The .450 Bushmaster ammo was first released in 2007. This ammo was designed by Tim LeGendre of LeMag Firearms, a well-known brand name in the firearms industry. Manufactured by Hornady, this carefully developed cartridge was made to suit the AR and M- style rifles for targeting and shooting big games.
Inspired by Jeff Cooper’s ‘thumper’ idea, which envisioned high-powered cartridges designed to fit larger bores, Tim came up with the .450 Bushmaster ammo for modern-day rifles.
Unlike regular bottle-neck-shaped cartridges with narrow bullets, the .450 ammo has the same diameter from the base to the neck, making it suitable to knock down large animals without distorting its shape and exceeding the targeted mark.
Safety may be the primary reason why the straight-backed .450 Bushmaster ammo is legal for use in most states unlike bottle-necked cartridges. Bottle-necked cartridges are slimmer with greater propellant force, giving them great speed and the force power that can pierce through objects even beyond the targeted mark.
With the .450 Bushmaster ammo, you have more control of direction and can estimate the distance and velocity you need to hit your target.
Due to its shape and heavy bullet (as is typically used with straight-walled cartridges), the .450 Bushmaster ammo doesn’t cover far distances because there isn’t a lot of force behind its bullet. However, this makes it a distinct brand, for hunting big game and a suitable cartridge for target competitions.
.450 Bushmaster ammo has a bullet of 11.5mm diameter, a 12.19mm neck, and a 12.70mm base. This gives a cartridge a total length of 57.4mm—already established that this ammo isn’t designed for long-distance. 450 Bushmaster ammo can hit an average-sized game from an estimated 250 to 300 yards distance.
When it comes to popularity, especially amongst hunters of the mid-west, the beloved .450 Bushmaster ammo is potent.
The 350 Legend was released in 2019 and created solely by Winchester Repeating Arms Ammunition division, known now as simply Winchester Ammunition. The 350 Legend is a legend in its own right because it is one of the few cartridges that has no parent cartridge. It does have the same diameter as the .223 Remington cartridge but that is where the similarities of the two rounds start and end. This straight-walled cartridge was developed for hunting where states had strict regulations on straight-walled deer hunting rounds. The 350 Legend is a product of the Ammunition industry responding to ridiculous government regulation and overreach. Without oddball laws on hunting with necked cartridges, straight-walled cartridges like the 350 Legend cartridge would likely not exist. The performance of the round was designed to deliver high lethal terminal energy on deer at ranges out to 200 yards. The 350 Legend sits in an area of its own where at 200 yards it outpaces 300 Blackout, 30-30 Winchester, and 223 Remington in energy on target. The closest comparison for foot-pounds on target for the Legend is the 300 Blackout round which comes in at 790 ft-lbs at 200-yards. The 350 Legend clocks in at 903 ft-lbs at 200-yards. As you can see it’s no slouch and the .350 legend doesn’t just barely edge out the 300 blackout round either.
