Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles 30-06 survey - Too much gun?

Too much gun why pay more in powder bullets and recoil when it is unnecessary? Just my opinion though! Good luck

No, Its not too much gun. Is that even possible?


I used a 375 Ruger with a 270 grain bullet last fall to kill a whitetail. Too much gun, I think not.

For recoil sensitive shooters something in a smaller caliber, like .243, might be a better choice.

Great points by all. My question is two fold.

1) If choosing a rifle to do it all save bears in NA, and the hunter was a non reloader, is I.e. a 270 going to give up anything; or better yet be found lacking?

2) Seems to me as popular as the 06, 300s, 7RM are I wonder if the bulk of hunters who get little range time would be better off with a more shootable round.

Having owned both I really never cared for the 06. Ruger laminate sporter
And yes a hard butt pad. Enjoyed shooting my 8lb 338-06 I had more than the 06 with 165s. Used 200-225 in 338 but did have a plastic stock and deceleration pad.

Personally not a thing I would not hunt outside bears with a mild 26-28 caliber using proper bullets. But I realize for many a more logical choice for all out ammo availability would be 270 and 308.

I have a 308, 7mm-08 and a 243. The 308 is my "big gun."

I think that for most "average" shooters a fairly lightweight 30-06 (like a fwt or mountain rifle) is a bit more than they are comfortable shooting, even more so with the heavier bullet weights.
Given that, if I hunted primarily moose, in grizzly country, I'd probably be happier packing an 06 than most anything smaller on a 308 case.
I am a big 270 fan (flat trajectory, very effective on deer at longer ranges and very reasonable recoil level). The biggest animal I have taken with one is a black bear, or several big mule deer which were heavier than that bear. I would have no hesitation hunting moose with a 270 and decent bullets though.

The '06 is nice for elk, and I wouldn't hesitate with it on big bears or moose. For anything smaller it could be considered excessive-definitely works though!

As I have gotten older I am more and more convinced that American Sportsman usually use guns too large for the task , and likewise fish with tackle thats excessive.


Course...I 'stunt shoot' deer with a .22cf and fish for pike with ultralight tackle, so I might be the wrong guy to chime in here...

No, it's never too much gun.. Nuff said..

The 30-06, in NA, does anything well and nothing perfectly. If you wanted to own a single rifle for everything (few of us on the 'Fire) it may be the best.

And as I get older and kill/witness more, I realize less is usually plenty.

I don't think anybody can say the 30-06 is too much gun.

For big game hunting, a .30-06 is "too much gun" only if the shooter can't (or doesn't want to) handle it.

I wouldn't say the 30-06 is "too much" but its "ability" is not needed for any North American big game except big bears. Many hunters would be better off with something like a .280, .270 or a .308 but their egos get in the way.

As some have said here and in the past, a quality 200 gr. bullet in an '06 is a formidable combination for the largest of our big game including all of the bears.

Hard for an animal to be "TOO DEAD" and easy for an animal to be "NOT DEAD ENOUGH" I tend to lean towards heavy guns then lighter on game bigger then deer. The 06 would not be considered out of place anywhere though.

Well, there's hardly much difference when you use monos between the performance of .22 caliber 53 grain bullets and 180 grain 30 caliber bullets on deer. The holes look about the same and the bullets go all the way through all the time or very nearly so.

A 30-06 with 130 grain monos will work nicely on any NA game. It's mild. A 270 with 110 grain monos will do the same and be virtually indistinguishable from the '06 in terms of recoil/muzzle blast. A 243 with an 85 grain TSX at 3450 (4451) surprised me that it was so much like an '06 with 130s last week. I doubt I'd choose a 243 for shooting big bears as a first choice, but I have no doubt it'd work if it had to.

It comes down to what bullet and how fast do you push it in today's world.

Too much gun for what??

100+ years and we just now getting around to saying it's not needed. Seems like whoever hates on the 30-06 is always the ones who can't handle the recoil, or they have a 7 Rem mag.
The .308 is the 30-06's little brother that always tries to outdo his big brother but never can...

Great analogy!! I have a 30-06 but I feel like it's more than I really need most of the time.

For me not owning a 30-06 is like not eating bacon. It's just wrong! I'm on my third one. High brass has the first one and I have the other two.

The 30-06 is comparable to the V-8 engine in passenger cars. For decades the V-8 was pretty much the norm, and that is what we all thought we should have. And we were happy with our V-8s for a long time.

Now V-6s and turbocharged four cylinder engines power 98% of the passenger cars sold. You can't even get a Cadillac with a V-8 engine anymore.

Like the 30-06, in today's world the V-8 engine is not as fuel-efficient, and it is more engine than is usually needed in a car. Just as the 30-06 may be more cartridge than is needed by most hunters for most game.

But, like the V-8 engine, it gets the job done without breaking a sweat, just as it always has, and it does the job with class and an outstanding heritage of over 100 years of service to hunters and the military.

I still enjoy V-8 engines, and 30-06 rifles. To me they have a lot in common.

Too much gun for "what"?

Leave the varmints, women, and children out of the discussion.

It's the baseline,safe harbor, center of the ballistic universe in hand- carried, shoulder- fired BG rifles.Most cartridge development has centered around improving on it somehow while still approaching its performance with bullets heavier and lighter.

Even people prone to hating it,inclined to pets bigger and smaller,have to admit that, if dumped unceremoniously in a remote location where BG animals are hunted,anywhere on the planet,with a 30/06 and proper ammo,know there's not much they can't kill,and they will be successful,ballistic theory notwithstanding.

Only maybe for less than a double handful of BG animals world wide might it be prudent to bring something bigger.And it isn't ridiculously "too much" for the rest.

Even then....