[5Ddeerhunter]

Where I hunt is nothing but a wall of thick where you can’t see 30 yds in front of you. In your opinion what’s the best brush gun. Mine would be a 350 legend with an 18” barrel. Or my 12 ga 870 that I used to shoot buckshot out of but now use a 22” slug barrel. Everyone has they’re own opinions.

 

[NiteSniper]

I like 45.70. That said, I’ve taken lots of predators in very thick cover using 223 and 243 so I don’t overthink it too much. Maybe I’ve just been lucky with deflections

 

[ruger300]

45-70 or the 35 Rem. But I shot a bunch of deer in slashings that were under 40 yards with my 270 or 280.

 

[Wingatchtochwilsit]

Yeah, don't overthink it.. up close and in heavy cover I'd opt for something reasonably quick to point with a short overall length...
Caliber concerns would be a distant second thought.... unless we're talking lightly constructed bullets going lightning fast.... but they're not really great choices for deer anyway...

 

[1972Monte]

Agree with above. Ruger American ranch or any open sight scout rifle

 

[CMP70306]

I mostly just hunt the brush with my standard deer rifle though I did prefer to carry my Pre-War Model 70 in 30-06 when we were doing drives.

I guess technically now my “brush gun” is a 16.5” Chiappa 1886 in 45-70 with a suppressor. With full power 325gr FTX loads it isn’t exactly hearing safe but it’s way better than unsuppressed. Now that Hornady has released the 410gr Sub-X I’m going to give them a try as subs are hammer fall quiet in that rifle.

 

[Orion86]

I have a Win 94 Trapper Carbine with a 16” barrel in 30-30. I have a Swift 1.5-4.5x21 scope on it. Works great for me.

 

[limbhnger10]

Opinion....no such thing as a "brush gun".....there may be a "luck gun"...cause anyone shooting into thick "brush" and killing a deer is just lucky.

 

[5Ddeerhunter]

Opinion....no such thing as a "brush gun".....there may be a "luck gun"...cause anyone shooting into thick "brush" and killing a deer is just lucky.

Haha, I guess your right. By brush gun I mean a short barrel rifle or shotgun. That’s just my opinion though 🤷‍♀️

 

[5Ddeerhunter]

I hunt southeast pa, we used to be able to use buckshot. The group I hunt with do a lot of drives in the thick stuff. So I used to use my mossberg With 3 1/2” buck. Many people say it doesn’t kill deer, I’ve never shot one with it and had them not drop right then and there

 

[WOL]

Anything that is short, handy and you can aim quickly, I suppose.

They have done tests on "brush guns" and deflection. The big, slow and heavy rounds did no better than the lighter, smaller faster rounds. An interesting point was revealed in one of the studies: No branch can deflect any bullet. A piece of metal going 2000 mph isn't going to have its direction changed by a wispy branch. What the branch does is make the bullet expand a little. Now the shape/aerodynamics of the bullet has changed, causing it to steer off like an improperly tuned arrow/broadhead. A flat nosed 45/70 bullet may deform even more than a 30 caliber spitzer. Causing it to veer off even more.

 

[rkrcpa]

Double action revolver .40 caliber or larger

 

[ZDC]

Probably 20 or 12 gauge shotgun

 

[Waynzee]

If you're only shooting 30 yards or even 40 yards I'd use a revolver with a red dot scope and 6- or 7.5-inch barrel, 44 mag. or 45 LC with a heavy bullet

 

[treetipper]

Remington Mowhawk 600 in 308 caliber.

 

[triggercreep]

Anything that is short, handy and you can aim quickly, I suppose.

They have done tests on "brush guns" and deflection. The big, slow and heavy rounds did no better than the lighter, smaller faster rounds. An interesting point was revealed in one of the studies: No branch can deflect any bullet. A piece of metal going 2000 mph isn't going to have its direction changed by a wispy branch. What the branch does is make the bullet expand a little. Now the shape/aerodynamics of the bullet has changed, causing it to steer off like an improperly tuned arrow/broadhead. A flat nosed 45/70 bullet may deform even more than a 30 caliber spitzer. Causing it to veer off even more.

I have done a test as well. An orange painted metal silhouette barely visible behind 6 feet of Greenbriar at 50 yards. Guns were 30-30, 7mm Rem Mag, and 450 Marlin. The 30-30 registered 3 hits. The 7mm Mag got 2 hits. But the 450 Marlin went 5 for 5.
The tests the pros do always include wood dowel rods. There's a lot of stuff your bullet might contact in the Woods other than Wood

 

[Byron]

There's a lot of stuff your bullet might contact in the Woods other than Wood

Like what?

 

[triggercreep]

Like what?

I think my post was self explanatory but I'll refer back to it and start with greenbrier or jaggers of any sort, tall grass and weeds, cornstalks. A few off the top of my head

 

[Will Shaver]

Here's my brush gun. Perfect for deer drives and hunting thickets. I've killed three deer with it all about 60 yards and under and missed a huge 10 point at 100 yards. Warning, this gun kicks like a mule. : )

 

[cubcadet]

I remember first day of buck season using a 243. I see a doe and buck in the brush walking through the thick brush broad side to boot 40 yards. I waited till he walked through a some what not so thick as the doe pasted through. Well I shot no reaction. First thought was bullet deflected. I waited then for the buck step out on the path and my season was over.
I honestly believe the 95 grain hit brush and went of course. If I was hunting the thick brush I would use heavy round nose bullets in a 30 cal. or larger.