I guess all of my guns are brush guns because I simply don't have the ability to shoot accurately beyond 300 yards unless i have a rest of some kind, which never happens when I'm hunting.

Somehow as a shooting fraternity we've come to accept that a brush gun must be short. And yet thousands of traditional muzzleloader shooters go afield every year with front stuffers wearing barrels as long as 42 inches. And by their very nature are a short range rifle, especially when coupled with a patched round ball.

My little flintlock 32 carries a 36 inch barrel and I've never felt hampered by it's length and I hunt some pretty brushy areas with it for rabbits.

Long barrel, short barrel, whatever gets you into the hunting field.

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unless you consider a 100 or 200 FPS substantial, I do not! and certainly cannot tell much difference in killing effect on game

180gr 3006: ~ 2700 fps
180gr 300 Weatherby- ~ 3250 fps

That is VERY substantial in my book and while I have not hunted as much as many of you, the difference I've experienced with similar head of game when hit with a 300 Weatherby v 3006 IS clear and apparent...

I didn't know brush was good to eat, much less fun to hunt. I learn new stuff here all the time!

This thread has lost the point of the original post I made with some posters..We all know what a brush gun is, but I'm talking about caliber capabilities..A lot of "brush guns" such as the Whelen are just fine in the mountains of Idaho, the sage brush flats that go to the mountains...A 35 Whelen, a 9.3x62, 9.3x64, 375 H&H, 338-06, and a host of others have proven themselves capable of being excellent long range Mule Deer, Pronghorn, African Plainsgame, and even sheep and goat rifles, and just as good in the thick stuff...

A pure brush gun may be a 405, 348, 30-30, 45-70 but again I have never felt naked on the plains with any of these...but I'm not a 1000 yard shooter, don't intend to be, I like to hunt before I shoot, I like to use my hunting skills to get as close as possible and make clean shots, otherwise I would just be a shooter.

I have no prejudice towards 1000 yard shooters as its legal and I'm not the hunt cop, its just not my thing.

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Originally posted by tiggertate:
I didn't know brush was good to eat, much less fun to hunt. I learn new stuff here all the time!

Pretay Pretay Funny.

quote:

Originally posted by jorge:

180gr 3006: ~ 2700 fps
180gr 300 Weatherby- ~ 3250 fps

That is VERY substantial in my book and while I have not hunted as much as many of you,
the difference I've experienced with similar head of game when hit with a 300 Weatherby v 3006 IS clear and apparent...

Thats interesting, since I noticed virtually no diff. between my 180gn 30/06 impacting 2500fps and my 180gn 300wBy impacting 3000pfs.
both going straight through, animals taking a few yards and dying much the same.

Today iF i was taking a .30cal for closer range brush hunting, It would be .308win -200 AFrame at about 2400mv.

Marlin 45-70 with a Barnes Triple Shock. Small entry , half dollar exit with a lot of soft red stuff in between.

Old model Ruger M44 "Sporter" Carbine topped with a Weaver 1.5x scope with a post reticle. Just for whitetails in the Midwest.

You can get 2400 fps with a 200 grain bullet in a 308?

Just an observation, but I believe the whole "Brush Gun" idea/concept, like many others, are based upon the "Experiences" of our various gun/hunting writers over the decades.

What are the "Real" parameters of a "Brush Gun"? Ballistics of the cartridge/length of barrel of the chosen rifle/action type/iron-open sights versus scope?

One saying I am fond of is "We are all the sum total of our experiences". One thing I learned a long time ago is that while many of us share similar experiences, there are always differences that cause each to be unique to the individuals memory of the experience.

Since my first deer in 1970, I have had many opportunities to hunt in different conditions and with different type guns/calibers, one aspect however that has never changed has been my abilities with the gun I was using, regardless of all other factors/parameters involved.

I favor the larger calibers, but I have always relied on my judgment when it comes to taking or passing on a shot, regardless of the terrain/conditions.

I just think the whole "Brush Gun" concept has been taken around the block so many times, that with the advancements in firearm design and ballistics of modern ammo, it really is no longer an issue.

That is just my take on the subject.