What is the difference between a .243 and 30-30?

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Tough Guns

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as far as ammo, distance, and recoil? what can ya shoot with a .243 that you cannot with a 30-30? which one has more power? thanks
 
So if they have nothing in common what are the differences? I was seriously in the market for a .243 but never thought to compare it to a 30-30
 
30-30 bigger and slower probably better penetration 150-250 yard
243 lighter can hit 4000fps with the right load increased range
 
243 will shoot lighter bullets at higher speeds for a flatter trajectory. 30-30 will shoot heavier bullets but with more drop over distance due to the lower speed of the 30 caliber. It's really a matter of ballistics. I suggest you study up on ballistics and calibers.
 
I've tried looking up the ballistics but to be honest....it makes more sense to me in english not numbers. Thats why I like some of these threads, when folks that already have an informed opinion share their knowledge and explain it in plain english, I can learn something new. Thanx :)
 
My take on things is that the 30-30 and .243 have roughly the same amount of felt recoil, but are suited best for different tasks. I grew up shooting both. The .243 is a decent medium/small game round out to about 300-400 yards. The 30-30 is a good deer round, but better served in hunting brushy areas where shots aren't likely to be over 150 yards. Recoil is far from severe with either, and many young hunters start out on either caliber.
 
So basically the 30-30 is a medium sized game gun out to ?150 yards and with the right load, so is the .243 BUT a .243 is also a coyote getter out to 200-300 yards? So it's a little more versatile? I'm not trying to knock 30-30, I own one and love it. Just comparing, I haven't seen a very wide selection of 30-30 rounds. The .243 seems to have more variety
 
30-30's are often used in lever actions with tubular magazines. This means they (usually) need a round nose, because a pointy nose might strike the primer of a cartridge in front of it in a tube, causing a catastrophe.

Lever guns have good follow up shots, but the round nose bullet usually makes for a slow moving, closer range gun. 30-30's are great for deer and pigs in brush. Some even hunt black bear with them.

.243 has pointy bullets, usually fired from a bolt action. The pointy bullet moves faster, allows for less drop, which makes them more appropriate for longer distances than 30-30 (usually).
 
Go with the .243. It is a more flexible cart, and far more modern. It is far more useful for hunting varmints than the 30-30, though the 30-30 is a >little< bit better on heavier game.

Even so, I'd actually consider something in between. The .260 remington, 7x57 mauser, 7mm-08 or the like. Fairly similar recoil to the .243, better on heavier game.

I loved my 7x57, (Custom rem 700 mountain rifle. Came in under 6lbs before the scope. Too bad my dad pawned it.) It would be my go-to rifle these days, if I still owned it.

That said. . . well. . . 30-06 is awesome. :)
 
Cartridges Of The World is another good reference book.

Please don't get too focused on names and numbers. All cartridges are designed to do exactly the same thing, launch a projectile. Some launch large ones at slower velocities, some launch smaller ones at higher velocities.

It takes time to get all this down.

The 243 or the 30-30 will both take deer. Remember, deer are made of flesh and blood. It doen't take a magnum or super duper caliber to kill a skinny little whitetail.
 
The high velocity of the 243 will drop a deer faster that a 30-30 with a 150 or 170
Click to expand...

Oh, really!!!:confused:

If you were in the woods and looked up to see an angry bear quickly closing ground on you, which would you rather have? Granted, something even bigger would be better. But between the .243 and .30-30, no brainer.
 
The main difference between the 2 is in the ballistics. The 30-30 has the power to drop a deer at longer ranges than it's typically used, but it gets more difficult to hit them well because the bullet starts to drop pretty fast. 243 shoots about 1000fps faster and has much higher ballistic coefficient which means it starts faster and holds onto its velocity much longer. This means that it shoots flatter and retains "killing power" longer.

I shot my first deer with a Win 94 30-30, and every one since then with my Win 70 243. Both are a fun to shoot...

DPSTX
 
They impact the critter differently. 30-30 flat nosed Winchester Silver Tip will start expansion as soon as it touches something (thwack) that you can hear and it will deliver that energy quickly. That why it has worked for 100 years or so. It actually performs better than the numbers would indicate. 243 hits faster and builds a progressive wound channel. May, or may not, be able to break bone and can come apart. However, it also works well on small to medium sized game and has more effective point blank range. Both good, just typical trade-offs as to what they do.
 
.243 and 30-30 combinations of numbers are all different! Also, the .243 begins with a decimal point, 30-30 has a hyphen and .243 doesn't!
 
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