You left mine out. I use a Marlin 44 Mag when I still hunt thick woods. Around here you can rarely see more than 50 yds anyway and its light and fast to handle

12 Gauge with Slugs and 000 Buck

Yep, 12 Gauge Winchester Partition Gold Shot gun slugs. Took off the top of a 9 pointer's heart with one this morning.

Rich Elliott

9,3 in either the 9,3x62 or the 9,3x74R.

Works great in the thick.

I've pretty much settled on my 7mm-08 for all of my deer hunting.

To me, there's no such thing as a "brush caliber", so I just use the rifle that feels best in my hands.

I have shot deer with it from about 35 yards out into the "hundreds", all with the same result.

I'm with you, Cold Bore. Whatever will cleanly take a deer at 200 yds will do it at 20. There's no difference.

358 win

quote:

Originally posted by naja302:
358 win

Amen, make mine a 358 also.

I prefer the 358 Winchester. The primary requirement for brush shooting is not to hit the brush but to also be able to shoot fast if necessary. Thus a rifle must fit you and you need to be very familar with it.

Another important requirement is to be able to shoot again.

Finally I have done extensive testing in brush and the more powerful rounds will score better than weak ones. Here the 358 is in the 30-06 and 7mm RM class. The 12 Foster slugs are poor as they break apart and very high velocity bullets blow up also. The .22 LR will not penetrate brush at all.

I pretty much use my 30/06 for everything, Deer Elk, Antelope, Bear, Mountain Goats, Bighorn Sheep etc.... I know an '06 is just vanilla pudding to most folks but it still works for me. If I were invited to come hunt the thick in the east I'd most likely bring the 30/06, even though I own a dozen suitable rifles. If I were sure I'd be shooting 50-75 yards or less I may bring out the old Win 94 30/30........I can almost hear you all groaning as I type this!

Where rifles are permitted I shoot an old Ruger M44 Sporter Carbine (44 Mag) topped with a Leupold VXII 1x-4x scope. Otherwise the gun of choice is a Rem 870 with a 20" smooth bore barrel and open sights.

358 Win!

Antoher vote here for the 358 Winchester!

How about the .356 Winchester in a model 94. I have one and am looking forward to the new Hornady bullets with the "Levereveloution" soft plastic points that will "extend" the range another 50 yards if needed... or make it the practical equal down range to the .358 in a really quick pointing package.

I'll never understand why the .356/Model 94 caliber/rife didn't catch on. If recoil is a problem, it can be loaded to recoil less than a .30/30 and the old 250 grain bullets were about perfect for black bear and even a moose.

Interestingly, and not that I'd recommend it, my rifle will cycle perfectly with .358 brass. It headspaces on the shoulder and the extracter grabs the rim just fine.


I bought a couple hundred of .356 brass a few years ago so I don't need to experiment, not anytime soon, anyway.

Snellstrom:

I am not groaning "as you type this", believe me!

I am 76 and used the 30-06 since I was about 23 for hunting. (I carried it as "US Rifle,Cal.30, M1", also) I shot my first deer with a rifle (I had shot deer with slugs since I was 16) using my father's Savage 99 (30-30) when I was 18. I shot several more deer with that rifle. I have shot a lot of different calibers since those days - but the 30-30 and the 30-06 still remain (for me) the real calibers that "plant" the animal.

quote:

Originally posted by Cold Bore:
I've pretty much settled on my 7mm-08 for all of my deer hunting.

To me, there's no such thing as a "brush caliber", so I just use the rifle that feels best in my hands.

I have shot deer with it from about 35 yards out into the "hundreds", all with the same result.

I have hunted the Southeast for deer all my life since 16 anyway and the 7mm08 is my favorite also. It has never dissappointed me. Another one that has been handy a few times has been my 10 gauge pump with 000 buck.

Hey gerrys375, glad to hear it!
With everyone talking about their .35's, 9.3's, .44's and .45's I could just about imagine the eye rolling and groaning at the mere mention of the "vanilla pudding" 30/06 and 30/30 I brought up.
I've shot a lot of deer with a 30/30 and a lot of animals deer included with an '06 and an even greater number of deer with a 22/250 in the western Oregon brush.
The poor old 30/30 doesn't ever get enough credit and is so capable. I would even take mine on an elk hunt if I was only hunting the thick and new my shots would be under 50-75 yards but where I hunt the shots can be 30 yards to the end of my ethical shooting ability, 450 yards and so I use the 30/06. I must admit on deer I feel like the 30/06 is way over kill when they are under 100 yards, just puts them down smack!

I started with a TC .243 went up to a Remington 30-06 then a Remington 7mm Rem Mag now using a Remington 300 Win Mag for close or far shots. I also carry a Ruger SP101 357 Mag for really close shots.

35 whelen

I have to cast a vote for my old 348 Winchester in a M-71 with a 2.75 power Redfield scope (on a side mount due to the vertical ejection of the shells.) This does allow immediate use of the open sights although the scope placement is a little ackward.

This has been an excellent deer rifle in the heavy northern Michigan woods and also worked well on black bear and moose in Canada.

Buffalo Bore Ammo is again loading 250 grain bullets aiding in its use on larger than deer-sized game.

I prefer a .270/.284 for most of my deer hunting whether up close or far away. I have not seen any advantage to using a larger diameter/heavier bullet on deer sized game. That being said, I'm a rifle nut and hunt with a variety of calibers throughout the season including .300 mags and .35 cals (Whelen & Win). They all are devastating on deer, but .270s/.284s do it with less recoil.

-Lou

.358 win in a Browning BLR, two large holes for a nice blood trail in the thick stuff

Everything listed will work.

But nothing works better (splitting hairs) in my opinion for heavy cover close shots than a bigger diameter bullet.

I have been fairly impressed with deer that I have personally shot and witnessed with bigger bore cartridges ie 35 Remington 200gr factory, 350 RM 220 Speer flat point @ 2400fps, 338-06 200gr Horn SP @ 2700fps. You hit them with a bigger diameter bullet and as a hunter you absolutely know what the end result is going to be.

Snellstrom:

It makes an old man real happy that there is another shooter out there (and a Westerner, too!) who hasn't yielded to the propaganda of "Magnum" this and "Magnum" that, in order to shoot deer. (I used to hunt black bear in Ontario and was told by the owner of a lodge I regularly came to that 300 Win. Magnums seemed to zip right through (if not hitting bone) and the bear ran off as if he was untouched. Sometimes the bear was recovered by careful tracking. I was told that the 30-06 and the 303 (A sacred caliber in Canada in those days) regularly planted the bear who rarely went far from the bait after being hit.

BTW, you mention using a 22/250 on deer? That caught my eye. I used to be a 'chuck hunter in my misspent youth and used a 220 Swift (factory load, 48 gr.) It was rumored then that the 220 would kill deer (white tails) but no one ever owned up to even shooting at a white tail in NY with a 220 because it was prohibited by law. (no 22 calibers allowed) Glad to read that you confirm an old suspicion that the 220 would drop deer.

"Now for something completely different!" I use a T/C Contender carbine in either .30-30 or 7-30 Waters. My hunting partner uses either his .30-30 or .35 Rem barrel for Whitetail and for Mule Deer does. They're fast, small, light, and fun. The fun part is the best part...and the strange looks we get at times.

quote:

the 30-30 and the 30-06 still remain (for me) the real calibers that "plant" the animal.

Hard to argue with a lever action 30-30 in the whitetail woods - It has worked for my Grandfather, my Dad, and myself many times. 3 generations of knocking down deer could be taken as a positive thing.

Can't believe no one mentioned the 45/70 or the good old 444 Marlin...

My choice is the 444 Marlin, with a 300 grain XTP.....

But the guys who mentioned a plain old 12 gauge can't be wrong either....

Cheers
seafire

For some time now I have been using A 96 Swedish mauser sporter,It has been compelety redone 20" barrel bell&carlson stock, short & light . the bullet I use is A hornady 160 grain round nose, But by sounds of the other posters I am shooting A light round, Because most are in the 30 to 35 cal. range. But the 6.5x55 works for me, And I like it .

As I read the various replies, I am reminded that I know of no other country where a man can indulge himself in such a variety of quality firearms at prices pretty much anyone can afford. We may not always think of it, but some have paid a dear price so this might be. God bless all who have helped maintain this nation of riflemen! I don't know what my favorite is, I love them all.

Wesattul, with memorial Day just around the corner, your comments couldn't be more timely.

Last night I finished Dick Winter's book Beyond Band Of Brothers, which are his memiors regarding his command of Easy Company, 506th PIR, 101st Airborne drop into Normandy on D Day through the Battle of the Bulge and the wars end. The story of his command of Easy Company is told in Band of Brothers by Stepehn Ambrose and in the HBO special of the same name produced by Tom Hanks & Steven Spielburg. It's an amazing read and Dick Winters is a remarkable American.

I used to hunt in the adirondacks of upstate NY, some of my favorites where 30-30, .308, .35 rem and 45-70. I voted .45 in the poll.

35 Whelen...last year used a Guide Gun in .50
Alaskan.Alittle too tough on the meat.Will
stay with the .35

Winchester Model 1895 in 405 WCF.
Will work even better when I get it back from Z-HAT From having the sights upgraded.