullet mold don't plan on sizing until I slug the bore.

[Efin]

I have the 450 Socom, but looked into the 450, and my research showed that any jacketed pill used in the 45 colt was acceptable, thus the cast boolits used for the same should suffice, gas checked obviously.
.452 was what I read as well.
I load and cast for both the 45 colt and the 45-70, but have lots of Jacketed for the 45-70 and research at the time showed more availability of Jacketed for the 458 so I went with the Socom.

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[Rainier]

Sorry, this probably isn't much help. I don't own a 450 BM but I did cast and PC both the Lee 255 & 300 for a friend to try in his 450 BM - I cast them to shoot them in my .45 Colt. I haven't gotten a range report from him yet - when I do I'll post it. He doesn't cast so he advised he has been using the 250gr Hornady FTX bullets with great success on Michigan whitetails.

[Tripplebeards]

Attachment 196293Attachment 196294

Bullets made....I weighed and PC them. They are color coated in one grain increments. Rifle comes back from Ruger today. Guess I have to wait for a month for lead to harden for best consistancy. Will give me time for more research. What velocities are best for tight groups with these heavy boolits with a 1/16 twist? The only powder I have is h110/w296.

[Tripplebeards]

My new custom hornady die set only came with one seater die for pointed type"FTX" bullets. I called them and they sold me a 45 colt cowboy seater plug for $8 shipped. The lady sad it was for wad cutter bullets so I'm hoping it's completely flat. If not I'll grind it flat.

[Rainier]

Pretty PC'd boolits - I like the "Zombie" green What weight(s) did they finish at? Also, it looks like Hornady has load data for 300gr J-words - seems like you could start with that data and find a fine load for the BM.
Also, this link was in another thread and might be of some use - http://450bushmaster.net/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=12143

[Artful]

I don't have a 450 Bushmaster, but I will say that you can take a .458 down to .452 pretty easy
I like the Gould 330 grn HP (350 as FN)

[Tripplebeards]

I weighed them before I GS and PC so I'll do a final weigh before I load. Green 303g( 303.0-303.9), blue 304g (304.0-304-9), bacon grease 305g(305.0-305.9), and my teal mixed color 306g (306.0-307.0g). My first batch of cast 99 percent were 303-305 and a few 306g. I ran a 2nd batch and ended up getting a lot more 306g. Out of all those I only had about 20 or so that were above or below these weights.

[Tripplebeards]

I don't have a 450 Bushmaster, but I will say that you can take a .458 down to .452 pretty easy
I like the Gould 330 grn HP (350 as FN)

I have a lee .452 sizer I'll have to look for that mold. A quenched hollow point would be a beast out of that gun.

[Moonie]

I have this mold from NOE for my 45 Colt:

http://noebulletmolds.com/NV/product...idbat3l31pthb6

it is 335gr HP or 350gr solid. I think it would probably make a great boolit for the 450 and can be had gas checked or plain based. I use the GC version.

[Tripplebeards]

I have this mold from NOE for my 45 Colt:

http://noebulletmolds.com/NV/product...idbat3l31pthb6

it is 335gr HP or 350gr solid. I think it would probably make a great boolit for the 450 and can be had gas checked or plain based. I use the GC version.

That one is a winner. I'll have to order one in the next couple weeks. I like the wide meplate. I would GC, quench,and run it as a hp.

[rockrat]

I have used the RCBS 45-300 mold for the 45-70 and sized down to .453" and then a 45-300 mold from Ranch Dog too.

[crackers]

With a Ruger Ranch version I've never done well with the ball 230s - top right.
Top left is Lyman 452260, 7.0 Titewad. Below that is Lyman 454190, 9.0 Titegroup. In the center is RCBS 325, 10.0 BE86. Extrapolations are 1000, 1100, 1050 respectively. HF red range scrap squashed to .452. 70 yards, 7x scope. For a fact, a 300BO magazine will flush-fill the well for single-shooting. More than a grain or so below those numbers brings on a dirty burn - these are just over that threshold.
You're just gonna have to look at it like the dog does.

[Tripplebeards]

Once my hornady cowboy seater die insert shows up I plan on working up starting loads in h110/w296 all the way up and I will post my results. I will be shooting shooting at a 100 yards off a lead sled, all my brass will be trimmed to the same length, bullets used will be one grain or less from each other, and I will be measuring each powder charge individually to take away all the variables. I'll probably borrow one of my 3.5x14 pro staff 5 scopes from one of my long range rifles for testing...that won't be left on for hunting use. I will pick up another powder or two to test along the way. I think lil gun seems to be a popular choice.

I have Lyman's #4 and there isn't any loads for the 450 bushmaster in it. If I can't find any I will be using data from the 460 s&w and will be loading my bullets to the bottom crimp groove for a bigger case capacity and increasing overall length. They are almost identical with the s&w case being a tenth of an inch longer when both are trimmed to minimum. The ranch magazine is so long it allows bullets to be seated 1/4" further out.

Doesn't seem like cast bullet shooting in the 450 bushmaster is too popular since there is very little info out there when googled. Not much info on 450bushmaster on the subject accept for posters talking about doing it with no results posted. Guess I will have to brake the mold.

[Tripplebeards]

With a Ruger Ranch version I've never done well with the ball 230s - top right.
Top left is Lyman 452260, 7.0 Titewad. Below that is Lyman 454190, 9.0 Titegroup. In the center is RCBS 325, 10.0 BE86. Extrapolations are 1000, 1100, 1050 respectively. HF red range scrap squashed to .452. 70 yards, 7x scope. For a fact, a 300BO magazine will flush-fill the well for single-shooting. More than a grain or so below those numbers brings on a dirty burn - these are just over that threshold.
You're just gonna have to look at it like the dog does.

I think you need to load them a little faster. They are probably not stabilizing properly. I loaded a few of my rifles with trailboss and it was like throwing a hotdog down a hallway. Like 12"plus groups at 100 yards. As soon as I switched to the lowest load charges published with normal powders I was back to normal sized groups. You must be trying for subsonic loads to use in a suppressor? Not familiar with your powder choices but for the grain charges they all took light. With 300g bullets I've seen load offerings in the bushmaster anywhere from 1400fps to 2200fps.

[crackers]

I didn't come for advice. You can load your five-pound gun any way you want.

[Tripplebeards]

I didn't come for advice. You can load your five-pound gun any way you want.

Sorry,didn't mean to offend you. Thanks for posting your target to let me see your results with an American Ranch 450 bushmaster. That's what I've been looking for since there isn't much info on them anywhere that I can find. I'll post pics of mine once I get my cast PC bullets loaded and a scope mounted. Hopefully in a week or two.

[alping45]

I've been experimenting with the RCBS 45-300-FN in my Ruger ranch 450 bushmaster. I use this boolit in my Marlin guide gun and get MOA groups with full power loads all day long.

I can not seem to get the Ruger to do much better than 2-3" groups unless I run low power reduced loads. I have tried Lil gun, IMR4227, 2400 and H110 all between 1400-1900fps. The best load was 33.5gr of IMR4227 at 1,750fps that was a little under 2" but may have been a fluke. I am sizing them to .452, gas checked, and have tried both lube sized and PC'd.

The best grouping load, and probably the funnest, was a case full of trail boss, i think close to 13gr. IIRC it was doing around 1,000fps but was giving me 1 moa. Would be a perfect load to run with a suppressor.

I havent given up just yet and am still tinkering to see if I can improve my results with full powe loads and the RCBS 45-300-FN. I think i just need to fins the sweet spot, seems to be very load sensitive. I have had drastic changes in group sizes with only .5gr change in powder charge.

I have yet to slug my bore and would like to try running .453 but dont yet have a sizer.

[308Jeff]

My only comment is those are some really good looking PC bullets. Nice work.

I'd like to have a 450 someday. Appreciate you posting this topic.