Custom .450 Bushmaster

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ENCORE50A

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The rifle is built by Ken Johnston who owns Ultimate Firearms Inc. Ken named is new rifle the "Game Breaker". It is chambered for the .450 Bushmaster, has a custom made to his specifications Lothar Walther barrel, 24" 1:24 twist. Stocks are H-S Precision's with different stocks available.

This rifle has a Leupold VX6 3-18 mounted with Leupold standard mounts. Ken has a target with my name on it, that a 3 shot group measures .375" c2c, which its my understanding may end up on his web page. This baby sets in my safe for the next good day, hopefully to come soon.










 
Shot the rifle 5 times today, first shot to set the zero on the scope, then the next 4 rounds into a 1" group. Winds were/are 16mph.

I do have to say, shooting this .450 compared to my Ultimate, is like shooting a BB gun :lol:

Heading to the range tomorrow with the Ultimate and will take the .450 to try at 200 if I have time.
 
BuckDoeHunter said:
Sounds like a shooter :yeah:

What round ya shooting? How fast out the muzzle?

I'm testing the rifle with Hornady 250gr FTX ammunition, which I believe was 2,200fps as indicated by Hornady. Another who's shot a rifle, found them from his barrel at 2,250fps. Reloaded ammunition that was used in the testing process produced 2,400fps. I wasn't given that information........
 
I had the time so I headed to the range this forenoon. Wind about 10 or 12mph and following, so no problem and 50°.

I've never shot this rifle beyond just 100yds, so I stapled a target up at 300 yards. Mirage was excessive today, but I sent the following 5 rounds.

 
Good shooting! Looks like that dog will hunt! :yeah:
 
thats a nice rifle...you have it set up nice...and its a proven shooter...nice trigger pullin...

looks like a fun rifle to shoot.....did you talk Carlos into one yet..lol....
 
:lol:

That little bugger will shoot alright. If I replace the trigger, it'll shoot even better.

100yd 3 shot group.......... Note: I didn't shoot this specific group.

 
Awesome shooting!

Question, what is the thinking behind a 450 Bushmaster bolt action (hunting, target, fun)? I thought the cartridge was designed for an AR platform.
 
SteveH said:
Awesome shooting!

Question, what is the thinking behind a 450 Bushmaster bolt action (hunting, target, fun)? I thought the cartridge was designed for an AR platform.

All three you mentioned. Michigan, Ohio and to an extent Indiana, have changed some of their firearm restrictions. Indiana is still in question, as many there consider it a "black rifle cartridge", similar to your AR platform thought. The title "Bushmaster" may have contributed.

Straight wall cartridge rifles, no longer than 1.8" are now legal in many areas that were only shotgun w/slug or muzzleloader zones. This rifle meets all of these new restrictions. No longer does a shooter have to spend $50 on a package of 5 premium shotgun slugs.
 
ENCORE50A said:
SteveH said:
Awesome shooting!

Question, what is the thinking behind a 450 Bushmaster bolt action (hunting, target, fun)? I thought the cartridge was designed for an AR platform.

All three you mentioned. Michigan, Ohio and to an extent Indiana, have changed some of their firearm restrictions. Indiana is still in question, as many there consider it a "black rifle cartridge", similar to your AR platform thought. The title "Bushmaster" may have contributed.

Straight wall cartridge rifles, no longer than 1.8" are now legal in many areas that were only shotgun w/slug or muzzleloader zones. This rifle meets all of these new restrictions. No longer does a shooter have to spend $50 on a package of 5 premium shotgun slugs.

For the moment that caliber is not legal in Ohio even though it is straight walled. Ohio actually lists the calibers they consider Legal. Would love to see it be added. It may go the same as when they let Pistols in, only revolvers first year. The next year that changed to just listing the calibers and single shots or semi Auto were then legal, as long as caliber listed was met.
 
Ohio took note of how Indiana hunters circumvented restrictions based upon dimensions to come up with new wildcat calibers etc.. And decided a list of specific calibers would give them the ability to specifically limit calibers which meet the trajectory requirements they wee looking for and still allow them to add remove calibers at will.
The primary reason for Ohio successfully allowing rifles was based upon similar trajectory/performance to modern slugs and inline mz's. A lot of this is based upon public perception and there is no way it would've passed if they hadn't put up such a huge wall to eliminate the concept of an AR being used in any caliber for deer.


I personally opposed a guy pushing to have 450 bushmaster included in the original proposal. His case was sound criteria being that it is similar in trajectory to 45-70, 444 marlin etc...

I told him nobody is disputing that, it's just that by trying to include anything the media could twist and say hunter want to use"machine guns" to hunt deer that jeopardizes the whole thing and it's not worth it because someone thinks it would be neat.

Give a mouse a cookie and he'll want a glass of milk....
 
cljihnson24 said:
Ohio took note of how Indiana hunters circumvented restrictions based upon dimensions to come up with new wildcat calibers etc.. And decided a list of specific calibers would give them the ability to specifically limit calibers which meet the trajectory requirements they wee looking for and still allow them to add remove calibers at will.
The primary reason for Ohio successfully allowing rifles was based upon similar trajectory/performance to modern slugs and inline mz's. A lot of this is based upon public perception and there is no way it would've passed if they hadn't put up such a huge wall to eliminate the concept of an AR being used in any caliber for deer.


I personally opposed a guy pushing to have 450 bushmaster included in the original proposal. His case was sound criteria being that it is similar in trajectory to 45-70, 444 marlin etc...

I told him nobody is disputing that, it's just that by trying to include anything the media could twist and say hunter want to use"machine guns" to hunt deer that jeopardizes the whole thing and it's not worth it because someone thinks it would be neat.

Give a mouse a cookie and he'll want a glass of milk....

That's sad that any of us let the media dictate what we can or can not use........
 
cljihnson24 said:
Ohio took note of how Indiana hunters circumvented restrictions based upon dimensions to come up with new wildcat calibers etc.. And decided a list of specific calibers would give them the ability to specifically limit calibers which meet the trajectory requirements they wee looking for and still allow them to add remove calibers at will.
The primary reason for Ohio successfully allowing rifles was based upon similar trajectory/performance to modern slugs and inline mz's. A lot of this is based upon public perception and there is no way it would've passed if they hadn't put up such a huge wall to eliminate the concept of an AR being used in any caliber for deer.


I personally opposed a guy pushing to have 450 bushmaster included in the original proposal. His case was sound criteria being that it is similar in trajectory to 45-70, 444 marlin etc...

I told him nobody is disputing that, it's just that by trying to include anything the media could twist and say hunter want to use"machine guns" to hunt deer that jeopardizes the whole thing and it's not worth it because someone thinks it would be neat.

Give a mouse a cookie and he'll want a glass of milk....

Yup No disagreement here. My Nephew worked at the local gun shop and the local warden stopped in and told them abut all the trajectory testing they did. It really did surprise a lot of people when comparing the shotgun slugs vs some straight walled cartridges like the .45-70. Didn't surprise me since it is mostly politics and media that dictates some of the misconceptions. When they let them in my Nephew asked me if I would get a rifle and use it instead of my Knight? I just looked at him and asked, Why would I do that? What I use works, and works well. :wink:
 
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