I can' t recall now which it was, G&A or Sports afield, or petersons hunting, one er the other.....but anyway, they put out an article a couple years back that tested different cals/velocities/bullet types for brush hunting/penetration/flight. The worst performer was the age old brush gun .45-70 with their flat nosed bullets, while one of the best was a .22-250 (because it has a flat trajectory and will fit through narrow windows with it' s TINY bullet). Typically, a brush gun should be a fast handling gun that you can carry easily through a lot of crap. I love hunting with M-1Garands, but danged if I' ll be found hauling one of those long heavy things through underbrush!!!! I' ll keep my SKS (paratrooper model with folding stock)or .45-70' s or .44mags (in either lever or wheel guns) for that type of hunting, a lot lighter and a WHOLE lot faster handling. They should have open sights too, or a huge front objective so that you can quickly aquire your target (4x40mm is ideal) I like to use my SKS because the scope mount allows me to use the open sights with it mounted if need be, so I can reachout AND snap shoot.

I' ve shot through quite a bit of dense stuff with my .30-06 from time to time (find great deer on the way in or out of a stand) and it has done VERY well, however, it has also done VERY poorly too, I took two shots that trimmed a .25" branch I couldn' t even see through the glass and completely missed the deer, Finally she moved and I adjusted my POA, and broke her neck through a little clear window in the brush.