RE: 243 vs 30-30
Find a used Savage 340 in 30/30 and recoil is very light, its an accurate gun and you can load any bullet up to about 170 gr. in it that you choose since it is a box magazine and not a tube fed gun. To me, it would just seem that the bigger bullet would only be an advantage on a large hog and the 30 caliber bullet selection is huge if you are a reloader. With the 30-30 you are still limited to under 200 yards if you are well practiced with the gun, 150 if you are just an average shooter. Another round to consider if you like leverguns is a Marlin in 44 Magnum. Light recoil, heavy hitter but limited to about 100 yards or less.