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There’s so much focus today on hunters making sniper shots at three or four football fields away, you forget that so many of us actually hunt deer (or other big game) in thick woods and even thicker swamps.
For those of us who hunt The Thick, there are two new brush buster options from Chiappa Fireams, both lever-actions in .45-70 caliber: the 1886 Traditional Trapper (photos not yet available) and the 1886 Kodiak Trapper (pictured).
Both sport 18.5-inch barrels and walnut stocks, hold six rounds in their magazines, and weigh in at 8.5 pounds. They can safely fire full-power modern ammunition or traditional era-correct .45-70 loads.
The Traditional Trapper’s all about function, with clean lines, an action modeled after the original Winchester 1886, and a full octagon, blued steel barrel.
The Kodiak Trapper’s spiffier, starting with the black, rubberized finish applied to the stock and fore end. It also comes with detachable sling swivels, a more inline stock with higher comb, and Skinner Express Sights TM for extra fast sight/target acquisition. The barrel is drilled and tapped for a forward fitting Scout Rifle-type scope.
Brush Busters can be pricy, though. The Traditional goes for a suggested retail of $1,249, the Kodiak at $1,395. Available through MKS Distributing, Dayton Ohio.