308 vs 30.06 for brush

I'd consider a rifled 12ga if I were you. A pump with iron sights will allow you to get quick shots off if need be and at 75 yards their as deadly if not more then most rifles.
 
ell, I have 30-06 rifles and I have .308 rifles and I have hunted some pretty thick cover with both. Some seriously open country as well. Many many long years ago when I could only afford one rifle I hunted the rain forest of Northwestern California. So of that stuff was so thick if a deer ran as much as 25 yards odds are you'd never find it and that's no joke. :( My rifle at the time as a bubba'd 1903 Springfield and I loaded my ammo with an old Lyman tong tool and dipper. I forget what the charge was but the bullet usually was a 170 gr. Siera flay nose for the 30-30 and I'm guessing the velocity was maybe 2500 FPS. Barrle was chopped off at 19" give or tale, long enough to be legal anyway and recrowned with a brass screw and valve grinding compound. Those loads tore up a lot of meat on those Blacktail Deer but at least I got the deer.
That was then and this is now. I have two rifles specifically for any brush hunting I do, a Ruger M77 RSI and a Remington M660 (Substitute a Remington M7 in it's place.) bothe chambered to the .308. The M77 has an 18.5" barrel and will spit out a 165 gr. Speer Hot Core at 2550 FPS with the load it likes best. It's take big western Mule Deer from 6 feet to 250 yards laser measured. Scope is a 1.5x6X Simmons Whitetail soon to be upgrade with a Leupold 2x7X. The Remington has a 20" barrel and pushes the 150 gr. Sierra Pro-Hunter to about 2600 FPS and the 180 gr. Sierra Pro-Hunter round nose to about 2450 FPS. I've taken deer with that one at 15 feet to 427 paces. Sorry, no rangefinders available back in 1973.
I would not mind having a Ruger RSI chambered to the .358 Win. as a brush gun or a Remmy M7 in that cartridge. Browning makes the BLR in .358 and the one I have is quite accurate. I plan on using it on close to maybe 200yard shots on hogs. Be a good one for you shot at deer.
Contrary to popular opinion, I do not consider the .35 Whelen to be a short to medium range brush gun but a serious firearm capable of taking game to 400 yards fairly easily. I took this years elk at 350 yards FWIW with my .35 Whelen. She was spooky and I absolutely could not get closer.
Paul B.
 
308 vs 30.06 brush update

Thanks for the help, I am liking the 308 the more I hear about it. I caught the gun bug so now I need to go buy one. :D I already have a gun in mind its a Baikal combo gun, it comes in 12ga over .223, 30.06, 308 and some others but not interested in those... the barrels are all 19.7 inches long and surprisingly all weigh about the same. Like I said I want to be able to shoot about anything with the gun. I know it sounds kinda crazy to a lot of people but I want to start harvesting all of my own meat and I really think that this could be the gun to get me on my way. I know the manufacture and do like their product. All I need to know is what caliber do you all think would best suit my needs. Its very hilly where I live and the woods are quit thick. Thank you all very much.
 
My current "brush gun" is a Rem. 700 (youth carbine with a full sized stock) 20" in .308. A fraction of an inch shorter and a few ounces lighter than the same in 30/06(which would have to be customized be exactly the same). It isn't much better for it's purpose than it's predecessor-a custom Mauser 98 with 21" barrel in 30/06-just a little lighter and easier to carry.
Considering the ranges where shots are typically taken with a "brush gun", the difference in power between 30/06 and .308 are irrelevant.
 
Remington model 7 in 7mm 08 with a good 50mm 4x scope. Most of my shots are under 100 yards and it has killed everything my 06 ever has just as quickly with less recoil in a smaller package.
 
75 yard shots or less in brush.
Click to expand...

IMO. I like my 300 Savage for those times. A little less speed than a 308 and the 06. But still a good rifle caliber for brush I think. As far as the 06 or 308 for 75 yards shots. Either is more than sufficient to get the job done. (In and out of brush area's.)
 
How bout the savage hog hunter in .308 it comes with iron sights and a threaded barrel and the best part it can be found for under 500 dollars
 
The .308 would have the potential to be about 1" shorter. Other than that, no difference in the brush.
There is no bullet that will "bust brush" but there definitely are some who will not even "bust twigs." Example, a .30-30 170 grain will probably hit a 1/4" branch 15 feet in front of the deer and still hit the deer. A .257 WBY 90 grain will probably rain pieces of jacket onto but mostly around the deer.
 
When you say "I am not going to reload", are you saying "I will not take a second shot" or "I do not reassemble my own ammunition" ?
 
Here in my home state of Pennsylvania, Remington pump action rifles in 30-06 are very common. A little overpowered for deer but just right for big bears. Yet the slide action type is not for every hunter.

Browning still makes their lever action in .308 and other offerings, too. This action is truly a bolt action operated by a lever. A very impressive modern design! The rifle has a handy box magazine. I suggest that you handle a BLR and see if its right for you.

Jack
 
I will not be reloading the bullets. I will be using the factory rounds.

That was what I thought you meant. Thanks for clarifying.

Seems that .308 would be easily enough power at your intended range for your intended game, and .30-06 more than enough. Then the debate becomes "how much more than enough is too much?", and that seems to start quite a few arguments which have been had elsewhere.
 
Overthinking this very topic, a couple of years ago I bought a Remington pump in .308. It was the 7600P (for Police) variant with a 16.5 inch barrel. It is short and handy and handles well in the brush. After shooting a couple of whitetails at 20-40 yards, it made too much of a mess and wasted too much meat. The muzzle blast would cook any deer you shot at close range and jangle your nerves.

I went back to a Marlin 30-30 loaded with cast bullets. If the loading gate of a lever action doesn't work for you, I cannot imagine a gun that would work better for you than a Handi-rifle single shot in 30-30.

Someone who has apparently been hanging around gun shops too long suggested that a 30-30 was not accurate or flat shooting at 75 years. If you have ever shot a 30-30 and actually killed a deer with one at up to 200 yards, you would be very comfortable having that as your 'one' rifle for deer hunting. with a single shot you can shoot ballistic tip or SST bullets at velocities that make the 30-30 a 300 yard gun.
 
.308 is my favorite cartridge, but I always take my .35 or .450 Marlin into the brush.

Too bad you didnt like the 30-30, that was perfect!

I have a Ruger Gunsite Scout, and its a sweet gun. You may want to look into it.

That being said, nothing shoulders and feels better than a Marlin in the woods!
 
Henry's .30-30 is a tube fed lever without the loading gate.

A nice arrangement and on my shortlist.
 
When I think of a Brush gun I think the 444 or 45-70 Govt or 450 marlin or 458 socom

You want some thing short and light that shoots big fat heavy bullets.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top