Advice needed -Help me pick a Southern brush gun

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Sorry, but a .30-'06, IMHO, is not a "brush gun".
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The caliber has nothing to do with whether or not a rifle fits the image of a "brush gun". I use bolt actions almost exclusively for all type of hunting in all types of terrain. When deciding which rifle to take on a specific day,caliber is never considered.
 
Brush Country Gun may mean different things in different geographical area of the U.S

I believe that the Term "Brush Country Gun" may mean a different gun/rifle in different geographical areas of the U.S. For Example Brush Country Rifle in Texas tends to mean you will be hunting in South Texas. The deer are considerably larger in this region of Texas, than say Hill Country Deer. Hill country Deer are smaller due to a much larger population, that results in inbreeding of the Whitetail deer.

Many consider a 30-30 or 30-06 to be best for the Texas Brush Country or say a smaller carbine like the 30-30 because the terrain is flatter and you won't get long open range view shots and it helps to have a smaller lighter rifle(probably w/o a scope). The terrain is very brushy and rattle snakes are very common. If you want any height for your deer stand you'll probably have to buy one because the trees are quite small and hard to make a decent stand with any height. If you're ever on the ground and decide to shoot a Javelina and just wound it, you better make sure you have a place to get off the ground because the packs will chase you down and you need to be as light as possible, to haul azz and find someplace to to get off the ground. In this case even an SKS would be a good South Texas Brush gun. This is just my opinion.
JT
 
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I have to agree with Abel. Lever gun is the way to go. I have the Winchester 94 in 30-30, and the Marlin 336 in 35 Remington. The only difference is that I replaced the sights with the Williams Peep sight and it is a very deadly and accurate combination.
 
But a Marlin XS-7, or a Stevens 200 will be priced less than a Marlin 336 and weigh a pound less.
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Yeah, but those are just cheap bolt guns. I'd rather have the thin profile & quality of the Marlin 336. Both a 336 & a Winchester 94 carry better because of the thin reciever, regardless of weight.

The real solution to this question, as many of you know, is to own several rifles.
 
The Tikka T3 Battue would be ideal. Check it out.

As stated previously, caliber doesn't make a brush gun. All bullets will deflect off of brush, none "bust" through it. They key is to not shoot at brush. Take a clean shot.
 
jimmyraythomason said:
The caliber has nothing to do with whether or not a rifle fits the image of a "brush gun". I use bolt actions almost exclusively for all type of hunting in all types of terrain. When deciding which rifle to take on a specific day,caliber is never considered.
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Agreed!

A brush gun needs to be light, handy and fast on target. Caliber really doesn't matter. Heck my crawlin in the bushes rifle is chambered for .223
 
If you just like bolt-action, there are several short carbines available. Remington has a couple of nice ones and I've got a 1980's model Winchester Model 70 Ranger in 30.06 that is fairly compact and rugged. I also like my Winchester 94 in 30-30. I also had a short H&R single shot that was suprisingly good in 243.
 
The caliber has nothing to do with whether or not a rifle fits the image of a "brush gun".
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Once again, IMHO, a .30-'06 isn't a brush gun. To me a gun like a .30-'06 shines in open terrain and long distances as where guns like a 30-30, .444, 45-70, etc work better at short ranges and through brush.

I'll stick with my 30-30.
YMMV
 
Why not get a Thompson Center Encore or Contender. Tough as nails and you can get barrels from 22lr to 45-70 and shotgun barrels as well. You can use it for everything from quail to buffalo by just swapping out barrels.
 
wow6599 said:
Once again, IMHO, a .30-'06 isn't a brush gun. To me a gun like a .30-'06 shines in open terrain and long distances as where guns like a 30-30, .444, 45-70, etc work better at short ranges and through brush.

I'll stick with my 30-30.
YMMV
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How in the world is a 30/30 better than a 30/06 at ANY RANGE and it can't be because of recoil as you list 444 and 45/70

I'll tell you the diffrence. It's all preception likely largely generated by gun rags and old folks who've never used a rifle that didn't have 94 or 336 stamped on the bbl. Remember there's an old saying that it's a hell of a lot eaiser to make a 100yd shot with a 300yd rifle than it is to make a 300yd shot with a 100yd gun.

You take a rem 7600 carbine in 30/06 fit it with a apeture sight or a dot optic and you'll have a "brush gun" by which all others should be judged.
 
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Since when did men become so wimpy that 7lbs is too heavy, therefore a lever action is out of the question. What is my country becoming?
 
Since when did men become so wimpy that 7lbs is too heavy, therefore a lever action is out of the question. What is my country becoming?
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Funny. I bought my Howa because it WAS 7.5#. Wanted the extra weight. But I'm buff. :D
 
I hunt deer in a combo of woods and swamp. I take a couple rifles, usually something like an 06 and then a Marlin 336 in .30-.30.

Fast, handy, plenty of punch and if I drop it in the swamp or fall in the river while crossing on a fallen tree... there's no harm done.

Like the 336 so much I acquired a second in .35 Rem. Both have peeps and the .30-.30 has a Williams fiber optic front sight. That's a nice set up as it's always darker in the swamp.

Haven't killed a deer with the .35 yet, but the .30-.30 with the 170s is a one-shot thumper and I am very confident in it out to 200+ yards.
 
Hunting should be fun. I firmly believe you should hunt with whatever you enjoy hunting with. If you want to use anything from a flintlock to an AR-15 I could care less if you enjoy using it.

But if you want the most efficient tool for the job nothing beats a bolt gun. The lever guns offer zero advantages at any range. I often hunt with a lever, but it is because I want to, not because it is a better tool for the job.
 
My first thought is to stop shopping at Gander Mountain, you'll save $50-$150 on a rifle. And yes for the most part I believe that good glass starts at just over $300. But, I have had good luck with two BSA scopes. Both of which I got on sale for less than $100. They are more than adequate for hunting. I have had bad luck on two NC Star optics.

Second, I would choose the rifle then the caliber. Any medium game caliber will work for whitetail and hogs. For a brush gun, I'm thinking that a 20" is right, so some cartridges that don't work as well is short barrels should be eliminated.

If this will be your do everything rifle, and 25-200 yards is your range, then there are several great calibers that work well in 20" barrels... .308 Win, 7mm-08, 6.5x55 Swede, .358 Win, .35 Rem, .30-30, .308 Marlin Express, .338 Marlin Express
 
The lever guns offer zero advantages at any range.
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You are wrong here. A lever gives a faster follow up shot and its thin profile carries better in your hand. I am left handed and its alot slower to re-chamber with a right handed bolt gun than a lever action 336.
 
If you think a levergun, in rifle calibers, is faster you've seen too many John Wayne movies. They make left handed bolt guns.

The pistol caliber levers with their shorter lever throw and mild recoil are pretty fast. But in rifle calibers with the much longer throw and recoil they are no faster than a bolt rifle for repeat shots. If you shoot a lever faster than a bolt gun it is only because you have never learned how to work a bolt action.

If you enjoy hunting with a lever gun, then have fun. If you want to shoot fast, but a pump or semi-auto.
 
There is nothing in SC that can't be adequately killed with 243 winchester.

Brush guns are kind of like the "scout rifle". They seem to make a lot of sense on paper, but less sense in the field.
 
Abel said:
You are wrong here. A lever gives a faster follow up shot and its thin profile carries better in your hand. I am left handed and its alot slower to re-chamber with a right handed bolt gun than a lever action 336.
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Not compared to a pump or an autoloader they don't. The last follow up shot I made I did so before the deer got four feet back on the ground from jumping in the air after the first hit. As to ease of carry heck my brush gun has a carry handle fer crying out loud.

Arguing about speed between a lever or bolt is just silly because you're basically arguing about which action is SECOND slowest. It makes me wonder how many of the levergun or die crowd in this thread have actually hunted with another action.

To me 100% of what makes a brushgun is WEIGHT an SIGHING SYSTEM (needs to be FAST with a wide FOV). It also helps to be a gun you don't care too much about the finish.
 
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