RE: .243 vs. 30-30
In each case, there's limitations for the round in question. If I was in an area where I could get that 250-yard to 300-yard shot, I'd carry a .243, but I'd shoot it a lot to make darned sure that I could hit where I wanted to with it. Where I hunt deer, near Willsboro Bay of Lake Champlain of NY, you don't get those shots. You do get 50- to 75-yard shots, though, and the old .30-30 is just fine for those situations. I'd hazard a guess and say that the .30-30 has killed far more deer than any other cartridge--maybe all the others combined.