Which Caliber Why

Z

Zen Archery

New member
Most shots where I will be hunting will be under 150 yds.
I have a .243, 30/30, 30.06 which would you hunt with why? Include bullet .gr.
Finally deer are the primary target but I'm an equal opportunity eliminator when hogs shuffel by.
 
All, any size bullet!!

I hunt with four or five different guns and about 8 different loads. As long as you are proficient, take what you feel like that day.

Barring that I would pick the '06 with a 180gr bullet......just because
 
if 243 would do id go for the remington 100 grain core loks, 30-06 a good 150 grain bullet would do just fine, a premium ammo of sort
 
Depends on terrain and size of the hogs. If the hogs grow big, then .30-06 would be the ticket. .243 and .30-30 are the two most perfect deer calibers, if you ask me, so tough call.
 
Hmm. . .

I'm an '06 man, but shots in MT can run a bit long. Any bullet from 150gr to 220gr will work equally well at your short distances. Your K-mart grade Rem/Win/Fed 180gr softpoint will not leave you wanting.

If it were me, I would opt for the thutty-thutty and the classic 170gr SP bullet for both critters. Solid. Classic.

As for the .243, I don't have hogs here and prefer .25cal and up for deer. I am led to believe hogs are tougher than deer. If I were going to use this one, I think I would opt for the 105gr Nosler Partition, or similarly tough expanding bullet for Hogs, and and perhaps a regular 95-105 gr soft point for deer. If you have large bodied deer, the 105gr Nosler would do well.
 
I like the 30/30 in that scenario. If you expect a 200 lb+ swine I'd lean more toward the '06. The smaller pigs are better eatin' from my experience. YMMV
 
'06 with 150 grain (or 165, or whatever shoots best through it) soft-point rounds. Because the '06 works so darn well for deer. :cool:
 
I'd say flip a coin, but there are three choices. I'm partial to a .30-06 with 168gr Ballistic Silvertips for deer. Should take care of any hog short of Hogzilla too. If they get really big and tough, maybe move up to a 180 grain.
 
I shot dozens of pigs from 150 lbs up to 300 lbs with my 30-30, I shot one with my 243, and I have watched them get knocked down by 30-06. They all work, as long as the bullet is up to the job. 170 gr for the 30-30, 100 gr for the 243, 150 or 165 gr for the 30-06. Then fire up the BBQ!
 
They'll all do what you want to do at the range youd' like to do it at provided you select the right bullet as described before. The only consideration is tha you said "most" shots will be under 150 yds. If you would like to still reach out to 175-200 or further I think you gotta go with the '06. Esp for pigs at this distance.
 
30-30whitetail.jpg


This photo was sent to me by a friend in Michigan. Truthfully, I've not met this hunter.

All three cartridges produce lethal wound channels. Question is which combination of bullet and velocity will always drop 'em dead in their tracks?

30-30 is my first choice. This cartridge always seems to have the right balance of trajectory for hunting situations and energy transfer to the animal. The 170 grain FEDERAL bullet is quite soft at the tip for fast mushroom forming and energy transfer. Yet the rear of the bullet holds everything together to retain mass for breaking bones.

.243 is always a great choice for open country hunts where shots may exceed 250 yards or farther. 95 grain Ballistic Tip is both fast and deadly accurate. But for 100 - 150 yard shots in the timber, this cartridge is still too fast and wastes its energy in the open air on other side of the deer.

30-06 has been proven many times over in exponential numbers. But some bullets are much too thick jacketed for good energy transfer in deer sized animals. Stay away from the pointed 180 grain bullets. This weight typically has a rather thick jacket intended for heavier built animals such as bear, elk, moose and so forth. The 220 grain bullets are way too heavy in the jacket for anything much lighter skinned than North American grizzly or African lion. You can't go wrong with a fast stepping 150 grain or even most 165 grain bullets. Remington AccuTip is a very good deer dropper. An old fashioned but excellent game killer is the round nosed 180 grain bullet with lots of lead exposed. These old design bullets open up fast like a 150 grain but hold together like a good 180 grain should.

Recoil-wise .243 and 30-30 are easy on the shoulder. 30-06 is painful after 10 shots or so.

I hope this is helpful. Good hunting to you.

Jack
 
All the calibers you have will work, use the caliber that you are the most accurate with.

+1 on what Jack O'Conner said.
 
One of the biggest hogs i have ever seen was taken by an 8 yr old boy. He was using a .243 Win 95 gn BT . He drilled that big boar right between the eyes and it dropped in its tracks. My wife preffers the 30-30,and with the new Hornady load it is all she needs. As for my self, I like the 8mm Mauser , close to the 06, but i like the 180 gn Nosler BT propelled by a healthy dose of IMR-4064.
 
Depends on how your hunting

It depends on how you plan on hunting and the terrain. If you're hunting from a stand and plan on taking long shots, then I'd pick the 30-06.

If you're a better shot with the .243, then pick that.

If you're stalking or planning on shorter shots I'd pick the 30/30. My scenario for the 30/30 is this....

This happened about 10 minutes after sunrise on opening day last year. I shot an 8 point whitetail and as I called my hunting partners to inform them of my location and kill, a group of 4 hogs came running along the other side of the clearing. Since I had the 30/30, I still had 6 rounds left...I took 4 shots at the running hogs and dropped 3. If I'd had my 7 mag, I would only have had three shots (maybe 4 if I put one in the pipe).

So it doesn't hurt to have the extra rounds the 30/30 holds. Especially if it is a really big hog and you're at eye level...extra few rounds are nice to have.
 
I know you asked which caliber but how about which rifle? While I am a big 30-06 fan I see that you have a 30-30. Im guessing its a lever rifle;) Your shots will most likely be under 150yds? Sounds like possibly brush or woods hunting that you are talking about, so I would choose the handy 30-30 for that task. Quick handling, compact, and effective in that situation.
Of course all the other calibers you mentioned would work as well. But for that type of hunting I would choose the 30-30.
 
"...All, any size bullet!!..." Not for a .243. Under 85 grain .243 bullets are usually made for varmints. Varmint bullets aren't suitable for deer or hogs. 105 SP's are dandy for deer. Don't know about hogs, there aren't any up here.
 
I need to go on a hog hunt. You have a nice selection of rifles/calibers to choose from. I'd lean toward the 30-06 myself unless you are in a really brushy area and then I'd go with the 30-30.
 
Sounds like the old story of Goldilocks and the three bears. One gun may be too big, one gun may be too small but the other one is just right. :D

My vote is 30-30 with whichever bullet shoots better in the particular gun. (Remember with leverguns the point of impact may change with a bench rest versus hunting hold and with the number of shots in the tube.)
 
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