.243 vs .30-30 on deer?
- Thread starter philthygeezer
- Start date
I own a .243 ... (as well as a .270, .308 and .30-06). Way-back-when, my dad worked for many years as a professional hunter in N.W. Ontario using Win '92s in .44-40 and '94s in .30-30 .. and he killed as many whitetail deer as he wanted. He always considered that the Win '94s in .30-30 were plenty good enough to do the job at relatively short range, in his opinion up to 150 yds. Which is fine cause those Win lever-actions are only accurate enough at relatively short ranges anyway. On the other hand, my .243 is an scoped Sako A2 (and using a 100gr bullet stuck in the end of a .308 cartridge), it's scary accurate. The deer here on Vancouver Island are about the same size as I am. And, if in the woods some dunderhead ever mistakes me for a deer and shoots from 300 yds away, then I'll be hoping he's using a .30-30 and not a .243
You all gotta get out hunting more, who cares, grab either one and get to it. . Shots under 100 yds. in thick trees and brush: a lever gun with open sights in 30-30, 38-55, 32-40, 32 Win Spl . . . Handy as hell and easy to carry through the forest. . . Longer shots in more open country, sling and a scope, the 243, 257 rbts., will work just fine. . Who cares about bullets and ballistics and whatever have ya. . If the deer end up dead, I doubt they care . .
- Location
- South Shore, Nova Scotia
LMAO...indeed. A 30-30 lever gun, especially a Winchester, is/should be considered a permanent part of your collection. It's like Page selling his sunburst '58, if anyone gets my drift...he may not use it on every tune, and neither may you shoot your '94 that much...it's like the spleen. We don't use it much, the doctors say, but we'd hate to see you live without it...
let QUOTE=Boomer;9203332]Visually might help explain . . .
All 3 bullets are .375 caliber; A 270 gr XLC @2800, a 300 gr X @2600, and a 380 gr Rhino@2300. Both of the Xs expanded to .72" but the Rhino expanded to .92"[/QUOTE]
Boomer, your premises do not conclude the phenomenon of your expansion.............bullet construction must be of the same. Many premium spitzer bullets will expand greater than monolithic designs. All who reload and hunt are aware than monolithic bullets are limited to expansion and spitzer bullets more generous to expansion. I think your theory is somewhat correct, however compare apples to apples, as so long that the bullet is of the same construction, velocity's are equal along with targets densities.
All 3 bullets are .375 caliber; A 270 gr XLC @2800, a 300 gr X @2600, and a 380 gr Rhino@2300. Both of the Xs expanded to .72" but the Rhino expanded to .92"[/QUOTE]
Boomer, your premises do not conclude the phenomenon of your expansion.............bullet construction must be of the same. Many premium spitzer bullets will expand greater than monolithic designs. All who reload and hunt are aware than monolithic bullets are limited to expansion and spitzer bullets more generous to expansion. I think your theory is somewhat correct, however compare apples to apples, as so long that the bullet is of the same construction, velocity's are equal along with targets densities.
It's a 336. Thinking I might get out of lever actions entirely and focus on bolt guns in .243, .308, etc.
I might already be on the way to pink camo.
bearkilr
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Nowhere, ......just past the middle
It's a 336. Thinking I might get out of lever actions entirely and focus on bolt guns in .243, .308, etc.
I might already be on the way to pink camo.
Is this you? ( I hope
): 
It's a 336. Thinking I might get out of lever actions entirely and focus on bolt guns in .243, .308, etc.
I might already be on the way to pink camo.
YIKES!!! It looks like "Crayola" vomitted on that poor gun!!!
- Location
- South Shore, Nova Scotia
What do you get with 3 hunters in a room?
4 opinions.
4 opinions.
Even though I would never do it myself, I met a fellow that gets his moose with a 223 and 60 grain partitions. Either cartridge being discussed will be adequate for deer.
I don't hunt game LR, and shoot at distances like 1000 yards, but that doesn't mean it's wrong. I don't hunt moose with a 223, again that doesn't mean no one else can or should not. I don't road hunt, or hunt over bait anymore either, however everyone should have the right to without harassment. We need to start supporting each other in the ways we hunt, no one else will.
I don't hunt game LR, and shoot at distances like 1000 yards, but that doesn't mean it's wrong. I don't hunt moose with a 223, again that doesn't mean no one else can or should not. I don't road hunt, or hunt over bait anymore either, however everyone should have the right to without harassment. We need to start supporting each other in the ways we hunt, no one else will.
Scared of clowns......nope. Scared of guns......definitely nope.
Clown with a gun?
I'm heading for the hills.
Premise is a rifle that is easy to spot at distance if I drop my pack and go for a short walk in the middle of nowhere. Also, that bears can't charge and laugh or chew and giggle at the same time.
The rifle is a .338 Win Mag Ruger Mark II with irons in a McMillan blue-orange-red-yellow camo. The magnum filled classic stock puts the rifle at just about 8 pounds IIRC, about the weight of a Super Grade M70 in .30-06.
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I have a .243, .30-30, .270, .308, .30-06, 7mmMag........ you get the point.
This fall the .243 will put 10x the deer on the ground of all the others combined at typical hunting distances. As the range increases, I will switch to the .270, then the 7mmMag.
OP, you will not regret a .243.
This fall the .243 will put 10x the deer on the ground of all the others combined at typical hunting distances. As the range increases, I will switch to the .270, then the 7mmMag.
OP, you will not regret a .243.
So let me get this straight... If you shoot two deer with the other caliber, your .243 will account for 20 deer this fall??? I'm betting the other calibers account for zero deer... In which case, I believe your .243 will harvest ten times as much... ;-)
