Too much Angle can cause the problems You mentioned.....I've used a 30-06,.243,7mm-08 all with no issues!Be sure to wait for a good broadside shot,shot just back and behind the front leg for a lung shot or even a little lower to get the heart.Some go for a head shot but I'd rather not,others go for the shoulder shot to anchor a Deer quicker but that can cause a lot if meat damage too.

I use the Remington Core-Lokts in the 30/06,7mm-08 and Hornady Custom 100 Grainers in the .243 with great results....high shots from a tall stand would cause serious damage on the upper part of a Deer in the loin area if Your angle is pretty steep.You need to take into consideration of the Angle of Your shoot and where the Bullet will exit after passing thru,kinda like Bow Hunting visualize the angle of the Deer and where Your shot placement will be and where it will enter then exit and wait for the best shot opportunity!

In 243 or 7-08 I prefer a Barnes Vortex or the Federal version of the Barnes. Pass thru is almost guaranteed & meat damage is about as minimal as it gets.

Oledaswede,

The latest whining about a 'new' problem: "Meat Damage" makes us smile.

We hunt and shoot game with bullets and shot. If some so called "Meat Damage" bothers you that much then buy your meat at the grocery store.

A primary concern is that the game does not suffer a wound and escape. This is far more important than so called "Meat Damage."

When I read the OP, it just didn't "feel" right to me so I've waited to see what some others think before I replied.

Excessive meat damage with a .270, and especially a .243 with a clean shot just doesn't sound right to me.

I've hunted with many people that have used a wide variety of cartridges over the years. The only time I've seen excessive meat damage is when someone has made a poorly placed shot.

I'm not trying to say that poor shot placement is the issue in this case. What I'm trying to say is that I just don't get it.

There should be very little, if any at all damaged meat with a well placed shot using either of the cartridges mentioned.

Back to the original question...does a 308 cause less meat damage than a243 or 270? I know they will all cause damage to meat on less than perfect hits.

Nope........

I've chased deer all over the country for 3 decades and essentially all of my rifles have had Barnes in them for the last 2 of those decades!

As for your 308 question, you mentioned your previous experience with a 30/06. For deer, what one does the other will likewise!

First time I heard someone complain about a .243 doing to much damage. People call it a marginal cartridge. I don't agree.

Typically, a .243 leaves a massive exit wound. And there is no tracking. Even with cheap ammo. That's what I love about my .243.

I have hammered deer with everything from 218 bee to 458 Winchester for years. The bee was a neck shot. The rest were either head or behind the shoulder. The only time that you are going to get excessive damage is if you hit high or hit the shoulder directly. Place it a couple inches behind the shoulder on a broadside, and the only thing you are going to wreck is lungs and ribs, and I don't really care if I blow them apart. Moose, elk and bear the same, leaving the 218 out of the equation. My 270 is 400 to 500 fps faster than your 270 Winchester, and if I load a light jacketed bullet it will blow a football sized hole through the ribs and totally vaporize the lungs liver heart and everything else in between. I shot a little forward on a moose with a 375 H&H with a 300 grain and it destroyed a shoulder completely. There was bone fragments everywhere, and the bloodshot area was immense. Put them a little further back, or take a neck shot.

I don't see where a .308, .243, or .270 would be much different; they are all pretty standard deer hunting cartridges. I agree with the earlier suggestions about trying a bullet like the TSX, though I've used corelokts a lot in the past.