Living in southern Michigan and we can only hunt with straight wall cartridges. I’ve got this wacky ass idea of spinning up a 450 Bushmaster barrel for my AX. Anybody ventured down this road or have any insight to good or bad idea?
Crazy caliber question for AIAX
- Thread starter trob_205
- Start date
I love me some AI gear, but I can’t see chambering a boat anchor heavy rifle in a short range cartridge . I’d just rather make an 8 lb AR in .458, or go nostalgic and shoot 45-70 in a 1885 Winchester or 1874 sharps.
Last edited:
If I have humping it around a lot it would be different and I’d go super light. I hunt a 240 acre farm and parking is in the center of it so I’m never walking that far especially during firearms season. We are limited in case length and 450 bushmaster is only .1” shorter than max. I’ve had a 450 AR and have a Christensen Arms in a 450 currently. I do most of my deer hunting with a bow and don’t take gun hunting too seriously unless I have a tag in my pocket and a target buck is still running around. It’s just something I’ve thought about for a couple years and just curious if anyone else is crazy lol
You’d be a whole lot cooler if you had an MC and could run 408 Whisper.
That’d be the only way I’d consider lugging around a rifle like an AI if I had to shoot a straight walled cartridges. Running some high BC bullets from cutting edge or someone and it would be a deer hammer to 500 yards or so.
Personally I’d just buy a rifle for the purpose. 450 Bushmaster isn’t going to be any LR hammer so no reason to carry a rifle like that around. You could set something decent up for what you’re going to spend on a barrel. You’re talking about a $800-$900 barrel so that can get you something more than capable. Or just get a good slug gun if they allow it, some of them are capable of reliable hits on vitals to 500-600 yards.
That’d be the only way I’d consider lugging around a rifle like an AI if I had to shoot a straight walled cartridges. Running some high BC bullets from cutting edge or someone and it would be a deer hammer to 500 yards or so.
Personally I’d just buy a rifle for the purpose. 450 Bushmaster isn’t going to be any LR hammer so no reason to carry a rifle like that around. You could set something decent up for what you’re going to spend on a barrel. You’re talking about a $800-$900 barrel so that can get you something more than capable. Or just get a good slug gun if they allow it, some of them are capable of reliable hits on vitals to 500-600 yards.
lol southern half of lower michigan used to be shotgun only but has been straightwall legal for like 5 years or so.
I've got 16" .452 barrel blank that I'm going to turn into a fully suppressed covert style barrel in .45 win mag at some stage for my AT, mag feeding might even work with the hrd mag adaptors and somewhere in my sick mind I was also thinking if I ever wear out or get bored with the .338 lapua barrel in my awsm I might make it a .460 weatherby and with the AI weighing as much as a small car it might even be pleasant to shoot
You
You’re onto something. Hornady released factory loaded subsonic 450 BM ammo this year
My rifle with Gen 2 razor, 24” barrel and can weighs like 18.5 lbs. I bet it could get it sub 15 with a mk5 or AMG and some of LRI’s crazy fluting. Wouldnt be that bad to walk 500 yards and lock it into a tripod.
We are the same way here in OH. Shotgun or straight walled cartridges for deer gun season. At least we don't have the case length specifications like MI and IN. I don't have an AI but I plan on getting a barrel in 450 bushmaster for my Origin. I say do it if you have the coin and the itch.
Btw, I would have titled it "450 Bushmaster AI" simply to confuse people. Like, how the hell do you Ackley a straight walled cartridge?? Lol.
Btw, I would have titled it "450 Bushmaster AI" simply to confuse people. Like, how the hell do you Ackley a straight walled cartridge?? Lol.
Similar threads
