Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles When will 30-06 not work?

I have gone to the 180 grain Hornady. I have a @#$t-load of 180 grain Remington CL's too (which I bought for a dime on the dollar) and will use those in 06's that shoot them accurately - my 721 doesn't. If I were to go for antelope with the 06 again, it would be the 150 grain bullet. I like the Nosler Partitions too and that is what I might use on elk or moose, but the Hornadys hold up so well that I don't feel the need for premium bullets.

I can vouch for the fact that the Remington 30-06 Core-Lokt 220 grain load is outstanding on Moose. I know that if it ain't broke don't fix it but I would like to take a Moose with the 270.

It works.

150 Grain Partition, Shiras moose.



MM

Nice!

I've played it before but……..



…….a 270 is really a kids' rifle…… (With his own/first license and ticket he got for his 10th birthday.)

Awesome!

I'm set on taking one with the .260. So far, the .243, .270, 12 ga. slug, .280, have all worked on singles. So far, the '06 (one 165, one 150, the rest 180 gr loads) is somewhat leading the .338 on multiple kills of the other 18 bulls.... It's also leading on one-shot kills, but those two-or-more shot kills were my fault... mostly. I could have quit shooting earlier...

If you think she is fat you don't spend much time in Wisconsin.

The 30-06 will stop working when the owner falls victim to "rifle loonyism" - an all too common malady which leads to much money being spent along with sleepless nights. The "cure" results only when the owner realizes he had the correct rifle all along!

Yea, what he said

A charging grizzly bear.

Rather be charged by a grizzly holding a .30-06 than a pointed stick...

180 gr. TTSX, Swift Aframe, even a Partition, all with proper shot placement - end of bear charge.

The answer is -

in a short action.

The -06 really is this good, it is only limited by rifle dimensions and possible legal semantics (Indiana).

Daughter #3 will be going on her first big game hunt ever this fall, a WY doe antelope hunt. Although she has her own .45Kimber, Smith Bodyguard .380 and AR-15, she is not a frequent bolt rifle shooter. Rather than saddle her with a .30-06 and associated recoil, I will be loaning her my .257 Roberts with 110g AccuBond loads, which she shoots well and provides way more than is needed to cleanly kill doe antelope, even at 500 yards - which is beyond where she will be shooting. Sure, I could develop some 110g or 125g loads for a .30-06 but why bother? At best the .30-06 would not shoot as flat as the .257 Roberts and terminal effect would be no better. At worst it would provide more recoil and blast, neither of which are desirable. So yes, a .30-06 would "work" but given the other options available it is not the best choice, either.

Daughter #1 (aka Diablo Rojo) will be joining us on the antelope hunt, her 3rd or 4th. She will also be going on her 1st elk hunt. She is a fairly petite woman and, like her younger sister, also has her own .45 Kimber, Smith Bodyguard .380 and AR-15. In addition she has a Springfield XD 9mm, and two AR-15 lowers she is building. While she has been shooting on and off for over 25 years, she is not a regular bolt rifle shooter. In the past she has used my .257 Roberts for antelope hunts but this year we got her a lefty rifle of her own. (All mine are right-handed.) After a lot of consideration we ended up getting her a .308 Win rather than a .30-06. At the ranges she will be shooting a .308 Win is just as good as a .30-06 but is a tad lighter and shorter. I anticipate she will be using 150g loads, which provide a level of recoil with which she is comfortable. That said, we will also look at 165-168g for elk and probably use whichever she shoots best. Would a .30-06 have worked? Yes, but it would not provide any significant advantage, whether for this year's hunts or any she is likely to take in the foreseeable future.

Conrad,

Just curious: How do you know a .30-06 doesn't work o0n charging grizzlies?

God question being how he's still alive to post about it......lol. I've never hunted griz/brown bears but I know I would just feel a little better with a 375 H&H in hand. I have no problem handling the recoil of my 300 WM so I'd feel pretty confident with a hefty 375 H&H.

I don't recall Los Gatos California having a feral Grizzly problem. When did that start?

Looks like I'm in good company.

I always thought if I was going to be charged by a Grizzly and could have anything I wanted in my hands it might very well be a Rem. 760 pump .30-06 with 220 Partitions.

My grandfather hunted his entire life with just 3 center fire rifles; 22-250, 30-06 and 375 H&H. He always said if you need something more than an '06, you need to step up to the .375 or .416.

My father is of similar thinking, but his primary big game rifles started with a .243 and 308 Winchester. The .308 he used for everything up to moose and grizzly. He later got interested in the .338 Federal and now uses it almost exclusively for anything from mule deer through a coastal brown bear. I don't think there is a whole lot of difference between a .338 Federal with 210 Partitions and a 30-06 souped-up with 200 grain Partitions, so I believe nothing in North America is out of bounds. Pop also used his .338 Federal on Asian water buffalo, so even the big bovines are within reason, with proper bullets and prudent marksmanship.

It might if your lucky or very good. What you really need to stop a charging grizzly is a double barrel in 458 rem mag or other cartridge with similar stopping power.