HI
I need to know if the .243,.270 or something like the .30/30 would be better for whitetails and maybe some paper. Then what rifle would you recomend in that caliber.
Thanks,
opdoc

What kind of country do you hunt?

I used .25-06 and .270 on whitetails for years. Never had to make a shot past about 140 yards, so unless it was a head shot I lost a small amount of meat on each animal to.

So my point is that it depends on what a typical hunting shot might be. I have switched to hunting with some large bore(slow moving bullets) and a .30-30 and can eat right up to the bullet holes now. And any deer shot I ever made I could have made with my open sighted .30-30.

If you have to make a lot of 200 to 300 yard shots I would not hesitate to use the .270 Winchester, it is very effective. I personally think the .243 is a bit light for many deer situations, the .270 is better for long range and the 30-30 is better close up.

And there you have my very biased opinion.

I'm with the other two fellows... just depends what your typical situation is. I'm a 30-30 and other leveraction guy and that is where my preferences lie.

If you get into handloading, that 30-30 and about $100 will give you a 30-30 Ackley Improved and then you can handle just about anything on hooves in NA.

opdoc

You mentioned 243 or brush buster. Sounds like you might hunt in brushy country once in a while. Here in the Northwest we have the oppurtunity to hunt in places both brushy and open. For our big Western mule deer and whitetail any cartridge that will carry enough energy at the longest range you can accurately place a bullet in a deer's boiler plant will work. 243's and 30-30's all seem to work well at closer ranges. Lots of folks out here like the magnums for longer range work and the fact that our deer seasons are often the same times as elk seasons.

I recomend that you use the type of action you like be it bolt, lever, pump or auto and any good centerfire from 243 up that doesn't hurt to shoot. Personnaly I shoot one of the magnums, but I have a lot of friends that would probably harvest more deer if they went to a lighter recoiling gun such as a 260, 308 etc. and was able to shoot it a little more accurately.

Most folks just getting into hunting fall for the advertising ploy that velocity and flat trejectory equals game killed, where in actuality accuracy and good hunting technique usually equal more game killed

Good luck in your quest

I've shot deer with a .22-250, .280 Rem, .30-06, .257 Roberts, .357 mag (handgun), .44 Mag (handgun), and probably a few other things that have slipped my mind. They all work; deer aren't bulletproof. Using my .35 Rem this season, at least till I get one. A few pigs with the .338, .35 Rem, .458, .45 ACP, and .45 Colt. Like the other guys said, just depends on the conditions.

Want to 'bust brush,' get a D9 Cat dozer.... bullets don't do well going through brush, no matter what you read.

Good luck with your hunting, and welcome to the forum!

Have taken a considerable number of whitetail (and, even the odd mulie) with a .243 and consider it adequate for whitetail. Marginal for mulies. Always used the heaviest Nosler Partition bullet I could find when doing so.

As MikeG says - there's NO such thing as a "brush busting" cartridge. All of them deflect to one degree or another. The super hotrodded bullets will most likely blow up rather than deflecting.

If you're going to be hunting in brush or timber where the shots are going to be from muzzle range to 100 yds or so, the old tried and true 30-30 levergun makes just about the best combination you could want. That's why it has been so popular for so long and still takes it's share of game today.

I Think That I Must Say That It Is Not The Gun Or Even The Size Of The Gun, It Is Bullet Placement! I Have Seen Whitetail Kills With A 22 Mags And With 45-70 With Corbon Loads. (the 45-70 Was Me). The 30-30 Has Put Lots Of Meat In The Freezer For Years And Will Do So For Many More. If You Also Want To Shoot Paper I Would Go With The 270, It Is A Flat Shooter And Will Serve You Well. Here In N.e. Pa Most Shots Are Under 100 Yards But I Still Use My 300 Winchester Mag, Why...not That I Need All That Power But I Know And Love The Gun And That Is What Matters When You Pull The Trigger......

I think any of the calibers you listed would work fine, but in certain situations some may work better than other so it depends on the terrain you hunt that dictates what may be best for you. I hunt open farmland and thick cedar swamps and the .270 served me well in both situations. I think a .243 would give similar results, just not with as much range or punch. A 30-30 would work well in the swamps but maybe not so well in the farmland if I had to take a shot over 150 yards or so. And as others have said, there's no such thing as a "brush gun" so look at your needs and hunting area and hopefully you find what you need.

I love my .243, it hasn't failed me yet. My brother nailed a 140lb or so whitetail buck last year at 200 yards. Really, if you think about it, a .243 has better chance of getting through the brush, as the bullet can thread its way through smaller gap in the brush

I use a .25-06 on deer, sometimes I have long shots out to 400 yards, or I have decent shots at 100 yards... At 200+ yards, the bullets perform perfectly, that is, they end up on the other side under the hide, or they go all the way through. Under 200 yards, they bounce around and destroy meat, I've started taking head shots at animals under 200 yards (I don't shoot bucks, so mounts are of no consideration to me).