Best Scope for 450 Bushmaster – Top 10 Recommendations and Reviews 2023

Choosing a Best 450 Bushmaster scopes has to do with magnification power range, recoil, quality of lens, location of a reticle on a focal plane and illumination. The cartridges of 450 Bushmaster are big, and it’s designed for short-range firing.

The cartridge doesn’t just punch the target heavily, but it can produce a “kick”. The intention is to deliver a powerful blow with a single shot. And so, you don’t need to make corrections for holdovers, bullet drop, parallax, internal range for elevation turret and first focal plane.

What you need is a high-quality lens that maximizes light transfer, so you can track targets in low light. Moreover, the reticle has to be on the second focal plane, and has to illuminate field of view. The scope’s power needn’t be larger than 8X. Importantly, your scope must withstand recoil, no matter how big.

We’ve prepared this 450 Bushmaster scope review, so you can decide, which rifle scope is best suited to your tactical, close-range firing needs. Read on to learn more.

Best Scope for 450 Bushmaster – Our Recommendations

1. Vortex Viper PST 6-24×50 FFP EBR-1 MOA

If you’re a looking for a riflescope whose power of magnification is high such that you don’t need a spotting scope, vortex viper PST is your best bet for 450 Bushmaster rifle.

The scope’s outfit is top-of-the-line for a price that doesn’t exceed $1000. The glass, EBR-1 MOA reticle, internal mechanism and construction have a precision shooting tactical (PST) design.

The size of the reticle increases as you increase magnification power, although the surface area under which the target appears on the reticle remains same. The objective lens’s diameter is large, as in 50mm.

Sandwiching a reticle with a glass etching are two layers of a glass lens whose XR coatings are complete. These layers protect the reticle from breaking when recoil is frequent and intense.

Even when you want to use holdover data correctly in high-stress hunting situations, you don’t have to memorize magnification to adjust the 6-24X scope. Such a high power is due to first focal plane (FFP) design. And so, the sight gives you sniperlike ranges.

With adjustment knob, you can turn on and off the illumination of the reticle with one click. The knob allows you to adjust the intensity of light in 10 different ways so you can take precise shots in low light.

A fiber optic system – MAG-view – enables you to see magnification settings in low light. You can hunt anytime of the day without worrying about lighting.

O-ring seals prevent water, mud and broken pieces from entering the tube. The inner tube contains 100% pure Argon gas, so you can continue to hunt when temperatures vary widely and when it’s foggy.

2. NightForce SHV 4-14×50 F1

While the magnification power isn’t as big, resolving power and field of view can combine to a great effect when you increase power. The objective lens’s diameter is 50mm, and maximizes light transfer during daytime.

You can adapt the mid-power magnification range to a wide variety of calibers, whether you want to hunt varmint, target shoot or take down big game. A power ring allows you to zoom in and zoom out images precisely and quickly.

First focal plane (FFP) reticle has an illumination, whether you fit MIL-IR or MOAR design. You can adjust the dial of the external illumination for 12 different brightness settings. The FFP reticle has built-in intelligence that gives you the freedom to hold for wind and height when you set magnification power.

Depending on your choice of a reticle, you can adjust angles: tenth mil-radian or quarter-minute to give you a maximum range of 26 mil-radians or 90 minutes. A full rotation gives you an angle of 5 mil-radians or 10 minutes.

The elevation turret is exposed to allow easy access. The windage turret has a cap, so you don’t adjust involuntarily when you move or when you’re in the open. The caps are weatherproof, and cover metal dials.

You can start making parallax corrections for yardages exceeding 25 yards. You can quickly return to zero at any yardage and shooting conditions.

The tube is made of lightweight, aircraft 6061-T6 aluminum, which has been machined. You can adjust diopters easily and quickly, because the eye piece has a fast focus design.

3. Athlon ARES BTR 4.5-27×50 FFP

A first focal plane (FFP) reticle and a high magnification range combine to give you extreme, sniperlike range. When you zoom in, as in make the angle of view narrower, the size of the reticle increases as your target grows bigger. When you zoom out, as in make the angle of view wider, the size of the reticle and the target decreases.

The reticle has a glass etchings, so you can place your shots well, despite light conditions.

Objective lens’s size is 50mm, which is large. The glass making up the lens produces high-definition images – bright and crystal clear. The HD design optimizes contrast and light transfer.

It has a precision zero system, so you can lock down at “0”. You can also go back to your original zero, because the stop offers you precision and sharpness, even when you’re making adjustments in the dark.

The lens has a several coatings to reduce flares and reflections and maximize light transfer.

Erector system has a CNC machining whose tolerance level is +/- 0.0001mm, so you can adjust power accurately and change magnification effortlessly.

The one-piece tube heat-treated, and is encased in lightweight material: 6061-T6 aluminum. The treatment adds strength and durability, and makes the material waterproof. The tube is filled with argon, so you cab move about with your scope across different environments and temperatures without worrying about fogging up of the optics.

You can also make corrections for parallax errors for distances starting from 25 yards. And so, corrections align your eye perfectly with the scope’s center, ensuring you place shots accurately.

4. Leupold VX R Hog 1.25-4x20mm

Leupold VX R hog 1.25-4X scope’s objective lens isn’t as large, and so magnification power is suitable for short-to-medium range of hunting yardages

The reticle, whose patented design is FireDot Pig Plex, is thin, and illuminates the field of view. The reticle’s location is on a second focal plane.

Encircling a reticle of a Leupold 450 Bushmaster scope is a center red dot. When you stay still for five minutes, the illumination switches off automatically; hence conserves battery. Illumination will switch on again when you move the rifle. Hence, you can aim your sight comfortably in the woods and thickets where wild boars abound.

The look of the riflescope is eye-catching, because of a decoration of a medallion and a 24 karat gold-plated ring.

The lens has multiple coatings that have been index-matched for the purpose of reducing glares and reflections and maximizing transfer of light. Components of the lens are made of materials other than lead, and have black edges to absorb diffused light and improve contrast.

You can correct for drifting of bullets off course as a result of wind and height, so downrange flight is compensated for. Leupold vx R hog scope is already sighted in for 50 yards but you can use holdovers for longer yardages: 300, 400 and 500.

An encasement of lightweight 6061-T6 aluminum prevents water from entering the tube, so you don’t have to worry about taking down game in foggy and rainy conditions.

The spring erector has a twin-bias system, so you’ll feel 30% more grip.

Tube is filled with a mix of noble gases: argon and krypton. Therefore, your lenses won’t fog up when the temperature varies widely as you change environments.

5. Nikon M 308 4-16×42

If you’re looking for versatility, you can adapt 4-16X scope to various hunting situations. That means you can mount the Nikon 450 bushmaster scope on just about any other rifle caliber. Bullet-drop compensating (BDC) reticle ensures high accuracy, and side focus has a correction for parallax errors

Sometimes, the level of your eye may not be perpendicular to the scope’s center. This is parallax error, and its effects can become more apparent at long-range magnifications (anything above 8X is considered long-range). Side focus removes this error, ensuring your eye aligns perfectly with the center of the scope, so your shots won’t be misplaced.

The turrets have a zero-reset feature. Each turret comes with spring-loaded knob adjustments. You can go back to your original zero after you’ve made any number of adjustments.

For example, you’ve made adjustments and your rifle is zeroed at 50 yards, you can remove the turrets to reset the turrets back to zero. And so, you don’t have to memorize adjustments you made previously when you want to go back to zero.

Recoil shouldn’t be an issue if you mounted the scope correctly. Make sure you use the right mounting rings. Locking has a push-pull mechanism to place the sight in position during recoil.

The size of objective lens is 42mm, and is sufficient to give you an illumination in low light, but images won’t be nearly as bright and good as a 52mm magnification.

However, the optical system is of high quality, and thus compensates for this shortcoming, because it transfers up to 95% of light. The lens – ocular and objective – have a flip cover protection.

6. Bushnell 4.5-30×50 Elite Tactical

The size of the objective lens is 50mm, which is large to give you bright and clear images. The range of magnification is also big, giving you power to fire long-range shots similar to professional sniping

You can acquire targets at distances exceeding 1000 yards. And so, soldiers, law enforcers, and competitive shooters who look for precision would find 4.5-30X scope useful.

First focal plane (FFP) reticle changes in size when you vary the magnification power. Mil-hash markings on the reticle allow you to adjust downrange flight of bullets for wind drifts. Moreover, the reticle serves as a rangefinder, and allows you to make holdover adjustments.

Side focus has a correction for a parallax error so your eye level is in-line with the scope’s center.

Single-piece tube is filled with argon to remove fogginess when temperatures vary widely as you move the riflescope in different environments. The edges are blackened to absorb stray light.

Multiple coatings of the lens are full to maximize light transfer and image clarity. The O-ring seals ensure lenses remain dry for up to 30 minutes when you immerse the scope in three feet of water.

The lens is made of glass of highest quality, giving you high-definition resolution, color and contrast, even in poor lighting.

Elevation turret has a Z-Lok locking and a zero stop, which doesn’t allow you to rotate the knob beyond “0” mark. Windage turret also has a locking, so you can make adjustments easily and accurately.

7. Burris XTR II 5-25x50mm

While the 450 bushmaster hunting scope may not offer much in terms of magnification power, the objective lens’s size is 58mm, which is large to compensate for the shortcoming. The ocular lens’s diameter is 44.25mm. Long-range tactical and precision shooters may find 5-25X scope useful.

The reticle has a first focal plane (FFP) design, so size can change with magnification. Moreover, your selection of power matches correctly with compensation for the downrange trajectory of bullets.

And so, when you adjust the reticle for height and wind, the reticle’s measurement system matches accurately every time you make adjustments. In addition, the reticle illuminates the field of view. You can adjust brightness in 11 ways for low-light, night vision and daytime.

The tube’s encasement is 25% thicker than average. The inner tube is filled with nitrogen, so don’t worry about fogging up of lenses when it’s cold and raining. The one-piece outer tube is resistant to vibrations and shocks, however big the recoil is.

Adjustment knobs are matched with dimensions for high precision. You can make corrections for wind and height.

Stop feature uses zero click technology, so you don’t have to memorize adjustments in case you want to go back to the original yardage or “0” mark.

The lenses have multiple index-matched coatings of Hi-Lume to optimize contrast, resolution and performance in low-light conditions, and to remove blinding reflections and glares. The lenses are made of high-grade glass for bright and clear images.

The triple-spring system of internal assemblies has a tension to absorb any kind of shock, no matter how big, as in extreme recoil and vibrations.

You can start making adjustments for parallax errors at 50 yards and beyond.

8. Swarovski Z6 Rifle Scope 2.5-15x56mm

The Swarovski z6 rifle scope offers you mid-power magnification range. Diameter of the objective lens is 56mm, which is big enough to give you bright and clear images. Magnification and field of view combine in a unique way, so you can track targets while image quality remains top-notch.

You can mark, spot or acquire your targets, no matter how far, without worrying about recoil. Therefore, with a 4 coil system, you can make adjustments frequently and accurately, even for heavy recoil calibers.

The second focal plane reticle has an illumination to give you 50% more range of field of view. The magnification range is also greater by the same margin, because zoom factors is great: 6X.

Thus, large magnification enables you to identify targets with razor-sharp accuracy, because the optics optimize field of view and magnification. In other words, the minimum magnification gives you wide field of view, while the maximum magnification enables you to identify targets in great detail.

The low design of the reticle is revolutionary, as it gives you unobstructed field of view.

An encasement of aluminium alloy protects the eyepiece from water. The scope can withstand water depths of up to 13 feet with pressures of 0.4 bar.

With microstructure grooves, the definition of ribbing is precise, so you won’t experience glares, no matter how bright stray light is. Thus, you’re set up for bright and sharp images.

The high-definition optics have multiple coatings, and boost performance at higher magnifications.

The turrets have a weatherproof cap.

You don’t need tools to adjust the point of impact precisely, as the zero-setting system removes the need for manual adjustment.

9. Steiner GS3 2-10×42

If you’re looking for a scope that has a combination of great optics, dead-on accuracy, consistency, reproduction of crystal clear images and right mounting, then Steiner GS3 is suitable for you.

The reticles placement is on the second focal plane, so changing magnification power doesn’t affect reticle size. The reticle has a bullet-drop compensating design (BDC), so you can adjust the downrange trajectory for windage and elevation.

While the scope’s power isn’t much, multi-coated optics compensate for this drawback by amplifying contrast within the peak range of your sensitive vision. This ability enables you to spot game in a leafy, bushy or shadowy backgrounds, so you can take clean, well-placed shots.

The zoom factor is 5X, which is big, given that you have plenty of room to adapt the 2-10X scope to whatever caliber, whether it be muzzleloader, centerfire or rimfire rifle.

With just 5.4-inches of mounting length, you can sight in the scope to just about any other rifle like muzzleloaders, lightweight mountain rifles or short actions.

Therefore, irrespective of which whitetail country you come from, whether eastern or western, a wide field of view enables you to spot targets with ease. With a big zoom range, you’ll acquire targets at great distances, especially in wide open fields.

You can make windage and holdover adjustments, courtesy of Plex S1 reticle. The 4A reticle ensures your vision is unobstructed when aiming sight.

The eyepiece has an encasement of aluminum stock, which is milled instead of being seamed or welded. This adds to durability and strength. And so, when it’s cold and raining, business is as usual.

10. Vortex Diamondback HP 4-16×42 – Dead-Hold BDC

Vortex diamondback HP 4-16X scope has objective lens size of 42mm, which is sufficiently large, and magnification power is more than enough for long-range hunting. Parallax correction is present. You can also correct for height and wind drifts.

You can adjust the side focus turret for yardages ranging between 30 yards and infinity. When adjusting the turret, you’ll hear click sounds.

The optics have several complete XR coatings with extra-low dispersion (XD) components, which are made of crystals to reduce chromatic aberration and increase resolution. And so, image is crystal clear, and fidelity of color is real.

You can mount the sight on a picatinny rail with rings whose size is 1-inch. Once you sight in the scope to a rifle at a range, the zero-reset feature allows you to go back to your original zero after you’ve made several adjustments.

Mounted on the BDC scope for 450 Bushmaster is elevation turret on top of which you can remove the cap after you’ve sighted-in the scope at a range. To remove the center screw, hold the dial firmly in position.

Align the index line with the zero mark as you remove the dial from the turret assembly. Return the center screw, and tighten and hold the dial firmly as you return it back to the turret assembly. Finish the indexing of zero-reset by replacing the cap.

You don’t have to lubricate the scope but you can wipe external lenses with a soft and dry cloth to remove debris and dust.

The clarity field of view is like no other for a sight in its price range. Image remains crystal clear and bright even when you use maximum magnification (16X).

How to Select Best Hunting Scope for 450 Bushmaster

The idea is to find a scope that’s calibrated to your 450 bushmaster cartridge. The round is huge and powerful, as in a shotgun, and is designed to take down live targets at close range with a single shot. You can take down big and small game

With a straight wall round, downrange flight of bullets is flat. And so, you don’t need high magnification power. Anything below 4-16X power range is suitable for close-up shots.

But taking down large game in a close-up position is a dangerous undertaking. You don’t want a grizzly bear, a werewolf or a wild boar to sniff or spot you. But this shouldn’t frighten you. A scope with a mid-power range can fit well within 250 yards, which is a sweet range for the caliber.

Moreover, forget about using 450 Bushmaster scopes for practicing target shooting, as in non-moving paper targets or bullseye at a gun range. The round intends to deliver a deadly blow, and thus expect to withstand heavy recoil or “kick”.

While the cartridge is suitable for tactical shooting, you may adapt your scope to target shooting and hunting. Therefore, it’s important you select from the best scope for 450 bushmaster bolt action one that can withstand, or one that’s specifically tailored to the caliber.

In addition, ensure your scope is compatible, so when you mount it on the rifle, it fits exactly. Moreover, look for a scope that optimizes light transfer; hence, give you bright and crystal clear images, when tracking targets in poor light conditions.

Ensure the reticle illuminates the field of view to help you track targets easily. The quality of optics is important. You should be able to look through the scope with both your eyes open.

Bullet drop, holdovers, adjustment of internal range for elevation turret, parallax correction and FFP may not be relevant for short distance firing.

Conclusion

For a tactical, close-range shot, which befits a 450 caliber, you don’t require big magnification power range, as in more than 8X. Nor do you require to make adjustments for bullet drop (BDC), holdovers, internal range for elevation turret, parallax and FFP.

What you require is high-quality optics, a wide field of view and an illumination. You want optics that would enable you to track targets, despite light conditions. A reticle on a second focal plane is suitable.

And because 450 caliber is a large cartridge, you want a scope that is able to withstand recoil, no matter how big. When we take all these factors into account, Leupold VX R Hog, Nikon M 308, Swarovski Z6 and Steiner GS3 emerge the ultimate winners.

Travis Mike

Travis Mike is a firearm enthusiast and author passionate about all things guns. With 10 years of experience in the industry, Travis Mike has gained a wealth of knowledge on the subject. He is skilled in gunsmithing and tactical training. In addition to professional experience, Travis Mike is an avid hunter and shooter, regularly participating in local shooting ranges and hunting trips.