• The SH Membership has gone live. Only SH Members have access to post in the classifieds. All members can view the classifieds. Starting in 2020 only SH Members will be admitted to the annual hunting contest. Current members will need to follow these steps to upgrade: 1. Click on your username 2. Click on Account upgrades 3. Choose SH Member and purchase.
  • We've been working hard the past few weeks to come up with some big changes to our vendor policies to meet the changing needs of our community. Please see the new vendor rules here: Vendor Access Area Rules

30-06 or 243 or 270

TheYote

TheYote

Active Member
Joined
Nov 3, 2018
Messages
137
My plan was to bow hunt the whole season but I'm not able to go as much as I'd like due to work. And I've got to have some meat. Buying steaks from the store is expensive. Many moons ago before I found an interest in bow hunting I used a rifle and had plenty of luck. Since then I sold that rifle (7mm) and am now considering purchasing a new one but having trouble deciding which caliber. I know it's about shot placement etc. I like the 3006. I've never had to shoot more than 50 yards. So I don't think I need something long range. I've been reading that the 243 is good for about 200 yards. I by no means am planning to have to shoot that far nor will I be in a situation to have to shoot that far. Any opinions for good conversation? I'm leaning towards the 06 or the 243
 
I'm guessing if you've never had to shoot over 50 yards it's pretty thick woods in your area? If so, I'd be inclined to stick with something larger caliber than the 243. Not that it won't work but at least where I hunt, if you're gonna be tracking any distance you want a good blood trail to follow and a little bigger diameter bullet helps in that respect.

Of the 3 posted I'd go with the 270. A little less recoil than the '06 with a larger diameter bullet than the 243 for a better blood trail.
 
GCTerpfan said:
How do you know?
Click to expand...
Lost two bucks that I'm 100% positive are dead with it. First one I blamed myself. 2nd I sold the gun. I have never lost a deer with anything but that .243, so I'm pretty confident it was a caliber issue.

My .243 either killed them DRT or left a very poor blood trail. Hunting thick swamps, that could be a problem.

I loved that gun too. NEF handi-rifle. Easy to carry, simple, and no recoil. Accurate too. But I just lost faith in it.

Not saying a 30-06 will never fail you, but it's a lot better choice to me. Most everyone can comfortably shoot it. I sighted mine in at 50 and 200, and only shoot it periodically to check the zero. I practice routinely with my CZ-452 to keep me sharp. That way I don't develop a flinch from too many 06 rounds. Cheaper too.
 
You didn’t list it but buy a 308. Or a 7mm08
I don’t think anything plants deer like a .30 cal bullet. But I prefer a short action. My long actions stay in the safe most of the time.

Heck if I knew for a fact without a doubt I wasn’t going to shoot over 50 yds I would seriously consider a 30/30 lever action

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
The old caliber debate. IMO the 30-06 is the quintessential of all calibers on the market. All manufacturers have been chasing it since it was first introduced. It is the one caliber that is capable of handling all North American big game. They never realized how good it was. A .270 is a flatter shooting round however, you give up the versatility of the gun. You can get factory loads to handle a grizzly, or moose all the way down to varmints. Only caliber that is able to do this. Then there are the specialty loads. I believe all the way up to 250 grain. Then you can buy light recoil loads.

If you want a rifle for saddle hunting just for deer, look at a marlin 30-30 or a Winchester model 94. If putting a scope on it definitely consider the Marlin. This will allow you to mount a scope much easier. Also the Marlin is supposed to be more accurate. More deer have been taken with a 30-30 than any other caliber. The lever action is still my go to rifle as it is short and nimble.

With the new Hornady rounds you now have a nimble, accurate rifle out to 200 yds.


https://goo.gl/images/kRzu3e


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
 
Last edited:
bigjoe said:
The old caliber debate. IMO the 30-06 is the quintessential of all calibers on the market. All manufacturers have been chasing it since it was first introduced. It is the one caliber that is capable of handling all North American big game. They never realized how good it was. A .270 is a flatter shooting round however, you give up the versatility of the gun. You can get factory loads to handle a grizzly, or moose all the way down to varmints. Only caliber to deer this.

If you want a rifle for saddle hunting, look at a




https://goo.gl/images/kRzu3e


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
Click to expand...
This in spades! I used to laugh at my dad for his 30-06 fanaticism, but have since seen the light. A good, bolt action 30-06 will do anything you ask it to do with great gusto.

I named my stainless t3 lite ",The Subjugator." It stomps deer and piggies. Break down both shoulders and that animal will be right where it was when you pulled the trigger. No more crawling on my hands and knees through the palmettos looking for a blood trail.
 
Nutterbuster said:
This in spades! I used to laugh at my dad for his 30-06 fanaticism, but have since seen the light. A good, bolt action 30-06 will do anything you ask it to do with great gusto.

I named my stainless t3 lite ",The Subjugator." It stomps deer and piggies. Break down both shoulders and that animal will be right where it was when you pulled the trigger. No more crawling on my hands and knees through the palmettos looking for a blood trail.
Click to expand...

The 06 stomps em. I have to agree. I just wish I could get more time in to hunt. I have a few fields where it will get put to use this year.


I inherited my Dad’s model 70. My brothers and I all bought rifles for a deer hunt in PA. I could only afford a Winchester 94 at the time. My Dad shot that gun and got it to Battle Sight zero on the public ranges at Ft. Dix. Unfortunately, he never did his dream hunt. He got sick and passed. I have killed many a deer with it. I only use it once or twice a year. But when I do, I usually harvest a deer. I cannot figure it out. Lol. Same with his Remington 1100.




Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
 
Last edited:
If you ever find yourself in a remote spot without ammo (say up way up north or something), you will always be able to find 30-06 (either in camp or at the local general store). Some of the more exotic stuff may have some ballistic benefits, but the universality of 30-06 is one of its big strengths.
 
My next gun will be a dirty 30. Maybe the marlin. I just began a fetish for lever guns. Thick woods is hard to beat the 30/30. But it all depends on your objectives for the gun. If you just want one deer gun, it’s hard to beat a 270 or 30-06 for their versatility. And you know that round will be around forever in factory loads.
 
I own a 243 and a 270. To be honest I reach for my 243 more often than the 270. I think it is partly because I have owned that gun since I was 15 and because it doesn't kick much I think I tend to shoot it more accurately. (I know that this is my issue and no fault of larger calibers) Have shot a ton of deer with that 243. Probably literally a couple hundred as I have been involved in quite a bit of damage control permits. That said I can tell my 270 tears up more meat so am sure it hits harder. All 3 are good calibers and if you are shooting in heavy brush I would lean towards the 270 or 30-06. But all this is just my opinion and experience. If I was buying another rifle today it would be a 6.5 Creedmore.......

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
 
Would the rifle be used for anything else or just deer? I sold my .270 for a higher quality .243. But I am shooting yotes with it as I am not in an area where I can hunt deer with a rifle. I would be confident with a heavier round in the .243 dropping deer. But if it was a deer rifle only I would go with the larger calibre
 
I like them all. I like to have multiple uses for everything. If you think you will ever hunt coyotes go for the 243. If you plan a moose hunt consider the 06. The last rifle I bought was a tikka in stainless in 308. It is cheap enough that it wouldn’t break my heart if something happened on an out of state hunt but tough enough I don’t worry if I hear it bump against my climbing sticks while walking with it slung. Stainless synthetic guns are not pretty but when hunting with pretty guns I cringe when they bump something and spend more time wiping them off in the rain than looking for deer.
As far as caliber choice any of them will work. The smaller caliber you go the more important your bullet choice will be. There are 243 bullets that will reliably give exit wounds on elk and 30-06 bullets that won’t exit deer. I recommend 7mm-08 and 308. The 6.5 creed moor is making a good reputation as a deer stopper that’s easy on the shoulder as well.
Lever guns are cool but with the whole Winchester going overseas deal the price has nearly doubled. There are bolt actions that are much cheaper that will do anything a lever action will and are easier to unload with detachable mags being available on several models of budget bolt guns. While the lowly 243 isn’t my favorite it will do anything a 30-30 will and do it much farther away. Just get a good bonded bullet.
 
The difference between the .06 & .270 is minimal, and near non-existent at the close range you propose shooting. Ammo availability is a plus for the .06, depending on location. Having said that I think a youth model 7mm .08 is a great saddle gun option due to its reduced weight & size. I reached for my daughters in the past more often than my trusty vintage .06,
 
Last edited:
Lot of good advice you're getting here. I'll second that a .308 is a great choice, I almost replaced my .243 with one before the tika kinda fell in my lap

.270 vs 30-06 is kinda silly. Theoretically the .270 is a flatter round, but you can load them to do pretty much the same dang thing as one another. And a lot of ballistics talk is meaningless inside of 200 yards, which I'd hazard to guess is where 99.99% of hunting shots are taken, regardless of species.

I know folks kill deer with .243s. I killed just fine with mine. But it's just objectively inferior to a .270, 30-06, .308, 6.5, etc. Same goes for a 30-30. I grew up with one, and it killed. But anything a lever 30-30 will do, a bolt 30-06 will do. The other way round can't be said.

They all cost about the same. Why not go up a size? What is there to gain by sticking with a smaller caliber?
 
If I had to buy another deer rifle I would go with a .308. Possibly a 7mm08. I have a .270 and I wish I had the shorter action. I shot a .243 for the first 5 years of hunting, and my whole family still uses them to this day. Never had an issue on deer. They shoot 85 grain handloaded bullets which is a little light by conventional wisdom but man those things do some damage.

I've only shot two deer with a rifle in the past decade but one of them was what I see as the principal issue with whitetail bullets. It was a brushy shot and the 130 gr .270 core lokt blew up before it hit the buck. The entrance wound was about 4 inches wide and the shrapnel only hit one lung. There was ok blood but that buck went about 400 yards, farther than any other deer I've shot. Unless you get up into the very heavy bullet, brush gun stuff, I don't think any of the aforementioned choices abate that issue. Therefore, for all intents and purposes on deer I would argue the differences between the calibers you mentioned are extremely negligible.
 
.30 cal bullet for sure. 308, 30-30, 300wm. 35 Whelen, 30-06. 7mm-08 ok as well.
 
If you know you're staying under 100 yards get a 30-30. Cheap, accurate and reliable. I love the 30-06 for those 200+ shots or if I know I'm going into hog country. My 243 has never let me down like some say. It's all about shot placement. But i use it for long range, yea long range. I've taken 200+ pound deer over 300 yards with it. But tbh at closer shots than 100, I don't like it. The bullet is to fast and don't expand like I want. Now you could remedy that by the load but I prefer to stay with what I got because of the way I hunt. I prefer to hunt with my 35 Whelen but all it is, is a 30-06 necked up to a 35 cal. Now back to the 30-30. It has plenty of knock down power, its accurate, the shells are relatively inexpensive and also easy to find. Great gun for the money also.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top