Please define "brush gun" for me...???

[Hokkmike]

Chuck R - great pics - good examples.

 

[Ignition Override]

What sort of brush?

Does brush often mean "bush"? If so, then the G3 and FAL, seen here in the hands of Rhodesian soldiers (on the Tanzanian border) might be suitable.

 

[PapaG]

My definition is very simple. Powerful enough for the game being hunted, short enough to easily slip through the thickets and with sights visible in shady low light conditions.
My son and I have missed deer by hitting a sapling or branch we didnt even see, both with “brush busters”, a Brenneke and a fifty caliber maxi ball.

 

[CraigC]

I NEVER took this to mean t hat you're shooting at unidentifiable movement. There is a broad spectrum of presentations between standing in the wide open field and being an indeterminable blob moving along the thicket.

I've always considered it more about handling than shooting through brush. Is a short, handy iron sighted levergun ideal for shooting 400yds across bean fields? Of course not. So why would just any rifle be perfect for short range brush action?

That said, I hunt in brushy conditions with this thing all the time.

The barrel is as long as this 94 carbine.

 

[.308 Norma]

 

[Mini30SS]

View attachment 1163655

There's always one in the bushel

 

[tmd16556]

I’d shoot a brush with a 20 gauge or larger shotgun, one ounce of #9 shot and a cylinder or skeet choke. That ensures enough pattern density to hit a significant number of bristles.

 

[Mini30SS]

I’d shoot a brush with a 20 gauge or larger shotgun, one ounce of #9 shot and a cylinder or skeet choke. That ensures enough pattern density to hit a significant number of bristles.

Make that two.

 

[Hokkmike]

View attachment 1163655

You got me there!

 

[dobedo]

It is not so much blasting away as some have stated. It is the deer is hauling ass and the new generation unable to take a clean shot when the deer is running. You have to be quick to acquire your target, be sure to know what may be down range. I was taught to hunt when the deer are running otherwise there was no food on the table. Growing up I and lived a subsistence style in my childhood. We grew our own food, canned meat and vegetables, I started hunting and trapping at the age of 8. My relatives hunted with a musket and taught me how to kill a deer on the fly regardless of obstacles. There is always the possibility a round can be deflected by the smallest twig by brush, trees or any other obstruction. Larger projectiles are far less to stray when confronted with a twig or brush gross tonnage rules. I was taught to scout my hunting area and know every bit of the woods. Today's hunters are quick to jump to conclusions and assumptions about hunting techniques because it does not fit into their little box. The majority of hunters I have delt with could not ID any of the wood land trees or foods they can eat let alone navigate the woods without their GPS. I have taught some of my good friend how to use a compas, stars and their watch to navigate the woods. After all, when you get lost their cell phone and GPS will run out of power so what good are they? Those who just jump the gun and assume well, we know the rest of the story about assumptions.

 

[Phaedrus/69]

Some attributes are a virtue in all situations. A hunting rifle needs to be powerful enough to cleanly dispatch the intended prey and possess practical accuracy to place the shot adequately at the ranges you're likely to be shooting. No bullet is a "brush-buster", that's been pretty thoroughly debunked. Still, a "brush gun" is often a comparatively large bore. If you're hunting in thick woods where there's virtually no opportunity to take a shot over 80-100 yards then there's no need for any "more ballistics" than that. Therefore a levergun in .44/.45 is perfectly adequate where flat shooting isn't necessary. And since your target will be close the hunter and the prey may encounter each other at short distances with little warning, so having a light, short and maneuverable rifle that's easy to mount and present will allow a fast first shot. In those circumstances, any followup shots will have to made quickly so a lever or auto can be advantageous.

 

[.308 Norma]

a light, short and maneuverable rifle that's easy to mount and present will allow a fast first shot. In those circumstances, any followup shots will have to made quickly so a lever or auto can be advantageous.

Well put. That's my real definition of a "brush gun" - not the toilet brush mounted on the barrel of the fake gun I posted as a joke.

 

[d2wing]

My favorite brush gun where I hunt is a Winchester 94 in 30-30 if I am still hunting. That is slowly sneaking through the thick woods with lots of brushy patches. I have had to almost crawl down deer trails. I don't do that anymore though. I stand hunt mostly, but still have brush around me. I use a bolt action in 7-08. I have used the bolt action 7-08 for moving through brush as well. The action and caliber aren't as important as being short, light and accurate. I much prefer a flat shooter over a rainbow trajectory. The 30-30 is much faster to mount and shoot but generally, If I do it right the deer doesn't know I am there and I get a good shot. Otherwise, I have a "brush gun but it goes on a hose.

 

[CraigC]

My favorite brush gun where I hunt is a Winchester 94 in 30-30 if I am still hunting. That is slowly sneaking through the thick woods with lots of brushy patches. I have had to almost crawl down deer trails. I don't do that anymore though. I stand hunt mostly, but still have brush around me. I use a bolt action in 7-08. I have used the bolt action 7-08 for moving through brush as well. The action and caliber aren't as important as being short, light and accurate. I much prefer a flat shooter over a rainbow trajectory. The 30-30 is much faster to mount and shoot but generally, If I do it right the deer doesn't know I am there and I get a good shot. Otherwise, I have a "brush gun but it goes on a hose.

I always wanted a little Model 7 in 7mm08. Thought it'd be a great all around, tidy little rifle.

 

[Random 8]

I'm a little late to this party, been a busy week, but as a connoisseur of classic Northwoods rifles, I'd like to chime in.

To me, a brush rifle is relatively fast handling both in balance and action. It is by necessity a repeater, but bolt actions are not ruled out. It is reliable, and not too pretty to drag through a cedar swamp and use as a walking stick crossing a beaver dam. It should have an iron sight option, but IMHO also a low mag range optic that is relatively close mounted and compact (See Weaver Pivot mount) and not snaggy. The best way to get a bullet through the sticks is not to hit them, and this is best done with optics. Caliber can vary some, but I have a lot of respect for anything from.30-30 and .300 Savage and larger, as well as the 6.5x55 and 7x57 or 7mm-08 with a relatively heavy slug in this role. Nothing wrong with the .35s, .44s and .45s either if you can handle them, but I personally prefer a .30/150 grain loaded around 2600FPS at the muzzle, or the .30-06 180 full power. A RN profile is optional, trajectory is of little concern, but they don't buck the brush any better than spitzers. I believe they DO track straighter through flesh and bone, as does a blunted metplat like the old Fed Hi-shok and Speer Mag tip. I think the .300 Savage with a bullet no longer made (I DO want to try the Lapua Mega) of 150 grains is about perfect. A reloader can easily get a .308 or ought six to perform identically. If I could find a sporterized Ross in .303, I'd be in woods rifle heaven!

As for specific rifles, I presently tote a Rem 760 in .300 Savage with a 2-7X32mm on a Weaver Pivot. I'm shopping for a proper fixed 2.5 to 4 for this rifle since my wife stole my Weaver K-4 with Swiss glass and 3P4 reticle. Some of the vintage autos fit the bill. Most of the vintage levers fit the bill. Not personally a fan of carbine length barrels in the faster calibers. I find them unpleasant to shoot and whippy on moving targets unless the rifle gets heavy. I think around 20" is the sweet spot between compact and handling. With the milder rounds....30-30 and .35 Rem as well as pistol calibers...the length decreases a bit as these are a bit softer on the ears and the guns tend to get more compact overall. I've seen a lot of converted Springfields, Mausers and Enfields that I'd also consider fine brush guns. Also some more modern commercial bolt rifles, but most of these are built too long or too short for my taste, and the iron sights are generally omitted these days.

 

[Weflyfast]

Not a bullet or cartridge made that wont be deflected/effected by hitting a branch/twig/limb... I think of a brush gun as a light short fast handling gun that can get on target quickly- and typically is not a "long range" cartridge ......but it really comes down to what you shot well in close quarters and in poor light sometimes ....

 

[Carl N. Brown]

Marlin 336W .30-30 20" barrel
Baikal Bounty Hunter 12ga double 20" barrels cyl & cyl

 

[Ignition Override]

Unrelated sidenote: back in Remarks # 52: those Rhodesian soldiers on the Tanzanian border were fighting during the prolonged "Bush Wars". Call it "Brush Wars". Same thing.

This photo doesn't fit the typical "correct" narrative. Think about the many skirmishes and battles where they fought so many Marxist insurgencies.

 

[Space Ghost]

For me, when I hear somebody say "brush gun" they're talking about a gun that's both short and handy, for walking around in the brush, and one that shoots a heavy round that will be deflected less by striking leaves when shooting in the brush.
Personally, I would opt for a clear shot, but I do own what I would call such a gun... a .44 mag lever gun.

 

[Nature Boy]

This is my “brush gun”. Short, light, handy, .358 Winchester. Carried it for years while hunting in the swamps of South Louisiana, usually running deer with dogs.

Later on it became a still hunting tool. Even though it’s a “brush gun” I’m not taking this shot.

I’m waiting for a clear shot with hopes of improving my odds. If it doesn’t present itself I’ll wait for another opportunity. Lucky, he stepped out a little further and I got my chance.

 

[herrwalther]

Traditional gun rags defined brush gun as a rifle or carbine in a caliber that shot flat enough and hard enough to not be deflected significantly by twigs, branches, and leaves. I define brush gun as a lightweight, handy rifle that I take when hunting in brush. Caliber is pretty non specific. Sure you can hunt in a southern swamp with a Winchester 70 chambered in 270. But a lever action or AR would be much easier.

 

[Nature Boy]

Traditional gun rags defined brush gun as a rifle or carbine in a caliber that shot flat enough and hard enough to not be deflected significantly by twigs, branches, and leaves

If they did, it was nonsense when they wrote it and anyone who might be mislead by it should know that there isn’t a ballistic calculous for any projectile in existence that’s impervious to the effects of branches and twigs

 

[CraigC]

Nothing is impervious but larger, heavier bullets do deflect less than lighter, speedier ones. It's true "in" the target, it's true beforehand.

 

[CoalTrain49]

Are we talking about cartridges or firearms?

Maybe by virtue of the cartridge the firearm is defined as a brush gun.

I think it's more than that however. Weight, optics, etc will have to be considered.

 

[9x56MS]

When I'm thinking Brush Gun, I think of the act of hunting in thick brush. I think the myth of "brush busting calibers/cartridges" has been more or less debunked. So for me it meens a short handy rifle with a low power scope, red dot or iron sights. Something I can carry in my hands all day. For me this is my Remington 700 in 358 Winchester. I have lightened the stock and the barrel is 19 inches. I would also classify my Winchester 94 in 356 Winchester as a brush rifle. This sports a receiver sight.

But this is my opinion only By the way, I think your self imposed rule of not shooting at running deer is an excellent idea!

What he said ^^^. Except for the part about shooting at running deer. My buddy says I get lucky a lot when shooting at running deer. I tell him he needs to hunt more grouse and woodcock.