Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Any love for the 30/06

I think the last time I shot a game animal with a 30-06 was in 2018. I was on a cow elk hunt up by Raton Mew Mexico and was checking the scope on my .35 Whelen when the reticle decided to do a disappearing act. I wasn't all that sure the load I had for the 06 was sufficient as I'd never uses the 165 gr. Accubond on game although it was quite accurate in the rifle. A commercial FN Mauser with a custom barrel with unknown twist rate. It was supposed to be 1 in 12" but a Husqvarna 30-06 I have with factory 1 in 12" barrel shot 180 gr. bullets just fine. Well I guess I'd have t make do with what was still working and as luck would have it, I got an easy shot at just a bit over 100 yards. She ran maybe 30 yards and expired.

I got my first 30-06 back in 1955; a J.C. Higgins M50 and I still have it. Been in love with good Mauser actions ever since. I'll admit I haven't fires a shot since December 27, 2019 when I took my last elk with the Whelen. I'd been doing quite a bit of work with the 7x57 nd on January 2, 2020 was on the way to the range when I was in a bad wreck. I'd been using the 06 almost exclusively until 1973 when I bought a much light weight rifle in .308 Win. The 06 was getting too heavy and at that time I was a very heavy chain smoker. I quit in 1975 Most of the time I just hunted deer so more or less stayed with the .308. Mid 1980s I started trying for elk tags but not much luck.

I think that at 85 years old, some of the rifles I've used for hunting have a bit too much recoil. I'm not afraid of the "kick" but do worry about stuff like a detached retina. Can't hunt and shoot if you're blind.
PJ