Brush Guns one mans opinion

[BLR 243]

BLR 243 or 358 or 7mm08  Take your pic Best brush gun for Blackies especially for left handers.

[BLR 243]

Brush gun

[BLR 243]

Brush guns Big deer

[BLR 243]

Brush guns

[700xcr]

My brush guns are a Marlin 1894C 18.5" 357mag. lever gun with ghost ring sights and a new 20" barrel 375 Ruger Guide Gun with a Leupold VX3 3.5-8x36mm with Boone & Crockett using Alaskan Arms LTD quick detach scope rings. From varmints to dangerous game. I should be covered on firearms.

[RG]

I think brush hunting equates to fairly close range which defines brush gun as a close range weapon.  Since this takes trajectory and long range precision accuracy out of the equation a brush gun is pretty much whatever feels good in your hand and gives you that "feeling" when you carry it. That could be a bull barrel tack driver or shotgun with slugs.  It's not about shooting through a branch. I love the feel of an unscoped Model 94 in my hand thus my choice is my .356 Winchester with 200 grain handloads. A 30-30 was my choice in the past too and it made meat, but I moved up because I'm a rabid elk hunter. My .270 WSM would work too but I like the feel of a thin light rifle in my hand better.  If I'm in canyon country the 94 isn't the best choice so I take the .270 for efficiency.

[timberghost72]

Not trying to thread jack but I was curious what cartridge would be recomended for a Marlin 336c in 30-30 for a brush hunter 100-150 yard max. I have not hunted with mine much and have not killed anything with it but I want to start using it more for bear (westside) and want to get others opinions. Should I use Leverlution and what grain or a solid lead bullet. I saw buffalo bore has some 190 grain with velocities around 2170. My Marlin shoots 150 and 170 grain very well at 100 yards open sites. I do handload so recipies always welcome.

[metlhead]

I agree about the feel of a '94 in the hands. Feels like a multi-use tool. Got two, classic 30-30 for those heavy reprod drives forblacktails and the .375 for the elk. I just shoot factory ammo in the .30 but managed to score dies and a few boxes of 220gr. Hornadys for the .375 and reload it hot. Quick death laser beam under 50yds, and I wouldn't hesitate to reach out to 150 with it.

[RG]

I agree about the feel of a '94 in the hands. Feels like a multi-use tool. Got two, classic 30-30 for those heavy reprod drives forblacktails and the .375 for the elk. I just shoot factory ammo in the .30 but managed to score dies and a few boxes of 220gr. Hornadys for the .375 and reload it hot. Quick death laser beam under 50yds, and I wouldn't hesitate to reach out to 150 with it.

Perfect. I've shot deer with a lot of calibers and have seen them shot with a lot more.  The quickest I've seen one fall was when I hit one at 75 yards in mid jump with a 170 grain Remington corelokt 30-30 on the point of the shoulder.  He slid to a stop on his chin.  Ha.  I reload my .356 Winchester too.  I've been using the Hornady 200 grain bullet they put in the lever revolution loads. I get about 2400-2500 fps.  It's just the thing for a saddle gun or handy big game rifle. 

[AWS]

The reason I want a cartridge that will reach out a ways also is that many times when your tracking a deer they will cross an opening and stand just on the other side to see what is on their trail.  I've killed more than one whitetail buck that way.

[jasnt]

Brush gun to me means compact, something you can maneuver quickly in heavy cover with out getting hung up. It also means close encounters, so quick sight acquisition is a must. For this job I pack my 44mag super black hawk 10 1/2" barrel and/or my weatherby pa459 tactical 12ga with double 0 buck or #4buck depending on my query.

[Jingles]

I have to agree that a brush gun is Not something that should be considered out to 200 yards that is not brush. I classify a brush gun as under 100 yards or maybe I'm just in thicker brush as when I'm thinking brush usualy visability is well under 100 yards and probably closer to 70 max. My choice for that distance would be a 12 gauge pump or semi throwing slugs.

[AWS]

Brush country isn't all thick brush, there are clearings,  drainages and marshes all intermixed.  Working your way down a creek and bump a buck , he jumps the creek and runs up the other side and stops to look back to see what spooked him.  I like my choice.

Now if your trail/bait sitting in heavy cover that's a whole different game.

[b23]

Brush country isn't all thick brush, there are clearings,  drainages and marshes all intermixed.  Working your way down a creek and bump a buck , he jumps the creek and runs up the other side and stops to look back to see what spooked him.  I like my choice.

Now if your trail/bait sitting in heavy cover that's a whole different game.

Everyone's interpretation of a "brush gun" is a little different.  This wouldn't really fall into MY interpretation of a brush gun but that's only my opinion and it certainly doesn't make it right, that's for sure, but using your scenario as something that could likely happen in the area or terrain I was hunting, I would likely use a short barreled, 20in, bolt gun probably chambered in 308 with something like a 2.5x10 scope. 

[AWS]

Nice choice, I had a 16 1/2" barreled Savage 99 in 308 with a Weaver K-1.5, with Rem 180gr RN's.  First thing one morning I was working a small ridge into the wind and spotted a deer coming my way and waited until he got to me and shot him at 8', nice little 8point whitetail in northern WI.  After lunch picked up a track of big deer running with an average sized one and thought it was a good buck and a doe.  Tracked them for a few hours and finally caught them going into a good sized black marsh(tight black spruce with branches to the ground, you had to crawl through them).  They had been going into the black marshes and when I would enter they would come out the other side and circle behind me.  This time I entered , backed out and circled down wind and caught them coming right at me.  Turned out to be a very big doe and a yearling.  I killed the doe and the yearling just stood there so I dropped that one also.  I still had one tag left but gave it to my dad as he hadn't gotten any doe tags and he could take the first thing that came past his post.  My BinL is the butcher in town so we ate good that winter.  Spent the rest of the season skinning deer for him and getting in a little grouse hunting.

Gave the little Savage to my nephew and he's still killing deer back there with it.