deer bullets

[brigeton]

I'd go with the 30/30 or the .270. There is really no such thing as a brush caliber. I don't really like lever actions. My wife has a bolt action 30/30 that shoots great and has hardly any kick.

[BuckeyeATC]

I know it wasn't one of the calibers you mentioned. But I have been using a 350 Legend the past couple of years and really like it. Has pretty good range out to 200 yards and doesn't kick near as much as a 45.70 or the 450 Bushmaster.

[grizzley]

To me a good brush gun is a shorter quick handling gun, one of my favs. is a 600 or 660 Remington in ,350 Rem. Mag. which is a short barreled short action gun, a 30-30 Winchester 94 fits that criteria also.

[ECIRandy]

My favorite close range "brush busting" rifle is a Marlin 336 in .35 REM. I like the big fat heavy bullet. Always been a good deer taker at closer ranges.

[guidedfishing]

I think this comes down to your style of hunting the thick brush. Are you a still hunter moving the majority of the time, or do you spend the majority of your time stationary on a stand or ground blind? Point is if I know I will be still hunting and moving I take a short carbine in 308 that I can easily slink along with. If I am spending the time on stand then any bean field rifle with appropriate optics will work, given your low end is adequate say in the 1.5 - 2.5X range.

Caliber really is not of consequence for whitetails as long as you can easily handle and accurately shoot the centerfire cartridge associated with it. besides any mention of specific caliber or cartridge usually starts a circular debate which is not worth participating in. Any caliber 6mm / .25 caliber or above is more than adequate for any whitetail that walks

It does not take much sometimes to deflect a projectile find your opening and make it count.


a brush gun is about ease of movement, quick pointing, fast handling in tight quarters. It is not about jamming a bullet through a thicket that just does not end well.

good luck

[ToThe Woods]

Thich brush or open country any of those rounds will work. In either case the clear shot to the vitals is the key. There is no such things as a brush gun unless you are an irresponsible hunter willing to shoot through anything to hit an animal. Ethical hunting means taking a shot that is clear of obstruction to dispatch the animal quickly and cleanly.


That being said we hunt the heavy woods of Northwest Wisconsin. We have guns from a 7mm-08 pistol, 30-30, .270, 30.06, 7mm Rem Mag. Most shots are within 30-40yds with an occasional shot out to 100. Any of the weapons you mentioned will take a deer anywhere of any size. Pick the one that you are most comfortable with.

[sportfish1]

270, no question about it. I read an article about this very thing many years ago before I bought a 270. They fired a number of different rounds through a brush pile the faster rounds did the best as far as deflection and accuracy. They all will kill a deer though.

[sdslim69]

I own a 450 bushmaster in the AR platform with a short barrel. It was bear hunting last week in northern WI, in the same situation the question was asked. It is great for that purpose. Almost no recoil with the buffer spring. Deadly accurate. Two shots to confirm zero and they were superimposed by half in the bull at 50 yards.

[last chance]

the big advantage of using the 30-30 is carrying it through the brush. they handle as well as any rifle in the brush, they are a nail driver at close range, they are fast getting it to the shoulder, and the recoil isn't bad at all. I believe I would choose the 30-30 for hunting in heavy brush.

[muskyed]

Many, many years ago, one of the gun mags did a test to try and find out what type of bullet would bust brush the best. They used a wood box with about 50 or more verticle wood dowls in it, so that when shooting through it, the bullet would hit numerous dowls. what they did was, 1st shoot the rifle on a rest at a target apx 50 yds away, I think it was. Then they would set this box of dowls on a table in the line of fire, while the shooter kept the sighted in rifle on target. Then they shot again. Surprisingly, every time the pointed bullets deflected the least. They repeated this many times with multiple different guns. Who would have thought, but I'll never forget that article. My thoughts, given what you mentioned is to use what you are most comfortable with, and what one has the best scope, and not worry about the point type for what you think is best for brush busting.