Barnes VOR-TX 450 Bushmaster 250gr TSX FB – Deadly Straight Wall Load

Description

The Barnes VOR-TX 450 Bushmaster 250gr TSX FB is factory hunting ammunition for the cartridge that turned the AR-15 into a legitimate straight wall deer rifle. Barnes drives a solid copper Triple Shock X out of the muzzle at roughly 2250 fps carrying about 2810 ft-lbs of energy. That is a very large bullet moving fast enough to do serious work, and it is legal in the straight wall states where a 308 is not. Each box holds 20 rounds.

• Barnes VOR-TX 450 Bushmaster 250gr TSX FB Overview
• 250 Grain TSX Flat Base Performance
• Why Hunters Choose 450 Bushmaster Deer Ammo
• Specifications
• Range Notes For This All Copper Hunting Bullet

Barnes VOR-TX 450 Bushmaster 250gr TSX FB Overview

The projectile is machined from a solid copper billet, so there is no lead core to separate and no jacket to strip off. That matters more than usual in this cartridge, because a 45 caliber bullet at 2250 fps arriving on a shoulder generates enormous stress. A conventional cup and core bullet can come apart; a monolithic bullet stays together and keeps driving.

On impact the hollow nose peels back into four sharp copper petals that open to roughly double the original diameter and stay attached to the shank. Recovered bullets routinely retain close to all of their original weight, and on a bullet this wide that produces a very large wound channel.

250 Grain TSX Flat Base Performance

At 250 grains this is the standard weight for the cartridge and the one most 450 Bushmaster rifles are throated for. Flat base construction is the right call here, because with a 0.200 ballistic coefficient this is emphatically not a long range bullet and a boat tail would buy nothing.

Barnes machines relief grooves into the bearing surface of the Barnes VOR-TX 450 Bushmaster 250gr TSX projectile. The grooves reduce bore contact, which lowers pressure and cuts copper fouling, and in a cartridge with this much bullet in contact with the rifling that is a meaningful difference.

Why Hunters Choose 450 Bushmaster Deer Ammo

The 450 Bushmaster exists because several midwestern states restrict deer hunting to straight wall cartridges. Ohio, Michigan, Indiana and Iowa hunters who wanted to use an AR platform rifle got a cartridge that drops cleanly into a standard AR-15 lower with a dedicated upper and single stack magazine. It is also popular in bolt guns for the same reason.

Inside 200 yards this 450 Bushmaster deer ammo hits harder than a 30-30 and considerably harder than a 350 Legend. Past 200 yards the trajectory falls off a cliff, which is the honest limitation of every straight wall cartridge. Know your drop and pick your shots.

Recoil in a semi automatic is moderate because the gas system absorbs a good deal of it. In a lightweight bolt action it is noticeably sharper.

Specifications

Range Notes For This All Copper Hunting Bullet

An all copper hunting bullet normally prints to a slightly different point of impact than lead core ammunition, so zero with the exact load you plan to hunt. Foul a clean barrel with a round or two, shoot your group, then leave the scope alone.

If you run this in an AR, function test a full magazine before the season. The 450 Bushmaster feeds from a single stack magazine and is more sensitive to magazine condition and buffer weight than a 5.56 upper. Most rifles are fine, but confirm it rather than assume it.

Copper needs velocity to open, and with a 0.200 ballistic coefficient the Barnes VOR-TX 450 Bushmaster 250gr TSX sheds speed quickly. Expansion is reliable inside roughly 200 yards and becomes less certain beyond that, which happens to match the practical range of the cartridge anyway.

Lead Free Straight Wall Ammunition Availability

Deer hunters in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Iowa and other straight wall cartridge states, hog hunters running an AR platform, and anyone hunting where non toxic projectiles are required will get the most from this lead free straight wall ammunition. Full factory ballistics for the Barnes VOR-TX 450 Bushmaster 250gr TSX are published by Barnes Bullets.

Shop more rifle ammunition, compare it with our Barnes VOR-TX 400 Legend 190gr TSX load, or browse the full ammunition selection at MAG5 Firearms.