The “brush rifle” is a generally used time period, nevertheless it’s one which’s poorly understood. A brush rifle ought to be outlined by its dealing with traits—a brief and useful lever motion, pump motion, straight-pull, semi-auto, or a scout-style bolt motion—and the way simple it’s to maneuver and shoot in tight thickets at shut vary. However, many hunters use the time period “brush rifle” synonymously with sure cartridges. Specifically, a cartridge or bullet’s perceived potential to bust by bush and briar to take sport when different rounds would fail.
“They wanted .35 Remington, brush cutters,” says Hugh Schultz one evening at moose camp whereas our dinner slowly sizzled on the small wooden range.
Schultz, who owned a small retailer for a few years in rural Vermont was speaking concerning the deer trackers who purchased ammunition from him. After a few years, his reminiscence of native hunters’ favourite deer rifles and ammunition is as clear as the rationale they selected them. The trackers typically had shut however fleeting shot alternatives, typically in thick brush. But are some bullets actually higher at punching by brush? I made a decision to check 5 completely different looking cartridges and quite a lot of bullet varieties to search out out.
Perceptions About Brush Bullets
But earlier than we get to my check, let’s discuss concerning the origins of brush bullet idea. Most hunters have encountered a state of affairs the place an animal was partially obscured by sticks, brush, or tree limbs. Many of us have blamed our missed or wounded animals on brush or twigs sending our shot astray. That’s the story I’m sticking to on a moose I killed two years in the past. I fired my first shot by a small window in a patch of standing burnt timber, and one in every of my follow-up pictures hit the bull within the antler (I did get better the bull).
It’s frequent for hunters to recommend that heavy-caliber cartridges with gradual, blunt projectiles are the most suitable choice for punching by the comb. This appears logical. The extra mass a projectile has, the more durable it is going to be for one thing to knock it off-course—no less than that’s idea.
I can’t keep in mind the particular story or situation of Outdoor Life, however Jack O’Connor wrote concerning the reasoning for utilizing cartridges just like the .35 Remington within the deer woods of the late 1940’s and early 1950’s. Like these Vermont deer trackers, the typical deer hunter in these days was offered with fleeting pictures in thick cowl—largely due to how people went about looking deer on the time—and the most effective brush bullets would offer you a greater probability at connecting.
Studying the Best Brush Bullets
In the October 1957 situation of Outdoor Life, O’Connor wrote a narrative titled Rifles for the Brush, wherein he wasn’t specializing in the dealing with traits of brush rifles, however the efficiency and deflection-resistance of assorted calibers and bullets. In his many years of looking expertise, O’Connor had various anecdotes to share about taking pictures at sport by brush, and normally it didn’t work out effectively.
O’Connor performed his testing by putting a 100-yard smallbore goal (which has an 8-inch black bullseye) behind 15 toes of brush having branches as much as 1.5 inches thick. The brush was simply open sufficient so he may see the goal by the comb to purpose at it and fired from 30 yards in entrance of the comb (35 yards from the goal). He fired five-shot teams with 12-gauge slugs, a .458 Winchester, .375 H&H, .35 Remington, .30/06, .270 Winchester, and .220 Swift. Published diagrams of his outcomes point out just one group with every load, however O’Connor refers to “a lot of experimental shooting.”
In 2014, Editor Andrew McKean performed one other deflection check, this time taking pictures by brush with .308 Win. and .223 Rem. hundreds, and thru orchard grass with a .25/06 Rem. and the .223 once more. After all, what bullet wouldn’t strike house after going by a little bit of grass? McKean’s checks despatched bullets by 38 yards of willow brush, fired from 12 yards in entrance of the comb. He set a goal in entrance of the comb to purpose at, and one other behind the comb to catch impacts. This means, the deflection on account of brush may be measured precisely. He did the identical with a patch of orchard grass.
Filling within the Blanks on Brush Bullets
Both O’Connor’s and McKean’s brush testing give us worthwhile info, and O’Connor concluded that “factors which contribute to bullet deflection are sharp points, fragile construction, high velocity, unstable form, high rate of spin, and light weight.” Factors which contribute to the reliability of bullets in brush are blunt or flat factors, reasonable velocity, robust building, steady kind, and gradual spin.
Considering that the topic of brush rifles and brush bullets is one which’s mentioned as fervently at this time as ever, I made a decision to conduct a check of my very own. I wished to see if I may confirm what O’Connor present in his testing and acquire information on the most well-liked “brush rifle” cartridge of at this time—the .45/70 Gov’t. Ironically, the .45/70 (which had been round for 84 years already) wasn’t included in O’Connor’s testing and has loved a revival previously couple of many years.
A newcomer that I additionally wished to really feel out was the .350 Legend. Winchester’s modern straight-walled deer cartridge shoots a .355-inch-diameter bullet, and its 180-grain manufacturing facility hundreds are simply barely under the .358-inch-diameter .35 Remington’s 200-grain Core-Lokt hundreds. Considering the word-of-mouth repute of the .35 Remington as a “brush cutter,” I wished to see how the same .350 Legend would do.
Testing Protocol
In my testing, I break up the distinction between the checks of McKean and O’Connor. I arrange a goal body 50 yards from my firing place (goal 1) to offer a constant aiming level and measure the doorway group. I used butcher paper with stick-on targets to attenuate deflection from the goal itself. I positioned a four-by-eight-foot cardboard wall behind 15 yards of brush (goal 2). The brush was on a river sandbar and consisted of reside and lifeless willow and alder, as much as 1.5 inches thick. It was precisely the sort of stuff one may count on to see a moose in right here in Alaska.
I fired two to a few five-shot teams with every load from a .45/70, .375 Ruger, .338 Lapua, .338 Win. Mag., .350 Legend, and 6.5 Creedmoor. I measured teams getting into the primary goal, and on the second goal as effectively. Periodically, I moved the goal barely to offer probably the most constant pictures by un-broken brush. I famous group dimension in addition to bullets that had tumbled and key-holed by the backing goal. I thought of a bullet influence “key-holed” if the opening within the goal was roughly 50 p.c sideways, or extra. A barely yawed bullet may nonetheless ship respectable terminal efficiency, however all bets are off as soon as it actually begins to show sideways. I thought of these impacts failures as a result of their terminal efficiency could be unpredictable.
My first purpose was to see if any of those cartridges or hundreds had been actually viable for an ethically minded hunter to take pictures by the comb. My second purpose was to look at O’Connor’s theories with some modern bullets and cartridges. I wished to see how the identical bullet (a .338-caliber 225-grain Hornady CX on this case) would deflect at completely different velocities—therefore the .338 Lapua vs. .338 Win. Mag. I additionally wished to see if the supposition that blunt-pointed or flat-nosed bullets would deflect much less simply than their streamlined counterparts.
Interpreting Brush Bullet Data
The most essential factor to bear in mind when decoding these outcomes is that each shot taken by brush will produce distinctive outcomes. Even with the 30 teams I fired by the identical patch of brush, no two bullets encountered the identical obstacles in the identical means.
Putting a stable determine on every bullet’s effectiveness by brush would take lots of of teams. Even then, it might include a disclaimer. Unsurprisingly, what I discovered is that it’s best to by no means deliberately shoot by the comb until the animal is already hit, and you could make a follow-up shot. Any bullets may be deflected by nearly any brush—some worse than others. O’Connor and McKean each got here to the identical conclusion, and O’Connor wrote:
“Some bullets are better in brush than others, but all will deflect—even the 300-grain bullet for the .375 Magnum (H&H).”
Brush Bullet Results
O’Connor’s conclusions about what made a bullet roughly more likely to be deflected by brush included velocity, twist-rate, bullet form, weight, and building. To summarize his outcomes, a spherical or flat-nosed bullet that’s heavy and stoutly constructed, fired at reasonable velocity ought to produce the most effective outcomes. On the opposite facet, bullets with increased velocity, lighter weight, extra aerodynamic profiles, and better twist charges ought to deflect extra simply.
Brush Bullet Velocity
From my testing, I concluded that increased velocity may improve deflection, however that velocity alone can not decide if a bullet will deflect to a better or lesser extent. Firing the identical bullet with the identical twist fee at completely different velocities confirmed me that the upper velocity bullet did deflect extra and have a better failure fee. To check this, I fired hand-loaded 225-grain Hornady CX bullets by my .338 Lapua at 3020 fps, in addition to by my .338 Win. Mag. at 2713 fps. Both rifles have a 1:9.3-inch twist fee. The sooner bullets had a median deflection of two.303 inches and 40 p.c of the bullets key-holed (which I rely as failures). The slower .338 Win. Mag. load deflected by just one.236 inches on common, with no key-holes, and just one flyer in 15 pictures.
Although the identical bullet at increased velocity appears to deflect extra, increased velocity doesn’t in-itself imply something when evaluating two completely different projectiles from the identical rifle. In-fact, lighter, sooner projectiles carried out higher for the .45/70, .375 Ruger, .338 Win magazine, and 6.5 Creedmoor than the heavier, slower bullets.
The 300-grain Hornady DGX that I’ve used with nice success on bears at shut vary in my .375 Ruger fared poorly when being slung by this patch of sandbar brush. At 2660 fps, they’d a median deflection of three.38 inches, and a failure fee of 60 p.c. The lighter, sooner Barnes 250-grain TTSX bullets weren’t excellent, however at 2805 fps, they confirmed a deflection of just one.46 inches and an improved failure fee of 40 p.c.
Shaped and constructed just like the 220-grain .30/06 tender factors that O’Connor favored, the Hornady 250-grain Interlock bullets fired at 2615 fps from my .338 Win. Mag. Ruger Guide Gun made an abysmal exhibiting. The bullets will cease a grizzly bear that’s operating at you, however not in the event you’ve received to shoot them by the comb first. These bullets had a median deflection of three.76 inches and failure fee of 60 p.c. As detailed above, the 225-grain CX bullets at 2713 fps did significantly better.
Even the 6.5 Creedmoor displayed higher outcomes with a sooner, lighter bullet. Hand-loaded Hornady 143-grain ELDX bullets at 2670 fps would enter the primary goal in a .452-inch group however scattered to just about 12 inches by 15 yards of brush, with an 80 p.c failure fee. Federal Premium 130-grain Barnes TSX hundreds at 2825 fps deflected much less at 5.228 inches and a barely higher 60 p.c failure fee.
Brush Bullet Shape and Construction
O’Connor discovered by his taking pictures that blunt, spherical, or ideally, flat-nosed bullets would resist deflection higher than pointed, extra aerodynamic bullets. He said that within the .30/06, the 220-grain bullet is extra dependable than the 180-grain or 150-grain pointed bullets. This conclusion wasn’t the case in a lot of my testing, and I surmise that it has every part to do with bullet building. O’Connor stresses the significance of sturdy bullet building as a result of logically, any deformation within the bullet will probably trigger instability. A extremely aerodynamic bullet with good sectional density could be probably the most steady, however deformation can spoil that immediately. On paper, the bullets with the most effective sectional density ought to be probably the most steady (and hardest to deflect). However, the lead-core bullets with increased sectional density nonetheless appear to deform and deflect dramatically.
In 1957, the sturdiest looking bullets had been these heavy, blunt, or flat-nosed specimens he refers to. I consider O’Connor unknowingly hinted on the purpose why my outcomes didn’t replicate his. He refers to some people he’d identified who hunted in brush with full metallic jacketed bullets of assorted calibers. It is smart that an aerodynamic bullet that resists deformation ought to do higher than a soft-point of the identical form—that’s how FMJ bullets are designed. What was the distinction with my testing? Modern mono-metal bullets. In each case that I attempted them, monolithic copper/alloy bullets got here out on high. Bullets just like the Barnes TSX, TTSX, and Hornady CX, in addition to the Lehigh Defense .458 Extreme Defense (Black Hills Honey Badger .45/70) all beat their lead-core counterparts in each deflection and failure fee (key-holing).
I don’t consider that the pointiness of the bullet alone is what causes a few of them to be deflected or destroyed simply as O’Connor noticed. Rather, the truth that spire or spitzer-pointed lead-core bullets merely deformed extra simply than blunt ones—and had been thus less-stable after contact with a department or different vegetation. Modern copper bullets develop reliably, however they aren’t as malleable and liable to deform as lead-core bullets. That’s my idea anyway.
Is the .350 Legend a Brush Cutter?
Stories of the .35 Remington’s repute as a “brush cutter” impressed me to incorporate the .350 Legend on this check. Sure, the .35 Remington out-powers it by a bit in manufacturing facility hundreds, nevertheless it’s shut. O’Connor’s said, “even the round-nosed, heavy, and relatively slow .35 Remington bullet will show a good deal of deflection and evidence of key-holing when shot through the brush.” Was the .35’s repute for brush-busting merely exaggerated?
O’Connor’s diagram exhibits some deflection and a key-holed shot in his check group, and thru an extra 12 yards of brush, the .350 Legend didn’t fare higher. Both Federal Premium Power Shock 180-grain hundreds and Winchester Super X 180-grain hundreds averaged about six inches of deflection, and 60 to 70 p.c of the projectiles key-holed.
The .350 Legend is a useful, correct, and efficient little deer cartridge that definitely is corresponding to the outdated .35 Remington, however the stubby, broad bullets don’t have nice sectional density and are simply turned off-course by brush. I’d guess intensive testing of the .35 Remington would present the identical factor.
What’s the Best Brush Bullet and Cartridge Today? The .45/70 Gov’t
The .45/70 outperformed every part else in penetrating brush and delivering a bullet that’s nonetheless flying straight and true—one thing that can absolutely inflate the egos of its modern followers. I anticipated the .45/70 to yield the most effective outcomes merely due to the mass of the bullets, nevertheless it exceeded my expectations considerably. With intensive sufficient testing another big-bore cartridges may outdo the .45/70, however on the subject of frequent and accessible brush rifles at this time, the .45/70 wins.
The greatest brush bullet in my testing was the 325-grain, .458-inch Lehigh Defense Extreme Defense bullet. It was in Black Hills Ammo’s Honey Badger manufacturing facility hundreds, touring at 1900 fps. These are stable copper machined bullets with a nostril that’s fluted and resembles a Phillips screwdriver. The bullet is designed for zero deformation, and to penetrate deeply. The fluting on the tip is designed to trigger cavitation and a wound channel like increasing bullets. I’ve seen bears shot with them, and they’re formidable. This load had a median deflection of solely 0.63 inches, and not using a single key-holed bullet in 15 complete pictures.
Next greatest was Federal Premium’s Hammerdown 300-grain load. Traveling at 1800 fps, it contains a soft-point, jacketed bullet. Average deflection of this bullet was 1.43 inches, and just one bullet of 15 key-holed by the second goal. They proved to be considerably extra steady than the slower 405-grain LFB hundreds I attempted, which unfold to 2.32 inches with a 15 p.c failure fee.
Final Thoughts on Brush Bullets
Recognizing the impossibility of absolute conclusiveness, O’Connor closed his story with the next:
“So, about all a brush hunter can do is use the most suitable bullet for his rifle, one that’s round or flat-nose, strongly constructed, and moderate in velocity. Even then he should try to pick a hole in the brush. If he can’t, he’d better mutter a small incantation to the Red Gods and hope for the best. Of all the alibis for missing game, the one that blames the brush or deflecting the bullet is still the best I know of.”
Echoing his conclusions in at this time’s world, I’d say that those that hunt in brushy nation ought to think about copper bullets, particularly in larger rifles. Their less-deformable building appears to offer them an edge in comparison with even heavier, blunter lead-core bullets.
Summary of Brush Bullet Deflection
What Helps Make a Better Brush Bullet
- Monometal Construction
- .458-in. Caliber
- Moderate Velocity
What Limits a Brush Bullet
- Fragile Cup and Core Design or tender lead level
- Higher Muzzle Velocity
- Sub .458-in. Bullet Diameter
Brush Bullets in Today’s World
Unlike the mentality of the 1950’s, I’d urge you to carry your self to a better commonplace than to only shoot and hope. If you’re looking with something within the realm of regular deer calibers, by no means take your first shot by brush or grass of any sort. The probability of deflection and wounding is just too excessive. Wait for a greater shot, even when it’d imply the animal will get away. Certainly by no means do it with a 6.5 Creedmoor.
If I had been looking brush thickets the place fleeting and obscured pictures had been frequent at shut vary, I’d really feel comparatively comfy with the .45/70 and the precise ammo primarily based on what I’ve seen. Should I nonetheless watch for the most effective alternative potential? Yes. But the .45/70 does present a stage of forgiveness if brush is encountered, and a significantly better probability of connecting on a follow-up shot by the wicker. Nothing else in my testing got here shut.
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