I had my eyes set on the 450 BM as an ultimate hog AR but have been reading a lot about cycling, ejection, and jamming issues that are common for this setup. Even certain magazines are problematic.
There is a great Facebook group specific to the 450 BM: https://www.facebook.com/groups/450Bushmaster with good commentary.
I was led to Tromix as a quality provider of 450 BM uppers and was about to make the plunge but Tony Rumore (owner of Tromix - the original manufacturer of the 458 SOCOM) was kind enough (on Christmas Eve) to respond to me that because of these problems, I may want to consider going to the 458 SOCOM.
Granted, he may be biased for the 458 SOCOM (though his company also makes the finest 450 BMs), would any of you have any experience between the two that would lean either way?
Again, my objective is pig hunting instead of home defense.
Here is what I have learned so far:
Pros of 450
-ammo (more available, better selections from big names like Hornady, a bit cheaper)
-SAMI certified - hence ammo
-shoots slightly flatter
-straight-walled casing (though I'm not planning on taking it out of state for hunting, it is good to know it is more accepted)
Cons of 450
-picky/stubborn (magazines, feeding, ejections, cycling) < this seems to be a deal breaker though many people have pushed through this making careful selections and sometimes needing to drill out the gas port and also change out the buffer spring.
It seems the SOCOM is more reliable, at the expense of ammo selection and ballistics (not as flat but close enough for most, yet the SOCOM also tends to beat out the BM for larger game if I ever used it for bigger things).
A popular article comparing the two are here
Any insight would be appreciated!
There is a great Facebook group specific to the 450 BM: https://www.facebook.com/groups/450Bushmaster with good commentary.
I was led to Tromix as a quality provider of 450 BM uppers and was about to make the plunge but Tony Rumore (owner of Tromix - the original manufacturer of the 458 SOCOM) was kind enough (on Christmas Eve) to respond to me that because of these problems, I may want to consider going to the 458 SOCOM.
Granted, he may be biased for the 458 SOCOM (though his company also makes the finest 450 BMs), would any of you have any experience between the two that would lean either way?
Again, my objective is pig hunting instead of home defense.
Here is what I have learned so far:
Pros of 450
-ammo (more available, better selections from big names like Hornady, a bit cheaper)
-SAMI certified - hence ammo
-shoots slightly flatter
-straight-walled casing (though I'm not planning on taking it out of state for hunting, it is good to know it is more accepted)
Cons of 450
-picky/stubborn (magazines, feeding, ejections, cycling) < this seems to be a deal breaker though many people have pushed through this making careful selections and sometimes needing to drill out the gas port and also change out the buffer spring.
It seems the SOCOM is more reliable, at the expense of ammo selection and ballistics (not as flat but close enough for most, yet the SOCOM also tends to beat out the BM for larger game if I ever used it for bigger things).
A popular article comparing the two are here
Any insight would be appreciated!