Today, there is no shortage of them, though the old-timers have mostly died out. Anybody who has done much range work with them knows that they are plagued with fliers. I was torn between a lever action 45-70 and a 450 bushmaster ar-15. 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. 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 . Big bore cartridges in particular can make lever action rifles a great choice for a bear defense gun. Dont Buy. Mag. .451 Caliber projectiles Back in the day the only 444 ammo was Remington with a 240 handgun bullet. Since the topic is hunting, weve selected two respected hunting rounds in common weights for calibers and with similar style bullets to side-by-side the cartridges. Penetration, expansion, frontal area. Not that it hurts to have a rifle chambered for one in your arsenal if you live big county out West. Then, later in our testing, we again encountered this failure to feed, and not just from the last round in the magazine. Still, the clip each moves at this range is more than adequate to ensure satisfactory penetration, proper bullet expansion (if you are using such a projectile) and an ethical kill. Were not sure, but we would guess that Wild West, in Alaska, had a lock on the idea. Big Bore Cartridges Compared! Velocity Tests and more! 460 S&W vs 444 450/460 same boolit dia, the 458 socom is bigger (45-70 sized boolits). The cartridges we tested include the 460 S&W Magnum, 444 Marlin, 450 Bushmaster, and 45-70 Government. Marlin claims 2,100 fps out of a 350-grain bullet. Looking for previous installments of our "Head to Head" series? The .458 American was Frank Barness idea, developed decades ago. The original loading used a 250-grain bullet with a muzzle velocity of 2200 fps from a 20-inch barrel. Yes, this includes the mighty .444 and .45-70, as well as the .338 ME and its bolt action analog, the venerable .30-06. As it concerns .350 Legend vs .450 Bushmaster, the smaller-caliber cartridge has a decided advantage. is more comparable to the .350 Legend, but you're losing power and velocity. The .450 Marlin and the .450 Bushmaster use very similar sized bullets, as their names might suggest. Brass case webs on rimmed cases, like the .45-70 or .444 Marlin, are more than strong enough for whatever pressure the stout Marlin action can take. Both are straight walled cartridges, but the 45-70 has a longer overall length, a longer case length, and a larger diameter case than the 450 Bushmaster. Though the .45-70 Government cartridge has been in production since 1873, there was a time when a new rifle chambered in that cartridge just wasnt offered. Mag. Copyright 2000-2023 24hourcampfire.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use. In the .450 Bushmasters corner is Hornadys 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. We know that Winchester has brought out a shorter-barrel version of this rifle, complete with ported muzzle, but we dont see a real need for it. Then somebody figured out that straight-walled rifle cartridges are just as safe as slugs. Each Marlin had a safety block, a device passing crosswise through the rear of the action that prevented the hammer from striking the firing pin. Bushmaster and LeGendre approved the change in case length from 1.771-inch to 1.700-inch. Copyright 2023Sportsman's Warehouse. Perhaps as this trend grows, we will see some bolt-action .444 rifles from the mainstream gun makers. 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. It goes so far as, previously mentioned, manufacturers offering the same model rifle in both .450 Bushmaster and .350 Legend. For a while, nobody was making rifles in .45-70 and the cartridge seemed doomed. The result of this collaboration is the .450 Bushmaster. 2.100 case length. This means theres precious little need for the .444 in our book. Dont knock the 450 Marlin round. 350 Legend Ballistics - Velocity, Energy & Drop Data - The Lodge at 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. That is not a problem, the 45-70 is way to much capacity for smokeless powder. 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. Whether you are reloading for handgun, rifle, shotshell or muzzleloading we have what you need. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. For .450 Bushmaster and .444 Marlin, you're looking at $41 to $49 per box, and .45-70 Govt. 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. 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. . Archive - I use a 450 bushmaster ar-15 as my big bore brush gun for my up close and personal bear hunting and coming across a deer 25 yards away through the bushes. Problem solved. The heavier bullets of the .450 Marlin might slow it down a bit, but they give a serious advantage when it comes to velocity. 450 bushmaster vs 444 marlin - 24hourcampfire 450 Bushmaster vs 45-70 (2022 UPDATE) Which Is Better? - Lunde Studio 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. | Different states hunting laws are slightly different and are subject to change so we included case lengths for each for you to use as a guide if they are legal for your hunt or not. Disclaimer: Sportsman's Warehouse assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions of the information on this page. The $404 Side Eject Winchester felt like a toy compared to the relatively bulky Marlins. Some hunters like lever-action rifles for hunting, but they want more power than the .30-30 delivers, and so the medium-bore lever rifle cartridges were born. We are constantly adding new inventory and occasionally offer Free Shipping. I have a very accurate marlin with the 1/20 twist. Buy From Opticsplanet Buy From Amazon Specifications: 3-9x magnification 40mm objective lens 12.6-34.1 ft field of view at 100 yds 450 Marlin vs 45-70 Government - Sportsman's Its at the lower weight limit for maximum loads in the .444, and even with a muzzle brake we dont believe a shorter version would be all that good an idea. Cartridge & Chamber Drawings - SAAMI I have used the cartridge with the 275-grain Barnes bullet designed for the .460 S&W to take a truckload of hogs and an Asian water buffalo. Thats fine and dandy. Will drop a 300+lb. While it does not have the power of the .450 Marlin, the .444 Marlin is very similar ballistically to the .45-70, . 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. The wood pores of the 444P were no better filled than on the other rifle. It retains 1,000 foot-pounds of energy to about 360 yards. and .444 Marlin provide enough accuracy (and their bullets retain enough energy) to confidently reach out across a cut cornfield and make a 200-yard shot. 1.790 Case length. He was intrigued by the idea of the .450 Bushmaster cartridge but prefers hunting with a lever-action versus a bolt action rifle. 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. About half the time, the fired case didnt clear the rifle. 350 Legend vs 450 Bushmaster, Pros and Cons of Each Explained vs. .300 Win. Collectors might want to pick up one and never fire it, plus some ammunition, because we believe this gun will be very short-lived. The walnut was very decent wood, nicer than that on the .450. Head to Head: 350 Legend vs. .35 Remington - An Official Journal Of The NRA Our test .444 Marlin 444P was essentially a .444 Guide Gun, having the same ideas behind it as Marlins best-selling .45-70 version. Velocity Testing | Thompson Center Barrels | Match Grade Machine The hunting world is big enough for both the .450 Bushmaster and .350 Legend, and either will put meat on the table. RENE reports 6 different versions of the American Rifle in 450 Bushmaster and now the GSR makes 7. Single Shot Rifles For Sale - Vance Outdoors Mag..375 Ruger vs. .375 H&H Magnum7mm-08 Remington vs. .280 Remington .280 Remington vs. .280 Ackley Improved 7mm vs. .30 Caliber6.5 Weatherby RPM vs. 6.5 PRC.338 Win. The .450 Bushmaster cartridge was developed using a modified .284 Winchester case with a rebated rim. Straight-wall rifles, being rifles, typically do not. To fill the void, Marlin Firearms teamed up with Remington to develop a cartridge which would see the light of day in 1964: the .444 Marlin. Straight-Wall Rifle Cartridges Are Making a Comeback in Deer Hunting 45-70 Govt VS 450 Bushmaster Ballistics (Trajectory, Recoil, History) The idea used to develop the .450 Bushmaster was credited to Jeff Cooper. In the late 19th century, the .45-70 would have been viewed as an average-diameter cartridge, as the small bores like the .30-06 and 7x57mm Mauser would take some time to gain ground as the all-around military/hunting bore diameters. The fluid motion of the action and those huge, rimmed, brass cases make for some formidable medicine for the largest bears, bison and cervids. As it was, we liked the ring for its simplicity, but it was extremely vulnerable, sticking up in the breeze. Use: Defense. 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. Well analyze the performance of these calibers across a variety of factors to help you decide which is best for your hunting needs. The .450 Marlin has ballistics almost identical to magnum .45-70 Government ammunition and the cartridge fires the same weight bullet approximately 600fps faster than lower pressure .45-70 ammo intended for use in the Trapdoor Springfield. At 150 yards the 444 drops 2.4 inches, whereas the Bushmaster drops about 2.9 inches. Deer, hog, black bear size game. Ours didnt. Like the .450, the .444 Marlin rifle was very well made. The 444 Marlin (which I love) is headed in the other direction. Bottles & 12-oz. 450 Marlin vs 450 Bushmaster | Sportsman's Warehouse
