REPORTS | PRODUCTS & PROJECTS Cutting Big-Bore AR Recoil B ryce Towsley's recent article concerning big-bore AR cartridges (July 2016, p. 62) compelled me to tinker a bit more with my own, a 450 Bushmaster Carbine. I had previously changed-out the factory furniture and added a few accessories to make the rifle a bit more southpaw friendly, but nothing had been done yet to tame this Thumper's heavy recoil-which seemed like a fun and appropriate project for this gun. Now, .450 Bushmaster recoil is by no means punishing, but it is relatively stout compared to a .223 Rem.-chambered AR. The 450 Bushmaster Carbine (above, top) in its factory form, is a semi-automatic AR design that uses a large .45-cal. bullet and produces recoil unlike that of the standard .223 Rem. Taming that recoil is what the author set out to accomplish (above, bottom) by simply replacing a few parts. 32 OCTOBER 2016 AMERICAN RIFLEMANhttp://laserlyte.com