[ronn]

ok this will probably start something but it should be a good topic.

People talk about this caliber and that caliber being a good "brush gun". I think when someone says brush gun it has nothing to do with the caliber. I think a brush gun is a gun that handles quickly, is short, is light, and doesn't have a Hubble scope on it. I've heard folks say that this bullet will deflect and this will bust through the brush. I don't believe this to be true. I've seen a 45 ml deflect while a guy shot at a deer at less than 50 yards. I think it, deflection killing or not, has more to do with the brush in relationship to the gun and the target. If the brush is near the target, say with in a couple feet, it could still be a killing shot and if the brush was within a couple feet of the muzzle who knows where it will go, regardless of caliber. I saw that Larry whats his name shoot at a deer with that 375 thing he shoots and because he hit a heavy leaf at 2 ft he missed the deer by 4 ft. I saw a deer killed with a 06 that went through a 2" limb and the bullet hit the neck which was the target. heck of a wound by the way. but only because the limb was only a couple feet in front of the deer.

just my thoughts. so to me a brush gun can be any caliber, the model is the deciding factor.

 

[ARKANSAS WHITETAILER]

I call my trusty Marlin 336 30-30 my brush gun. It shoots well through light brush without much defelection, it's light to carry, and I got into it for $35 dollars so a few scratches and scrapes add character. I usually always have it with me in the stand or the truck through the entire deer season just in case I have to track one through the briar patches and pine tree plantations and undergrowth here in South Arkansas. Not to mention my 8 year old daughter has one just like it and it makes her feel a little special when our rifles match.

 

[ronn]

Meryl I'm VERY happy

Meryl I'm VERY happy that you have taken steps to protect yuolserf. I congratulate you on your deciding to get a carry permit.I have one thing to tell you: PLEASE, oh PLEASE do not just get the permit and toss that gun in a drawer or a safe and forget about it .You need to go to a range at LEAST once a month, more if you can afford it. Firearms skills only get better with repeated use. By shooting often your body learns to go into automatic when you need to use the gun.When faced with a shoot/no shoot situation, you're brain will be COMPLETELY taken with that thought process, if your shooting skills aren't automatic you must probably won't survive, or WORSE you may miss and shoot an innocent.Good job with that choice. 38 is a GREAT self defense caliber. Not just for a learner but a seasoned pro. My main is a Semi auto Kimber 1911 in .45acp. My back-up is a Smith and Wesson Model 13 revolver in .357 mag which can also shoot .38 without a problem.And for that 22 rifle, it's not just for fun, it as well has uses. God forbid something horrible happens and you need food. A 22 is invaluable as a hunting rifle. I'd get at least 1000 rounds of 22, that should cost you about 30 bucks.With your .38 get a box of self defense loads. And only use them when the gun is on stand by . For range use get light loaded or handicap rounds. They are WAY easier to shoot. And when you NEED to shoot the more powerful stuff your body will be so up on adrenaline you won't even notice a difference in recoil. Plus at close ranges (with-in 12 yards for most self defense shootings) the difference in impact points of the bullets will be negligible.Sorry for the long post but fire arm safety, and self defense is kinda my thing . And I want to make sure you do it right.Good luck. And remember to keep your powder dry!

 

[countryboy]

What I think makes a good brush gun is how it shoulders, the balance, how well it swings and the sights. My favorte sight for a brush gun is a holographic sight (red dot scopes are not holographic). If it has iron sights, I prefer a rear peep sight for possible shots at longer distances. I would suggest a rifle that has a ring front sight, even if the rear sight is an open sight.

 

[countryboy]

What I think makes a good brush gun is how it shoulders, the balance, how well it swings and the sights. My favorte sight for a brush gun is a non-magnifying holographic sight (red dot scopes are not holographic). If it has iron sights, I prefer a peep sight for possible shots at longer distances with the front sight consisting of a post and ring. I would suggest a rifle that has a ring front sight, even if the rear sight is an open sight.

 

[joel the signman]

my vote is for the 336 in 30/30 i got a bushnell 1x4 scope (banner 2) that i can flip over and use the iron sights if i want .thats my go to tool

 

[Whitetail_Freak_Hunter]

I personally have the Marlin 1895G in 45-70 with it's 18.5" barrel, Skinner Sight as my brush gun.

 

[Hunting Man]

ronn, I'm going to agree with you on this one. No gun should be pruchased with the idea that it will somehow mowdown half the woods and still hit the intended target. Everyone has a story that their brush gun split a limb and still killed the animal. I believe these are very few in number. Some of the quote brush guns that I have hunted with are 30-30,32 spec,375 win,444 mar The faster the bullet speed the more the more deflection that will occur. A properly equiped shotgun may fill the brush gun mentality better than most. Good optics are a must in order to see the obsticals in the bullets line of path. I'm not one to used a rifle for a brush hog.I think a better term would be a short quick manuvering/shouldering rifle equiped with low power optics.

 

[Buckshot]

I personally have the Marlin 1895G in 45-70 with it's 18.5" barrel, Skinner Sight as my brush gun.

That's not a gun it's a cannon.:biggrin:

 

[Whitetail_Freak_Hunter]

Here is a company that will take your Marlin levergun and turn it into a nice short fast handling 16.5" Trail Gun. I don't need a 16.5" barreled Marlin so I will pass and feel my Skinner Sight is just as effective as the rear sight they are using.

I really hate the term "Brush Gun" because they are not intended for breaking brush like it has been stated.

If you have the money.......

http://www.grizzlyguns.com

 

[wmi]

The only true brush gun I can think of is a 12 gauge at close range (Under 20-30 yards) with Buckshot. That is what the original purpose was for. Still does not mean it is an ETHICAL shot. To me brush gun falls in the same category as the deer drive. Just the thought of it sounds like an accident waiting to happen along with the high probability of a wounded animal.:no:

 

[ronn]

I disagree wmi. If a brush gun is a quick handling, easy to shoulder rifle, of any caliber, this is what I would use to slip hunt or still hunt or for a long hump. especially working tickets or swamps, hemlock stands in foul weather, which isn't a deer drive. the buckshot thing came to be cause in the olden days, back in the 50's (grin), folks could only afford one gun and it needed to be able to do it all, with that I will add I wouldn't use buckshot at all but thats me. but if you think about it that, buckshot, would be about the safest thing you could use in a deer drive. I've seen them on tv doing deer drives for true trophy bucks, in Kansas, saskatchewan, Alberta. If they are nocturnal how else do you get them on their feet during hunting hrs?

 

[Hunting Man]

Deer drives are still popular in Southern Ohio and many parts of PA. Some of my hunting buds still use 00 buckshot in North Carolina swamps. Maybe the snakes catch some of it. Instead of a brush gun lets call em quick handleing close range hunting guns. I agree that no one should be spraying buckshot into thick brush hoping to mortally wound an animal. Nothing will bust brush and be accurate, well maybe a dozer.

 

[Southern Man]

My "brush gun" is a winchester lever action 30-30. I always assumed brush gun meant hunting in the brush. No way would I ever shoot at something through brush without a clear bullet path or known target. That's crazy.....

 

[ARKANSAS WHITETAILER]

I do alot of hog hunting on horseback and my 30/30 is also called my saddle gun but that don't mean I shoot saddles with it. I guess all of wmi's deer fall instantly or the lay of the land is different in Maryland. If a shot deer has enough life to run here in South Arkansas it's headed as deep in a briar patch or pine thicket as it can get before death sets in. I just don't like busting through the brush and the thick briar patches to find it with a long, heavy, high dollar rifle with precision optics attached. My 30/30 is just right to tote in just in case a second shot is needed or something else in found in the brush while searching. (Snakes, bobcats, feral hog, coyote, etc).:crazy:

 

[buckfever]

My "brush gun" is a winchester lever action 30-30. I always assumed brush gun meant hunting in the brush. No way would I ever shoot at something through brush without a clear bullet path or known target. That's crazy.....

That pretty much sums up how I felt about it. When we say brush gun around here it simply means your hunting some woods, possibly thick. Same rules still apply. You have to have a clear shot on the target, you just dont need a flat shooting 300 yard rifle to get the job done. 30-30 is what we would call a brush gun.

 

[wmi]

I do alot of hog hunting on horseback and my 30/30 is also called my saddle gun but that don't mean I shoot saddles with it. I guess all of wmi's deer fall instantly or the lay of the land is different in Maryland. If a shot deer has enough life to run here in South Arkansas it's headed as deep in a briar patch or pine thicket as it can get before death sets in. I just don't like busting through the brush and the thick briar patches to find it with a long, heavy, high dollar rifle with precision optics attached. My 30/30 is just right to tote in just in case a second shot is needed or something else in found in the brush while searching. (Snakes, bobcats, feral hog, coyote, etc).:crazy:

Let's put it this way they don't go far. In my state it is thick and we can only hunt with muzzle loaders or shotguns. I use the ML , tell you what a Barnes 250 grain hollow point through the shoulders and he won't go far if at all.:crazy:
Why track when with a well placed shot and you won't have too.

 

[ARKANSAS WHITETAILER]

I think I'm getting a little off subject here, but I usually tenderize my deer shoulders after the hunt. Ain't nothing like smoking a shoulder in Italian dressing but it just does not look the same on a platter when it resembles a donut And I wasn't planning on eating the heart anyway so why not aim for it.

 

[onehorse]

I agree with ronn, Joel and Hunting Man on this one. The ten point that I got two weeks ago was shot at just about 50 yards with a fast-handling, light Rem. Model 7 in 300 WSM. I was almost surprised at how fast it got into action as the buck was coming right toward my grunt call. Thing is, I can also make a shot at over 425 yards with that same gun. Where I live and hunt, I need a rifle that can do that. But I tell you what, that short rifle that Freak has sure looks like a "brush rifle" if there ever was one!

 

[ronn]

thanks onehorse that was what i was trying to get at but didn't say it as well.