I have been sifting through some of my field test data with the .458 300gr PP bullet and have some more that you might get a kick out of. This was a brief overview from a hunter that carried my loaner rifle and ammo to Canada after trophy black bears. I will start with some of the posts leading up to the hunt so you can tell what is going on. reflex264
I bought my .450 guide gun as a test mule and to have a gun that I could let people carry to see how the rifle/ ammo combo worked. I got a call a couple weeks ago from a semi famous hunter that has been all over the world and killed more big critters than I will ever see. He has 6 Brown bears mounted of various subspecies and the list goes on. What he called me about was a black bear hunt. He hunted there 2 years ago and out of 6 hunters on the trip 5 put bears in the book. The guide called him and said he thought they had a couple of candidates for the #1 black bear in the world this go around. The hunter normally carries a Smidt & Bender scoped .340 Weatherby but has decided he wants to give the .450 a whirl. I'll keep yall posted on his progress. The shots are 150 yards and under in the area he is going to and more of them are 100 yards and under. If the number 1 black bear would fall to a Marlin it would have to be good for their image. reflex264
Well my rifle and ammo left today. He really liked the rifle/scope combo. He was going to go shoot it this weekend to get familier with it. I hope this comes together well for he and I. reflex264
Here was his short on the hunt results:
Well I am always amazed, when someone shows me a better way to do something
I figured I knew everything there was to know about that subject. A good
friend of mine Roy ******, was telling me about the energy of the Marlin
450 lever gun. I told him that I was a bolt man, and the fact that I had
shot a lot of game with a bolt action. Roy informed me with confidence that you might be surprised at the accuracy and sheer energy of the 450 Marlin. Roy said" I will let you tote it on a bear hunt" The year and 6 months flew by and before you know it I was sitting in a tree stand holding onto the little lever action. I thought how impressed I was with the levers accuracy. And it would make several bolt guns look shabby.
The bear hunt went all too quickly. I had several bears come in and out
of the different stands. I finnally decided that I would take a jet black
bear that came in at dark on the third day. I centered the
Weaver scope on the shoulder of the bear and squeezed the 450 off. The bear fell before the sound left the air. Hmmmm fairly impressive not to be a bolt gun I thought.
The 5th day of the hunt I had a beautiful brown bear circle the bait
cautiously. I had a tiny space between two trees at 85 yards to shoot the
bear and boom. The bear never took a step and crashed to the ground so
quickly I could not believe it. Roy was right about the 450 Marlin. I
reflected on the hunt and thought I have never toted a lever gun before
this time but it will not be my last time. What about grizzly, brown bear
or even Nanook the great white Polar bear? The proof is in the pudding, the 450 is an awesome big game gun with lots of wallop.
Roy loaded me 2 boxes of 450 Marlin shells with 300 grain Nosler
Partition.The 450 Marlin shells had a muzzle velocity of 2100 FPS. I
managed to shoot 3 shot groups at 100 yards within a 3/4 inch group, 1st
time out. The two black bears that I shot in Alberta, Ca. never knew what
hit them. I have never witnessed quicker cleaner kills in my life with any
caliber. I was amazed at the performance and accuracy of the 450 Marlin
ammo.
I bought my .450 guide gun as a test mule and to have a gun that I could let people carry to see how the rifle/ ammo combo worked. I got a call a couple weeks ago from a semi famous hunter that has been all over the world and killed more big critters than I will ever see. He has 6 Brown bears mounted of various subspecies and the list goes on. What he called me about was a black bear hunt. He hunted there 2 years ago and out of 6 hunters on the trip 5 put bears in the book. The guide called him and said he thought they had a couple of candidates for the #1 black bear in the world this go around. The hunter normally carries a Smidt & Bender scoped .340 Weatherby but has decided he wants to give the .450 a whirl. I'll keep yall posted on his progress. The shots are 150 yards and under in the area he is going to and more of them are 100 yards and under. If the number 1 black bear would fall to a Marlin it would have to be good for their image. reflex264
Well my rifle and ammo left today. He really liked the rifle/scope combo. He was going to go shoot it this weekend to get familier with it. I hope this comes together well for he and I. reflex264
Here was his short on the hunt results:
Well I am always amazed, when someone shows me a better way to do something
I figured I knew everything there was to know about that subject. A good
friend of mine Roy ******, was telling me about the energy of the Marlin
450 lever gun. I told him that I was a bolt man, and the fact that I had
shot a lot of game with a bolt action. Roy informed me with confidence that you might be surprised at the accuracy and sheer energy of the 450 Marlin. Roy said" I will let you tote it on a bear hunt" The year and 6 months flew by and before you know it I was sitting in a tree stand holding onto the little lever action. I thought how impressed I was with the levers accuracy. And it would make several bolt guns look shabby.
The bear hunt went all too quickly. I had several bears come in and out
of the different stands. I finnally decided that I would take a jet black
bear that came in at dark on the third day. I centered the
Weaver scope on the shoulder of the bear and squeezed the 450 off. The bear fell before the sound left the air. Hmmmm fairly impressive not to be a bolt gun I thought.
The 5th day of the hunt I had a beautiful brown bear circle the bait
cautiously. I had a tiny space between two trees at 85 yards to shoot the
bear and boom. The bear never took a step and crashed to the ground so
quickly I could not believe it. Roy was right about the 450 Marlin. I
reflected on the hunt and thought I have never toted a lever gun before
this time but it will not be my last time. What about grizzly, brown bear
or even Nanook the great white Polar bear? The proof is in the pudding, the 450 is an awesome big game gun with lots of wallop.
Roy loaded me 2 boxes of 450 Marlin shells with 300 grain Nosler
Partition.The 450 Marlin shells had a muzzle velocity of 2100 FPS. I
managed to shoot 3 shot groups at 100 yards within a 3/4 inch group, 1st
time out. The two black bears that I shot in Alberta, Ca. never knew what
hit them. I have never witnessed quicker cleaner kills in my life with any
caliber. I was amazed at the performance and accuracy of the 450 Marlin
ammo.
