Sturm, Ruger & Co. introduced a new caliber in a popular rifle this week. Expanding the Gunsite Scout Rifle line, Ruger is now offering the big bore 450 Bushmaster as a caliber option. As the story goes, the 450 Bushmaster cartridge was inspired by Jeff Cooper’s call for a large caliber rifle round to replace the 5.56 NATO cartridge. It is only fitting that the cartridge is now available in the rifle that was inspired by the same man.
The new rifle is a bolt action gun with a mix of conventional and modern design characteristics. Glancing at the gun, you will likely notice the fine stock made of American walnut with its checkering on the gripping areas. On the hind end is a soft rubber recoil pad that can be adjusted with spacers.
Juxtaposed to the traditional wood stock is the 16.1” barrel with its massive muzzle brake and Picatinny rail. The brake is the same one used on the company’s Precision Rifle to reduce felt recoil. It is threaded on, so it can be removed or even replaced if so desired. The rail is attached to the barrel instead of the top of the receiver. This allows for the forward mounting of a scope in the manner described by Cooper many years ago.
However, attaching a scope to the Picatinny rail is not the only sighting option. The rifle also comes with integral scope mounts and rings for a typical scope attachment to the receiver. Don’t like glass? No problem. An adjustable ghost ring rear sight and protected front post ensure you will be able to put rounds on target.
A four-round, detachable box magazine feeds the gun. A release in front of the trigger guard pushes forward to detach the magazine.
This cartridge tends to throw a relatively heavy bullet down range in excess of 2,000 fps. For example, the FTX load from Hornady matches a 250 grain polymer tipped bullet to a 2,200 fps muzzle velocity. However, with the wide bullet and relatively low ballistic coefficient, the velocity bleeds off fairly quickly – dropping to about 1,500 fps at 200 yards. Nevertheless, this makes for a great brush gun cartridge – especially in a scout rifle configuration.
Ruger only announces guns when they are in the hands of distributors. So, when you read this, your local gun shop may already have them on the rack. If not, they can order you one. The suggested retail price of these new rifles is $1,199.