RE: 243 vs 30-30
Dean, a 30/30 can kick you as much as most 270s and 30/06, thanks mostly to their stock design. A 270 is not considered a heavy recoiling rifle but of course this is a subjective opinion and no two shooters feel it the same. I have had a 30/06 now and then make me see stars but always when I'm shooting heavy bullets off a bench.
And herein may be your problem. Shooting a rifle at a range......and I am assuming you mean firing it off a bench.....is the WORST position possible for recoil. If you look at a guy shooting off a bench, he is almost always sitting down, leaning forward at about a 45' angle and totally braced the rifle. In this position a shooter is going to soak up every ounce of punishment that a rifle can dish out. Not only this, but the butt plate of the rifle is moving up towards the top of his shoulderand not down on the lower muscles where it will be felt less.
If you took the same rifle and fired it standing up or almost any other position, you would find the felt recoil considerably less.
But anyway. You asked about a .243 VS 30/30. Most shooters won't even say them in the same breath. The 30/30 has killed a lot of game and it will keep on doing it. But the two rifles are like night and day. The 30/30 is a slow moving, short range rifle with a trajectory like throwing a rock compared to other rifles. The .243 is very fast and flat. Basically it is a varmint rifle that will shoot bullets heavy enough to work pretty good on deer sized game.
Frankly, neither rifle you mention would be my suggestion for you. I would almost suggest you get yourself a .22/250. These guns are almost recoil free, even off a bench, and yet they can kill like the hammer of Thor anything up to deer sized animals. They are very loveable rifles because of their lightening speed, flat trajectory and absent recoil. Shoot one before you make your pick. Talk to some guys who have one.
Another great rifle for you would be a 250/3000...if you can find one. In fact, I wonder if you would even be OK with a 25/06. Possibly the new 7mm/08s would be a good rifle for you.
There are lots of things you can do to any rifle to make it kick you less. Maybe the rifles you shot just didn't fit you very well. With your own rifle you can have it cut to your proper length and have a healthy recoil pad fitted to the stock. Adding a good scope and steel rings and bases will add another pound weight to your rifle. These two things that most people do anyway also reduce recoil.
My only concern for your rifle selection is your comment about "shooting pigs." What do you mean here and how much are you going to be doing this as opposed to deer and varmint hunting??? If you are really going to be hunting varmints and deer 99% of the time, then a 243 would be fine as would the .22/250. Large wild pigs or boars can have very thick, tough hide which can be problematic for light fast moving bullets like .22 and 243s.
Anyway, just some things to think about. Mostly I believe you just need to shoot some more and different rifles and think about this a bit more. After all preparation can be half the fun. Good hunting on whatever your choice.