There is something almost magical about big-bore lever guns; to me they represent big-game hunting at close quarters. SAAMI limits the MAP to 28,000 psi. Or more other on Scopes & Sights Resource for other rifle. The 450 Bushmaster is taking off and new ammo offerings keep popping up. Being bracketed by the proven .444 Marlin and .45-70, the belted .450 Marlin doesnt fill a lever-gun niche any better than the other cartridges. 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. The 450 Marlin is rated at 43,500 psi compared to 28,000 psi for 45-70 Gov. While .308 can reach out accurately to 1,200 yards (if you're pretty good), 450 . Heres how to avoid the poseurs and choose the right one. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Gun Tests has been independently reviewing firearms since 1989. One would think that would have to play in to your decision making. Cookie Policy - The two Marlins had ported 18-inchers. We could live with it, though wed have much preferred a softer pad. Thats alright. The 450 bushmaster in the Ruger is a fine rifle for the money . Winchester Big Bore 94AE .444 Marlin, $404. Setting aside the dubious qualities of the .450 Marlin cartridge, we noted the rifle that shot the rounds was well made. The standard load will push a 240-grain .429-inch diameter bullet to 2400 fps for just over 3,000 ft.-lbs. The 444 Marlin is a 200 yard rifle. The new Marlin .450 cartridge is supposed to be a hot choice for all medium-to-big game hunting. But if you get behind the business end of a gun you dread to drop the hammer on, youre sandbagging your potential in the field. This cartridge has the potential to be the best deer hunting ammo of the lot. The idea took off, and now many of those states are allowing straight-walled cartridges to be used as deer hunting ammo. We believe the development time used up by Marlin on that rifle could have been spent promoting the grand versatility of the .45-70 Guide Gun, letting folks know that it can handle good stout loads like those from Buffalo Bore, and making the Guide Gun exactly the way it should be, with an aperture rear sight right from the factory, softer recoil pad, and the slickest possible action. Looking for previous installments of our "Head to Head" series? It had a red cast in direct sunlight and was very attractive. The finish was about average, we felt, for a modern rifle in this price category. I am currently building a bolt action .444 Marlin that I am expecting good things from this fall. It had a very long first stage, which wasnt a problem. However, the primer was apparently not struck soundly enough. When not at his press or the range he can be found chasing mule deer around the Rocky Mountains. Though we believe the .45-70 version is a much better bet, many riflemen who also own .44-caliber handguns will want to own the .444 Marlin, and its a pretty good rifle. The company unveiled the new round at the 2019 SHOT show and currently offers it in Deer Season XP, Power Max Bonded, and many others. It wont matter a lick how far a cartridge can send a bullet and how devastating its terminal ballistics are once at its destination if you develop a flinch and send it anywhere but the vital zone. One sure way to cut through some of the tall grass is measure it against an established cartridge thats already proven its worth. Deer, hog. BALLISTICS: Some straight-wall loads produce muzzle velocities of 2,200 to 2,400 fps, a . We assume a clump of grease or a small burr slowed down the firing pin just enough to prevent firing. IC B2. 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. Yes, the ported barrel helped cut muzzle flip, but our shoulders got sore from the too-hard pads on both Marlin rifles. For $404, wed give it a Buy rating, being a better deal than the $550 Marlin. Most destructive to components. We cant see the sense of a scope on a short, relatively light rifle, unless its done Scout-style like the Co-Pilot. You have entered an incorrect email address! 5,270. The ported barrels of these rifles worked wonders to keep the muzzle down, but the rearward kick was still significant. The $404 Side Eject Winchester felt like a toy compared to the relatively bulky Marlins. Ultimately, the biggest factor in choosing between these two cartridges will be what type of rifle you wish to use. It in no way increases the amount you pay and helps us stay in business. There were faint instances of dished-out holes in the receiver sides, where the buffing wheel went into the screw holes. 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. With a 150-yard zero, the Hornady ammo is 1.54 inches high at 100 yards, 4.68 inches low at 200 yards and 8.49 inches low at 250 yards. Out of the muzzle, the .450 Marlin is flying 175 ft/s faster than the .45-70 Government. among our first successful self-contained metallic rifle cartridges. 2.215 Case length, .451 Caliber projectiles At the muzzle they are basically the same, .308 Win has around 2700 ft.lbf and 450 Bushmaster has just a few pounds under that. I own a 450 marlin and have been happy with it. 460 S&W vs 444 Marlin vs 450 BM vs 45-70 Govt Match Grade Machine 3.95K subscribers Subscribe 2.5K 209K views 3 years ago Match. Top Load: Buffalo Bore Heavy Bullet Weight: 220 grains Muzzle Velocity: 2,200 fps Muzzle Energy: 2,364 ft/lbs Almost forgotten, the .35 Remington is a favorite of hunters who chase black bears with. 22 Nosler. Like the Marlins, the Winchester had a cross-bolt safety but the owner had locked it out so the rifle would fire every time the hammer fell. Blocker Outdoors Finisher gloves, headcovers and other accessories are available in Mossy Oak Bottomland and Mossy Oak Obsession NWTF camouflage patterns to match various turkey hunting terrain. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. A heavier bullet will generally travel more slowly than a lighter bullet. Yes, the Legend does tend to shoot a fraction flatter at distance, but not substantially so. By comparison, a 250-grain .450 Bushmaster factory load generates 22.99 foot-pounds of recoil, and a full-power 12-gauge slug generates 45 foot-pounds. Most gun makers and gun buyers were not interested in new rifles chambered for this underperforming cartridge. Right now, hunters can find the .350 Legend chambered in semi-auto AR-type rifles and bolt guns. Rubber meet road, because if there is anyone point in .450 Bushmaster vs .350 Legend battle where one wins out, its here. The concept of the fast, short, powerful lever-action rifle is probably best exemplified by the Co-Pilot, from Wild West Guns of Anchorage, Alaska. The higher velocity and energy of the .450 Marlin allows it to shoot a bit flatter than the .450 Bushmaster. Since its inception in 1964, however, many hunters . | Find cheap, bulk rifle ammo - 22 long rifle, winchester, 6.5 creedmoor, and more. 450 a bit better with jacketed, 1" vs 1.5". For you Michigan hunters, there is a new kid in town called a 460 S&W that Is awesome in a rifle. Its been the hot ticket in town over the past few years, and new rifle and deer hunting ammo introductions are happening pretty fast. This advantage expands a bit as we cross more distance. While it does not have the power of the .450 Marlin, the .444 Marlin is very similar ballistically to the .45-70, . Unless otherwise noted, these reviews carry the guns prices at the time of the original review. The front sight was a gold-faced bead on a ramp underneath a protective hood. vs. .340 Wby. The 444 Marlin (which I love) is headed in the other direction. The Buffalo Bore .45-70 load, same weight bullet, was faster than the .450 Marlin. The following ballistics tables show a side by side comparison of the 450 Marlin vs 450 Bushmaster based on bullet weight and performance metrics including velocity, energy, usage and recoil. Velocity (200 yards): 1,515 feet per second. On the other hand, performance-wise, the dividing line is thin enough so it's difficult to tip fence-sitters one way or another. The checkering was very well done, had a pleasing pattern, and it worked very well. of muzzle energy, and that combo will handle any North American game animal. Its a great round in a Marlin lever action. Join F&S+ to read exclusive stories by your favorite writers. In our tests, the gun was not as smooth as the .444, had less power than you can get out of a good .45-70 load, offered not a lot more power than you can get out of good .444 Marlin loads, and in short didnt offer us anything at all that we wanted. Introduced in 1964, the .444 Marlin was kind of a stretched out .44 Magnum. Even despite this weight difference, the .250 Marlin manages to maintain a small advantage in velocity over the .450 Bushmaster. Lets see what we found. There is a difference between the two, and the edge goes to the .350 Legend, but it doesnt have such an overwhelming advantage to say its hands-down better. However, the trigger pull was in desperate need of work. from a 20" barrel for 2,686 ft.-lbs. If the ring had been nearer the eye, the front sight would have been forced into the center of the ring, and we would have gotten better accuracy. More power to them. Ohio and southern Michigan are just two examples of areas where the shotgun slug has been replaced by straight-walled cartridges like the .45-70 Government, .444 Marlin and, more recently, the .450 Bushmaster. Over the last few years, there have been a number of straight-walled cartridges to hit the market. The .450 Marlin has quite a bit longer case, at 2.10 compared to 1.70 on the .450 Bushmaster. pistol calibers price price price price stock: per 50: per 100: per 500: per 1000: status: 30 luger brass cases: $28.00: $50.00: $219.00: $408.50: in stock: 30 mauser cases Marlin claims 2,100 fps out of a 350-grain bullet. It had a plain but serviceable checkered walnut stock with trestle-style buttpad made of black rubberized iron. Why dont manufacturers get the word here? 450 Bushmaster 044176 Cartridge. Photo Gallery See all Photos I must report that right out of the box the Outfitter G2's hammer was hard to cock, and it was very gritty and rough. It didnt punch out groups as small as those with the Marlin .444, but it was accurate enough to take hunting. All the calibers you mention are good hunting calibers. flex tip Hornady's it shot 1'' at 75 yards - sighted in at that range since it's 65 yards to the hog feeder . The overall length on the .450 Marlin is also just a bit longer, at 2.55" compared to 2.26" on the Bushmaster. At reasonable straight-wall cartridge hunting distances, for both velocity and trajectory, there is no real out-and-out winner between .450 Bushmaster vs .350 Legend. The checkering was fully functional. This was largely because of the slim forend wood. The big difference is that .308 Winchester keeps at least 1,000 ft.lbf out to about 600 yards, 450 Bushmaster loses it by 300 yards. However, we measured Buffalo Bores 350-grain .45-70 load at 2,058 from their Guide Gun (on a cold day, unlike the blazing heat in which we tested the .450 Marlin). They track closely in weight, thus when chambered Legend tend to be more pleasurable to shoot. I have two .444's and a .450. However, the .444 owner can reload using many pistol bullets available for the .44 Magnum or .44 Special handguns, and that might be a factor in favor of the .444 over the .45-70 with its 0.458-inch bore size. A full-length 22-inch Marlin gave us only 2,064 with that load, so we doubt that youll ever see 2,100 fps out of the .450 Marlin. The .450 Bushmaster was designed to work in an AR-15, but its also available in bolt-action rifles from Ruger, Mossberg, and others. With a 150-yard zero, the bullet is 1.66 inches high at 100 yards, 4.37 inches low at 200 yards, and 11.9 inches low at 250 yards. In the .450 Bushmaster's corner is Hornady 's 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. I have worked pretty extensively with this cartridge on the range with three different rifles, and I have talked with a bunch of other gun guys who have been shooting the 350 Legend. This fall will be the first deer season with this cartridge available to the public so we dont have a lot of information on performance on game yet. That makes it a good option for recoil-sensitive shooters who must abide by tapered cartridge restrictions. This means that it is still a niche cartridge offered by just a few manufacturers, and you might struggle to find it on the shelves of your local ammunition store. Back in the day the only 444 ammo was Remington with a 240 handgun bullet. Get the 76th edition of the World's Greatest Gun Book. With a 150-yard zero, the Hornady load is 2.26 inches high at 100 yards, 5.73 inches low at 200 yards, and 15.71 inches low at 250 yards. Mag..300 RSAUM vs. .300 WSM .500 Jeffrey vs. .505 Gibbs7mm RUM vs. .300 RUM.308 Winchester vs. 7mm-08 Remington6.5 Creedmoor vs. .260 Remington.303 British vs. 8x57 Mauser.30-06 Springfield vs. All Other .30s.17 HMR vs. .17 WSM.450 Nitro Express vs. .470 Nitro Express350 Legend vs. .35 Remington.280 Ackley Improved vs. 7mm Rem. So whats best, 450 Bushmaster Vs 350 Legend. The same bullet in the 450 Bushmaster at 200 yards still travels at 1524 fps with 1289 ft/lb of energy. The .350 Legend is a blue-light special (if you remember that analogy) in comparison. It utilized a standard belted-mag case of 2.0-inch length. So when it comes to the .350 Legend vs .450 Bushmaster, is there any discernable advantage of hunting one or the other? It was so far from the eye it was easy to see the front bead in just about any position within the ghost ring. However, in a strong rifle like a Ruger No. Shoot it enough and know what to expect and it shouldnt prove prohibitive, except to the most recoil shy. The .450 Bushmaster thumper round launches .452-cal. Marlin. The Hornady Flextip bullet has a BC of .225 and a muzzle velocity of 2325 fps. Based on the function of the gun we had, we would have to say Dont Buy the 444P. The .30-06 cartridge has a strong but not particularly sharp recoil. Then Hornady brought out two loads for the cartridge and things changed. The U.S. Army adopted the new cartridge, which replaced the .50-70 cartridge it employed in 1866. The Marlins were much fatter than the 94AE. The last doe I hit at about 35 yards after the bullet hit a thumb size bush left a fist sized hole through the deer, and she STILL ran, but the blood trail was 5' wide to where she dropped after a 30 yard run. Dont Buy. CVA Inc Scout TD .450 Bushmaster Single Shot Rifle w/ Stainless Barrel $429.99; Notify Me When Available; Brand: CVA Inc; Item Number: CR4830S The current Hornady .450 Bushmaster load uses a 250-gr. This BB ammunition defines todays standard for the .45-70 for those rifles that can handle the pressure. The heavier bullets of the .450 Marlin might slow it down a bit, but they give a serious advantage when it comes to velocity. I was torn between a lever action 45-70 and a 450 bushmaster ar-15. How can a bit of brass added to a cartridge case make up for the exact same amount of steel removed from the chamber that holds it? At this writing, ammo is available from Winchester, Hornady, and Federal. I have tested them and the results are not good. Penetration, expansion, frontal area. 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. It produces 28.27 ft-lbs of recoil energy at a velocity of 14.72 fps. The choice between these calibers for many will come down to a choice between rifle platforms. Ever perceptive, the market has responded by expanding this somewhat forgotten corner of the firearms world. Newly Accepted Cartridge and Chamber Designs. The .450 Marlin will offer you better ballistics across the board and a lighter rifle that is very dependable and easy to manage, while the semi-automatic platform appeals to many and gives a range of customizable options. 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. Problem solved. All Marlins. Offers more power than any commercial lever gun cartridge except the .450 Marlin. Both are suitable for nearly any big-game animal, save the African dangerous heavyweights, and both have fervent, passionate followers. vs. .300 Win. There were no aluminum or plastic parts visible, though close inspection showed the magazine follower to be orange polymer. Bryce M. Towsley This cartridge was held back for years by the lack of good factory loaded ammo. And when it comes to straight-wall Midwestern deer options that would be the .450 Bushmaster. It might be a little too much for whitetails - it would be perfect on elk and moose. That said, I have both in rifles. The .450 Marlin and the .450 Bushmaster use very similar sized bullets, as their names might suggest. The case length for both rifle cartridges is virtually identical, with the 45-70 measuring 2.10" compared to 2.105" for the 450 Marlin. It was easy to cycle the .444 from the shoulder, but, unfortunately, the rifle prevented that nearly half the time. Brands include Frontier, Hornady, Lapua and Prvi Partizan. The case is belted, the belt being longer than normal belted magnum brass, though the same diameter. At the range, the first shot told us that the Marlin .450 was a powerful rifle. Maybe the 450 Bushmaster is the next big thing? The .450 Bushmaster was designed specifically for the AR-15. It's my night hog rifle - 4x12-50 L VXR . I ended up just taking a lower I had and put a 450 upper on it with a vortex crossfire II 1-430 I think or maybe its 35 or something like that not sure but it will group at 2 inches even for an 10 shot group at 100 yards. from a 1.70 long cartridge case at velocities over 2000 fps. Gun Tests Recommends Marlin 444P .444 Marlin, $550. 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. But in my opinion, the sheer flexibility of the .45-70 Government in both rifles and ammunition gives it a definitive advantage. The quality of bluing on the Winchester was excellent, in spite of the slight metal-polishing problems. It is on the wane and has long ago been supplanted by the resurgent 45-70. Check out the ballistics chart below for more information. The Winchester had a 20-inch barrel. Additionally, but not across the board, many are factory outfitted with muzzle brakes to help mitigate some of the angry mule in the cartridge-rifle combination. Even better, if you need a hot 45-caliber lever rifle you probably dont need that Trapdoor Springfield, so sell it. All of these walnut-stocked rifles had iron sights only, which is how we tested them. RENE reports 6 different versions of the American Rifle in 450 Bushmaster and now the GSR makes 7. The data in both cases are from a 20-inch barrel, which is somewhat common in the field and is the standard test length utilized by most ammunition companies. Generally the 444 uses bullets in the range of 240 grains through 300 grains. That said, the Bushmasterwhile stoutisnt the North American version of the .500 Nitro Express. The only thing holding it back right now is the delivery system. My late Godfather Oren Mick DeCheck, my maternal great-uncleenjoyed a .444 Marlin as his deer/bear rifle, and my DadOl Grumpy Pantsstill reaches for his Browning 1886 centennial .45-70 Government, so both of these cartridges played a role in my shooting world. Precision Reloading: Making The Best Case Possible, Best 7mm Rem. Buffalo Bore also loads three different weights of bullets in the .444 Marlin, and they give much better performance than ordinary .444 loads, and do so safely. New Shooters Guide: You Have Your Concealed Carry Permit Should You Carry. A straight-wall, .452-caliber cartridge with a rebated rim, it's capable of pushing a 250-grain bullet to 2,200 fps. The .444 Marlin has a smaller frontal diameter, and bullets of equal weight will possess a higher Sectional Density than those .458-inch diameter bullets, and should offer better penetration. The rifle was fitted with a Pachmayr Decelerator stock but had no ports. If, instead, the case had been developed around a standard belted brass case, we feel consumers would ultimately be better served by the Marlin 1895M. You can find more information on our site under the Velocity/Info tab labeled Velocity Testing. The second shot told us that something was drastically wrong somewhere. The .450 Marlin was designed as a competitor to the .45-70 Government, so its ballistics are highly similar. This means that the momentum of a rifle's reaction will exactly equal the momentum of the bullet and powder gasses ejected from the barrel. These four are the most popular. Or more plainly speaking, youd dial a scope on a Bushmaster up .2-inch more than on the Legend when sighting in at 100 yards. The most common cartridges now are the .444 Marlin, the .45-70, and the new .450 Marlin. 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. 450 Bushmaster can be found on the shelves at most large outfitters but don't expect to . I'm thinking of adding a 450 bushmaster. Its big and powerful enough, and with good bullets, it may produce the best external ballistics of the bunch. The .450 Bushmaster was developed for big game hunting with modern rifles. Then it had a distinct hitch to a solid stop, then a hard pull of 5 pounds followed by lots of overtravelnot the sort of action we look for in rifle triggers. The two most popular flavors are the .45-70 and .450 Marlin cartridges, both of . The forests around here are always thick brushed with all sorts of not only leafy brush but full of little twig saplings and raspberry bushes and the like. Follow along to see exactly how. The .450 Marlin is just a bit bigger, with a bullet diameter of .458 compared to the .450 Bushmasters .452. The Wild West aperture rear sight costs $100 for Marlins, or $120 for Winchesters. This one didnt work. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information -. It costs less than the Marlins and delivered excellent quality and adequate accuracy for a big-game rifle. For a while, nobody was making rifles in .45-70 and the cartridge seemed doomed. The 450/460 have proven to be , accuracy wise, about equal with boolits. Big Bore Cartridges Compared - 460 S&W vs 444 Marlin vs 450 BM vs 45-70 Govt | Match Grade Machine Big Bore Cartridges Compared - 460 S&W vs 444 Marlin vs 450 BM vs 45-70 Govt Match Grade Machine did extensive testing with different barrel lengths in some of our most popular cartridges. Those unaccustomed to hard-kicking rifles will find either the .444 or the .450 a bit much on the shoulder until they get used to it. The overall length on the .450 Marlin is also just a bit longer, at 2.55 compared to 2.26 on the Bushmaster. After that instance I went to a big bore brush gun and never had such a problem since. The .444 felt noticeably smoother in its action than the .450. Deer, hog, black bear size game. The 450 Bushmaster was developed for use in AR-15 rifles. Accuracy was all that anyone would want. The 44 Magnum and 45 Colt are 125 yard rifles. (45-70 Govt) Out of the muzzle, the .450 Marlin packs another 886 ft-lbs over the .450 Bushmaster, a significant difference. Thats the exact opposite of whats in vogue with modern rifle cartridges today. Big Bore Cartridges Compared! The .450 Marlin and the .45-70 Government are not interchangeable, but are very . While there are hundreds of rifle cartridges suitable for deer hunting, when we add that straight-walled factor into the equation the list grows much shorter. (450 Bushmaster) 397119 45 Cal .458" 325 gr. We wanted to test Marlins iteration of the .450 side by side with one of the companys staple .444s, as well as Winchesters Big Bore Side-Eject lever gun, originally chambered in the now-defunct .375 Winchester, but which is now cataloged in .444 Marlin (and .356 Winchester). He is a gun owner and avid reloader from Colorado. Yes, this includes the mighty .444 and .45-70, as well as the .338 ME and its bolt action analog, the venerable .30-06. We reserve the right to correct pricing errors. The Wild West version ($100) has steel wings to protect it, and would a better aperture choice. Were not sure, but we would guess that Wild West, in Alaska, had a lock on the idea. 444 Marlin VS 450 Trajectory Overall, the 444 Marlin is a slightly flatter shooting cartridge than the 450 Bushmaster is. We didnt make an effort to eject slowly or quickly, just operated the lever in a normal manner. It generates 21.34 ft-lbs of energy at 12.55 fps. 12 Gauge 1". Federal Fusion 450 Bushmaster 260gr is a bonded soft point ammo designed specifically for hunting. The models chambered for the .35 Whelen, .444 Marlin, .45-70, and .450 Bushmaster come with a muzzle brake to help dampen recoil. Back in January we tested this superb rifle along with the similar Marlin Guide Gun, both in .45-70. One would think that would have to play in to your decision making. X-Vision Optics long-range ImpactThermal Scope (TS300) boasts a 640 x 480 thermal sensor that can detect big game well past 3,000 yards. Formally known as the .45-70-405relating caliber-powder charge-bullet weight specificationsthe cartridge was commercially known as the .45-70 Government, and that 405-grain lead bullet travelled at a muzzle velocity of just about 1400 fps, though a heavier 500-grain bullet was soon employed. And truly, it is a pleasurable cartridge, very much akin to the .30-30, which by almost anyones standard is extremely manageable. That gives it an overall length of about 2.25 inches, so the length is close to the 450. It retains 1,000 foot-pounds of energy to about 360 yards. 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. I live in the dense hard woods of new England where even walking up a tall hill will put you into the pines and out of any hardwoods. 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.