Ideal Bush gun

Troy1760

Troy1760

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62.4540° N, 114.3718° W
Hey all, looking for some help to choose a bush gun for this years deer season. I have a bolt action 30-06, but looking to share the bush push with a semi auto.
I would like the following characteristics and functionality.

Non restricted
Semi Auto
7.62 caliber (308/7.62 x 39, or similar)
Accurate (not needed to be a tact driver, this will be a shoulder gun most of the time)
Effective to 200 (most shots will be in bush, so 200 would be max)
Some aftermarket help (ie rails or mounts for optics)
Avaialble mags (price not an issue, as i will only need 2, maybe 3 tops)
Light enough to haul around bush
18.5" barrel (to keep NR and still be short enough in the trees)

I have though of some, M305, Mini 30, Vz58, and the SKS. What else is out there. And what is reliable (will take rain and dirty and still go bang) with hunting ammo, i may plink with this, but for the most part, it will be a bush hunting gun 90% of the time.

interested in your thoughts and choices you have made in this same style dilemma.

Thanks in advance
 
Lee Enfield sporterized (303) You can pick these up for about $150. Add a scope. it's, bolt, but cheap and also cheap to shoot. . Ammo is still $21.00 for soft point.
 
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if you are going to be in the bush I would go for a little rugger 44 mag auto ,,but you want something with a little more ummph a Remington auto in a 308 carbon would fit the bill and does that every year in the deer woods I see thy have some after market goodys for them now ,,,I am sure there are a lot of other choices and I am not up on the milsurps ,the beneli r1 seems to be a hit now adays ..D
 
Lift some weights - M14 with iron sights? Perhaps an AIA M10 mag...

Either that or a Garand.

Personally - .45-70 Gov lever. You can shoot through trees that way. Don't need semi-auto.
 
lever action in some caliber of your choice??? That would be my suggestion....I have 2 Winchester model 94's in 30-30win kinda the king of the brush guns at one time. fast, light, reliable and minute of whitetail accurate.
 
I like my little Zastava m85 in 7.62x39 but it is not a semi auto.

R1's are very cool, but I think my preference would go to a .308 BAR.
 
I use a Garand with a sporterized stock made of black polymer. Super light and a good shot with irons, I dont use a scope because its difficult to mount one, then again Ive never felt the need to add one either.

The M305 is like hauling a bag of rocks around with you, I leave mine at home.
 
Trotter said:
Lee Enfield sporterized (303) You can pick these up for about $150. Add a scope. it's, a semi, and it cheap and also cheap to shoot. . Ammo is still $21.00 for soft point.
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I am not to sure about them being a semi ,,,,,,thy be bolt actions ..,thy do make a good bush gun for guys that do not want to spend a ton of cash on a rifle thy may only use one week a year ,,,,but thy are not semis ..D
 
Stick with a bolt IMO, but one tailored for the bush. I use a pair of Ruger M77 MKII Frontier's in .308 and .358 with their 16.5" barrels... but also like the M77 MKII RSI's with 18.5" barrels... I have a new RSI .358 conversion project underway, so the Frontiers may be looking for a new home soon.

Frontier's are the top two with a 77/44 on bottom;



M77 MKII RSI's;

 
Go with a lever in .30/30 or try and find an old rem 760 pump carbine in .308.Sounds like you might be waiting for someone to recommend or endorse an sks but,hopefully, nobody will.


Edit: forgot about the mini 30 in 7.62x39 but still wouldn't recommend it.
 
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SKS, cheap to buy, cheap to shoot, accurate enough. And you could run it over with your truck pick it u and it would still function.
 
The challenge with semi-auto's is - I always worry about having a round chambered with the safety on. That's why a lever with a round chambered at half-#### seems to make sense.

In past years, I have use my M48BO with S&B 196gr at the ready. I trust the safeties on Mausers - not on Lee Enfields.
 
NaviDave said:
The challenge with semi-auto's is - I always worry about having a round chambered with the safety on. That's why a lever with a round chambered at half-#### seems to make sense.

In past years, I have use my M48BO with S&B 196gr at the ready. I trust the safeties on Mausers - not on Lee Enfields.
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I run my SKS with it loaded but the charge handle back, because I don't trust the safety. So all I need to do is slap the charge handle and its rock and roll time.
 
marlin 336, browning blr, rem 7600 in carbine if you can find one. hoyt cannons m77's look pretty nice too. If semi auto is your choice a Browning BAR in .308 would be sweet. The whitetail tracking bros. out of Vermont (forget their name) all use Rem 7600 pumps
these are what pop into my head when someone says brush gun..... almost forgot Savage 99 lever in 300 savage, that's a classic brush gun too!
 
hoytcanon said:
Stick with a bolt IMO, but one tailored for the bush. I use a pair of Ruger M77 MKII Frontier's in .308 and .358 with their 16.5" barrels... but also like the M77 MKII RSI's with 18.5" barrels... I have a new RSI .358 conversion project underway, so the Frontiers may be looking for a new home soon.

Frontier's are the top two with a 77/44 on bottom;



M77 MKII RSI's;

Click to expand...

My pet " bush rifle " is also a 16.5" 358 Frontier but in a plain old Ruger synthetic stock.
Mine wears a 1.5X5 Leupold over the receiver and is far more accurate than I expected.
However I just wasn't comfortable with the scout scope concept..
 
hoytcanon said:
Stick with a bolt IMO, but one tailored for the bush. I use a pair of Ruger M77 MKII Frontier's in .308 and .358 with their 16.5" barrels... but also like the M77 MKII RSI's with 18.5" barrels... I have a new RSI .358 conversion project underway, so the Frontiers may be looking for a new home soon.

Frontier's are the top two with a 77/44 on bottom;



M77 MKII RSI's;

Click to expand...

Nice guns, I have a 30-06 with a 22" barrel. I like the bolt action, but im looking for a semi incase i get the need to fire a second round fast without loosing sight of game. Also, question about the 16.5" barrels, i thought shortest NR had to be 18.5, or is that just for semi? please clarify as this opens up my idea fro what i want.
 
nomad 68 said:
Go with a lever in .30/30 or try and find an old rem 760 pump carbine in .308.Sounds like you might be waiting for someone to recommend or endorse an sks but,hopefully, nobody will.
Click to expand...

I know alot of guys like the SKS, aside from being cheap, i dont like them and dont like the feel. I put it up there as it would be a last resort because of the way they feel when i shoulder them, its just not my thing. I would definitely have to find an aftermarket stock to start to like the sks. No offence to all the sks lovers, but i just dont like them that much.
 
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