# Favorite Brush Gun / Caliber



## 7dawg9 (Nov 12, 2013)

What are y'all's favorites for hunting the thick stuff?


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## Bam Bam (Nov 12, 2013)

My Ole Marlin Lever action 35 rem. I also have a Marlin 30-30 and Marlin 44 mag too for the thick stuff but most of the time I'm hunting with my Savage Bolt action m110 308 win. Oh this is handgun hunting forum, I forgot to mention my Tarurus 8 3/8 inch 44 mag Revolver shooting Ga. Arms 240gr. JHP Deer Stoppers or 220gr. Hornady Leveraloutions!!!!!


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## JustUs4All (Nov 12, 2013)

The same one I use for wide open long shots.


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## br6ppc (Nov 12, 2013)

Browning BLR 81 358Win
Marlin 1895G 45/70


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## smackdown51 (Nov 12, 2013)

H&R 30-30 with a 1x4.5 bushnell scope. sweetest little gun I own for laying deer of the brush down


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## 7dawg9 (Nov 12, 2013)

Any of you TC shooters use 30-30, 35, or 45-70 Contenders/ Encores?


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## jesnic (Nov 12, 2013)

Why would brush make a difference? I don't think brush cares what you shoot it with. It will still deflect the projectile, no matter what it is.


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## garveywallbanger (Nov 12, 2013)

Marlin 336 in .35 Rem


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## Rifleman 22 mag (Nov 12, 2013)

my turkey gun with 3.5 00 buck


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## deast1988 (Nov 12, 2013)

Smith model 29
.44mag
2x20 leupold


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## Win1917 (Nov 12, 2013)

redurham said:


> Any of you TC shooters use 30-30, 35, or 45-70 Contenders/ Encores?



357 Herrett in a Contender. 10" barrel with a Leupold 2x. Great hunting pistol


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## big cheez (Nov 13, 2013)

35 rem in Contender , 14 inch barrel with a 2x Leupold , it shoots really good , one fine pistol , takin her to south Alabama in 2 weeks to do a little work !


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## jwf2506 (Nov 14, 2013)

Winchester 94 ae  7-30 waters


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## Whitetailfreak23 (Nov 15, 2013)

I usually shoot my 35 but i love my marlin 45-70


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## Ruger#3 (Nov 15, 2013)

45/70 #3 carbine gets it done .


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## guesswho (Nov 25, 2013)

Model 94 with receiver mounted aperture rear sight and fiber optic front, 30/30 win of coarse.

But also my SBH in 44 mag


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## thurmongene (Nov 26, 2013)

when you have several to choose from, I'm sure it can be a head scratcher.    I only have a Ruger  .44 magnum carbine semi-auto.


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## Offroadtek (Nov 26, 2013)

Rem 1187 with 21" rifle sighted barrel and slugs. 

I don't have a brush rifle, but this will flat put the smack down on anything with in 40 yards. Typically I'm hunting with my 6.8, it's a very maneuverable rifle in tight stuff, sitting or walking.


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## matthew082488 (Nov 26, 2013)

I either just use my savage 110 in 308 win. with my scope turned down or I'll carry my remington 870 with 3" 00 buckshot. Either one works good. Just keep the shots real close with the buckshot.


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## Joe of Dirt (Nov 26, 2013)

Ummm, this is the Handgun Hunting sub-forum.  I'm seeing lots of replies that appear to be about rifles.


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## Offroadtek (Nov 27, 2013)

Joe of Dirt said:


> Ummm, this is the Handgun Hunting sub-forum.  I'm seeing lots of replies that appear to be about rifles.



Yeah, couldn't figure that one out either. Ain't gonna keep me from playing tho. 

Here, better?


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## 7dawg9 (Nov 27, 2013)

Joe of Dirt said:


> Ummm, this is the Handgun Hunting sub-forum.  I'm seeing lots of replies that appear to be about rifles.



Yep, I am thinking of a 30-30 or 35 barrel for my Contender, that's why I started the thread. Guess I wasn't specific enough.


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## 7Mag Hunter (Nov 27, 2013)

Joe of Dirt said:


> Ummm, this is the Handgun Hunting sub-forum.  I'm seeing lots of replies that appear to be about rifles.




I thought the same thing, but waited for someone else
to mention it !!!!

Ruger Super Blackhawk 7.5" barrel....44mag....
I have used 180gr to 240gr hp or SP handloads with excellent results......


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## ironhead7544 (Nov 28, 2013)

Ruger Super Blackhawk with cast bullet handloads.


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## Michael F. Gray (Nov 28, 2013)

Marlin Model 1895 in .450 Marlin


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## 7Mag Hunter (Nov 28, 2013)

Michael F. Gray said:


> Marlin Model 1895 in .450 Marlin





That's a BIG "Handgun"....


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## LanceColeman (Nov 28, 2013)

480 Ruger SRH


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## wolf3006 (Dec 3, 2013)

Contender in 45-70   Yes its a big handgun


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## thc_clubPres (Dec 3, 2013)

T/C encore 12" 454 Casull


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## Roscoe Jasper (Dec 31, 2013)

Marlin 30-30


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## one hogman (Dec 31, 2013)

.44 magnum with the 300 LBT cast Performance bullets


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## 660griz (Mar 5, 2014)

.454 Casull


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## Larry Rooks (Mar 5, 2014)

Ruger BH in 45 COLT


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## BamaBart (Mar 15, 2014)

Browning BAR.
Any caliber they come in.


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## georgia_home (Mar 16, 2014)

X2, though longer barrel.

For variety, when it's not loaned out, I'll work in the 870.



Offroadtek said:


> Rem 1187 with 21" rifle sighted barrel and slugs.
> 
> .....


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## Big7 (Mar 16, 2014)

garveywallbanger said:


> Marlin 336 in .35 Rem



Me too.. Was my first "big gun" when I was 15..

Kick myself in the butt every time I think about the fact
I sold it. Didn't let Daddy know for years..

Had to come clean though.. We were looking at some of my loading dies.. He said where is the .35?

My heart sank.

That's what I killed my first deer with.. Besides the .22


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## 7 point (Mar 16, 2014)

marlin 30/30


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## Cullen Bohannon (Mar 18, 2014)

jesnic said:


> Why would brush make a difference? I don't think brush cares what you shoot it with. It will still deflect the projectile, no matter what it is.




Yep.  Nobody can defeat the simple laws of simple physics.  "Brush caliber" is an urban legend".   Mass x velocity is not - simple physics there.  Real simple.  Do the math on bullet weight x velocity, and you will see (if you paid attention in math class in elementary school).


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## Boar Hunter (Mar 19, 2014)

Either a 336 in .35 Rem or 1895 in 45/70.


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## groundhawg (Mar 19, 2014)

jesnic said:


> Why would brush make a difference? I don't think brush cares what you shoot it with. It will still deflect the projectile, no matter what it is.



Yep.  Just use my Remington 700 in .270 and pick a clear spot through the brush and wait till I see the deer hide beyond it.


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## 660griz (Mar 20, 2014)

Well, I know from experience that heavier bullets are deflected...less. 
I have killed deer after the bullet cut a half inch branch. I have killed deer after the bullet traveled through 3 feet of 'hay' grass. Would a .22 cal or .30 cal bullet have done the same? I doubt it. Do I shoot through brush on purpose? Most of the time...no. The branch shot was accidental. Brush shot was on purpose but, brush was right in front of deer and I knew a deflection would not mean a miss. Accidental branch that was hit was about 3 feet in front of me and the bullet traveled another 40 yards before killing the deer. 
So, to sum up. Try not to shoot through brush. All bullets deflect. Heavy bullets deflect less.


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## Bam Bam (Mar 20, 2014)

Boar Hunter said:


> Either a 336 in .35 Rem or 1895 in 45/70.



X2!!!! Marlin 336 35 rem., Marlin 3087 30-30 win, Marlin 1894 44 mag and Rossi Rio Grande 45-70 are my brush rifles. Taurus 8 3/8 inch 44 mag revolver is my brush sidearm!! JC Higgins 12 ga. pump and New England 12 ga. single barrel are my Skatter guns for brush hunting!!!!


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## MFOSTER (Mar 20, 2014)

I don't feel that they are a such a thing as a brush gun if I don't have a clear shot I don't take it thick or thin I don't shoot in the bushes


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## Boar Hunter (Mar 20, 2014)

I don't think the OP is talking about blind shots through the bushes.  The woods are full of limbs, brush, sticks, etc.  I know from experience that heavy bullets don't deflect as much as light bullets.  I remember my university physics.  A 405 grain 45/70 bullets doesn't deflect like a 50 grain .223.  That is simple physics.


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## Cullen Bohannon (Mar 20, 2014)

Again, I repeat my "high school physics" statement.  Kinetic energy is real simple - mass x velocity.  A small bullet (read: 22LR going not hyper-fast) does not have a lot of it.  It will get deflected a whole bunch.  A .22-250 (hyper-fast) will not.  One has a fair amount of kinetic engery; the other had a ton of it.  

A bullet (any bullet) hits something, and it's gonna get deflected.  Period.  Square and dead-on, and no big deal.  Off-axis of the bullet, and it's deflecting.  Period.  Really.

And gravity drags down every single bullet exactly the same:  32 ft/s/s.  The speed of said bullet is the controlling factor - period.  Hence - trajectory and bullet drop.  Yes, a big, fat bullet catches more air and slows down more quickly.  Yes, a skinny, pointed bullet keeps its velocity and holds its energy longer.

Real simple, folks.  Well, for those of us who were not thinking of their sister or hottie first cousin during high school physics.


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## MoonPie (Mar 20, 2014)

My ol' Marlin 30-30, w/ 180 gr. Rem core loc's in the hands of my girl on her first deer hunt!


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## Cullen Bohannon (Mar 20, 2014)

MoonPie said:


> My ol' Marlin 30-30, w/ 180 gr. Rem core loc's in the hands of my girl on her first deer hunt!



No offense intended, as I'm sure you are proud (and rightly so ), but can you provide some specifics, as to roughly how many tree limbs were shot through, to make her kill(s)?  A 30-30 is good to 200+yds, in open country.  We are looking for definitive proof of what loads punch through a bunch of brush, before taking down a quarry cleanly.


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## Boar Hunter (Mar 20, 2014)

My university physics taught me that heavier objects are deflected less than lighter objects.  A tractor trailer at 55 mph will not be deflected as much as as Geo at 95mph.  A heavy bullet is not effected as much as a light one.  It's simple physics.

Plus, I know from practical experience.  Get a 45/70, a 375 H&H, or a .458 Win and you'll know what I mean.


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## Win1917 (Mar 23, 2014)

> Again, I repeat my "high school physics" statement. Kinetic energy is real simple - mass x velocity.



I don't have a dog in this fight other than to say kinetic energy is .5(mass)(velocity)^2...Momentum is (mass)(velocity). Partial inelastic collisions like between a bullet and a branch are difficult to predict mathematically.


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## MoonPie (Mar 23, 2014)

MoonPie said:


> My ol' Marlin 30-30, w/ 180 gr. Rem core loc's in the hands of my girl on her first deer hunt!





Cullen Bohannon said:


> No offense intended, as I'm sure you are proud (and rightly so ), but can you provide some specifics, as to roughly how many tree limbs were shot through, to make her kill(s)?  A 30-30 is good to 200+yds, in open country.  We are looking for definitive proof of what loads punch through a bunch of brush, before taking down a quarry cleanly.



Geeze, it prolly be nice if I could answer but will give as much as possible. 100 yds is as far as I'd go even in open country. 180 gr will be the best penetrater thru some brush but it prolly be a smart thing to shoot thru brush close to the deer rather than brush close to you. Tree limbs, small or big, would be not advised. Bottom line. 30-30 is a GOOD brush gun, made for the job. Still the cleaner the shot the better. Hope this helps. But actually  thought this thread was just asking for our favorite brush gun only.


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## ATLRoach (Mar 24, 2014)

Still haven't figured out why we are talking about rifles in the HANDGUN HUNTING subfolder.


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## 7dawg9 (Mar 24, 2014)

I posted it originally to see what handgun caliber folks preferred in thick stuff. I was contemplating getting a 30-30 barrel for my T/C.

Somewhere it got off-course.


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## FlyBoy (May 18, 2014)

Browning BLR .358 Win with 225 TSX and Leupold VXR 1.25-4x20 fire dot. Will handle anything you run into around here.


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