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

I thought it because the 243 was on sale with a rebate

The best solution for rifle loonies is to neck down the .30-30 to take .243 bullets, and blow out the shoulder to 40 degrees. Then you can claim you're using the best combination of both rounds. (And yes, spitzer 6mm bullets will work in the tube magazine of a Win. 94 or Marlin 336. Just load one, and another in the chamber. Two should be enough for any real loonie.)

The alternative perfect compromise, of course, is to neck up the .243 to .30 caliber, and use Hornady Flex-Tip bullets for the .30-30. This is obviously the bolt-action rifle loony solution.

No azzhole, what you learned is that when a .30-30 is the only centerfire rifle you own, you can make it effective beyond what most folks believe it's capable of, if you can shoot. Well he was wrong. And I've killed a shytload of deer with both cartridges so I'm not guessing. I still use the .30-30 and .243 regularly and usually take a deer or two with each every season. Which I use just depends on how or where I'll be hunting any particualr day.

Up to a couple hundred yards, the .30-30.. Beyond that a .270..

And, of course, that's exactly the right way to handle things! BTW, how's that M64 you picked up at Whittaker's shooting?

Well his opinion was formed from spending his early years with a .32 Special and his later years with a .243. He felt the .243 was better in every way.

I can't see it. Especially at shorter "woods" ranges. I've caught several .243 bullets in deer with nearly broadside shots at close range. Particularly when shoulders or spine were involved. Had a 100 gr core- lokt stay in the neck of one middlin sized buck from 30 yards. Never stopped a 170 gr. .30-30 except for one on a lengthwise presentation and I've shot twice as many deer with the .30-30..

ratsmacker,

I haven't even had a chance to shoot it yet! But that's pretty common with me, due to so many guns that need testing. I have it on the schedule for an article in 3 months, so it will get done then.

How'd your fall go?

Well you could have said that in the first place instead of making yourself out to be some kind of superhuman hunting and shooting force of nature,like you usually do....AZZHOLE. You might have established some credibility.


But you blew it,as usual. I can always count on it.

So explain to me how repeating what you said makes me an AZZHOLE?

What a blow hard....

Well he might of been wrong. But we're all limited to building a conclusion based off our own experiences. And I've no doubt his 243 impressed him in ways his 32 Spl never did.

To me the appeal of the 30-30 is the package they usually come in. Both work. For all around deer hunting where longer shots might be necessary I would likely choose the 243.

AMEN BROTHER

I've been hooked on rifles since childhood. I can NOT count the number of rifles and cartridges that I have and HAVE HAD
but...


I had ONE 30-30, got rid of it in 1974.

Haven't missed it since ! ! One was enough for me.

I've killed deer as close as 15' (feet), 20--399 yds. There are toooo many better cartridges, AFAIC.


Jerry

That!

Plus coyote love the taste of 243's !

Different folks, different strokes.

Your bad experience, or lack of experience, with the 30-30 doesn't make it a poor choice for everyone. As noted previously, an expanding bullet through the lungs of a deer, regardless of caliber or cartridge, will result in a punched tag. One nice thing about the 30-30 is that factory ammo is generally accurate, inexpensive, and easy to find. I can't remember traveling anywhere that 30-30 ammo from at least one of Fed/Rem/Win wasn't on the shelf of a LGS and frequently on the shelf of some out of the way convenience store. When I owned a small chain of rural convenience stores, we stocked Remington ammo for nine CF cartridges;

223 - 55 grain
22-250 - 55 grain
243 - 80 and 100 grain
270 - 130 and 150 grain
7mm Rem Mag - 140, 150, and 175 grain
30-30 - 150 and 170 grain
308 - 150 and 180 grain
30-06 - 150 and 180 grain
300 Win Mag - 150 and 180 grain

EDIT: I have been looking for two CF rifles to give to brothers in Vermont. I was initially looking at 30-30s, Savage 340s or Mossberg 472/479, but decided to buy them Marlin XS7s in 243, as I can buy new XS7s for less than the price of a good, used, 30-30. Although the XS7 can be bought for $250 in 243/7mm-08/308, I have ordered them in 243 on account of less recoil and less expensive ammo. Also, they live in about as rural a part of Vermont as there is and I doubt that 7mm-08 ammo would be easy to find or as inexpensive as either 243 or 308. I'm going to set the rifles up with Nikon ProStaff 3-9x40s, Savage package gun take-offs, and I'm going to give each of them 200 rounds of Federal Fusion 95 grain factory ammo from the same lot. 200 rounds should get them up and running. I am also giving them a Marlin XT-22MR to share and to use for varmints around their family's small subsistence farm. The point being that I'm not "anti-243" or particularly "pro-30-30", I just try to be objective.

Can I be your brother??

I have the curse of being an only child.

I never said it was a poor choice for everyone.

"AFAIC" means As Far As I'm Concerned.

From my perspective, "I" prefer a 99 or BLR in 308, with or w/o a scope, to/over the 30-30.

No one has to agree with me. Some like red, some like blue. et.al.


Jerry

Different stroke for different folks.

Yeah, I read that the first time.


Jerry