Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting .243 or .30-30 for deer?

Same thoughts here! So it just comes down to range you're likely to shoot at and how well you shoot your rifle of choice. I've taken a number of deer over the years with a .243 and never had one go more than 30 yds. So I've seen no blood trail limitations.

I don't understand what the two cartridges are doing in the same thread. They're completely different in about every way.


What I did learn from this thread is that skilled,astute riflemen use 30-30's for 300 yard shots on deer,and incompetent dopes use a 243. I was not aware of any of this.

I'll answer that one for you Bob. Where I'm from there is often a debate between these two for a youngsters first rifle. Many times I've heard folks say the .30-30 is more potent than the .243 and leaves a better blood trail so its the better starter gun. Now my late FIL took the opposite approach and said that he would rather see a kid armed with a 243 rather than a 30-30 even for Bear! He said he felt the 243 was a better killer.

So does this infer that there is a high correlation between the cartridge used and the IQ of the user?? And would it follow that if one changes cartridges his IQ would change?? Anybody know where I can find a 44-40?

southtexas sounds reasonable to me.

I shot a 7mm Mashburn Super at 600 yards yesterday. I must be a real moron.


Pass the 38-55....please.

.243 for the ladies, kids and girlymen, real men shoot .30-30's.

when you mate a 243 with a 30-30 you get a 444 Marlin. for those of you who can't decide...

Or you could just learn how to hunt and get closer than 300 yards...

I'm quite certain we have some folks here that are the first generation in the family to walk upright.

I'd pick a .243 because I don't have a 30-30.

Been there, done that. What now?








Full disclosure: these deer were taken with a .45-70, cast bullets and black powder....I didn't think I could handle the lightning fast,flat shooting smokeless .30-30....

I'm from the same State and my first was a M98/8MM. Soon to be followed by a Model 70 .30-06. Should have felt sorry for those other unlucky kids. Facts are, even back then the .30-30 was dying out as the most popular Pa cartridge. Lots of .30-06, .308, .300savtage, .30-40 Krags. For the most part the bolt action had surpassed the lever. The Kids were reading the outdoor mags of the 60's and the lever was soooo much the rifle of the old farts. They may have had a .30-30 placed in their hands, but they wanted a bolt; most moved on as soon as possible.


Addition: Best friend finally believed me-Campfire made a believer out of me-that the .223 is enough for Deer. Since then his Granddaughter has killed three Deer with one. One managed to make it around 50 yards, the others much less. If my Grandkids stay on the small side and want to hunt, I have a couple of them waiting for them to start out on.

This is what my Great Uncles experienced when they moved from Wisconsin to Montana taking their 30-30s with them. When they put the sights on the shoulder the 30-30 broke legs, so they bought 25-35 M94 Winchesters.

I can't comment on a .243, never owned one. I have owned a scoped 30-30 less than a year and shot a nice buck at 75 yards, but it is sighted in to be 2.5" low at 200 yards so it is well within distances for most of the whitetails and mulies I have shot over the years.

Want to sell that carbine?

Show-off.


Been there, done that with a 30-30. Pass the 243, please.

Sorry....I was a lot younger in those pics and that carbine went down the road a long time ago.....just about when my eyes wouldn't let me shoot irons anymore, and I had to get a scoped .243

this entire conundrum becomes moot if you choose either a 6mm Remington or a 32 Winchester Special... just sayin'...

243. It starts better and ends better. Faster handling,brush busting etc., etc is a foolish myth. Not that a 30-30 won't work, as it has for well over a 100 years. I would just rather have a 243.

Great answers Bob......