Brush guns: did you trade your lever for a bolt action?

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philthygeezer

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Lately I've been thinking that a lightweight bolt action may offer advantages over a lever action for a short range bush rifle. They seem to be built more ruggedly, can be lighter weight than your average seven pound Marlin .30-30 and seem to work better when mounting a low powered scope or a red dot sight. A short action .308 or 7mm-08 with a 1-4x scope might be an easier gun to live with than a peep-sighted .30-30 or .45-70.

Sacrilege?

What are your thoughts?
 
Had a few 'brush" rifles in the past like a Win. 954 .356 and a Savage 99A .250, and a Savage 24 in .357max/20ga.

My current brush rifles are kinda 3 opposite extremes, a Rossi M92 .357 in Stainless steel with Lyman receiver sight, and a Brno 22F full stock carbine 7x57 with Leupold 2.5X, and a Sauer drilling in 16x16/8x57JR.
 
Switched from a marlin 30-30 to a Parker hale carbine 30-06. I would still use the 30-30 if in tighter bush, but find myself hunting in lots of hills mostly.
 
I have two main "brush" guns, a 9.3x62 and a 375 H+H with CRF 98 type actions and barrels under 23". There's large things that go bump in the brush up here...had a 450 marlin guide gun, sold it to a coworker, miss it though
 
Savage 111, 338 WM 20" barrel with a 1 1/2 x Bushnell Weaver bases QR Warne rings Ghost ring rear front post, Savage 11 in 7 08 looking for a 1x4 or 2x7, Cooey 30-06, 20" barrel 4x Weaver, Rossi 92 in 44 mag with a Skinner barrel mount sight. But I also still like my 1895 45-70 and my 94 in 30 30. Rifles do not get jealous you are allowed to play around.
 
A lever 30/30 is faster than a bolt 308. The 30/30 in a 150 grain is utterly anemic compared to the load option selection available for 150 gr in 308.

The 125 grainer in 30/30 is a pretty good little round, but again, is a little anemic when compared to others.

But....nothing compares to the balance of the 30/30.

This is going to sound like a cop-out....but I use both. Whatever turns my crank at the moment I decide to venture into the woods. :D:D
 
I would never get rid of my very old Marlin for brush hunting with my old Bushnell 3-9x40mm. It's helped me get 4 bucks, a doe, and a calf moose, and it's fairly accurate considering the age and caliber. Just bought a 300 win mag to look after the long shots and bigger game like elk and adult moose.
 
Browning Lever Rifle. Choose your caliber, easy to run an RDS or scope if you like, detachable magazine, generally accurate, fairly handy and fast! Problem solved! No need for a pesky boltgun ( I kid, I love bolts as well, but for heavy bush and mixed open terrain, I haven't found a better option!)
 
i have used 30-30 lever rifles for years in the bush, i just traded for a ruger 77/44 and will never look back, it is by far the lightest rifle i have ever own and smallest, with a 240gr bullet it is a perfect little deer rifle
 
I didnt trade but i definatley grab the 35 with 2-7x for stalking the thick shiit or known as 'brush'
the 375wcf still has its day but im going to trade it soon i think.


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sobo4303 said:
A lever 30/30 is faster than a bolt 308. The 30/30 in a 150 grain is utterly anemic compared to the load option selection available for 150 gr in 308.

The 125 grainer in 30/30 is a pretty good little round, but again, is a little anemic when compared to others.

But....nothing compares to the balance of the 30/30.

This is going to sound like a cop-out....but I use both. Whatever turns my crank at the moment I decide to venture into the woods. :D:D
Click to expand...

Nothing "anemic" about the 150 or 170 grain loads for deer in the woods. It's been making them dead for over 100 years with no signs of stopping. The 125 load is the answer to a quetion that nobody asked. To me there isn't much better for deer in the brush than a .30/30 class cartridge in a short, light lever gun. As you said, balance is great, lightweight, fast to reload and more than adequate power for deer, black bear. You don't need a sledgehammer to drive a tack.
 
Only have one lever gun and it is a 243, not really a brush gun, but my bolt action 45/70 is, true, it only holds 3 shots, but cast 500 grain bullets at 1900 fps are kind of intense. I do not want to find out, but I expect that one to the chest would stop a bear at 8'.
 
All hail the King

Model660.ashx


18 1/2 inch barrel...
Overview:
Description: Bolt Action Rifle


Introduction Year: 1968


Year Discontinued: 1971


Total Production: Approximately: 50,536


Designer/Inventor: Research & Development


Action Type: Bolt Action


Caliber/Gauge: .222 Remington, .223 Remington, .243 Win., 6mm Remington, 6.5mm Remington Magnum .308 Win, .350 Remington Magnum


Serial Number Blocks: Starting: N/A
Ending: N/A


# of Grades Offered: N/A


Variations: 660 Carbine
660 Magnum Carbine
 
I recently bought a cut down m'96 with a peep sight to be my bad weather/pushing through heavy bush gun. I'll use it mostly for hunting at short range in conditions where I won't shoot very far - in heavy bush I'd probably prefer a bigger diameter bullet, but I think this gun will do me for some quite often-encountered situations.

RG

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I use a Borto Hiker (410 shotgun) I'm not hunting and 1 shot is good enough if not use it as a club.
 
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