There isn't a whitetail in existence that will fail to drop from a proper weight 243 bullet but would drop from a 30-30 hitting the same spot.
The 243 will do it out further, with slightly less recoil, and with less adjustment to point-of-aim due to distance.
What the 30-30 has going for it, in a lever action you'll get a faster follow-up shot, and some people think they point better/quicker.
Can a Marlin 30-30 do the job? Yea, but so can a 243 bolt gun....and that same bolt gun can then be taken coyote hunting at any distance as well as pronghorn hunting at all but the longest distances.
And if your Grandson moves (which he probably will, multiple times) he may well end up in a place where whitetail hunting is common but thick woods is not. I can't think of any place in North America were a 243 won't drop the local whitetail.
I see no reason to veer from the 243 bolt gun. A 30-30 lever action (or 30-30 single shot or 30-30 bolt gun) isn't a bad choice. In fact it's a good choice. But 243 is a better choice.
The 243 will do it out further, with slightly less recoil, and with less adjustment to point-of-aim due to distance.
What the 30-30 has going for it, in a lever action you'll get a faster follow-up shot, and some people think they point better/quicker.
Can a Marlin 30-30 do the job? Yea, but so can a 243 bolt gun....and that same bolt gun can then be taken coyote hunting at any distance as well as pronghorn hunting at all but the longest distances.
And if your Grandson moves (which he probably will, multiple times) he may well end up in a place where whitetail hunting is common but thick woods is not. I can't think of any place in North America were a 243 won't drop the local whitetail.
I see no reason to veer from the 243 bolt gun. A 30-30 lever action (or 30-30 single shot or 30-30 bolt gun) isn't a bad choice. In fact it's a good choice. But 243 is a better choice.