i'm in the market looking for a big bore upper half for my ar. i have my mind on the .450 bushmaster and the .50 beowulf. haven't heard much about the .450 but has anyone have experience with this new caliber? couldn't really find much about it besides an article about it for hog hunting. i plan on shooting at most 200-150 yards. i will be using this for deer hunting. i'm a traditional 30-06 guy but i'm spicing things up with an ar platform rifle this year. looking for speed, accuracy over long ranges, power, and price... i've heard plenty of good about the beowulf but are they worth it? or am i better off with the .308 ar10?

WOW!

The 50 Beowulf really is very impressive!

I will say the same for the 6.5 Grendel over the 6.8 - the Grendel just plain out shoots the 6.8 at a distance. For now though I don't have either so I'll stick with my 308B. But if I were going to get one the Beofulf would be a great brush caliber - a semi auto .45-70 WOW! The 6.5 would be a great Antelope round at a great distance.

Chapie+

6.8 SPC...is a perfect round for whitetail.

I have hunted deer 47 years in Missouri with 30/06, .270. .308. 7mm/08...and they all are overkill.

A 6.8 SPC with Factory SSA 110g Sierra Pro Hunter will have a slightly flatter trajectory than a 150g 30/06 to 400 yds....

The 110g Sierra will expand fully above 1700 ft/sec. and has a muzzle velocity of 2560-2600 ft. / sec.

It doesn't reach the 1700 ft. / sec threshold until 377 yds. Which means you can effectively hunt deer with it out to 300yds and still be VERY effective.

Take a look at the wound channel on 550 lb elk that this 6.8 SPC round generated... Just scroll to the bottom of the page.

http://www.68forums.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=581

This is a serious deer round...all in a lighter, compact AR15 package.

Plus...the 6.8 only needs an 18" barrel to achieve 98% of it's velocity. Another benefit to keeping your weapon light and compact.

I own MANY larger caliber centerfire rifles including FNFALs, AR10s, M1As, BARs, Garands, REM 700, Rem PSS, Rem 7, Win 70, Win 100, Rem 740/760, Marlin 45/70, Howa, Tikka, Valmet double OU rifles, Custom Mausers, et al...and the 6.8 SPC is my round of choice for deer and hogs. It has sufficient terminal balistics..a flat trajectory, yet it doesn't over-penetrate or damage an excess of meat.

Using a .308 several years ago I made a quartering away shot at a young buck at about 60 yds with a 180g SP in brush. The round literally blew off the entire right shoulder...That's when I gave up the .308 for deer hunting. It's too much gun...

Kerry

If you're wanting a big bore AR I'd go with the 458 socom because I think you can find ammo much easier...... I could be wrong so if anyone has better info, please share.