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

I think any real difference between a light lever or light bolt is going to be more personal than anything, as far as it's use as a brush rifle goes.

I have experience with a some of each kind of rifle (Winchester 94, Browning 92, Rossi 92 compared to and Rem 600, Rem 7, LE No 5 Mk 1), and I think they all fit the bill pretty darn well.

I've gone into thick bush with a Rem 600 in .308, following a wounded bear, and I never felt any pangs of wanting a lever action instead, for example.
 
my brush gun is a savage scout 10 in 308 win or ruger 77/44 or even my 870 with short barrel. i like my scout because low power scope, powerful caliber, light but not near as light as my 44, and has backup iron sights. everything i need to go into the brush! i myself am not a fan of levers, but i do LOVE my rossi ranch hand. that thing is a bute.
 
I love a lever gun but currently only own one in 22lr (9422). However I've long preferred a pump 12ga for brush work and still do but now I have a double rifle in 4570. Around 7lbs and balances beautiful with a 2.5x20 scope. Should be great in the bush. Nice and short and very fast to bring up. The crosshairs come to target without any effort
 
Freyr_255 said:
Rossi M92 in 454 casull. 5lbs. Feels like a toy.
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X2 except mines an original in 44-40.

I've tried them all, semis, bolts, shotguns, pump rifles. I keep going back to lever guns. I think a lot has to do with how thick it is where you hunt, but there is more to it.
I'm not going to try to put it into words, because I don't think I can. Lever guns work, the cartridges they are offered in are completely adequate for the ranges I hunt, and I like them.
 
Mike Webb said:
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.
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Well what I was comparing the 308 to 30/30 with identical bullet weights. The compared performance of the 30/30 (energy and ballistics) ARE anemic in this case.

I am not disputing the fact that the 30/30 has taken plenty of game in the last 100 years, in fact I hold it to a very high esteem. Just not as high as my 308 bush rifle. :D:D
 
My first brush gun was my father's Stevens model 325. .30-30 in a bolt action. Not as fast to cycle as a lever, but my first buck dropping 20 yards away after I shot him is testament to its stopping power.
 
I've never found that a lever gun was signifigantly faster to operate than a slick, well polished mauser. Remember we're talking about aimed shots here, not the opening credits of The Rifleman with a tricked out Win 92. Or maybe I'm just a slow lever user.
 
I've preferred bolt guns to any others right from the get go, but I do like the idea of a light easy to carry lever action. If one was to compare for example, a big bore bolt gun to a 95 Marlin, or to an 86, 71, or 95 Winchester, it becomes quite obvious which would be easier to carry all day, due the the width of the typical bolt gun, even if length and weight are similar.

I agree with 9.3 though, when shooting rifles of significant recoil, a bolt gun, in its better examples, gives up nothing in speed to any other action, if the guy operating it is any good. You still have to recover from the recoil, and reacquire your target before you can shoot again.
 
I switched from a big bore lever to a Sako Finnlight in .270 and never looked back.
Accuracy, quality and fit were the most important factors for me. I also like to carry a Ruger No.1 and concentrate on one shot vs cranking out a volley of lead.
Some day if I ever win the lottery I'd buy a Blaser K95 for the bush.
 
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Around here I can expect to surprise black bears and occasional grizzlies at single digit ranges in thick brush, to say nothing of following up on a bear or moose in the bush after the first shot. I can also expect to stand on a rise and have a shot on a standing animal up the 250yds on a regular basis. 30-30 hits a little light, 45-70 would need significant holdover a 250yds. 308 and up are my options. The Browning BLR is an option, but not inexpensive. Caliber choices are limited in levers.
 
meatsticks said:
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!)
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I just brought home a BLR 81 LT WT, 308, in laminate stainless.
 
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I like my model 94 30-30 for a bush gun, its light and quick for follow up shots. Also a favorite of mine for a bush gun is my model 100 in 308 win. I use my bolt guns for more open longer range stuff.
 
If the brush was ridiculously thick, I would use my Browning Model 1886 carbine loaded with 500 grain cast bullets moving at 1,400 fps and try my best to aim between the branches. Deflection of a bullet has two factors: momentum (due to forward momentum) and stability (which is due to angular momentum). For angular momentum, you want the biggest diameter bullet you have on hand. For forward momentum, it is a function of weight times velocity. A 500 grain 45-70 bullet at 1,400 fps has a lot of momentum if you compare it with a 375 H&H or a 7 Rem Mag. Here's the formula:

bullet weight (grains) x velocity (fps) divided by 7,000.

The 7,000 is to convert the grains into pounds.
 
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