RE: USe for a brush gun?
 

DING DING DING we have a winner! ;)

The smaller the diameter of the bullet the better it is able to get through brush. There was a test done on this very subject a few years ago. A deer shaped target was set up 10 yards behind a brush pile and everything from .223 to 45-70 was shot through the brush several times to see what the "brush busting" capabilites were for each cartridge. The .22-250 did the best by a large margin due to the bullet being the smallest bullet tested and its high velocity. The larger diameter the bulletand /orthe slower the bulletwas firedthe more it was deflected.

So, out of the ones you have listed the best "brush busting" cartridge would be the .243.

RE: USe for a brush gun?
 

Knight KRB7 w/85 grains 777 powder and a 460gr Nex conical lead bullet. If that doesn't get thru you need a brush hog. ;)

RE: USe for a brush gun?
 

30 -30

RE: USe for a brush gun?
 

Retieverman....I know each of us care not what the other thinks but I would expect that you would not think buckshot was deadly in the hands of a guy shooting 50 yards with a modified choke and 2 3/4 inch shells and that deer are not birds.

You clearly have a specialized system for using buckshot where as the average guy uses it to make up for lack of shooting ability or a license to take poor shots at moving deer. I was demeaning buckshot primarily due to how I see it being used.

Good luck in the woods Bud and stay safe.

RE: USe for a brush gun?
 

Planter
I understand what you are saying and really wouldn't ordinarily recommend buckshot either, BUT when someone comes on here asking about a "brush gun", my red flag always goes up. I have killed in the neighborhood of 200 deer and NUMEROUS hogs, and I have taken my share of low percentage shots through brush. The outcome has never been good. There is not a rifle caliber out there that is made to shoot through a twig, and in the case of brush hunting, buckshot is the most "logical" choice.

RE: USe for a brush gun?
 

I think the term "brush gun" is a misnomer. When I think of "brush gun" I'm not thinking of something that will not deflect off of a twig (which, as stated by most of you, any caliber will do)I think of a rifle that is short, fast-pointing, a sighting system that allows for quick target acquisition and powerful enough for your quarry out to about 100 yards. To me, that is a marlin 336C in 30-30 caliber for deer.

RE: USe for a brush gun?
 

This is exactly what it means to shoot a brush gun. Anyone looking for a gun to penetrate the brush before it impacts the desired target, should be working on their hunting skills, not a"better brush gun".

RE: USe for a brush gun?
 

I agree with both of you as what SHOULD be the definition of a brush gun. BUT, this site has a large percentage of novice hunters, and I think making any assumption as to what a poster means by a "brush gun" is a mistake.