Looking for a brush gun

[Sanderguy777]

Honestly, feel free to move this, mods. Not sure where it best fits.

I'm looking for a brush gun for deer and hogs. I have only hunted in Southern Idaho, so idk what to look for.

What I know:
1. I'll be in MO.
2. I don't have reloading stuff.
3. I prefer a rifle, but wouldn't be opposed to a revolver if that would be better. Lever action or pump is top, but even a double barrel would be cool (except for hogs, then I'd rather have a few more shots).

What I want to know:
1. What would be relatively easy to find in stores, but not too expensive to shoot?

2. Is getting a more uncommon round better, or does it get just that much more difficult to find ammo for when they slow down production?

3. Where to buy? I know Bass Pro owns Cabelas and Sportsman's now, are any of those worth going to, or should I just try local mom and pop places?

4. Are brush guns all $1000+, or is that just BP being expensive? .45-70 is the only one I really messed with, so that's probably a little high. Is there something a bit cheaper I could go with?

Thanks

 

[gotboostvr]

You can build a basic but reasonably quality AR, with a serviceable optic for about $500 right now that'd work excellently for the task of short deer and hog hunting.

Palmettostatearmory.com has some good deals if you watch for a week or so.

 

[Sanderguy777]

You can build a basic but reasonably quality AR, with a serviceable optic for about $500 right now that'd work excellently for the task of short deer and hog hunting.

Palmettostatearmory.com has some good deals if you watch for a week or so.

Nice! What calibers would be available?

 

[HarryB]

I get a Henry lever 44 Mag, either carbine or full size.

 

[gotboostvr]

Nice! What calibers would be available?

Looks like they have alot of options in 5.56 and 300blk, plus a couple 7.62x39 pistol length uppers on sale right now.

If you're willing to pay (their still reasonable) full asking price, you've got alot of options including 6.5 grendel, 350 legend and some others.

 

[ATCDoktor]

If it were me and I wanted to get a rifle suitable for hogs and deer chambered in a caliber you can find just about all year long for under $1000 I’d jump over to Gunsinternational and look at the Remington Model 760’s chambered in 30/06.

They are listed there listed from $600 all the way up to as much as you want to spend.

Granted, pump rifles aren’t everybody’s cup of tea but that’s what makes them somewhat reasonably priced.

The preponderance of them were dads or grandads hunting rifles and are usually in good shape and have been fired very little.

If your not interested in a pump action rifle and want to go with a levergun in a traditional caliber you’re gonna pay $1000+ for the gun before you even get a scope and rings.

Reference leverguns in “traditional” calibers (30-30, 32 special, 35 Remington, 375 Winchester) factory ammo has become exceedingly expensive and extremely hard to find during traditional hunting season (especially for the 35 Remington and 375 Winchester).

You can get a levergun chambered for 44 magnum, 45 colt (357 is acceptable as well) for around $1000 if you look real hard online (usually plain Jane Henry’s can be found for $850 or so before shipping tax and FFL’s fees)!and ammo is usually available but finding ammo that’s ok to use on hogs may be a bit of a trick for the 357 and 45 colt.

As has been mentioned, a cheap AR (cheapest will be chambered in 223/5.56) and it’s will work but your gonna have to shoot fairly well (with good ammo) to ensure you’re not losing cripples.

You can get a fairly decent AR chambered in some larger calibers (7.62X39, 350 legend etc) but they may cost a bit more.

 

[Sanderguy777]

I get a Henry lever 44 Mag, either carbine or full size.

How far would that be effective? Not super important for brush I suppose, but I'm just curious if it would be worth anything past 100 yards (Sorry, I know it's a good handgun round, but idk if it's good in a rifle or not).

Looks like they have alot of options in 5.56 and 300blk, plus a couple 7.62x39 pistol length uppers on sale right now.

If you're willing to pay (their still reasonable) full asking price, you've got alot of options including 6.5 grendel, 350 legend and some others.

What would be a good brush gun caliber though? I wouldn't mind 7.62x39, but I don't think it would handle any brush. Definitely interesting though, depending on the type of terrain. If it's not heavy brush, that's probably what I'll go for.

If it were me and I wanted to get a rifle suitable for hogs and deer chambered in a caliber you can find just about all year long for under $1000 I’d jump over to Gunsinternational and look at the Remington Model 760’s chambered in 30/06.

There’s they are listed there listed from $600 all the way up to as much as you want to spend.

Granted, pump rifles aren’t everybody’s cup of tea but that’s what makes them somewhat reasonably priced.

The preponderance of them were dads or grandads hunting rifles and are usually in good shape and have been fired very little.

If your not interested in a pump action rifle and want to go with a levergun in a traditional caliber you’re gonna pay $1000+ for the gun before you even get a scope and rings.

Reference leverguns in “traditional” calibers (30-30, 32 special, 35 Remington, 375 Winchester) factory ammo has become exceedingly expensive and extremely hard to find during traditional hunting season (especially for the 35 Remington and 375 Winchester).

You can get a levergun chambered for 44 magnum, 45 colt (357 is acceptable as well) for around $1000 if you look real hard online (usually plain Jane Henry’s can be found for $850 or so before shipping tax and FFL’s fees)!and ammo is usually available but finding ammo that’s ok to use on hogs may be a bit of a trick for the 357 and 45 colt.

As has been mentioned, a cheap AR (cheapest will be chambered in 223/5.56) and it’s will work but your gonna have to shoot fairly well (with good ammo) to ensure you’re not losing cripples.

You can get a fairly decent AR chambered in some larger calibers (7.62X39, 350 legend etc) but they may cost a bit more.

Good info! Definitely like pump actions. Basically as fast as a semi-auto if you want it to be.

Would any AR calibers be any good for brush though? I don't plan to be taking bad shots, but I imagine it would be easy to mess up a shot with a stray twig.

 

[Oldschool shooter]

.30-30 is not a bad option, and ammunition can be had pretty much any place that sells ammo. Look for a decent used Winchester or Marlin. You could also go with a Henry. A .44 Mag or .45 Colt are also a decent option. You could get a Rossi in the $600 - $700 range.

 

[gotboostvr]

How far would that be effective? Not super important for brush I suppose, but I'm just curious if it would be worth anything past 100 yards (Sorry, I know it's a good handgun round, but idk if it's good in a rifle or not).

What would be a good brush gun caliber though? I wouldn't mind 7.62x39, but I don't think it would handle any brush. Definitely interesting though, depending on the type of terrain. If it's not heavy brush, that's probably what I'll go for.


Good info! Definitely like pump actions. Basically as fast as a semi-auto if you want it to be.

Would any AR calibers be any good for brush though? I don't plan to be taking bad shots, but I imagine it would be easy to mess up a shot with a stray twig.

I've used a 16" 44mag lever gun for deer hunting and it worked great. Loved my Rossi 92. But it's the cheapest lever gun on the market, at about $600 and 44mag ammo isn't cheap and given the first chance, I switched to AR's as soon as I could for general purpose hunting carbines.

5.56 is fine for deer and smaller game at short range, but 6.5 grendle or 300blk would be a little "more better". 350 legend or 450 bushmaster would both be real good short range hammers.

No cartridge is really a "brush buster", all bullets will deflect and change trajectory erraticlly after striking a twig or branch.

 

[KansasTrapper77]

It is not hard to find a Rossi R92 for $700. And the most common calibers I believe are .357 Magnum, .45 Colt, and .44 Magnum. Most common barrel length is probably 20” then 16”.

Me personally I’d go for the .357 mag or .44 mag. Both will kill deer at 100 yards with the .44 mag offering a bit more oomph.

You can scope the Rossi’s but it requires a “scout” scope.

Personally I’d get a 16” .357 mag with a red dot or peep sight. But I have a .45-70 levergun so I can always step up to something with more oomph. A one and done person might lean towards .44 Mag. Not alot of difference in price between the magnums. Easily a $1 a round.

 

[somethingbenign]

When it comes to brush guns, I've heard it explained two different ways. The more common one is a heavy and slow cartridge that won't be deflected as much by brush. The second one I have heard is a gun that is easy to handle and carry while going through heavy brush. While this is definitely the less common usage I think it actually is the more applicable one. If you are in the first camp then something heavy and relatively slow, the effectiveness of this is debatable. The second camp you will want a gun that is sleek, streamlined, and a comfortable balance point. I personally grab my lever action Rossi in 30-30 and iron sights when I want to get into the thick of it although loads of different cartridges would work in the brush ranges.

 

[Sanderguy777]

When it comes to brush guns, I've heard it explained two different ways. The more common one is a heavy and slow cartridge that won't be deflected as much by brush. The second one I have heard is a gun that is easy to handle and carry while going through heavy brush. While this is definitely the less common usage I think it actually is the more applicable one. If you are in the first camp then something heavy and relatively slow, the effectiveness of this is debatable. The second camp you will want a gun that is sleek, streamlined, and a comfortable balance point. I personally grab my lever action Rossi in 30-30 and iron sights when I want to get into the thick of it although loads of different cartridges would work in the brush ranges.

I heard it from the first camp, and that was what I was referring to. However, the second camp really makes more sense from an every day standpoint. You'll be wanting a smaller profile for moving around and aiming more often than you (should) need to be blasting through trees LOL

I would want something that could handle a twig or two if I didn't see it, but I think a small size would be at least as important.

I think a red dot sight or open sights are definitely the way I want to go. I've always liked open sights and lever guns, so I would be super happy with that combo.


Ok, so I thought Henry was the top of the line (outside some custom thing) for lever guns. Price wise, I don't see that, and everyone here sounds like they're only marginally better than Rossi (who I have no idea about, other than they're cheaper). Would there be a big difference between a Rossi to a Henry, to a Winchester or Marlin? I'm sure there's some difference, but is that going to show up in general hunting use? Or is it just that the Winchester is US made, and the others are foreign ot something? Basically, is it worth spending double to get a Winchester, or would a Rossi be just as good?

Someone mentioned .350 legend and .450 bushmaster. Are those modern rounds made for AR platforms? Or are they just something they shoved in there that works? (Sorry for mashing toes) but are they any more powerful than a .44 mag? I know the .300 blackout is good for sub-sonic and soft targets, but are those two any better for harder targets, like hogs with bones and thick hide?

 

[gotboostvr]

Someone mentioned .350 legend and .450 bushmaster. Are those modern rounds made for AR platforms? Or are they just something they shoved in there that works? (Sorry for mashing toes) but are they any more powerful than a .44 mag? I know the .300 blackout is good for sub-sonic and soft targets, but are those two any better for harder targets, like hogs with bones and thick hide?

A 450BM, 350L and 300blk were all tailor made for AR's. If you've got a normal AR already, all you need is an upper, and a mag or two.

300blk can be run subsonic, but with super sonic 123gr loads, it'll run close enough to 7.62x39 as to not make much of a difference.

450 Bushmaster is a considerably more powerful cartridge than 44mag. It gets up to 45-70 Trapdoor numbers for power.

350 Legend is running right along with 35 Remington's and 357 Maximums.

If you like to break shoulders and anchor them to the ground, the 450BM and 350L would be excellent if you don't need a super flat trajectory. Both should have plenty of energy and bullet mass to get through both front shoulders on the average deer with the proper selection of bullet.

 

[jmr40]

Brush gun on a budget. Ruger American Predator in 308.

Ruger American® Rifle Predator Bolt-Action Rifle Model 6974

ruger.com

Put a decent low powered optic on it with 1X to no more than 3X on the lower end and you have as good a brush gun as you could ask for. It is lightweight and compact to maneuver through brush. You can spend more if you like, but any accurate, short barreled bolt rifle in a moderately powerful cartridge is as good as it gets. And there is nothing special about 308, almost any similar cartridge that suits your fancy will work.

Forget rapid fire, it isn't important. Make the 1st shot count. In brush an animal can take 1-2 steps and you'll never see it again. And once mastered a bolt rifle is just as fast for AIMED repeat shots as anything else other than a semi-auto if you ever do need a repeat shot.

There is no such thing as "brush busting" bullets. Any bullet that hits brush will deflect. The key is to shoot through OPENINGS in the brush. Pinpoint accuracy and a flat trajectory are just as important at 40 yards as 400.

Most of the traditional lever guns and the cartridges designed for them are going to be 2-4 MOA guns that will have the bullet 2-3" above, then 2-3" below line of sight from the muzzle out to 150 yards. In an open field that is easy to account for, but when shooting at a deer 40 yards away with a softball sized opening in the brush to thread the bullet through that arched trajectory is more of a handicap than in the open.

Modern cartridges like 450 BM, 350 L, etc. have the same disadvantages. If you live somewhere that limits which cartridges you can use, they are certainly a more efficient choice than shotgun slugs or muzzle loading rifles. But given the option there are better choices.

A 308, or most any similar cartridge that shoots 1/2 to 1 MOA will keep your bullets no more than 1" above, or below your line of sight from the muzzle out to almost 150 yards making those shots through small openings possible.

You don't need much, if any magnification at typical brush hunting ranges. But a decent scope does 2 things. It is legal to shoot 30 minutes prior to sunrise until 30 minutes after sunset in most places. As much as one full hour in a few places. And deer move during those 30 minutes before sunrise and after sunset a lot. In a heavy canopy you can't see a deer without optics at that time. Plus, a scope will allow you to find those small openings to shoot through.

 

[kerreckt]

Something like this. Mossberg 464. 16" barrel 30-30.

 

[JDeere]

.30-30 is not a bad option, and ammunition can be had pretty much any place that sells ammo. Look for a decent used Winchester or Marlin. You could also go with a Henry. A .44 Mag or .45 Colt are also a decent option. You could get a Rossi in the $600 - $700 range.

This right here for a woods/brush busting weapon...

 

[Hugger-4641]

Brush gun on a budget. Ruger American Predator in 308.

Ruger American® Rifle Predator Bolt-Action Rifle Model 6974

ruger.com

Put a decent low powered optic on it with 1X to no more than 3X on the lower end and you have as good a brush gun as you could ask for. It is lightweight and compact to maneuver through brush. You can spend more if you like, but any accurate, short barreled bolt rifle in a moderately powerful cartridge is as good as it gets. And there is nothing special about 308, almost any similar cartridge that suits your fancy will work.

Forget rapid fire, it isn't important. Make the 1st shot count. In brush an animal can take 1-2 steps and you'll never see it again. And once mastered a bolt rifle is just as fast for AIMED repeat shots as anything else other than a semi-auto if you ever do need a repeat shot.

There is no such thing as "brush busting" bullets. Any bullet that hits brush will deflect. The key is to shoot through OPENINGS in the brush. Pinpoint accuracy and a flat trajectory are just as important at 40 yards as 400.

Most of the traditional lever guns and the cartridges designed for them are going to be 2-4 MOA guns that will have the bullet 2-3" above, then 2-3" below line of sight from the muzzle out to 150 yards. In an open field that is easy to account for, but when shooting at a deer 40 yards away with a softball sized opening in the brush to thread the bullet through that arched trajectory is more of a handicap than in the open.

Modern cartridges like 450 BM, 350 L, etc. have the same disadvantages. If you live somewhere that limits which cartridges you can use, they are certainly a more efficient choice than shotgun slugs or muzzle loading rifles. But given the option there are better choices.

A 308, or most any similar cartridge that shoots 1/2 to 1 MOA will keep your bullets no more than 1" above, or below your line of sight from the muzzle out to almost 150 yards making those shots through small openings possible.

You don't need much, if any magnification at typical brush hunting ranges. But a decent scope does 2 things. It is legal to shoot 30 minutes prior to sunrise until 30 minutes after sunset in most places. As much as one full hour in a few places. And deer move during those 30 minutes before sunrise and after sunset a lot. In a heavy canopy you can't see a deer without optics at that time. Plus, a scope will allow you to find those small openings to shoot through.

I'll ditto this. I love my 30-30, but since you don’t reload, right now .308 is more plentiful on shelves and the American Predator is about the best budget deal out there.
If you look around, you can find Henry and Rossi 30-30 lever actions for under $1k. I'd go with 30-30 over 44mag unless you are limited to straight wall cartridges. 44mag is definitely harder to find on shelves these days than 30-30.

 

[GooseGestapo]

What JMR40 said!
Plus, if you go back to Idaho, you’ll be set there too!
My younger brother has hunted Alabama, Georgia, New Brunswick, Canada; Nevada, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and Montana with his Winchester Model 70 featherweight in .308.
My best friend from Wyoming hunts with a Ruger M77 carbine in 7mm08 w/a 2-7x scope. He shoots elk and mule deer every year.

The notion of a “brush” buster, is a MYTH. A noted gunzine writer back in the early’80’s did a test of over a dozen different cartridges, ranging from .44mag, .30/30, .35Remington, .45/70, .22-250, .30/06, 7mm RemMag, .300winmag 6.5x55Swede, .375H&H, and .458mag. and some more I don’t remember.
His conclusion was tha NOTHING could be counted to reliable and consistently punch through brush/cover.
The best however were the 6.5x55, and 7mm RemMag with heavy for caliber bullets. With their fast twist rifling, and high gyroscopic stability, they better resisted deflection.
Other factors are:
1. How close the obstacle is relative to the shooter and target. The closer to the target, the less the deflection.
2. Construction of the bullets.
My favorite tree stand, and stalking rifle is a Marlin M336C in .35Rem. But has become “unobtanium” in factory ammo lately. Second is a Marlin/Glenfield M30 in .30/30. Both wear 2-7x optics.
Good luck in you search. I would suggest a Tika T3 light in either.308 or 7mm08…

I shot this fella at the great range of 17yards from my ladder stand with the Remington Model-7 in .260Rem….

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

M1A SOCOM?
.308 ammo easy to find, relatively cheap, plenty of power for any NA critters, flat trajectory, quick follow shots, compact and light(ish), weather resistant polymer stock.....

Downsides are somewhat pricey rifle and they are LOUD.


Really, any quality long gun in a decent center-fire cartridge will work. I will say the old Remington pump rifles are heavy garbage IME, but lever action carbines have been bringing home meat for 100+ years just fine.

 

[somethingbenign]

Ok, so I thought Henry was the top of the line (outside some custom thing) for lever guns. Price wise, I don't see that, and everyone here sounds like they're only marginally better than Rossi (who I have no idea about, other than they're cheaper). Would there be a big difference between a Rossi to a Henry, to a Winchester or Marlin? I'm sure there's some difference, but is that going to show up in general hunting use? Or is it just that the Winchester is US made, and the others are foreign ot something? Basically, is it worth spending double to get a Winchester, or would a Rossi be just as good?

So oddly enough Winchester is made in Japan now whereas Henry and Marlin are still made in the USA. Generally the more you spend on a lever the smoother the action is from the factory and the better the finish. My Rossi also has the issue that if I try to load too many in the tube it will accept the +1 that isn't supposed to be there and jam the gun up to the point of requiring tools. I am not aware of this is a common issue with Rossi or any other brand. Henry guns generally have better wood than they should for the price but also tend to be heavy and a clunkier approach to the design, I own more Henry than any other brand FWIW. Marlin and Winchester are generally the gold standard for non custom guns with both being smooth to operate and excellent finish. Marlin is re-entering the market under the ownership of Ruger and with that has come an increase in both cost and quality from what I have heard. The main reason I would grab my Rossi for heavy brush is that it is as accurate as the others with a finish on the wood and metal that I wouldn't feel bad if it fell off a cliff or some other mishap that would make a good story. My Henry rifles on the other hand always make me pause when I see a new scratch on the stock and I have to remind myself they are just tools.

 

[FL-NC]

Lots of hogs get killed around here while people are deer hunting with literally whatever gun they happen to have in their hand.

 

[WisBorn]

For a brush gun I prefer a light, short, quick pointing rifle. Something that has enough power that will still penetrate deep enough to get to the vitals with poor shot angels. Long shots are still inside 100 yards.
Lever action rifles in 30-30, 32 special, 45-70, and 444 Marlin all good choices.
Box magazine levers in 7-08, 308, 358 are also good for the task.
The pump action 760 in a carbine makes a great Brush Gun 30-06 being the most popular.

For a walkabout rifle. Something for still hunting that may include busting brush. I like a bolt action 308 with a 18-20" barrel synthetic stock and a low power scope.

 

[Chuck R.]

Currently for "brush guns" I use a couple of Rem M7s one in .260Rem, the other in .350RM. The 350RM get's the nod most of the time. Both are set up with 20" barrels, synthetic stocks, lower powered variables. Both come in full up at 7lbs, so carrying one handed through thickets isn't a chore.

What I look for in a "brush" gun, is a compact carbine, 20" or less barrel, LPVO 1-6X, in a "moderate" velocity cartridge of around 2800 FPS or less. I'm a firm believer in the damage that hydrostatic shock does, so I want something on the slower end, with well constructed bullets because the odds are I won't be able to score a perfect double lung shot. I've put .243, 25-06, .260RM, .270Win, and .300WM bullets into shoulders at shortish range and I always end up with more dog food than I intended. I love the .350RM for this as it's very forgiving on shot placement a .358" 200-250grn bullet at 2800-2500 FPS kills chit with authority. It's overkill for whitetails, but penetrates like there's no tomorrow and usually makes for a very short tracking job, if any.

My conundrum is that I also want to have a little reach for those times I need to stretch the distance, and the flatter trajectory also helps with the "thread the needle" type shots. Here we get small wooded sections, with surrounding row crop fields, so it's nice to have some reach when blocking during drives as often the deer haven't read the plan and choose an alternate escape route.

 

[Sanderguy777]

.30-30 is not a bad option, and ammunition can be had pretty much any place that sells ammo. Look for a decent used Winchester or Marlin. You could also go with a Henry. A .44 Mag or .45 Colt are also a decent option. You could get a Rossi in the $600 - $700 range.

How much would I want to spend on those? Could I get then under $1k? Would a Henry be anywhere near the quality?

I've used a 16" 44mag lever gun for deer hunting and it worked great. Loved my Rossi 92. But it's the cheapest lever gun on the market, at about $600 and 44mag ammo isn't cheap and given the first chance, I switched to AR's as soon as I could for general purpose hunting carbines.

5.56 is fine for deer and smaller game at short range, but 6.5 grendle or 300blk would be a little "more better". 350 legend or 450 bushmaster would both be real good short range hammers.

No cartridge is really a "brush buster", all bullets will deflect and change trajectory erraticlly after striking a twig or branch.

Are you saying the Rossi isn't built well enough at that price? Or just that the ammo for it is more expensive than getting ammo for an AR style rifle?

I do agree that any brush can affect trajectory, and that it's better to avoid it, but I've seen videos where they test "brush calibers" and there is definitely a difference between a pointy fast bullet and a flat-nosed slow one (about 33% more accurate, and that's in brush I would never want to take a shot through. If that's a normal shot, I can understand how people end up getting shot during hunting season!) (See iraqveteran8888's video on "Brush guns" on YT for what I mean)

It is not hard to find a Rossi R92 for $700. And the most common calibers I believe are .357 Magnum, .45 Colt, and .44 Magnum. Most common barrel length is probably 20” then 16”.

Me personally I’d go for the .357 mag or .44 mag. Both will kill deer at 100 yards with the .44 mag offering a bit more oomph.

You can scope the Rossi’s but it requires a “scout” scope.

Personally I’d get a 16” .357 mag with a red dot or peep sight. But I have a .45-70 levergun so I can always step up to something with more oomph. A one and done person might lean towards .44 Mag. Not alot of difference in price between the magnums. Easily a $1 a round.

Would a .45-70 be complete overkill for a deer? I mean, would it completely destroy the meat? Would a .44mag be a better round for deer, especially since 100 yards would likely be a relatively long shot it sounds like. What about .45 colt? Would it be worth it, or is it too old?
I'm definitely leaning towards one rifle. I can't really afford to get 2 (especially since I plan to pick up a reloading kit for whatever caliber I choose.) However, it almost seems like it's no cheaper to get a .44 or .357 than a .45-70 (it is, but not much, especially if I went with a Henry for the handgun calibers).

For a brush gun I prefer a light, short, quick pointing rifle. Something that has enough power that will still penetrate deep enough to get to the vitals with poor shot angels. Long shots are still inside 100 yards.
Lever action rifles in 30-30, 32 special, 45-70, and 444 Marlin all good choices.
Box magazine levers in 7-08, 308, 358 are also good for the task.
The pump action 760 in a carbine makes a great Brush Gun 30-06 being the most popular.

For a walkabout rifle. Something for still hunting that may include busting brush. I like a bolt action 308 with a 18-20" barrel synthetic stock and a low power scope.

By poor shot angles, do you mean through bone? Or just only hitting one lung or something?

(Those are all great ideas, thanks!)

Currently for "brush guns" I use a couple of Rem M7s one in .260Rem, the other in .350RM. The 350RM get's the nod most of the time. Both are set up with 20" barrels, synthetic stocks, lower powered variables. Both come in full up at 7lbs, so carrying one handed through thickets isn't a chore.

What I look for in a "brush" gun, is a compact carbine, 20" or less barrel, LPVO 1-6X, in a "moderate" velocity cartridge of around 2800 FPS or less. I'm a firm believer in the damage that hydrostatic shock does, so I want something on the slower end, with well constructed bullets because the odds are I won't be able to score a perfect double lung shot. I've put .243, 25-06, .260RM, .270Win, and .300WM bullets into shoulders at shortish range and I always end up with more dog food than I intended. I love the .350RM for this as it's very forgiving on shot placement a .358" 200-250grn bullet at 2800-2500 FPS kills chit with authority. It's overkill for whitetails, but penetrates like there's no tomorrow and usually makes for a very short tracking job, if any.

My conundrum is that I also want to have a little reach for those times I need to stretch the distance, and the flatter trajectory also helps with the "thread the needle" type shots. Here we get small wooded sections, with surrounding row crop fields, so it's nice to have some reach when blocking during drives as often the deer haven't read the plan and choose an alternate escape route.

Is the .350rem mag what you are talking about woth the flat trajectory? Or are you saying I should only get a rifle cartridge, because they tend towards a flatter trajectory? (As opposed to handgun rounds that basically fall more than 10" at 100 yards? Or at least according to what I've seen).

 

[br549arkie]

Another vote for a Rossi 92 from me. I have one in 44 mag. it's lightweight handles fast and for a brush gun I prefer a lever action over a bolt gun. I live north central Arkansas and hunt brush country just like a lot of what you'll see in Missouri. Hard to beat a compact lightweight lever gun in these conditions. If you go with a Rossi best to inspect in person as the quality can vary from very good to poor.