Josh Wayner at Ammoland:

I tested theses loads for velocity over my Oehler 35P chronograph and they came in exactly the same at average of 2165fps, which is very close to the stated velocity from the manufacturer (Hornady lists the 2200fps from a 20” barrel, mine is 16”) and was very consistent. The accuracy (after I figured out some issues) came in at 1.5” for five shots at 100 yards.

The Buffalo Bore loads are very new on the scene as of this year I received three different loads to test: the 300gr JHP, 250gr JHP, and 275gr XPB Barnes Lead Free. These loads are all a far cry from the original .450 offerings and two of them have conventional rounded pistol bullets in them as opposed to a pointy rifle bullet.

The claimed velocity for the 300gr JHP load is 1950fps. My rifle fired this load at a five-shot average of 1920fps. This load generated the most recoil out of any .450 load I fired and it also showed the most drop of any load, falling about 14” at 200 yards from a 100 yard zero. It was quite accurate considering the bullets used and generated 5-shot groups of 2.9” at 100 yards.

The next load, the 275gr XBP, has a stated velocity of 2000fps. My rifle fired it at 1922fps and averaged 2” for five shots at 100 yards. This was a very low-recoil load and it was very comfortable to shoot. I noticed that it appeared to also be slightly lower pressure judging by a rounded primer flatness and smooth, easy ejection of cases.

The final Buffalo Bore load is the 250gr JHP. The manufacturer says this is a load designed for deer hunting and has a bullet designed to expand at pistol velocities. At a claimed velocity of 2250fps and matching speed of 2249fps from my rifle, this load certainly was faster than pistol velocities, and produced the fastest speeds of any round I tested among this group. It was acceptably accurate at 2.5” for five shots at 100 yards.

He has a number of other observations, including what it takes to get reliable feed with this large cartridge.  I see the attraction of this – essentially, this is the one shot knockdown that the SpecOps folks were searching for in the 458 SOCOM.  That’s important for the two-legged threats, but it’s also important for threats of the four-legged kind in the bush.

Not coincidentally, it’s good for hog and deer hunting within 250 yards.