I was going to take my rebarreled 30-06 on my first trip ('96). A Mod 70 Fwt (PH) I wanted to use 200 NP but could only find their 220 NP, which I had to seat very deep to work in the Mod 70 magazine, very compressed load to get any kind of speed w/accuraxy. My seating die left a bad "ring" in the ogive and I was afraid of bullet failure ( OCD Rifle Loony). This was before I later could get Fed HE 180NP loads which the rifle loved, 2900+ fps! I was wandering the used gun racks at a LGS when I found the Classic 700 35 Whelen, which I glomed onto and had tweaked out to the Ackley and Barnes 250X. That combo "ruined me", so to speak, as I became a Believer in the Mediums. BUT..IF those Federal HE 180NP loads had been available, thats a dream set up, and I would have killed everything I took with the Whelen. Any 180 going right at or over 2900 is in "300 Mag" territory, same - same, ha.
I gave that '06 and 100rds of that wonderful ammo to our Missionary in JoBerg ( who loved to hunt/feed his family too) and he killed small/large antelope, including Cape Eland. Only rodeo he had was a friend of his used it to wound a Blue Wildebeast and it took a couple miles of tracking/shooting to get it down. That cam happen with a .416 on those guys if that first shot is bad, lol.
All this to say....go and slay your Plains Game with confidence in your 30-06! Have a ball too!
