243 or 30-06?

Question

which one wold be more deadle hunting a deer a 100 yards

Answer 1

the .30/06 will definitely take down any size deer or, for that matter, any game in north America within not just 100 yards, but 200 yards without it running far. that isn't to say that it isn't deadly up to 400 yards, which it is with good shot placement.
a good friend told me about an article that he read that said ".243: barely adequate for a half starved deer" this is true. the .243 is not designed for killing deer. it was first designed for varmint hunting, specifically using the 80 grain bullets for coyotes. the .243 shoots a thin, fast bullet that is great for shooting long distances and at coyote-sized game. the .30/06, on the other hand, is (in my opinion) the most versatile caliber for hunting north American game. you can load up the 150 grain bullets and take on varmints like my uncle does. or you can use the 165 grain or 180 grain bullets for whitetail, antelope, or boar. 200 or 220 grain bullets are very good for elk, mule deer, black bear and the occasional smaller moose. the .243 is light on the shoulder, and that's about as far as the good things for deer go. the .30/06 has higher recoil, but its not to the point where it dislocates your shoulder. it is about the same as a 12 gauge shotgun. the ammo is a lot easier to find in .30/06, and it will be your best friend when you hunt in north America.

live in western PA, and damn proud of it <((((><

Answer 2

Okay, let's talk about this honestly. Are you going to be hunting grizzly bear or elk or moose in the next 5 years? Realistically, not some rare chance? If the answer to that question is NO then get a 243 for hunting deer and if someday you ARE in a position to hunt elk or bear or something exotic, you can get a rifle just for that. Note, another excellent choice would be a 25-06. That's a 30-06 necked down to take a .25 caliber bullet. Has a little more recoil than the 243, but still a lot less than a 30-06. Plus it is the smallest chambering that is considered good for deer AND elk (and good for antelope, wolf, coyote, big horn sheep, mountain goat, caribou, mule deer, and basically everything short of bear and moose)

Answer 3

The .30-06 is deadly at nearly any range, but the .243 is extremely accurate, and if using the heavier loads, deadly to deer. The nice thing about the .243 is how accurate it is, and if you are a good shot, it will be a very rewarding gun for you. On the other hand, the .30-06 is a much more versatile round, being cheap enough (relatively speaking) to shoot for fun, while being big enough to get the job done (altough it may be messy) on the largest big game.

I own a Winchester Model 70 Carbine chambered in .243, and a Remington Model 700 BDL in .30-06. The Winchester was given to me for my 12th birthday, and unfortunately, I feel like the rifle is physically too small for me now (I'm 29, and saving this rifle for if/when I have children), while the Remington belonged to my father, and he gave it to me several years ago. Both are excellent rifles, and while the .30-06 round is so much larger than the .243, I still swear that the .243 has more recoil, but it could just be my imagination.

Answer 4

The one you shoot better.
Back in the 60's and 70's I killed scores of deer with a 6mm Rem, just slightly hotter than the 243. You have to be a little picky with your shots, and in the old days I had some bullet failures from too high a velocity (surface blow-ups), but premium bullets these days have cured that problem.
The 30-06 is really too much gun for whitetail, and some people have trouble learning to shoot it well (?!) but it'll certainly do. Any bullet failures you have here will probably be with heavier bullets punching through on a broadside without expanding, but that's an occasional problem with almost anything.
My personal choice for close work is an old 348 Win., and the other slow, large calibers like 45-70, 38-55, and such are that little tiny bit more reliable, but either the 243 or 30-06 will work, and those will give you the range for longer shots if they arise.

Answer 5

I'd go for 30-06 every time. Been using a 7x57 the last 20 years, and never had a deer go more than 30-40 ft. I used a 30-06 over 20 and killed them every time, from 20 to 400+yards with 150 gr whatever I had in the loading box. My brother and his bunch like the .243/6mm, but we've followed, and lost, more deer than I like to think about with those light weights. Plus, 30-06 is good for anything you want to hunt in North America, w/ right load. Like I say, the 7Mauser has dropped around 30 deer, most in their tracks, with less recoil, less powder, and less commotion. '06 all around winner.

Answer 6

The .243 will and does take down deer every year. I odnt know if Burnzwater just doent really know too much about a 243, but they make a 100 grain bullet that will drop a deer dead. Get a hollowpoint, and you have some great bullets for deer. As to your question, neither is more deadly really, its shot placement. They will both serve as a good rifle to 200 yards.

Answer 7

A wise hunter once told me that " as hot properly placed is worth its weight in gold" Hence you can shoot a deer with a .22 if you hit it right. Whitetails are really fragile creatures and you do not need alot of footpounds as apposed to bigger game. .243 is good but not very versatile, the 30-06 is the greatest universal caliber and you can find a wide range of ammo anywhere. You might also decide to move on to bigger game one day and you will not be able to do so with the .243.

Answer 8

At 100 yards, they are equally deadly. It's beyond 250 yds that the 30-06 has more energy. I personally would rather have a 7mm-08 than either for deer up to 250 yds.

Answer 9

.30-'06 would be the better choice.

With the .243, bullet selection is much more crucial as is load choice.

The .30-'06 has plenty of different bullets and loads that are sufficient for deer and enough power to make up for less than perfect shot placement whereas the .243 calls for near perfect shot placement to be a truly effective deer cartridge.

Doc

Answer 10

30-06 definitely packs more punch than .243, but either is more than adequate for hunting deer at that range.

.243 is a necked down .308 cartridge so it has a very high velocity and flat trajectory so it's very accurate, great for hunting.

But either or, it's 6 of one half dozen of the other, both are extremely popular hunting rounds.