Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game "The 30-06 is obsolete!"

I used a 30-06 most of my life. No doubt a great cartridge, but I'd not advise a new shooter use one today. It is true that it can be pressed into service for almost anything, but it is more gun than 90% of us really need and borderline for the other 10%.

Dammit, I just bought my first 30-06 a couple years ago. After 45 years of big game hunting I would have thought I would have known better.

When you say something is good or bad, big or small, you're comparing it to some standard. The '06 has been the standard to which all other calibers are compared for 100 years. It has nothing to prove because it's done it all and done it well. Because of improved powders and bullets, it's improved with age.

YEP. The thing I really like about the 06 is, it doesn't kill anything TOO dead and WILL kill anything in the USA without doubt.

I think of the 06 similarity to Nosler Partitions - dependable ! !


Jerry

Are you sure about that?

After all, they were killed with an '06.

Geno

PS If they're obsolete why do I own two? I better re-think things!

I don't consider the 30-06 very 'sexy', but the long list of 'obsoletes' doesn't even hold a place near the bottom for it.

Most modern, up to date, rifleman consider the 30-06 with a 4x scope a primitive weapon. Although most have never given it a fair trial.

And I'll take performance in a rifle over sexy any day.

Everything before the 260 Creedmoor is obsolete. Last year everything before the 280AI was obsolete.
Next year, Hmmm. Something that duplicates something else will make "the Creed" obsolete.

I still shoot a 44 Colt revolver so I guess I've been obsolete since 1873.
You Muzzleloader guys can just stay home.

Dean is a much nicer person than I am. I would have told that outfitter he was a fu cking idiot...

We sure have seen a bunch of "new and improved" (and sexy) stuff hit the racks in recent years..... and already become obsolete. Kind of hard not to stick with the steadfast and reliable one.

And again

By definition, an 'obsolete' caliber is one where you can't find ammo. Has anyone ever seen a store without 30-06...unless all the hunters got there just ahead of you?

The 30-06 will be obsolete when lasers are the norm and then you'll still be able to find ammo somewhere.

DF. Seiko comment reminds me of talking to a Canadian at the Sako booth at SHOT a few years back. Claimed he killed a moose with his 25-06 at over 500 yds. Store bought ammo in the green and yellow box. Short blood trail in the snow. I reckon a Creedmoor could replicate

JMR. Agree on newbies. What do you recommend? I gather the 308 has replaced much of your '06 needs these days.

To the OP. Like others here who are not owners it's not my fave round. Yet if an outfitter told me an '06 was obsolete - especially on non-dangerous game, I'd laugh and find another guide. JS.

You got lucky. Congrats on your Moose .

Anytime I hear a 30-06 discussion, Phil's by-line comes to mind.

Anyone who claims the 30-06 is not effective has either not used one, or else is unwittingly commenting on their marksmanship.

IMO, that about covers it...

To Loonies, the old '06 is boringly efficient. Boring is the operative word here, no one wants to address efficiency in these discussions...

DF

Well... if I hadn't already been over 1,000 miles from home, I would have looked for another outfitter. So I decided to make the absolute best out of it and never look back. Never used this guy again and found out later on he was out of business. He complained, and made excuses, about everything. He also didn't like my scope because it wasn't a Schmidt & Bender, one thing after another. I let him stay in camp and be the camp b*tch! I hunted moose either on my own or with an Indian man that came into camp, great man and we still keep in touch. I wasn't going to let a putz ruin my hunt and had a talk with the guy that recommended him when I got back home. I've done much better research on outfitters since then and only use them when I have to. I always view the glass as half full!

You should have shot him. Let him see how obsolete the 06 is!!

Great!!
Does that mean that prices on pre 64 M70 FWT's are going to drop??

If they had only put the word "Magnum" after the words "30-06 Springfield", then those types of guys would probably think it was sufficient for just about anything. It's all about perception; ask any marketing or advertising guru.

'06 is in a funny position....

I killed my first deer with one (it worked!) and one of my funnest deer (it worked!) with mine and used it for elk for several seasons (I sucked!)... never had ANY doubt it'd work effectively.

But as a guy descends in loonyism, if a guy does, the '06 becomes a piñata to beat on while "besting" the '06 in whichever way they choose.

My personal take on it is that for the recoil investment, I can beat the performance pretty dramatically. Especially as the ranges stretch out.

I used to consider my '06 sort of the center of gravity in my gun safe in the sense that it stayed put as a known constant, allowing me to screw around with other, more trendy, stuff while having the security blanket of a known-good all arounder to fall back in if needed. This winter I decided, as part of a general de-cluttering of my life (hey, you try living on a rural property for 25 years! Shït piles up on ya!) that rather than buy a donor or an action for my next build, a heavy 338 EDGE, I'd repurpose my '06 action. So I pulled apart a really good 30-06, opened up the bolt face, milled the bolt for an M16 style extractor, and opened the feed rails. In other words, I killed that 30-06. Dead.

If I need to hit something I prefer my 7 WSM's or perhaps the 6.5 SAUM I just finished; more performance, less recoil. If I need to REALLY hit something I'll use my .338.

With today's bullets I'd submit a short-action 7mm magnum leaves an '06 so far in the dust that it's just hard to justify an '06. Then again.... it's not like there's short-action 7mm magnums just laying around either... you gotta work for 'em.

Flame suit donned!