Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Brush deer rifle under $400 what should I look at besides 30-30

I was standing in a small creek. It was a little more open there. if you look ahead in the picture you can see it thickens up.

Yeah, I know. Why was I standing in a creek? I'm like that.

Thanks.... I have thrown far too much money at that gun. But, I got it like I want it now, and it's been knocking the deer down.

There are many good hunting rifles available in the $400 range, especially if you included used.

A .30-30 would be just about perfect for the conditions you describe. I had mine out at the range this last weekend and (with a scope) was able to smack a clay pigeon at 300 yards (I thought it took two shots, my hunting buddy says one) as well as a 10" gong at 600 yards. With the right ammo (Hornady LeverEvolution if you don't handload) a .30-30 makes a good choice for whitetail deer out to about 300 yards.

Any of these would work, especially if using low power scopes, iron or peep/ghost ring sights, red dots, etc. When hunting the thick stuff I just crank the power down to minimum on the variables.

From top to bottom:
Marlin 1895 .45-70, Leupold VX-II 2-7
Marlin 375 .375 Winchester, Leupold M8-4x
Marlin 336CS, Leupold Vari-X II 3-9
Browning B92, .44 Mag



I�ve hunted elk and mulies with all of them, the .44 Mag most often by far. I certainly wouldn�t hesitate to use them for whitetail. The three Marlins are all good to 300 yards but if you want low recoil and ammo costs the .30-30 is the way to go.

The most expensive rifle was the Marlin 375 at $350 in 2001. The most recent and second most expensive purchase, the Marlin .30-30, was $250 in 2005. (The Browning .44 Mag was a gift from Dad and I have no idea what he paid for it. Didn�t cost me a dime. )

Everyone should have at least one good lever action - 94 Winchester, 336 Marlin, 99 Savage - whichever you can find in your price range. Anything in 30-30, 32 Win Spec, 35 Rem, .300 Savage, 44 Mag, 444 Marlin, 375 Win, 356 Win, 308 Win, 308 Marlin Express should be perfect. Will probably be easiest to find a Model 94 Win in 30-30 or a 336 Marlin in 30-30 or 35 Rem.

And take a good look at a Williams receiver sight/peep sight. Much better than factory buckhorns. A low power scope will work, but you don't need one.

My brush guns are a Savage 1899 in 30-30 with a Redfield receiver sight, a Savage 99F in .308 with a 1.5-5x scope, and a Kimber 84M Montana in .308 Win with a 2-7X scope. Took my last deer with the 1921 vintage 30-30 - worked just fine!

What about something like this:

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=299758802

just a thought. fast follow up shot, short bbl. 30-06 ammo will be on sale soon at the "big box" places. Crack in the stock can be taped or wired for your first season to see how you like it. Not sure on these things, but maybe one could even find a replacement butstock and still stay under your budget?

There were a few others around/below $400 on that site too I think.

I used one in S Central MO a number of years back, a loaner from the property owner who got her deer with it. (Not me, I missed, I blame it on the unfamiliar gun!)

Good luck with whatever you end up with. Whatever you do, get SOMETHING!. I'm with the one who says you got a free pass from the wife, use it!

Good luck hunting too.
Geno

What I use Marlin 336TS with Burris 2x7 & 336LTS

A .30-30 sounds about perfect � light, handy, inexpensive, inexpensive to shoot and more than �enough gun� at the ranges at which you will be shooting. Using Hornady LeverEvolution ammunition will extend the useful range considerably compared to traditional flat or round nose loads.

As to other options, a good used bolt rifle can often be found in your price range.

Although many cartridges will work, a .308 Win is hard to beat when to comes to factory-built inexpensive plinking/practice ammo and recoil generally runs around 18 foot-pounds (compared to around 12 for a .30-30 or 22-24 for a .30-06). Other good low-recoil options include .243 Win, .257 Roberts, .25-06, .260 Rem, and 7mm-08 for bolt guns, .357 Mag, .44 Mag, and .45 Colt for levers. The last three will generally be the least expensive to shoot as the ammo comes in 50-round boxes.

Don�t let folks talk you out of a .30-30 on the basis that they are just for cowboys. Leverguns are way more fun than bolt rifles, fast to reload, light and handy in the thick stuff. While my .30-30 is still a virgin, I�ve taken deer, antelope and elk with my levers. They are all keepers.

From top to bottom:

Marlin 1895 (.45-70)
Marlin 375 (.375 Win)
Marlin 336CS (.30-30)
Browning B92 (.44 Mag)

Save up some money and get a decent rifle and scope.

I get tired of these topics on what is the cheapest!

Ruger 44 Carbine... Have one and have not had the chance to use it yet.

May or may not be what you want...but buds has m77s in .358win. For 459.00...ships free...not a bad deal

An older Marlin 336 in .35 Remington, or if you're feelin' frisky, an older Marlin in 444 or .45-70. A good used Remington 760 or 7600 carbine in .308 or .30-06 would be nice, too.

You will not find a handier rifle for the thick stuff than a short levergun. I have owned and carried just about all of them and an autoloader or pump is not nearly as handy as a levergun. Bolt guns are not even close. The Marlin, Browning, Winchester etc pistol cartridge carbines are the handiest, but mostly out of your price range. That leaves the Marlin or Winchester 30-30 or Marlin 35 or similar. While I prefer the 35 for most of my hunting, the 30-30 works wonderfully and is easier to find ammo for and less expensive to feed. The Winchester is noticeably lighter than the Marlin, but has a lot more slop in the action and is not as easy to scope.

For $400, you could have a solid used pre safety Marlin 336 30-30 equipped with a Williams FP receiver sight and ivory bead front sight or topped with a nice older Weaver K2.5, K3 of K4 or Bushnell Banner 1.5-5 and maybe a box or two of ammo. Given $1000 it would be hard to draw up a better deer rifle for thick, wooded country.

I have a plain jane post 64, m94, in 30/30 with the 20 " barrel that you should be able to find for well less than your 400. More like 200-300 range. Spend the rest on a good williams reciever sight and ammo, than practice, practice, practice.

Far more deer are missed by bad shooting than the power of the round being fired at them.

If you look up ergonomics in the dictionary you will find a picture of the M94 next to it. (As quoted by T. Weiland)
I fully agree. I have had both Winchesters and Marlins. Only the Winchesters remain. They are harder to clean, but are lighter and faster to the target than their counterparts.
The lowly old 30/30 just plain works on game, period. It would not have lasted this long if it didn't.

I could not imagine a better gun for the money for your style of hunting than the pumps or leverguns.

Good luck with your search.

Has the origional poster made up his mind yet????

Get a 7600 in 270, 280, 30-06. Forget about 308 based cartridges since there is no short action variety 7600, they're all the same.

Find a used 45-70 and you can shoot birds to Elephants with Bird shot or Cast.You pick the load for your needs,it far surpasses the great 30-30 in what you can do with it.From mild to wild if you can hold on.

Jayco

You be right...not a bad option, and a great caliber!

I have a Ruger M77 in a 358 Win and it is absolutely one of my favorite and accurate rifles. I topped mine with a Leupold Vx ii 2-7x33 and it is my best brush gun. Even better in my opinion than my Marlin 30-30 which isn't a bad gun for the woods. The little 358 will be my backup elk rifle and/or primary if the area in CO we're hunting this year has dark timber.

This has been a really informative thread. Really appreciate what everyone has been offering. You guys have been helping me decide what to buy, but for a slightly different purpose.

I'm thinking about getting a "brush rifle" specifically for pigs in Hawaii. May have an opportunity to go hunting on Molokai, deep in the bush at a remote settlement where some friends have been living off the land. There's a lot of deer on the island but in the area I'm going there's primarily pigs.

It's quite rugged, thick with tropical vegetation and unlike other islands in Hawaii (like the Big Island of Hawaii) there's not a lot of wide open spaces.

Was planning to bring a hand gun (probably a .41 cal Freedom Arms or a 6" Model 57) and perhaps even pick up a rifle. The gun would have to be suitable for hiking in the bush where I doubt you'd ever be able to see much over 100 yards.

Took a look at a used Winchester 30-30 the other day for around $300 and that seemed (according to everything I've read in this thread)like a perfect gun for this purpose.