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Remington 45-70 Government vs 450 Bushmaster: Choosing the Right Load

For Australian hunters sorting through big-bore options, the choice between Remington's classic .45-70 Government and the modern .450 Bushmaster often comes down to terrain, quarry, and what is actually sitting on the shelf at the local gun shop. Both cartridges punch above their weight for feral animal control and medium game, but they behave quite differently in thick coastal blackberry, dry mallee scrub, or the swamp margins of the Top End.

The .45-70 traces its heritage back to the American Springfield trapdoor rifles of the 1870s, while the .450 Bushmaster emerged in 2007 as a straight-walled alternative for jurisdictions where bottlenecked rifle rounds were restricted. That history shapes everything from recoil impulse to the firearms each round feeds through, which matters plenty when you are shouldering a rifle in scrubby terrain around Tumut or working a clearing on a cattle station near Charters Towers.

Australian shooters tend to weigh practical matters first: licence category, magazine capacity rules, and whether a particular projectile is even imported in the months following US supply hiccups. The legal landscape varies sharply between NSW, Victoria, Queensland, and Western Australia, so the cartridge that wins in one state can be a paperwork headache in another.

Cartridge Origins and Design Differences

The .45-70 Government was born out of post-Civil War demand for a heavy bullet capable of stopping cavalry charges, and Remington Arms has loaded commercial variants since the black-powder era gave way to smokeless. Factory offerings span 300-grain jacketed soft points up to 405-grain lead loads, with newer all-copper projectiles pushing ethical hunting performance further. The bottleneck case is pressure-rated well above original black-powder loads, opening the door to high-energy modern ammunition.

The .450 Bushmaster was developed by Hornady with input from Tim LeGendre and was quickly adopted by AR-15 builders seeking a straight-walled thumper for deer-sized game in restricted jurisdictions. Remington produces Core-Lokt and Premier AccuTip variants in 250 and 260-grain weights, fitting magazines that mimic the AR's STANAG footprint. The straight case makes feeding reliable from detachable box magazines, which comes in handy for follow-up shots on a mob of pigs scattering through brigalow.

Recoil separates the two cartridges more than many newcomers expect. The .45-70 in a lever-action Marlin 1895 or a Ruger No. 1 delivers a stout shove that seasoned shooters describe as a solid push rather than a sharp crack. The .450 Bushmaster in an AR-platform rifle feels sharper but lighter, partly because the rifle itself weighs more and absorbs some of the impulse before it reaches the shoulder.

Ballistic Performance and Trajectory

Ballistic tables for the .45-70 show 300-grain soft points leaving a typical rifle at around 2300 fps, holding roughly 1800 fps at 100 metres and dropping around 25 centimetres at 200 metres when sighted for 100. Heavy 400-grain loads trade velocity for energy retention, useful for thick-skinned pigs and buffalo work where penetration trumps trajectory. Effective range in the field rarely stretches past 150 metres for most Australian shooters who value shot placement over reach, and the heavy bullet holds together on bone strike.

The .450 Bushmaster pushes a 250-grain bullet from a 16-inch barrel at roughly 2200 fps, sitting flatter than the .45-70 but with less raw energy. At 100 metres expect around 20 centimetres of drop from a 50-yard zero, and energy retention remains above 1000 foot-pounds out to roughly 150 metres. That flatter arc appeals to shooters running semi-auto platforms who want to engage quickly on moving pigs or goats across open ground.

Both rounds deliver enough terminal energy for sambar deer, fallow, red deer, wild boar, and feral cattle within typical Australian hunting distances. Where they differ is in bullet construction. The .45-70 enjoys decades of premium hunting bullet development, including bonded and mono-metal options, while the .450 Bushmaster is more reliant on a handful of proven projectiles that consistently perform on medium game. Anyone weighing projectile choices should read a closer breakdown of bullet construction in this soft point versus hollow point guide before committing to a load.

Australian Hunting Applications

Anyone who has chased pigs along the coastal blackberry around Ballina or worked sambar in the high country near the Victorian Alps knows that shot angles and brush density often dictate cartridge choice more than ballistic tables do. The .45-70's heavy slug punches through blackberry thicket and light cover with authority, and lever-action rifles like the Marlin 336 and Ruger Guide Gun have earned reputations as reliable bush tools. For station-based feral work on cattle properties around Longreach, the .45-70 in a hard-hitting configuration fits the bill.

The .450 Bushmaster fills a different niche, particularly for shooters running AR-style rifles who need quick follow-up shots on mobs of goats or pigs in flatter country like the mallee in South Australia or open brigalow in central Queensland. The semi-auto platform also suits shooters with reduced mobility or recoil sensitivity, and magazine-fed reliability makes follow-up shots on wounded game far easier when an animal tries to slip into scrub.

For buffalo hunting on approved Northern Territory stations, where shot placement matters and game is large, many guides lean toward heavier calibres, but both .45-70 hard-cast and .450 Bushmaster heavy-for-caliber loads have accounted for bulls taken under proper supervision. Always match the load to the rifle and conditions, and put in plenty of range time with the exact projectile you intend to hunt with.

Legal Considerations and Licensing

Australia's firearms framework is administered state by state, and the classification of each round matters before a purchase is even considered. Most states categorise centrefire rifles under Category B or C, with magazine capacity limits commonly capped at five or ten rounds depending on the jurisdiction and licence type. Straight-walled cartridges like the .450 Bushmaster sometimes fall into friendlier regulatory categories in states that restrict bottlenecked rounds for hunters, so checking with the local licensing authority is non-negotiable.

In Queensland, Category C licence holders can use straight-walled centrefire cartridges that meet certain criteria, while Category B covers most other centrefire rifles including the .45-70 in a lever-action. Victoria's regulations treat both rounds similarly under standard category licences, though magazine restrictions still apply. NSW shooters should verify their genuine reason for ownership aligns with the chosen calibre, and Western Australia enforces its own set of conditions that differ again.

Storage, transport, and safe handling rules apply uniformly across the country, including the requirement that firearms be unloaded in transit and stored in a compliant safe. Joining a local shooting club and keeping paperwork current helps streamline renewals and demonstrates the genuine reason inspectors look for during compliance visits. A local dealer can usually point newcomers toward an accredited club if they have not already joined one.

Availability, Reloading, and Practical Buying

Factory-loaded Remington ammunition arrives in Australia through a handful of distributors, and stock levels tend to fluctuate based on shipping cycles from the United States. Both .45-70 and .450 Bushmaster are commonly stocked, though popular bullet weights sell out quickly during peak hunting seasons. Building a relationship with a reliable dealer pays off, and tracking orders through your customer account makes reloading easier when supply tightens.

Reloaders enjoy a wider selection of components for the .45-70, given its century-plus of bullet development and case availability. Brass, projectiles from Hornady, Sierra, and Barnes, and a range of primers make handloading straightforward with standard presses. The .450 Bushmaster reloading scene is smaller but growing, with dedicated dies and a handful of suitable projectile choices that perform on medium game.

For shooters not interested in reloading, factory Premier AccuTip and Core-Lokt offerings from Remington deliver consistent performance straight from the box. Those wanting to round out a property kit should also browse the broader semi-auto handgun selection for companion tools that suit pest control where regulations allow.

Practical Uses for the .45-70 Government

Practical Uses for the .450 Bushmaster

Choosing between these two Remington loads ultimately comes down to where you hunt, what you hunt, and how your state's rules treat each cartridge. Pop into the local gun shop for a yarn about current stock, confirm the licence category matches your intended use, and put in the range time with the exact load you'll be carrying afield before the season opens.