350 Legend vs 450 Bushmaster

Imagine you’re an AR-15 fanatic, and you love hunting. You want to combine your two great passions, but you’re not sure which caliber to chamber your new hunting AR in. There are half a dozen great options on the market today, but two of the more popular ones are Winchester’s 350 Legend and the 450 Bushmaster. Both rounds have their pros and cons, so it’s important to understand what each caliber is and what they’re best suited for prior to investing in either. So, with that in mind, let’s take a closer look at both to help you make this pivotal decision.

On paper and even physically, these two rounds seem like opposite ends of the spectrum. But in reality, they share several similarities that make both of these rounds an excellent choice for hunting.

For instance, both rounds are straight-walled cartridges. For the uninitiated, this means that the case isn’t necked down to the bullet’s diameter. That concept was developed in order to give enough case capacity to push a small, light projectile at increased velocities. This is why all varmint rounds and long-range rounds featured a necked-down casing.

Straight-walled cartridges can trace their roots back to the early days of metallic cartridges. Rounds like .45 Long Colt and the venerable .45-70 Gov were designed to function in either single-shot breech-loaders like the old Sharps rifles or revolvers like the Colt Single Action Army in the case of the .45LC. 

This style of cartridge has the distinct advantage of being easier to reload for longer. The brass doesn’t have to be reformed after firing, which translates into fewer steps in the reloading process and less fatigue on the case itself.

And this makes sense for both rounds. Neither is designed with high-speed light projectiles in mind, but rather heavier, hard-hitting rounds. Another common trait between the two rounds is that both were designed to fit in a standard AR-15 magazine well and feed in semi-auto firearms.

.350 Legend magazines are proprietary, but dimentionally almost identical to STANAG mags, while .450 Bushmaster magazines are standard AR mags. However, in the case of the .450 Bushmaster, a custom follower will have to be used, and in doing so, restricts the magazine’s capacity to a mere ten rounds of ammo.

In terms of bullet velocity, both rounds are similar as well. Both rounds average around 2,200fps when fired from a 20-inch barrel. Making both rounds have similar trajectories out to around 200 yards. Also, their availability is similar as well - most big box stores won’t carry many of these rounds, so shooters will most likely have to order online to fill their stockpiles up.

So far, these rounds seem fairly similar, but it’s in their ballistic performance that they differ the most. While it’s true that both rounds have a similar muzzle velocity, the projectile weights of each are vastly different. 

.450 Bushmaster rounds, on average, weigh around 250 grains, but there are some specialty ammo makers that run the spectrum of projectile weights, from Black Butterfly’s 160gr Screamer rounds that increase muzzle velocity by 500fps to Steiner’s solid copper subsonic 425gr that “crawls” at 1,030fps.

In this sense, 450 Bushmaster is a much more versatile round. But more than that, the extra weight of the standard 250gr projectile produces around 50% more energy. This means that while 350 Legend is a very competent white tail round, only the 450 Bushmaster should be used to take down large game.

Consequently, the recoil impulse from a rifle chambered in .450 Bushmaster is substantially greater than that of the 350 Legend. In a purely subjective metric, 350 Legend feels like shooting a lever-action rifle in .30-30, while 450 Bushmaster feels more like a 20-gauge shotgun slug. 

That said, neither one of these rounds are physically punishing to shoot. Provided a shooter isn’t looking to blow through 200 rounds of .450 Bushmaster, their shoulder won’t suffer for the experience.

Another difference is in magazine capacity. Both guns use slightly modified STANAG or standard-pattern AR-15 magazines, but because of the round’s size and geometry, each has very different capacities available for it.

Full disclaimer: yes, it is possible to shove ten rounds of .450 Bushmaster in a 30-round PMAG. But, the magazine body will bulge too much to actually fully seat in the gun. Instead, a modified follower should be used in a straight 20-round magazine to accommodate seven rounds of ammo. The best option for shooters is to just to buy purpose-built magazines for both guns.

But the largest difference between the .350 Legend and .450 Bushmaster is their terminal ballistic performance. With proper ammunition, both rounds will easily reach a medium-game animal’s vitals at 200 yards. But .450 Bushmaster can put down large game at greater distances with proper shot placement. 

Indeed, elk, moose, and mule deer are guaranteed one-shot-kills when an expanding .450 Bushmaster round slams into their vitals. Additionally, if a shooter is looking to hunt wild pigs, .450 Bushmaster can effortlessly puncture the thick, tough skull of a feral hog. And given the dangerous nature of hunting wild hogs, this makes .450 Bushmaster a clear winner.

Although this section is somewhat subjective, it’s important to note that both manually operated and semi-automatic firearms are available for both calibers. That said, some firearm designs are better suited to each than others. Let’s take a look at a few noteworthy examples.

Shooters intrigued by the big-bore blaster round that don’t have a ton of disposable income should take a closer look at the Mossberg Patriot Predator. Mossberg has a long history of making affordable-yet-high-quality guns, and the bolt-action Patriot Predator is no exception.

Available with either a flat dark earth (FDE) or camouflage polymer stock, the bolt-action Patriot Predator is a rock-solid reliable rifle based on the classic Mauser 98 action. These guns all ship with excellent fixed post-and-notch iron sights as well as a Picatinny optics rail. This makes them a great solution to either a bush gun build with either irons or a reflex sight or a great hunting rifle with a magnified optic.

Other noteworthy features include a spiral-fluted bolt for reduced weight and a threaded barrel that allows shooters to mount either a recoil-reducing brake or a sound suppressor without having to consult a gunsmith. 

The Ruger American Rifle series of guns were Ruger’s answer to requests from customers for a less expensive alternative to the M77 series of rifles. Sporting an FDE polymer stock, an integrated Picatinny optics rail, and a detachable magazine, the Ruger American series of rifles were meant for shooters who want a solid ranch rifle that won’t break the bank.

Despite their reduced overall cost, these guns are still just as reliable and robust as the M77 they’re based on. Other solid features include a free-floated barrel and a muzzle threaded to 1/2x28 - making the gun an excellent choice for suppressing .350 Legend. 

One of the biggest advantages of .450 Bushmaster over similar rounds like .454 Casull is its capability to run reliably in semi-automatic firearms. And when it comes to the round, there’s no choice like the original inventor of the round - Bushmaster Firearms. One of their guns, in particular, is a great platform for the round, the BORE 20-inch.

Based on a standard AR-15, the BORE series of rifles are designed to maximize the ballistic efficacy of big-bore rounds in an auto-loading platform. The BORE 20, in particular, sports a free-floated, heavy 20-inch barrel that reduces felt recoil and retains accuracy during extended firing sessions like hog hunting. 

The Bore also sports an extruded aluminum MLok handguard, adjustable stock, and flat-top receiver. If a shooter wants a rock-solid semi-auto host for their big bore needs, the BORE is a solid choice that isn’t prohibitively expensive.

If you want a semi-automatic AR-15 pistol that hits with similar energy to a .44 Magnum without all the recoil - and cost of ammo - check out the Pro Second Amendment Patriot pistol. Available in multiple barrel lengths, including a scant 7.5in variant, these AR pistols deliver hard-hitting .350 Legend performance from an ultra-compact package.

The guns ship with a free-floated, threaded barrel and an M-Lok handguard, making them uber-modular and excellent for home defense or hunting. Other features include an adjustable brace and the use of standard AR-15 pistol grips. In a nutshell, these guns are the perfect affordable compact firearm for .350 Legend. 

One area where .350 Legend outshines .450 Bushmaster is in cost. On average, .450 Bushmaster rounds are 75% more expensive per round than .350 Legend. If a shooter is doing high-volume shooting like back-to-back pig hunts, .350 Legend might be a better choice. But since both rounds are used primarily for hunting, and most hunters barely fire a full box of ammo each season (Unless they are an awful shot or have limitless tags.) this isn’t as much of an advantage as it sounds.

As for home defense, I wouldn’t recommend .450 Bushmaster for this role at all. The rounds have two big downsides against them: limited capacity and overpenetration. With the largest commercial magazines available for the .450 Bushmaster holding a scant seven rounds of ammo, it’s a poor choice to deal with multiple threats. In the event that a shooter is inside a house shooting, these big rounds will easily pass clean through most human attackers and hit an unseen target behind them. 

And this is more than just a liability issue. Since the rounds are passing clean through, they aren’t expanding. This means the majority of the energy of the round is wasted unless a shooter manages to hit an attacker’s skeletal system.

Overall, for medium game or home defense, .350 Legend is a clear winner. But if a shooter wants a dedicated hunting round that can ethically harvest game of all sizes in North America, they should pick .450 Bushmaster.