Why isn't the Ruger American in 450 Bushmaster more popular?

[ART338WM]

I mean its affordable, public land legal, easy to reload for, better all around than any slug caliber. Yet I rarely see them for
sale anywhere I have been.

 

[Sullivan_pbr]

I agree. I’ve seriously been thinking about picking one up soon. 450bm is a ton of fun.

 

[lazarus0213]

I have one and would get another if they did it in 458 socom. Ive built a savage 458 socom and a few ar15s, but as light and as inexpensive as the ruger is it would be nice in a few other calibers.

 

[Ggreen]

I'll probably order an American in 300blk for suppressed deer and coyote hunting sooner than later. The aftermarket seems to really be coming around for the American series rifles as well, triggers, stocks, and scope bases could turn this into an affordable bolt gun brother for the the oddball ar calibers. 450 is on the want list, but my slug gun will perform just as well. Now if they had an American in 50beowulf...

 

[DRob]

There's no problem with the rifle. All reports I have seen are positive. I think the caliber may not be at the top of the popularity list in a bolt gun.

 

[JJFII]

Its all about popularity with a buying crowd. The things that sell the best are not always the better products.

 

[ART338WM]

I seriously wish this rifle and caliber had been available back when I bought my sons and myself JM stamped Marlins 336's in 35 Remington. not that the 35 Remington in 336 Marlin isn't an AWESOME deer combo, it is, as a matter of fact if you reload, the 35 Remington has a slight
ballistic edge on the 450 Bushmaster. My Marlins are just such beautiful rifles I don't want to use them if it's raining, sleeting or heavy snow fall
outside.
If I didn't have a slug gun and was in the market for public land legal deer rifle IMHO no way would I buy any slug gun over a Ruger American in 450 Bushmaster, it just wouldn't make any sense to.
And considering I reload, unless they law changes, I will never again use a slug gun to hunt deer in my home state, as even if they overturn the law allowing bottle necked cartridges on private, I would sooner buy a Ruger American in 450 Bushmaster than pay $13-$15 dollars for 5 rounds of
sabot ammo.

 

[x10]

sorry when it comes down to the purpose at hand the 450bm doesn't do anything the 44mag or similar rounds do and 450bm rounds are expensive and hard to find. I can walk into every store that sells ammo and chances are they will have 44 mag rounds, and from a pure hunting prospect why would you run around with a rifle you can't feed. In over 40 years of hunting I have only had to run out and buy ammo the night before season 1 or 2 times but the thought is always in the back of my mind when I choose a hunting gun.

I hunted with a 35 Rem Contender back when 35 Rem was unpopular and at the time NOBODY was making brass and Remington only made one load for it and you had to order it if you wanted it. I reloaded so I had ammo, but If I had dropped my ammo box in a big mud puddle my hunting day was over.

 

[ws6duramax]

sorry when it comes down to the purpose at hand the 450bm doesn't do anything the 44mag or similar rounds do and 450bm rounds are expensive and hard to find. I can walk into every store that sells ammo and chances are they will have 44 mag rounds, and from a pure hunting prospect why would you run around with a rifle you can't feed. In over 40 years of hunting I have only had to run out and buy ammo the night before season 1 or 2 times but the thought is always in the back of my mind when I choose a hunting gun.

I hunted with a 35 Rem Contender back when 35 Rem was unpopular and at the time NOBODY was making brass and Remington only made one load for it and you had to order it if you wanted it. I reloaded so I had ammo, but If I had dropped my ammo box in a big mud puddle my hunting day was over.

I do agree with you on ammo cost and availability , but "most" gun stores carry 450Bm ammo . Wal-Mart may not have it but most other places do . I disagree with you on it's effectiveness . The 450 is roughly 1000 FPS faster than most 44 mag factory rounds .

It is a devastating round on hogs and whitetails . I have yet to see one go more than 20 yards max . Most just drop in their tracks . I use Hornady XTP rounds in my 44 and the FTX in the 450 . Both are 250 grain , they are not even close as far as effectiveness goes . Both rounds will kill an animal for sure , but the 450 wins hands down IMO .

 

[x10]

I do agree with you on ammo cost and availability , but "most" gun stores carry 450Bm ammo . Wal-Mart may not have it but most other places do . I disagree with you on it's effectiveness . The 450 is roughly 1000 FPS faster than most 44 mag factory rounds .

It is a devastating round on hogs and whitetails . I have yet to see one go more than 20 yards max . Most just drop in their tracks . I use Hornady XTP rounds in my 44 and the FTX in the 450 . Both are 250 grain , they are not even close as far as effectiveness goes . Both rounds will kill an animal for sure , but the 450 wins hands down IMO .

A hole all the way through is a hole all the way through no matter how it gets there. I've hunted deer since 1977 and never seen a wild hog in the woods. I still think any decent caliber will put a hole through a hog. Every deer season the whitetail takes on some mystical +10 armor and have the guys buying a gun think you need a crew served weapon to knock down an Indiana whitetail deer. I've lost deer in my early years of hunting and those were 12ga and 20 ga slugs at less than 100yds. No matter what caliber I've used I've never had not enough gun. I talked myself into hunting with a 35 rem contender because of the mystical properties of the 35 rem. The deer were dead and my ears were ringing and all the extra power in the world did me no good.

Bottom line is you can hunt with anything you want but just don't fool yourself into thinking you need more power than a you really need to go through both sides after taking out a shoulder or rib.

And that is why the 450bm is not as poplular. Yes it's got numbers but it's still an answer to a question only a very few asked.

 

[ws6duramax]

A hole is hole is not true , hence no fmj . Velocity and weight have a MAJOR impact in kinetic energy .

 

[Hohn]

I still think any decent caliber will put a hole through a hog.

It's not the caliber, it's the bullet. A varmint bullet in ANY caliber will struggle to penetrate.

And the flip side is something like a Barnes TSX, which has no problem with major penetration even in .223.

Bullet>caliber always and everywhere. The reason to choose a particular caliber is because it shoots a particular bullet at a particular speed. If you want to shoot 300gr .338 loads at 2800FPS, you're going to be using a big .338 mag like .338 Edge or Lapua or something, and the bullet doesn't care one bit about the case that launched it. It's stupid. All it sees is heat and pressure. It doesn't know who built the fire.

 

[BStarkey 46947]

^^^^^^ Enough Said ^^^^^^

 

[x10]

peace out

 

[Clay Pigeon]

A hole all the way through is a hole all the way through no matter how it gets there. I've hunted deer since 1977 and never seen a wild hog in the woods. I still think any decent caliber will put a hole through a hog. Every deer season the whitetail takes on some mystical +10 armor and have the guys buying a gun think you need a crew served weapon to knock down an Indiana whitetail deer. I've lost deer in my early years of hunting and those were 12ga and 20 ga slugs at less than 100yds. No matter what caliber I've used I've never had not enough gun. I talked myself into hunting with a 35 rem contender because of the mystical properties of the 35 rem. The deer were dead and my ears were ringing and all the extra power in the world did me no good.

Bottom line is you can hunt with anything you want but just don't fool yourself into thinking you need more power than a you really need to go through both sides after taking out a shoulder or rib.

And that is why the 450bm is not as poplular. Yes it's got numbers but it's still an answer to a question only a very few asked.

Its just another one of those odd caliber guns that sits for a few years at a gun store before the right guy come in and buys it at reduced price, and he thinks he got a deal on it.
About the same as having a 358 Hoosier rifle on the shelf for sale.

 

[Gabriel]

This one makes me weak in the knees, but I don't need a 450 for anything...

 

[hopper68]

This one makes me weak in the knees, but I don't need a 450 for anything...

 

[Hohn]

We think alike, Mr Gabriel! Man, that's sweet.