Best Bush Caliber
- Thread starter snowsniper8
- Start date
well for deer up to 100 yds you cant go past the 7.62x39 .. ammo is cheap, can get a nice CZ carbine chambered for it.. ( bolt action i mean.. there is also the CZ858 )
if you want small game as well though.. well.. whole other kettle of fish
if you want small game as well though.. well.. whole other kettle of fish
bluegrizz77
CGN Regular
- Location
- Fort Mcmurray T9K2K7
A short lever 45/70, lever 30-30 or good old 303 brit, always good brush guns.
Northman999
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Southern Yukon
If you have access to reloading gear or reload yourself then any rifle you personally like will do the job. Subsonic loads, as demonstrated by Boomer, are just fine for small game, while full powered loads will take your deer.
As others mentioned, a handy, lever action 30-30, with appropriate loads for small and large game, sounds basically ideal for this situation. And they are common and inexpensive, as far as rifles go.
As others mentioned, a handy, lever action 30-30, with appropriate loads for small and large game, sounds basically ideal for this situation. And they are common and inexpensive, as far as rifles go.
Northman999
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Southern Yukon
Yes, this too.
I know two fellows up here who shot everything except wood bison with their 44 magnums (One ruger Deerfield and one Browning B92). Just load accordingly.
Ardent
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Not enough I'm afraid janesy, even my .375 H&H was deflected far off course by a stubborn Treebuck
Ardent in Africa said:
- Location
- Saskatchewan
Several posters have advised shooting through brush. Don't do it if you can help it! Any bullet can behave erratically if it hits even a small twig. Some can pass through a big branch with little or no deflection, but the next can be deflected at a 45° angle by something smaller than a pencil. The 30-30 is a wonderful and efficient close range deer round, and the 35 whelen is a powerful killer of big critters, but neither them nor anything else will reliably and consistently shoot through brush accurately.
Iron sights are OK for the ranges you will hunt, but a good clear low powered scope will assist you to find a hole in the brush to aim though, which is my advice.
Iron sights are OK for the ranges you will hunt, but a good clear low powered scope will assist you to find a hole in the brush to aim though, which is my advice.
Last edited:
- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
Why on earth would you shoot a grouse in the breast with a rifle
Maybe I've been doing it wrong for 40+ yrs but a head shot is much less destructive!
With the low velocity ammo, my shots hit a tad low, yet the breast was not damaged in either case. With a full powered round, a head shot would have been possible, but an inadvertent body shot would mean feather soup. Range was about 75 yards IIRC and the rifle wore a 2X EER scope.
No such thing as a gun that shoots through brush accurately.Obviously heavy projectiles will deflect less and carry further.Mostly an old wive's tale when "high velocity "cartridges showed up on the scene....shooting between the trees kills game only if they're hit........JMO
So many bad advice in here. The original poster made it clear what the rifle should take and at what ranges.
30-30 is good for deer but not really good for small game. Neither is anything bigger.
Shotguns with interchangeable barrels? Really? Can you ask the rabbit to wait for you to change the barrel?
I stand by my choice: 357mag rifle. Either a lever or the new Ruger 77/357 (when it becomes available in Canada - this spring as I've been told)
30-30 is good for deer but not really good for small game. Neither is anything bigger.
Shotguns with interchangeable barrels? Really? Can you ask the rabbit to wait for you to change the barrel?
I stand by my choice: 357mag rifle. Either a lever or the new Ruger 77/357 (when it becomes available in Canada - this spring as I've been told)
canadaman30
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Far from the City
Rem750 carbine 30-06 no scope, for me....I LIKE 
Well, I'll chime in as well: Most centrefire rifles will "take" deer, but using some of the smaller (22) caliber rounds may not be ethical (or in fact legal, depending where you are) for that purpose. Larger calibers will have enough energy to take a deer, but may totally mutilate small game (depends what you mean by "small game," I suppose.. .) At the same time, a firearm that only fires a single projectile eliminates getting a meal "on the fly," ie. flying upland game birds in the "bush."
So, in my humble opinion, there is no single "caliber" (or gauge) that will do what you ask. If hunting, I would take a 308Win rifle, and a 12 gauge shotgun to cover the range of game you propose. If simply wanting to be prepared out in the bush, I'd personally take my old 12G/222Rem combo, and carry a range of shells (slug, buckshot, and birdshot) as well as a handful of 222 rounds.
Any 30-30 you like the looks and feel of wiill serve you very well. Just don't "body shoot" the bunnies and grouse.
Otherwise, If you are talking 50 or so yds or less - 410/22 over under. Best of all worlds with slugs for deer, and 22 or birdshot for everything else.
Otherwise, If you are talking 50 or so yds or less - 410/22 over under. Best of all worlds with slugs for deer, and 22 or birdshot for everything else.
My 7600 carbine in 35whelen topped w/ vx3 20mm fits the bill perfectly!
You really love that thing, eh?
I'm prefer a rifle to a shotgun myself. A good centerfire rifle is the best choice for big game, and with reduced loads is good for small game. If you use a cast bullet or an inexpensive pointed jacketed bullet at around 1200 fps, it doesn't expand and the small stuff looks like it was shot with a .22. A reduced rifle load makes less noise and kicks less than field loads in a 12 ga.
Recovered low velocity rifle bullets, .375/270 Interlocks
The .375 Ultra as a ptarmigan gun
Small wounds, zero damage to breast meat
Why on earth would you shoot a grouse in the breast with a rifle
Maybe I've been doing it wrong for 40+ yrs but a head shot is much less destructive!
If you go back and see he beginning of this post and then his see the pictures you will see the method to HIS madness...it works for him. Them Ptarmigan can be huge and thus little damage to the meat with his well placed shot.Granted the ones shown appear about the size of spruce grouse.
Tight Groups,
Rob
