mauser06

i much rather have the weight of the 30-30 then the speed of the 243....never killed a deer with either....just what i like....though my buddy killed 2 deer at about 550yds with a 243....and many past 200....something the 30-30 can only dream of doing....just drops way to fast and looses energy too fast....but for normal deer hunting id say the 30-30 has the edge....

SquirrleBurger46

243 is good but the 30-30 is also for brush

ths78

Couldn't pass up on this one. I've killed quite a few deer with a 30-30, and seen first hand what a 243 will do also.

I believe a 30-30 wins hands down in this battle inside of about 75 yds. From 75 yds to about 125 yds, they are equal. And beyond 125 yds, the 243 really has the advantage over the 30-30.

Max range with a scoped 30-30 should be about 200 yds. A scoped 243 is a solid 300 yard deer rifle.

A 243 puts a lot more shock blood around the wound channel, and leaves better blood trails also.

I think any factory 30-30 ammo is great for deer. I think the 243 really shines with winchester's 100 gr nosler partition.

Generally deer run from 0 to 50 yds after being hit by either, with more "drop them in their track shots" at the ranges I listed above.

timbercruiser

Between the two, I would pick the .243. Shot placement is what counts. Very capable bullet, especially at a longer distance.

Clint.

All depends on who's shootin' it!

I've got a lot of good long range rifles (25-06, 270' 6mm, 30-06, etc)
but I shoot most of my deer with a Marlin lever action carbine in 44 magnum.....and it just has iron sights. It's light, handy, and points quick in the woods....and I still like to hunt in the woods.

Clint

Slamfire

When I moved here to the mountains of E. TN, I retired my .243 to the gun safe and bought a .35 Remington. I was lookin for a .30-30, but this rifle was available for the right price.

Christine B

I killed my first 4 deer with a Winchester 30-30, don't care for a 243 unless hunting for yotes. However, for years now I prefer my 30.06 for Whitetail deer.

Mr. .45-70

I'd have to take the .30-30. I killed my first deer with a pre-64 model 94. I was hunting in some thick woods and that buck was running like a locamotive quartering away at a pretty bad angle. The type of shot that hunter education classes brainwash you into not taking. Well, that buck dressed out at 185lbs and sported an 8 point rack with an 18 1/2 inch inside spread. It was a marginal shot as I hit him in the hind quarter. The bullet penetrated through the femural artery and exited out the ribs on the other side. He didn't go far, but I wonder if I would have had the same results with a .243?

Mr. .45-70

deerslayer223

With a premium bullet i bet the 243 would have performed equal to the 30-30. A 243 is a solid 300yd deer rig with the right shooter behind it. In the woods though with shots 100yds or less i would opt for the 30-30. But for the kind of hunting i do which is mainly field edges the 243 would be a superior rig for my purposes!

Night Hawk 223

for shots 150yds or less i would go with the 30-30 but over that distance the 243 would take over so it depends on the range you intend on shooting deer at.