Brush Gun Fact or Fiction?

[TikkaShooter]

Here is an interesting read on the subject:
https://www.theboxotruth.com/the-box-o-truth-40-deflected-bullets-and-the-box-o-truth/
Is the above correct; well, based on a sample of one shooting session it is and there are too many variables to say it is correct. IMO, it would depend on what the bullet hits etc.
When I hunted I believed my 336C in 35 Remington was better in thick brush than other calibers.

 

[Pat Riot]

I grew up (mostly) in Pennsylvania. The “Brush Gun” of choice was the Marlin 336 or the Winchester 94 in 30-30. Lots of folks used the 30-30 lever guns with great success. The same can be said of other rifle and cartridge combinations.

I have always considered the 30-30 to be a cartridge that would handle brush deflection better than spire pointed bullets from cartridges like the 30.06,
Years after I moved out West a friend and I tested this on a cardboard box behind a thicket of sage brush in the desert. All the cartridges fired had some deflection but it seemed the 170 grain 30-30 did a little better on staying true but there was definite deflection. The box was about 10’ behind the sage brush and we were firing at about 50-60 yards. The 30.06, .308 and 270 we tried did seem to deflect a little more but still hit the box. It wasn’t that dramatic of a shift in the bullet path. BUT the .223, 22-250 and .22 LR definitely did not fair well in the sage.

Honestly, I would never shoot an animal without having a clear shot but our little exercise mimicked what the man in the video did. I have photos of our test somewhere but they are photographs, not digital images I could easily post...if I knew where to find them.

This is a great thread. Lots of interesting perspectives.
Happy Thanksgiving

 

[Random 8]

Did a little informal test of my own today. Fired 10 rounds total, 5 each of .300 Sav 150 gr Hot Core, and 7.62X54R 174 Hornady RN, both representative of common deer bullets. Didn't have any heavy for caliber .308s handy, so this was as close as I could get. Target was a Refrigerator box about 5'X3' stood on end and placed behind about 5' of mixed cattails and willow shrubs up to 1/2" in diameter. An orange sticker marked the center of the box and was lined up with the vertical crosshair to center the hold (top of box was visible above the brush). I was only measuring horizontal dispersion. Shots were at 50 yards, box was 8 feet behind the nearest brush.

Of the 10 shots, 9 hit the box with one of the 150s going to parts unknown. Both bullets showed evidence of shedding some jacket/core with some secondary impacts of small pieces. 2 of the 174s showed clear evidence of yaw with an out of round hole, one of those was a near perfect keyhole profile. 3 of the 150s showed similar out of round holes, hard to tell if yaw or partial expansion, but no clear keyholes. Maximum dispersion radius for the 174 was +/- 13.2" from center. Maximum for the 150s was +/-9.4" from center. With a 5 shot sample and one of the 150s crossing the infinity point, I didn't feel an average would be useful.

Although much more testing would be needed to compare whether any caliber or bullet is "less bad" under impact with brush, I think I can safely conclude that any impact with brush is bad when a deer is on the other end.

 

[entropy]

One thing I do know, you can cut down a Christmas tree in the woods with a shotgun.

An M60 does it quite well,also, even with blanks if you get close enough.

 

[d2wing]

An M60 does it quite well,also, even with blanks if you get close enough.

I have heard that, I qualified as expert with the M60, and used it in combat in Vietnam. See my picture to the left. I don 't recall using blanks or shooting at trees for fun. It's been over 50 years now. But I believe it.

 

[d2wing]

Did a little informal test of my own today. Fired 10 rounds total, 5 each of .300 Sav 150 gr Hot Core, and 7.62X54R 174 Hornady RN, both representative of common deer bullets. Didn't have any heavy for caliber .308s handy, so this was as close as I could get. Target was a Refrigerator box about 5'X3' stood on end and placed behind about 5' of mixed cattails and willow shrubs up to 1/2" in diameter. An orange sticker marked the center of the box and was lined up with the vertical crosshair to center the hold (top of box was visible above the brush). I was only measuring horizontal dispersion. Shots were at 50 yards, box was 8 feet behind the nearest brush.

Of the 10 shots, 9 hit the box with one of the 150s going to parts unknown. Both bullets showed evidence of shedding some jacket/core with some secondary impacts of small pieces. 2 of the 174s showed clear evidence of yaw with an out of round hole, one of those was a near perfect keyhole profile. 3 of the 150s showed similar out of round holes, hard to tell if yaw or partial expansion, but no clear keyholes. Maximum dispersion radius for the 174 was +/- 13.2" from center. Maximum for the 150s was +/-9.4" from center. With a 5 shot sample and one of the 150s crossing the infinity point, I didn't feel an average would be useful.

Although much more testing would be needed to compare whether any caliber or bullet is "less bad" under impact with brush, I think I can safely conclude that any impact with brush is bad when a deer is on the other end.

Thanks. This test approximates my real world experience.

 

[d2wing]

Deer hunters shoot other hunters like clockwork every deer season. Anyone that has hunted deer knows that you simply cannot mistake a human for a deer or vise-versa unless your vision is obstructed. The subject in any context of “brush shooting” just seems strange to me - no point was lost.

I agree with what you posted, In my own case and where I hunt I can often clearly see a deer but have to wait for an opening to shoot. Sometimes the opening isn't as open as clear as I like and have hit brush. I have passed on many shots especially this year. But while deer hunters are not hit like clockwork in my state, it has happened. I do agree that a hunter or any shooter should be absolutely positively clear as to the target and background of each shot.

 

[d2wing]

I might add that for you that get to hunt over fields, meadows and other open areas, good for you. I have also. But where I currently hunt in a woods, some shots are open but most are not. The deer like cover. This year the deer refused to come out in the open mainly because a kid was bow hunting in the same woods before firearms season. The perils of hunting on someone else's property