What's your favorite brush beater rifle?

Krull,
I like your style....!
Don't worry about chopping off the barrel, in your case you had an excuse - something broke and you made it better.
These two .375 H&H Winchesters started off pretty much stock, but with my desire to turn them into more useful Scout type field guns, they ended up just where I needed them....

If you can't get it done with a .375 H&H, it's probably not worth doing.. :)

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You sawed the barrels off on TWO model 70's??!!?:eek: Shame, shame, shame!
 
Marlin 336 made in 1951 with peep sight cal 30-30.

Charlie

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My truck gun beater is a model M38 Mosin carbine with a scout-rifle forward mounted scope. Good medicine for critters with 2 or 4 legs.

I will carry my as issued by Commie Joe Stalin M44 Mosin-Nagant around the woods and foothills if I want to pack some serious steel. The M44 is pretty much the M38 but the M44 has an attached folding bayonet. It is indestructable and if it gets wet, just wipe her dry and a little oil will do. It is a good cheap way to let freedom ring and break up all of that peace and quiet at about the 9000' level. It can reach out there fairly well to 500 yards on open sights, no sweat. Best 89 bucks that I have ever spent.

If these guns could talk......How many nazis did they drop in their tracks during the Big One?
 
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I bought this marlin xlr in 308 marlin express for a beater. stainless and laminate, should not show too much wear.
 
I'm coming late to this thread. At the level of theory, my favorite brush beater would be a Winchester 88 in .358; but I have never owned one and, given current prices, possibly never will.

At the level of practicality, because I already own one, I'd say the Marlin 1894 in .44 Magnum.
 
My first decent woods rifle was also my first decent firearm, a Remington 700 ADL with a 4X Bushnell Scope Cheif, chambered for .30-06, bought new in 1974. I soon found how much more fun wandering the forests and deserts of the west could be when toting a rifle, game season or no. Random shots at targets of opportunity became much fun.

I soon decided I needed a lighter, handier rifle of the same type that might shoot a slightly lighter cartridge for less noise. I found a nice new Ruger Model 77 in 7X57 Mauser, to which I added a 4X Redfield scope. It was almost as unwieldy as the Remington, so I had the 22 inch barrel cut to 18 inches and recrowned. This threw the rifle out of visual balance. A talented local hobbiest took about 2 inches of wood off of the forend and then reshaped and reduced the entire wood stock. He finished it off with new handcut checkered panels that looked like the Ruger checkering but was much better done.

The Ruger became my main deer tool and woods and sage prowling tool.

I picked up a new Remington Model 7 synthetic/stainless. Curious about Jeff Cooper's 'Scout Rifle' concept, I gave the 7 the business. Guy Malmborg, excellent local gunsmith, modified a Leupold Scout Mount and fit it with an auxillary, pop-up front sight blade to be used if the scope came off, in conjunction with an Ashley Express rear sight. I used the forward mounted Leupold Scout Scope. Guy reshaped the top opening of the receiver, to the front and rear, to allow reloading the rifle with 5 round stripper clips He took an inch off the rear of the buttstock, fit a new pad and installed 3 of Pachmayr's flush sling swivels I added a leather Ching Sling.

I found a solid but rough Spanish FR-8 and toted it around for a while.

The woods/deserts walkabout rifle I use most now is probably an odd choice. It is a British L1A1 SLR, the gas operated 7.62X51 semiautomatic battle rifle used by the blighties while we were fielding the M-14. Very smooth, very ergonomic synthetic furniture. Not too portable with a 21 inch barrel, it neverthless carries well. With one mag of FMJ ball, another of A.P. and a third of commercial softpoint. I am pretty well overdressed for any party or event I run across.
 
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