Deer rifle. 243 vs 30-30

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maybe

only discounted about $1 from what I have seen. I would take the 243 over the 30-30 any day. If I was brush hunting I would take my 92 in 44 mag.


steve
 
This has been a fun thread to read; very reasonable and civil.


My .30-30 was my first real rifle. I'll always have a soft spot for it.
 
Do you want a bolt to lever action? In my opinion the rest of the discussion will be moot.
 
Thanks for the advise guys. While I'm a bit of a novice big game hunter I'm not a novice shooter and have a lot of trigger time between both of the models and chamberings. My first big rifle was a Savage 243 that I stupidly sold when I was 19 or 20.

I will probably go with the 243 but a LGS has just told me on a local forum that he has several rifles for me in my price range. So we will see if this whole thread ends up being a moot point for me.
 
I would go with the 243 for no other reason then it is more versatile then the 30-30. 55-70gr varmint bullets at stupid fast speeds, and 85-100gr bullets for the big and tasty critters. 30-30 is the perfect brush gun for deer but is kind of a one trick pony in comparison. I don't own either at the moment but both are on my A list.
 
I'd give a hard look at the .270 Winchester, and if I was satisfied with the rifle and scope, would buy it instead of the .30-30 or .243. You'll cover both of your possible hunting situations, plus have a better caliber/ load choice for future big game other than deer. I'd pick my .35 Remington over .30-30 in my Marlin levers and I'd pick my Featherweight .270 Winchester bolt over my former Savage .243 bolt, but I have a fair amount of choices to go to. If you've shot a number of calibers and the .270 isn't bothersome for recoil, go that way. Common ammo to find if you don't reload too.
 
I've been following this one..
I am an Arizona native, and a big game hunter. If you are going to hunt deer here, you will be better off with the .243.
If you hunt on the Colorado plateau, the 30-30 will serve you very little purpose. In the rim country where it is mostly Ponderosa Pine, the 30-30 could be fun, but the 243 will still be a good rifle when combined with a 3x9 scope. you don't want to over-scope in close quarters.
In the mountains below the ponderosas you will find thick, shrubbery of landscapes that have the worst of terrains so there's a good chance your shots will go across open draws where winds can be in all 6 directions.
Down lower in the Sonoran desert you'll be hunting rolling desert ridges where the ave shot will be between 100 and 200 yds.
I can't attest to deer hunting in Ok, but of the two choices, I would go out with the .243.
I do recommend a .25-06 or a .30-06 anyhow.. Good luck..
 
I recently sold my Marlin 30-30, but I still have 2 Savage 110 243s. both my Savage bolt action had a better groups out to 100 yrds. I would go with the bolt action for accuracy.
 
The 30-30 is a great woods gun, but the .243 is a great woods gun and also a good open country rifle. The accuracy of the .243 and bullet selections puts it way ahead of the 30-30 in my book.
 
Either or... Both are really good for deer size game. The .243 Win. has a little more accuracy at distance but for under 300 yds. both work well.
 
If you're hunting close, in brush, and through small clearings as well as walking, the .30-30 can't be beat as a lightweight, quick to shoulder option. Ammo is readily available, too, but the .243 is a great choice as well.

This one's tough.
 
By brush gun, what do yall mean?

I hear it, I THINK I understand, but then I think back to how I personally hunt....

I can shoulder and with an appropriate powered scope, get on and animal just as quick as if I had iron sites. Once I'm up and on the animal, I'm going to settle in and make sure I'm on my spot. I don't just throw up, and pop the shot. To me, the scope might be a little slower on the draw, but the iron sights takes me longer to "settle" and make sure I am lined up vertically and horizontally with the front and back sights, where as once I am on the animal with the scope, the cross hairs takes the up down left right allignment out of the equation. I'm either on or Im not. I like iron sights, don't get me wrong, but I am much more thorough when shooting them for a precision shot like taking an animal, rather than plinking 2liter bottles or something.

I dont shoot THROUGH brush. I wait for an opening, so the heavier bullet through the brush thing makes me wonder?

Chances are, if it's thick brush, I aint walking far, I'm getting to my spot and parking it, weight isn't an issue.

No matter what I shoot, I make sure I have an appropriate back stop that is clear of dangers.

Now, what are the advantages of the 30-30 in that situation, over the 243? (don't shoot me, I still LOVE my Win 94. and bring it along to eat with the "big boys")
 
Depends as much on how/ where you hunt as what you hunt, as all have been fairly pointed out. I like to keep things simple, and dislike glass optics. This is NOT rational, but it's not changing with age, either. People tell me that when my eyes start to go, I'll change my mind... but my last deer kill was less than a 25 yd shot, right at the edge of open field. when I can't see/ get within 25yds of a deer, it may be time to quit. As my options for .243 ( a fine deer caliber, I'm sure) with iron sights are a bit limited, I'll stick to leverguns... they're what I know and like. I need a new one, now, too.

But that's ME, HERE. As has been suggested, get both, if you have the money.
 
Well I went to the LGS today and they had a nice used older Remington 700 ADL in 270 Win with a 4x scope (I think it was a Bushnell) for 150 bucks more than I was going to pay for the 30-30 or the 243. So it's now on layaway until I can pay off the extra. Nice looking rifle. I'll post pictures when I get it. Thanks for the advice guys.
 
The term "Brush gun" for me is more of a size of rifle than caliber if that is what the question is. First off the term brush gun can be misleading it does not mean the caliber can "buck brush" better than another caliber. All bullets flying through brush are going alter trajectory to some degree and more than others with smaller light weight bullets. When I think brush gun I am generally thinking of a Marlin 1895 .45-70 Gov't. with an overall length at or under 40" vs. say a Marlin 1895 "Cowboy" .45-70 Gov't. at a length of 42+". This is just my opinion however. If the term really was refering to caliber than simply comparing rifle size then you could say an AK-47 is a better brush gun than an AR-15. Bigger heavier bullet vs. smaller faster light weight bullet.
 
^ that, plus my 2 cents... a 'brush gun', to me, is something compact, without unnecessary protrusions, gadgets, or snaggable, breakable bits... one reason i dislike optics. it's going to be CARRIED through trees and brush.

it's also a gun that will be likely USED in trees and brush. NOT to SHOOT THROUGH brush, but at close range... you and the animal may 'find each other' in the trees and brush at VERY close range. when this happens, you'll understand WHY the gun needs to be quick to shoulder/ fire, snag-free, and chambered for something that put a premium on bullet size and weight, rather than velocity or even accuracy ... YES, EVEN ACCURACY, because if the bolt gun shoots to minute of angle, the lever gun to 3 minute of angle, and YOU shoot 6 minutes of angle when you're flustered, you're still gonna have 'minute of deer' at 25 yds. that's why I prefer .30-30s, and lust after a .45 LC.
 
If you are hunting in thick woods I would use the 30-30,but if you are in some open areas I prefer the 243. I have hunted with a 243 for the last 35yrs. and have never lost a deer. I load my 243 with 37gr. of IMR4895 and a 85gr. Sierra BTHP and CCI primers. I have killed deer up to 400yds with body shots. I normally shoot for the neck up to 250yds. If I hunt in heavy woods with short shots I use a Marlin 444 with a 265gr. bullet. The 243 is good in woods if you use a 100gr. bullet.
 
R.W.Dale said:
Good point!

You can't get a bolt action in 30-30 today. However you can get 243 levergun

Another great reason to select 243 wich also comes in pumps, single shots and semiautomatics
Click to expand...
Not true. Savage 340. Great guns, I had one. Shouldn't have sold it.
 
meanmrmustard said:
Who said anything about new? Not in the OP.

Bummer your guns weren't up to snuff. Mine was. We all get lemons.
Click to expand...

I was talking about new production guns with my comments.

I wouldn't call em lemons its just that they didn't shoot particularly well and had their own strange design flaws that held them back in the accuracy dpt
 
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