For me it would be my double 9,3x74R
If I cannot have a double a Blaser R 93 with the Tracker bbl [19 3/4"] would be my next choice.

I have hunted whitetails in heavy cover for 37 years. I started out with a mil 03-A3 and a 99T in 250-3000. I have used every thing from doubles to single shots bolts ect.

The last 10 years or so I have been using a savage 99 in 300 sav. Why because My DAD used one to take 200 plus deer. Be fore that a Ruger No.1 light sporter. These were and have been my most used ones.

But just to be differant I have use a combo gun in 12over7x57R a valment 412 OU.in 30-06a TC carbine in 357 max.and a slew of bolt actions,lever ect. They all have worked just fine. I guess if I were buying a new rifle today I would go with a ruger MKII stainless syt. in a good caliber such as 06, 308, 270 ect.

I have had no trouble useing a sav 99 with 24 in barrel matter of fact I have made some very hard running shots with it in some very heavy cover.

Pick what you like and have at it.

Hugh,

My first choice would be a Remington M7600 pump gun(carbine model w/ 19.5 barrel) in .270 win or .30/06. They are relatively light and certainly compact enough to take into the thick stuff....and I mean real thick stuff. Perhaps more importantly(to me anyway) they are very fast handling.

As a second choice and for many of the same reasons as stated above...a lever action Winchester or Marlin in .30/30. .348 or 45/70.

For snap shooting at bounding whitetail bucks in heavy cover where one often doesn't use the open or peep sights as God intended but, rather adopts a 'point' and shoot(like a shotgun) these two rifle types fit the bill for me.

I should mention that in my answer I assumed you were hunting from the ground and were likely doing some sort of moving. Still hunting, tracking...perhaps taking stands for short periods and moving on to another stand or even drives.

Regards,
Dave

The most important thing for me is that the rifle fit me. Up north it gets very cold and I wear heavy clothing and a long length of pull means difficulty bringing the rifle to my shoulder and swinging it. I have shortened some of my woods rifles and others were ok.

As to the rifle type I voted lever but I can use any type including a single shot. My best gun for this is my 99f in 358.

i really like the looks of the marlin 450 and that new spire point ammo they came out with.

I usually eat lunch overlooking the Pacific when I'm hunting deer, so I'm about as far from you as I can get in the lower 48, but I'd bet our conditions are nearly identical. Shots run 10-90 yards and you usually have 3-5 seconds to connect, sometimes less.

I've killed deer there with a iron-sighted revolver, a peep-sighted lever gun and a scoped M-70. My buddies have killed them with scoped bolt guns, iron-sighted revolvers and open-sighted lever guns in 44 Mag, 45-70 and 30-30. The guy who has taken several of the biggest deer I've seen on that island uses a 257 Roberts with the scope set on 5x, and his buddy (who is nearly as good) uses a scoped 30-06. I've seen guys with iron-sighted single-shot 30-30's, vent-rib Remington 1100's, duck guns, and everything in between.

I think the only real critera to be able to hit quickly with your weapon of choice. Anything will work, but I prefer the scoped M-70. It fis me like nothing else, and I shoot it well in a hurry.


Okie John

I love my 50s vintage Remington 760 carbine in 30.06 with a Williams peep sight. It is the handiest rifle I own, especially in the woods of N. Minnesota. I call it the meatgun.

I'm one of the single shot guys. Either one of my custom TC Encore or Contender carbines. One shot's all I need...

quote:

The most important thing for me is that the rifle fit me.

Exactly. Fit is much more important than action type. For thick cover whitetails I want a rifle that handles like a good bird gun.

Jeff

I'm now using a single shot 1885 cut to 22" barrel with a 1x4 scope to find openings in the heavy stuff. The 45-70 works very well.Remember that even a 45-70 can be deflected by brush !

Single shot Encore 209-50. I am in shotgun only country where a MZ is legal. I am much more comfortable knowing I can place one good shot in a deer that doesn't know I'm there.

Lee

I hunt in some pretty thick stuff and I've used all of them. I suppose a lever action is the most handy for me. I bought a 7600 but I didn't like the safety operation since I am left handed.

I like using my Ruger #1 in 7x57 mauser in the thickets too. Sometimes it's thick enough you are only going to get one shot so the second shot speed isn't an issue.

quote:

Wanted ask your opinions on best actions for heavy cover rifles for Eastern Whitetails. Assume maximum of 100 yard range.

Almost any action type will work in really thick stuff as you usually will not be able to take a second shot even if you need one. If you use jacketed bullets they should be of a type that will open quickly for quick kills yet hold together for complete penetration for easier tracking. My favorite place in the world is a nice little woods where 50 yards is a long shot and fifty foot shots are common. Over the years I have taken whitetail from these woods using 243 and 30'06 bolt actions, a 45/70 lever action, 45 Colt & 44 magnum revolvers, a 357 magnum single-shot pistol, .62 & .54 caliber flintlocks, and compound bows. All work fine if you put your bullet, ball, or arrow in the right spot. Good hunting!

12 Gauge, In the Magizine I would have. Slug/000 Buck/Slug

The action would be either a Remington 870 or an 11-87.

Always has Solved my Problems.

I am in the west. Alberta, Canada, but I mostly hunt deer moose elk and bear in the "bush". I have been using a sav. 99 in .300 sav. a lot lately. I have a Rem. 7600 in .35 whelen that I pack when i really have moose or elk on the menu. (but muy last moose I shot with the .300 sav.) I called in and shot two wolves last year. Hit the farthes one then swung over to the close one (40 yards) and killed it. Had to empty my gun at the first one as he tryed to mke it to the forest. Killed him on the 6th shot. Glad I had a lever gun with a big shell capacity that day.

I know we all like to make the first shot count and accurate shooting is preferable to getting lots of lead in the air in a hurry but sometimes you gotta play the cards you was delt.

Robin

P.S. I just looked at the pole results. Can't believe anyone would vote for single shot. They do not understand the question or they like to handy cap themselves with a tool less suited to the task. A bolt action may be somewhat better than a single but still not a great choice.

Thanks for all of your feedback.

I was wondering if bolt actions had taken over in the thick stuff. Seems like all you ever hear about is bolts. But it is obvious that semis still have a following in the timber, but levers really have a loyal following. As noted fit and feel are most important to make that first shot connect on snap shots. Particularly interesting is the following of the Savage 99. I have only seen a few, but they get lots of superlatives! Might have to scrounge around some gun shops used gun racks!
Thanks again.

Ruger Deerfield Carbine - .44 Magnum.

Duffy4 I have to agree with you on the pole results. If a person had to hunt in the thick woods day in and day out, the action of choice is going to be either a lever or a pump. Autos work too but not as reliable. My 760 carbine points like my 870 shotgun. You just can't beat it if you are in the woods and most likely going to be taking shots at game while there moving as most of my time in the timber is spent still hunting. I think the votes for bolt guns or single shots make no sense and are probably getting votes from folks who have hunted in the woods on occassion and that was the only rifle they had.

In thick cover you will get 1 shot usually.

Single shot can be reloaded fairly quickly.

My second choice would be a Lever action.

You get more than 1 shot in thick cover, believe me. A single shot in the woods is ridiculous if you are trying to be as effective as possible.

I like a pump gun, either a rifle or a 12-ga. with slugs where I hunt. With practice you can shoot just as fast as a semi-auto (really) and the action is simpler. Simplicity is a consideration when cold and snow can help cause jams.

quote:

I think the votes for bolt guns or single shots make no sense and are probably...from folks who have hunted in the woods on occassion and that was the only rifle they had.

Or those votes are from folks who are accustomed to waiting for a clean shot at a motionless deer. Those who hunt crowded public land or run large drives may need to take whatever shot they are offered and that certainly could sway a fella in the direction of a quick firing 30'06. Still it would be interesting to see what percentage of deer drop to the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or 5th shot. Good hunting!

I feel so completely comfortable with a bolt gun, that I use it almost exclusively. It just feels "natural" in my hands.

I say "almost", because last year I shot a deer with my dad's 1954 vintage M94 lever gun for nostalgic reasons, and in some areas we hunt it's shotgun only, so the Ithaca Deerslayer gets used.

But like I said, I'm so comfortable with a bolt gun in my hands that I never feel handicapped by it. I can get follow up shots (accurately) as fast as a lot of guys with other action types, if needed.

Nice to see all of the pics for Lever actions. Although I voted semi-auto, I generally agree with the lever assesment.

I had one particular semi auto in mind, the old Remington "Woodsmaster" model 81. Forget second shots, it is by far the fastest "first" shot action that I own and is an awsome heavy brush rifle.

quote:

Originally posted by duffy4:
P.S. I just looked at the pole results. Can't believe anyone would vote for single shot. They do not understand the question or they like to handy cap themselves with a tool less suited to the task. A bolt action may be somewhat better than a single but still not a great choice.

A single shot is for us confident hunters. There's nothing I hate more than hearing bangbangbangbang on opening day. Chances are the deer's still running after the last shot. If the brush is that thick, one has no business taking a shot at all. If I don't hit the deer on the first shot and can't get a second shot, so what? I'll live. If I don't have a good shot, I won't take it at all. There'll be another deer along.

4x4,

Using your same logic, I'm guessing you only take 1 round into the woods too.

Nor necessarily. Sometimes you can bag more than 1 deer per trip. Might have a problem with the ammo. Might take off your jacket and drop them in the leaves and not know it...I also hunt on occasion with a bolt action.
Listen, I'm not badmouthing other actions, just hunters who like to throw lots of lead in the air carelessly, that's all.

Again, using your logic, the unexpected may happen. Just as you may lose a shell you may pull the trigger with that single shot and not see the tiny branch that's in the way 50 yards down range so you end up missing that buck of a lifetime or that nice fat doe for the freezer. But if you were shooting a lever or pump, you might have been able to make a quick follow up. I'm not for throwing a bunch of lead in the air and I'm not trying to tell you what to hunt with in the woods, we hunt with what we're most comfortable. But all things being equal, a lever or pump is much more practical in the woods than a single shot.

All the above posts give good advice, which shows you that nearly any rifle will work.
However if money is no object, the BEST rifle for the conditions you describe is a scoped Chapuis double rifle in 9,3x74R.

Good points, Prewar. As long as we can bag our deer cleanly and quickly, we can use almost anything that suits us. BTW, my brother would never use a single shot except a muzzleloader, and even those make me a little bit nervous.

In the thick woods a pump gun. Pumping the second bullet in naturally brings the sights back on target --this is a very important fact. It would be nice if we were all one shot specialists but that doesn't always happen in the thick bush. Those who like one shot guns really are probably more used to open hunting like the prairies.

But and it's a big "but " I've hunted the bald assed prairies a lot and shooting at a running deer because that's the only way you get your shots--a pump gun is nice there too. I shoot a 7mm bolt action by the way but I can definately see where a pump is more advantageous.

the chef

[QUOTE]...you may pull the trigger with that single shot and not see the tiny branch that's in the way 50 yards down range so you end up missing that buck of a lifetime or that nice fat doe for the freezer. But if you were shooting a lever or pump, you might have been able to make a quick follow up. I'm not for throwing a bunch of lead in the air...[QUOTE]
If we are going to shoot at running deer then we certainly can make good use of a quick firing repeater that handles like a birdgun, but what then are the "rules of engagement"; do we allow ourselves one followup, or do we shoot as long as the buck is moving, or until we can no longer see him?

Myself, I don't shoot at running deer-I'm not crazy about walking deer, either. I don't get 3-4 a year, but I get my share. I'd rather be 100% sure about the shot, but that's just me.
This year, for example, I had a doe go running past me (@40 yds), followed by a spikebuck (nose to the ground). Neither stopped when I grunted. For all I know, they're still running. The 6 pointer that came by 30 sec later was moving slower, and stopped when I bleated. He's in the freezer. I guess it paid to wait.

The original question was about THE BEST action for 100 yards or less, thick cover, deer hunting (it stated Eastern hunting but close range thick bush deer hunting is similar in many places)

So you may like to use a single shot or a bolt action. It may be a gun you feel comfortable with and have had a lot of success with. But do you really think it is THE BEST action?

I have done most of my hunting with a model 70 bolt gun in .264 win. mag.(24 in. barrel) , wearing a 3 to 9 variable scope. It is a great choice as a plains or mountain rifle for hunting sheep and goats or pronghor and prairie mule deer. But I have used it in the bush for elk, moose, deer and black bear. I would be the first to say that it is no where near THE BEST bush rifle. But I have made do nicely with it. However when I am out with my Sav. 99 in .300 sav. with its 2 to 7 power scope I feel I have something closer to THE BEST in my hands.

If you are out hunting and you hear 1 shot it could be someone with a single shot who connected or missed. If he missed you may not hear another shot. He may not have another opportunity to hit or miss. If you hear 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 shots it is probably someone with a fast repeater and he could be missing or hitting with any of those shots. He has lots of opportunity to connect or reconnect.

Robin

quote:

Originally posted by duffy4:

So you may like to use a single shot or a bolt action. It may be a gun you feel comfortable with and have had a lot of success with. But do you really think it is THE BEST action?

Actually, yes.

There is a *reason* that we "feel comfortable with and have had a lot of success with" our chosen weapons.

My M700 is so completely familiar and comfortable in my hands that I know by memory, subconsciously, exactly how it "feels".

Part of an "action type" has to do with things that are associated with it, like stock design (one piece vs two piece, etc), safety location and operation, sight/scope placement (eye alignment), bolt/lever/pump/etc operation, and the list goes on.

I've seen guys blow shots because they were one day using a tang safety vs the trigger guard safety (shotgun) that they were used to. Their finger went to push the "missing" safety sideways, while their thumb just sat there, all while their "target" was making distance. Same thing happens when somebody tries to "pump" a non-pump gun. You get the idea. Same thing applies to rifles.

To claim that I would be better served by a different action type, which may take a small amount of conscious thought (and time), over one that I use ALL THE TIME, and have complete muscle memory ingrained into my little bean, is crazy. If I use the same action for most everything (obviously wing shooting and the like is different), how can I *NOT* be better, faster, more accurate, and just generally more EFFECTIVE with it?

quote:

If you are out hunting and you hear 1 shot it could be someone with a single shot who connected or missed. If he missed you may not hear another shot. He may not have another opportunity to hit or miss. If you hear 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 shots it is probably someone with a fast repeater and he could be missing or hitting with any of those shots. He has lots of opportunity to connect or reconnect.

The self reporting on the "How many shots taken for number of deer collected?" poll suggest the opposite, but so far none of the folks favoring quick firing repeaters seem to have checked in there unless they are part of the 79% who report getting their deer with the first shot. Good hunting!

For the conditions you describe I haven't found anything better than a lever action 30-30. Another real favorite is a good .44 Mag handgun in the really thick stuff.

mb
Ijust looked at that poll. I don't see how it "suggests the opposite"

A large % of the hunters (77% a while ago) killed 1 deer with 1 shot. They may have been using single shot rifles or bolt or pumps or lever guns. Too bad we didn't know what action types they used. Some people used 2 shots for 1 deer. It would be interesting to know how many of them were using single shots that they were able to reload quickly or bolt actions that they had time to cycle another shell into for the second shot. Those few who took 3 shots and 4 shots for 1 deer, again what were they shooting? Possibely single shots or bolt guns but I think more likely levers or pumps or semis. I would guess (and this was the point I was trying to make in my post above) that a fellow with a single may miss a deer and then not get a second shot and a second chance to kill that deer. If he did get two shots off He would not likely get three. Someone with a lever or pump gun (who was farmiliar with its operation and comfortable with it) would have little difficulty getting 2 or 3 or 4 shots if needed. Best senarrio would be one shot one deer and that is what we all strive for, no matter what action we happen to be using.

A hunter who has a good bolt action he is well practiced with and fits him well may hunt for many years and kill many deer with it and never have a problem with it. It may never "let him down". But if one day he misses or wounds a deer and does not get a second shot off that he would have got off had he had a different faster action, then his bolt let him down and if he had been carring a pump or lever or semi he may have got that deer.

Two things converted me to a faster action fan. Once I missed a BIG white-tail and worked the action on my model 70 as fast as I could but did not quite make it in time for a second shot. Another time I wounded a black bear and had to follow it into some thick stuff. I knew if I came upon him (or if he came upon me) in that "jungle" I would get one shot with my bolt action.

I still hunt with one of my bolt actions at times. And I have a couple muzzleloaders that are single shots I use now and then. But my savage 99 has been getting more and more use because I think it is one of the best actions for close fast work.

Robin

model 7 in 7-08 is what I use. quick handling. never jams and as most eastern hunters know you sometimes need more then one shot. But I voted bolt all the way with a little practice its as quick as a lever.