The 450 Bushmaster and 300 Win Mag are two very popular cartridges on the market because they are so popular, it would only make sense to compare the two and see which one is better for which situations.

Here is the short answer:

The 300 Win Mag has more energy at long range and is a flatter shooting cartridge compared to the 450 Bushmaster. The 450 Bushmaster is primarily a close-range cartridge and is not very good for long-range shooting. If you were to pick one cartridge over the other, you would want the 300 Win Mag as it is a more versatile cartridge.

With the short answer out of the way, we can take an in-depth look at the 450 Bushmaster and 300 Win Mag, which one is better, why one is better, and when you would want one cartridge over the other.

300 Win Mag

The 300 Win Mag is one of the first magnum cartridges to use a standard action. The 300 Win Mag is a belted magnum cartridge that was released in the Winchester model 70 rifle and quickly gained popularity among both bench rest shooters and big game hunters. 

The 300 Win Mag is currently used by big game hunters and many military sniper roles. This cartridge has a lot of energy, so it is a preferred cartridge for hunting larger game animals like elk, moose, bison, and bears. The 300 Win Mag has also been used in many different sniper rifles used by militaries around the world as the 300 Win Mag is a flat shooting high-energy cartridge.

The 300 Win Mag, at 300 yards, has over 2000 foot-pounds of energy and only 29 inches of drop with a 200 yards zero. Compared to most cartridges in its class, the 300 Win Mag is a flat-shooting high-energy cartridge. 

The 300 Win Mag is also a very versatile cartridge; you can handload bullets from 110-grain for varmint hunting or plinking, or you can load 200-grain bullets and hunt big game such as elk or moose. One of the many reasons this cartridge is so liked is because you can hunt such a wide variety of game with just one rifle and some handloading tools.

450 Bushmaster

The 450 Bushmaster is a large caliber bullet that is designed to be used in both an AR-15/semi-automatic platform, and a bolt action platform. It was also designed to be an alternative to using a smaller 5.56 NATO in the AR-15 allowing people to hunt with their AR platform rifles.

The 450 Bushmaster is used primarily by hunters who want to use an AR-15 to Hunt. Because the 450 Bushmaster is a cartridge with a lot more energy than its 5.56 NATO counterpart (the standard AR-15 chambering), you are able to hunt bigger game animals than just coyotes. The 450 bushmaster does have competition for its category though; the 450 Bushmaster has to compete with the 458 SOCOM and 50 Beowulf, which both serve the same purpose, so before you buy a 450 Bushmaster, you may want to look at your other options first. 

The biggest downside to the 450 Bushmaster is that it doesn’t have great long-range performance. This cartridge drops below 1000 foot-pound (1000 foot-pounds is considered the minimum number of foot-pounds to kill a deer) and has 27 inches of drop at 300 yards with a 150-yard zero. So this is not a very good-performing cartridge for anything past 200 yards.

Which cartridge is better

Now that we have taken a closer look at each cartridge like what they are good, their history, what their ballistics look like, and what they are used, we can see which one is better for what situation.

If you need a long-range shooting cartridge with a flat trajectory or are doing big game hunting, you will want the 300 Win Mag. The 300 Win Mag has more energy and a flatter trajectory than the 450 Bushmaster making it better for any situation where you will have to shoot past 200 yards.

If you need a cartridge that has a lot of energy at close range but drops off fast or you hunt in a state where you need to have a straight wall cartridge, then you will want the 450 Bushmaster. The 450 Bushmaster has a lot of energy at closer distances but drops off quickly after that. The 450 Bushmaster is also a straight-walled cartridge, so if you are hunting in a state that requires you to hunt with a straight-wall cartridge, like Iowa, Ohio, or Indiana, you can use the 450 Bushmaster. 

conclusion

Overall, if you were to pick one cartridge to use for most hunting or shooting situations, you would want the 300 Win Mag. While the 450 Bushmaster is straight-walled, so it can be used in some states where the 300 Win Mag can’t, the 300 Win Mag has a better overall performance and better versatility.