Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats .30 Gibbs, .300 Sherman ‘06AI

Anyone shooting any of the “improved” .30-06’s?

I picked up a nice 30 gibbs a couple months ago. Nice original commercial FN mauser from the days firearms international imported them. It is factory wood and barrel. The 30 gibbs marking on the barrel looks like it came from factory but I have never heard of FN doing custom chamberings. If someone rechambered it from 30-06 and modified the stamp they did a masterful job. It has an older timney trigger and a model 70 type 3 position safety. I have formed some brass for it, it wasn’t too hard or tedious to do. I threw together a few rounds of a random load and shot two does with 2 shots during our late doe season. Accuracy was good for a random load, I used 180 gr speers. I of course haven’t chronographed any loads yet to report on velocity compared to a standard 06. I can’t imagine a deer or elk would know the difference being shot with this Gibbs vs my standard 06, or my ackley 06. I do plan on more load experimenting as the weather warms and using it on an elk hunt this coming fall.

Yes. An 06 Ackley Imp. I like it.

I shoot a .30 Gibbs. Mine started as a 700 ADL that I had punched out to Gibbs. I added a KS stock, Rifle Basix trigger, 2.5-8 Leupold and had it cerakoted. Light, handy (22” barrel), plenty accurate and fast becoming my favorite mountain rifle.




I was shooting the 180 Accubond but have got more consistent accuracy with the 165 Accubond right at 3000 fps using H4350. I got more velocity with Staball 6.5 but accuracy was not as good.

Shot two elk last weekend with the Gibbs at 250-275 yards. One went through ribs and was not recovered. The other punched both shoulders and I caught it under the hide on the far side. 61% weight retention and a very dead elk.





In the last few years I believe the Gibbs has accounted for 4 elk, a couple of whitetails, an antelope and a coyote. I can’t think of a single scenario where a standard ‘06 wouldn’t have performed exactly the same but it is still fun to shoot something different and it is nice to get top end .30-06 velocities without having to stand on the throttle.

The neck on yours appears longer than most I’ve seen pics of online, who reamed yours and what brass are you using?

My reamer came from 4D reamer rentals. I am using w-w .270 Brass

Thanks for the info.

I have made some out of 35 Whelen brass. May have to turn necks though.

Your load of 63gn of H4350 in my standard .30/06 Featherweight chronographs at 2931fps. Sure, it would be a heavy load but shows no signs of excess pressure and indeed I load a little back on that for the improved accuracy, but either way, I don't see any advantage or benefit in the extra chambering and die costs.

No doubt. Maximum effort for minimal gains pretty well describes the Gibbs line.

Even maxed out it would be hard to get any meaningful gains over a standard .30-06. Definitely a “want to” cartridge.

With the right powder and some experimentation, a 30-06 is behind a gibbs. Run that gibbs with the right combo and you'll get 3100 from a 165. That's getting up around 300 wm stuff.

Staball will get you to 3100…my rifle just didn’t shoot accurately with it.

[quote=Coyote10]With the right powder and some experimentation, a 30-06 is behind a gibbs. Run that gibbs with the right combo and you'll get 3100 from a 165. That's getting up around 300 wm stuff.[/quote]
Come-on man don't even start that sheit. You can get 3350 using 168 lrx in a 300wm without even trying hard. As far as I'm concerned the 30-06 is where it's at, but damn the BS.

Bullets matter wayyyyyyy more than headstamps and none of 'em can keep pace with a good 21" 7-08. Hint...............

My reference was the back of a box of federal 165s and it said 3080. I load 300 win mag 168s in my buds rifle and it's doing 3180 with 73 grains of 4831. Not super hot, I know, but as far as factory ammo is concerned, any 06 improved running 3100 is a hot bitch. And yea, it's approaching 300 wm velocity. I did not say it was equal to or better, I said it was getting up around there abouts.

And that's what a meat rifle is supposed to look like. Not these pretty little fence post, don't scratch it deals.😆

Cool set up MR. That’s a nice looking hunting rifle. Cool cartridge as well, and I agree, sometimes a fella just wants to do something.

I’d guess with some heavier bullets it’d start to show the little extra capacity gains.

Disagree a meat rifle is whatever you want it to be
My favorites are bubba sporterized 03 and 03A3 springfields, bubbaed 1917's, m700's,m70's, m77's, FN mausers, 760's, m94's and 336's all looking like they got used hard because you know they did. Med river is making his 30 Gibbs into one and be my guess one of these days his oldest son will ask to use it making it multi generational " meat rifle". Look around on the fire and ask a few members there be a few with beater meat rifles and guys like EdM who have good looking guns but made alot a meat with them. Making meat with your rifle is it's purpose. The ultimate one no matter what stock it has..mb

Jackmtn, I have more than a few 30-06's they have allways done the job. I had a chance at a 03A3 converted to a 308 Norma mag a few years back and traded for it. Along the way a 03a3 in 30-06 Ackley improved another in 300 win mag and last year a 30-06 wildcat that makes the Gibbs look tame. They all kill and deads dead. The thing is a guy's curiosity will take him many places just to see and experience new things. Not cheap but nowhere near as expensive as if he was the same frame a mind in a whorehouse. You only go around in life one time make the most of it..mb

I tried 200s with RL22. Only gained about 50 FPS over what the standard ‘06 would do with a max load of RL22…just too bulky to get more in there.

I should play with it more in the heavies and some different powders but after poking some stuff with the 165s I have no complaints and no qualms about the mid-weight stuff for where and what I hunt.

If a guy was hung up on velocity I would think a 24-26” tube would help some.

What loads are you shooting?


I’m having one put together pretty soon. I have an unfired 24” take off I’ll have screwed onto a 70’s era Remington 700. Found some dies in the classifieds the other day.

My research shows 40-50 fps gain over a standard 30-06.

It’ll be something different to try out.