450Bushmaster.net

i picked up a 50 box of berrys 45 ACP 185 grain (.452) i was interested in reloading for my 450 bushmaster ar 15. the max velocity is 1250 fps. can i reload with this knowing it will go much faster? is it safe? please and thanks sorry for being a noobie!

Thesteeleoutcast wrote:i picked up a 50 box of berrys 45 ACP 185 grain (.452) i was interested in reloading for my 450 bushmaster ar 15. the max velocity is 1250 fps. can i reload with this knowing it will go much faster? is it safe? please and thanks sorry for being a noobie!

Welcome Aboard OM!

We were all newbies with this caliber at one time. I would recommend that you keep looking for bullets to reload with. I tried the Berry bullets once and that was enough to not repeat the exercise. Mine shed some of their foil jackets including one piece stuck in the clear plastic display on my optical chronometer. I was trying their 230gr RN. The other issue was that the bullets sometimes left the cartridge before it was up to pressure, lodging just past the chamber and leaving a mess of unburned powder behind. The 185's in all likelihood, would come out even easier than the 230's. That was my experience.

Hoot

You might be able to stuff them with Trailboss and keep the bullets held together, but it may not cycle the action.

s4s4u wrote:You might be able to stuff them with Trailboss and keep the bullets held together, but it may not cycle the action.

trailboss will not cycle an ar. it doesnt produce anywhere close to the proper gas pressure curve to do so.


to the OP: listen to hoot. those berry's bullets like that are NOT meant for rifle speeds, no less those the 450 bushmaster cartridge is capable of producing.

if you were to pick a crossover application (non 45 acp) for them it would be in a mild 45 colt - think cowboy action type load. they'd still be a bit small dia wise (the colt uses .452 like our bushmaster does) but at least with it being a rimmed cartridge you could likely apply the proper roll crimp easier to get them to hold decently.

if you do run them hot enough to cycle your action in the 450 bm at the very least you're going to lead up your gun terribly, potentially clogging the entire gas system, not to mention the rifling in your barrel. they're just not engineered for that level of performance.

if you had a single shot or bolt action you could probably produce a super mild plinking load that would be tolerable. but at that point the simpler solution would be to get a 45 acp carbine (or pistol) and use them in that instead of the bushmaster. right tool for the right job and all that.

at the very least - youve got a box that has good trade value right now. with the price of pistol ammo these days.. that box you have right now is worth its weight for sure

thanks guys! gonna send them back!!! for 45 cal not for acp

heck I'd buy a 45acp before sending bullets back

I had this discussion with the late Timothy LeGendre, God rest his soul, back years ago
regarding the “plated” jacket bullets. I can tell you what he would say. “Don’t Do It!”
They won’t withstand the heat, pressure, and centrifugal force as they spin down the barrel.
Tim said at times, he’s seen nothing but a grey blue puff of disintegrated lead particles as it went through the brake.
That doesn’t sound like a very fun time, considering how muzzle brake throws gases to the sides and towards the back of the shooter. Any particle solid enough to hit that brake and deflect in the blast direction of the brake could be dangerous to bystanders or the shooter themselves.
The rule we have here is DON’T SHOOT COPPER PLATED TYPE BULLETS.
This goes for Berries and Lehigh and other brands of plated projectiles.
Good solid jackets or the copper solids should be the only projectiles
you’re shooting out of a 450 Bushmaster. The only exception would
Be people casting their own bullets with a proper Brinnell hardness, coating and or gas checks.
If you’ve ever looked closely at a gas check, that’s a pretty thick little disk of copper.