30-30 or .243 for deer hunting

i use my 30 30 for a brush gun iron sights never thought of using it over 75 yards but i think i might try just for fun

Yes, they're both "equally adequate", with the .30-30 a little more so equal. In the grand scheme of things, the .30-30 also shoots a light bullet fast, just not AS light or AS fast as the .243.

.243 trumps the 30-30 hands down. Better ballistics, better effective range. And knockdown power, I killed a doe at 450 yards last year. Well placed shot but it still did the job. I also know of at least 7 elk dropped with the .243. 30-30's are a decent brush gun but I am a firm believer that they are the most over-rated gun out there. And it has not killed more deer than all other cartrides combined. The good ole .22LR has killed more (illegally of course).

If you live in open country and are going to be shooting the deer at longer range, I'd go with the .243. It shoots flatter and has more range. If you live in wooded country, both rifles will probably perform equally well.

G'day

For the last 25 years I have shot with a 243.
When I first started hunting ,I read every thing I could get my hands on .
Internet and forums like this didn't exist , so it was magazines.
After months of research I realised that the 243 kept coming up as a caliber for the young, and inexperienced shooter because it doesn't kick to much ,and you learn to shoot it well.
So I went and brought one.
With it I shot more game than I can remember.
After about 4 years I thought that I was old enough, and experienced enough to graduate to bigger and better things.
The next 5 years saw a number of rifles and calibers come and go.
Then one day I came to a realisation.
I had been more successful and accurate with my kids gun (243) than any of the mans guns I had owned.
I downsized back to a 243 and my success and enjoyment returned.
During this time I got married and started a family, bought a house etc etc etc. Guns and hunting was replaced with work , kids , mortgages.
All I had left in my gun safe was a rimfire (which I love shooting).
Anyway after a few years of not shooting a center fire
it was time to get back on the horse.After hours and weeks of research, I decided on a 222 or 223.I went to the gunshop with a plan of attack.
But do you know what I came home with .
Second hand Winchester mod 70 243 with Leupold scope.
The 243 is just right.

Thankyou for your time

harro

i live in pretty much wooded area, but of course, there's fields around, and if i got the change i could hunt those too

Well, how big are the fields? It the patches of open country are less than 200 yards, the .30-30 will serve you just as well as the .243. If you're dealing with more than that, I'd probably go for the .243.

Grizz-Lee...You asked about the velocity loss of using an 18 inch barrel and i can absolutely say it is not all that much.
You see i collect Remington 600's which are absolutely deadly accurate,lightweight carbines that have an 18.5 barrel.
My little Mohawk 600 equipped with a Nikon Monarch 2x7 scope can place a three shot 100 yard group that can be covered with a dime using nothing more than run of the mill 100 grain Federal blue box ammo.
Same with the 308 and 6mm.
I have never seen one of these rifles that did not shoot good.
Never.
Back in 1974 when i bought my first(stolen later) it was a whole $99.00.
Today they are rapidly becoming collectors and are going for $400.00 in rough condition to over $550.00 for good to excellent condition.
I have also owned the nifty Ruger Compact in 243 that was a neat,light liitle rifle that i foolishly sold.
Dont worry one bit about that rifles barrel length cause i have killed scores of deer,hogs,and coyotes with all of mine.
In fact i have never lost any game using them.

Depends on your range and terrain.

Less than 150Yds, maybe woods/small open fields... .30/30

Up to 275-300Yds, big open areas.. 243

Shot placement and bullet choice.

Regarding the original post,

While the 30-30 has killed a gazillion deer in its lifetime, I would personally choose the .243. It is much more versatile and with the proper bullet, you shouldn't have any problem dropping a deer. Besides that, it is also good for varmints and other troublesome animals.

I used a 32 win spcl for 30 yrs. retired it 10 yrs ago now y son started using it . w/ that said. Ive benn thinking of a 243 or 308. but was interduced to the 7mm-08. Instead of the 243 i'm think ita a better choice. its a .27 cal in a 308 case instead of a 24 cal in a 308 case. you may want to take a look at that instead.

not to be a nitpicker, but if I don't do it someone else will.

7mm08 us actually a .28 caliber roughly. Bullets measure a nominal .284" to be exact

oddly enough there is no 270 caliber based on 308win. I believe this is because the entire 270/6.8 bullet diameter is totally superfluous anyhow.

The 7-08 was mentioned in post # 23.

I think it is head and shoulders above a 243 for a deer round.

Don't forget the .260 Rem.

243, more versatile in the long run. I'd also look at the 7mm-08.

.243 or .30-30

Hands down .243, BUT-I'd much rather be shooting 150 or 165 grain bullets out of a .308 Winchester...and all this talk about shooting at 300-500 yards-down here in South GA you'd be lucky to see a deer at 100 yards let alone take a shot at 300 yards-unless your hunting along a powerline right-of-way, in which case my M70 Classic in .300 Win Mag with 165-grain bullets would be just the ticket-as Elmer Keith used to say-USE ENOUGH GUN!!!

I really do like the 243. I have a DPMS in that caliber and it's a blast to shoot and very accurate. If I were looking for a varminter to also serve as my deer gun I'd go with it. I don't have any worries about it on deer sized game.

That said, if I was thinking about primarily a deer gun that would occasionally be used for varmints I'd opt for the 7mm-08. This has to be one of my favorite calibers, it'll do just about anything I ask of it. While it wouldn't be my first choice for going after the big moose up here, if I had the opportunity to use one I certainly wouldn't hesitate. I have used it to go after elk. I really love that round.

30/30 for me

.243 caliber 100 grain bullets of decent construction will harvest a lot of deer, if you do your part. So will the 30-30, within reasonable range. No one can reasonably fault the old 30-30 for deer within 100-150 yards. But some hunters will fault the .243 for various reasons, none of which have been empirically proven.

For the most part, deer are not heavily built. So, the .243 should work plenty well enough for almost any reasonable shot. Its true added benefit is that it is light recoiling, easy to reload, can double as a varmint rifle, and is more versatile in its various loadings.

When I lived in PA, a lot of guys loved them because they used them in the summer to shoot groundhogs and the fall for deer. Guess what. All that shooting in the field made them the better shots year round. Something you may want to consider.

Where the heck is Shawnee...this thread is right up his alley?

I haven't seen him on here in a while...anybody know what happened?

I echo the comments above and would opt for the .243. The 30-30 is a fine deer cartridge, but the .243 is much more versatile. It's great for deer and, if you ever have the need, it will make a good varmint rifle.

Dad uses the 30-30 and my brother a .243, Either way I've seen a lot of dead deer. The .243 is gonna give you more range as already stated. I'll stick with my .308 thanks