Brush Guns
 

i'm thinking about saving up to buy a new rifle and i wanted some suggestions..the land i hunt is mostly hardwoods with a few small fields scattered through it..i currently own a Ruger M77 in .270 Winchester, but i was wanting something a little more powerful than that to use in the hardwoods. would you suggest something like a .30-06 or .308? or something more along the lines of a .444 Marlin or a .45/70 Gov't.? Thanks for thehelp!

RE: Brush Guns
 

A lot of tests have shown the notion of "brush guns" is pretty much a myth. Light fast bullets tend to explode in brush. Heavier bullets get deflected. As for killing your game, one is about as bad as the other. Your situation probably depends on how far your shots are and what you might meet in the woods. Thick brush isn't great hunting ground for anything and I suspect you hunt the open spots where your 270 is fine. A 30/06 isn't terribly different from a 270 but it will give you a heck of a range of bullets to choose from and it shoots them all well. The 30 magnums only give you more of what you already don't need...more velocity to blow up bullets when they hit brush.

If you want to get into the woods and play jungle warfare, a 30/30 would be as good as anything.

RE: Brush Guns
 

I whole heartedly agree with Paxomesa - there is nothing that is going to penetrate brush - other then a bazooka.

Use a good 30 caliber rifle with common sense and you will get lot's ofgame.

I also agree that on close shots that a 30/30 Winchester rifle is as good as any out there.

RE: Brush Guns
 

yea there are some shooting lanes open when i hunt in the hardwoods, but sometimes they come in through the hardwoods and i can't get a shot at them. i would say most of my shots are about 100-150 yards out...maybe around 200 at the very most. would a .30-06 give me a good bit more distance/power than the .270?

RE: Brush Guns
 

No. Not in your situation.

Your .270 is fine for any big game hunting in North America regardless if you are in dense woods or not.

A 30-30 is often called a 'brush-gun' because it isn't suited for long shots in open country. Your .270 will vastly outperform it from 0 -yards to as far as you can possibly shoot it.

RE: Brush Guns
 

A 06 will not give you more power or down range performance? The 270 is one of the best all around rifle cartridges out there. Stay with what you have is my vote? Save your money for more shells to practice with instead of buting a new gun. There is no such thing as a Brush Buster rifle!
Mike

RE: Brush Guns
 

I have a 30-30 and for the brush its all i use!

RE: Brush Guns
 

ok thanks for all of your responses! i think i will save my money and spend it on something else later...thanks again for your help!

RE: Brush Guns
 

when i think of a "brush gun" i usually think of somethin with a shorter barrel(little bit smaller gun), not necessarly what caliber the gun is. that way you can move the gun around easier if your in thick brush.

RE: Brush Guns
 

My initial thought was if conditions exist that prevent you from ethical shots with the .270. then no other caliber is going to improve that. Maybe consider a nice big handgun with scope?

RE: Brush Guns
 

In the heavy brush people use guns like the 30/30 because the guns are light weight and short so you can move around in the brush easier than with a longer gun.

RE: Brush Guns
 

i own several rifles from .243 to 7mag and 30.06 but when i hunt the east texas thickets i reach for my marlin 30.30 i know on paper it's not so good but it just kills better than it's supposed to.

RE: Brush Guns
 

The above is 100% accurate! If you want something a little different, get a BLR in .358 Winchester. It is no better if it has to shoot thru twigs and brush, but it makes a big hole so the blood trail is easier to find. In addition, it is a medium-range cartridge that is good all the way from 5 yards to 300.

Personally, I used my .270 Mannlicher/Schoenauer carbine (20" barrel) in the swamps of southside Virginia with absolute satisfaction!

RE: Brush Guns
 

Brush Gun (Marlin 30AS .30-30 rifle with plain iron sights)


I use my old Marlin .30-30 in the heavy brush, briars, and thickets, where I might have a
shot of only 50 yards - if that.

For longer ranges, I use my older Savage 110 .308 rifle with new Bushnell scope. It is my #1 rifle
and my main "go-to" gun. It literally kicks the snot out of the .30-30 and is way more accurate.

Not a brush gun (Savage 110 .308 rifle)


One rifle for one style of hunting, one for another. ....the best of both worlds! [8D]

RE: Brush Guns
 

Short barrel Browning BAR in 338WinMag with a 1x4 scope with illuminated reticle
or
Marlin Guide gun in 45-70.

RE: Brush Guns
 

Shootstuff makes a very valid point. The best thing you can do for a "brush gun" is just build a very short, handy rifle. I wouldn't use any caliber smaller that 6.5 diameter as most of the smaller stuff is just too explosive. In your situation, just stick with heavily built 150 gr bullets in your 270 is about as good as you can do.

Rather than try to buy a rifle to improve your odds, maybe the one thing that would help is simply some field work in your hunting area to study the best locations to give you the optimum field of fire etc. In other words, change hunting tactics rather than rifle.:)

RE: Brush Guns
 

Somwhere in some magazine they had an article on different calibers shooting thru "test brush" wood dowels and the 338 was king of that competition. The Benoits of vermont have been killing huge bucks in Vermont,Maine and Ontario for decades using 270 and 30-06 remington pump rifles. Save your money and spend it on something else.

RE: Brush Guns
 

The best brush gun would be a lever or pump action Remington. I really like my 1886 Winchester in 45-70 with a heavy cast bullet and open sights. But that rig is probably not the best.

The best Brush gun is a Remington Carbine pump rifle in 30-06. It has an 18 1/2 barrel. The best scope choice is a low variable. No higher than a 3X9. A 1-1/2 X 5 Zeiss is a great choice.

Bullet choice would be a 165 grain Sierra Gameking. Sight the rifle dead on at 75 yards. this rig will be on a rope out to 75 yards, so you can pick your hole. And then shoot through that hole. 270's are for sissy's. Go with the 30-06.:D:D:D:D Tom.

Remington also made that rifle in a 308 Winchester Those are the only two cartridges that I know of that they ever made the carbine in.

RE: Brush Guns
 

I was going to suggest a Reminton 760 carbine in something like .35 rem. or .35 Wheelan.If there is such a thing as a brush gun ,That would be my idea.

RE: Brush Guns
 

A 12 ga slug gun shooting standard rifled slugs. That is one of the few things I think you could actually shoot through brush that might not deflect too badly or deform the bullet too much. It is pretty much just a big heavy slow chunk of lead. I still wouldn't suggest shooting through a bush or something with one.

I agree with the others, when I think brush or woods gun I think of something that is quick handling and is designed for shorter range shooting. Like a carbine with a low powered scope or open sights.

As far as shooting through brush with a gun I think that might depend more on bullet choice than it would caliber to an extent. There are some bullets that would handle it better than others. Then again you would give up expansion on game to achieve this.

Paul

RE: Brush Guns
 

I agree...the way the gun "handles" makes it a brush gun. Not the caliber. A 30-30 is fine. Your 270 Ruger is fine. Keep shooting it. A lot. It will then become your brush gun. I use a Browning BLR in 257 Roberts. Short/light/quick handling and flat shooting enough to poke through those little holes in the brush.

RE: Brush Guns
 

I have 6 Brush Guns.. Just because I like short rifles :D

WeatherbyVangard VGL in 243
Remington Model Seven in 243
Remington Mohawk in 6mm
Ruger Compact in 7mm-08
TC Encore in 308
Handi Rifle in 444 Marlin

RE: Brush Guns
 

If you need a short barreled rifle to handle it in brush, you are probably doing something wrong with your hunting strategy. The only hunting strategy that I know of where you spend a lot of time walking through thick stuff is driving. I've done a lot of deer drives and everyone tends to carry either a remington 740 or 760 series rifle or sometimes a bolt rifle. The guys that I drove with would put away their leverguns and bring out one of the above mentioned rifles for drives for the simple reason that a 1/2cock makes the rifle way to slow to use when you have a split second to bring the rifle up and shoot.

RE: Brush Guns
 

Another reason to choose a bolt gun over a levergun for woods hunting:

Under a canopy of the forest, its going to be quite a bit darker than out in the open. A scope is a huge advantage even at shorter ranges due to light gathering. Winchester 94s don't lend themselves well to mounting a scope though Marlins do. A scoped marlin or Winchester isn't going to be any faster or lighter than a scoped bolt action, and I'd argue any day that a bolt action can make faster follow up shots than a levergun, despite the myth that levers are faster.

RE: Brush Guns
 

For methe issue is deer drives,becauseI don't hunt that way. But the Brush gun is nice to have on the walk into and out of the stand in the woods.. Plus it is easier to manuver in a tree stand than a long barrell..

RE: Brush Guns
 

If you want the best of both worlds-get a light,short,fast handling rifle,either bolt or lever in any of the short cartridges with a shorter barrel. My thoughts would be a 7mm08,.308,.338 federal,or my fav,a .358 winchester in a browning blr or a a-bolt. That way,you get a fast shouldering rifle with same range as a .270 out to 250-300 yards.

RE: Brush Guns
 

Brush Gun as defined as a light fast handling gun. Concider any short action bolt with a 21 " or shorter barrel. For this the 308win, 338fed, and 358win would all be tops. Also the lever actions guns would be top rate as well. The the BLR and marlins 336. The already mention is offered in the BLR, and 35rem, 444marlin, and 45-70 are hard hitting cartridges for the 336. A 1-4 or 1.5-5 power scoped would be perfect for a brush gun. Where shots of only 10-15 yards are quite common.

I use the 270win 35rem, 358win, and 35whelen all for deer and up close the 35's areextreamly effective with top ranges of 150 to 250 yards and all damage less meat than the 270win. Its do to theit medium velocities that range from 2100 to 2700 fps and they make big holes. With deer size game the differance of the 35 cals is not that dramatic but starting with plus 300lbs to 1500lbs game the increase in their effectiveness it is very aparent.

RE: Brush Guns
 

[quote]ORIGINAL: The Rifleman

I whole heartedly agree with Paxomesa - there is nothing that is going to penetrate brush - other then a bazooka.

Use a good 30 caliber rifle with common sense and you will get lot's ofgame.

I also agree that on close shots that a 30/30 Winchester rifle is as good as any out there.


I agree with Rifleman, nothing is going to penetrate brush. When people refere to "brush guns" they are refering to the size of the rifle it self. Short guns like carbines and levers are considered brush guns. It sounds like you hunt pretty much the same terraine I do and I use a 336 Marlin in 30-30 for deer and 45-70 for larger game. Along with the new LE ammo from Hornady, these combinations are the way to go for brush guns.

RE: Brush Guns
 

i was always told to use a short barreled 12ga with slugs in the brush. but my brother always uses a 30-30 when brush huntin.