Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game "The 30-06 is obsolete!"

Yeah..good luck with that...

When I was a young teen in the 70's, most guys had one center fire rifle for big game. One of the favorites was the 30/06 because it could be used for anything, even bigger animals out west.

Now avid hunters and rifle loonies aren't satisfied with one big game rifle. They have "Niche" rifles. One for long range, one for the thickets and yet another for heavier game. Whatever "Niche" needs filling there is a modern or obsolete rifle and cartridge for it.

7x57 Mauser was the "One" gun for me. Spent quite a few bucks on it. It's been a safe queen for many years now. It sit's next to my first deer rifle...a sporterized '03 Springfield in 30/06.

Dan

Crap! Now I can't shoot my Garand any more.

"The .30-06 is obsolete."

That may be an accurate statement...




... in a hundred years or so.





But I have my doubts.

30-06, 270, 30-30, 243, and a few more are all obsolete. They're not flashy, no mm label, etc, they just kill stuff. I dont know for a fact, but probably 25% or more of the ammo, used for hunting, sold in the US, is these 4 calibers.

I don't doubt your conclusion, but just curious...what is your source for the "fact"?

He stated he did not know for a fact. He surmised the 25%.

You are quite correct, sir. I will endeavor to read more carefully. Thank you for catching...

Your point is well taken. I killed most of my big game for 20+ years with a .30-06. Since I have drifted farther into looneyism I now have a 6mm-06 set up for long range coyotes, a .35 Whelen for big game closer in, a 6.5x.280ai project in the works as a lightweight/long range deer rifle. It seems I have abandoned the parent in favor of the offspring.

Did he mention why?

A 12 year old with an '06, 4x Leupold, shooting Partitions. Is there anything they can't do?

10 days later, the kid is still grinning ear to ear, and carries the ivories in his jeans at school.

[img]https://onyourownadventures.com/hunttalk/attachment.php?attachmentid=76926&d=1511041582[/img]

Nice and congrats! Reminds me of when I was that age, 48 years later, I'm still grinning and still carry an 06.

Nice rifle, did you know the bolt is on the wrong side???

I went to Wally World last nite and while there, I talked to the lady behind the counter in sporting goods. I asked what was the most popular ammo sold and it was .22lr. Then I asked what was the most popular caliber of rifle ammo sold for deer hunting. She didn't even have to think, just said 30-06 and 270. Then I asked for second and third most popular. She thought a minute and said 30-30 and 7MM was about the same and would call them second, thought another minute and said 243 and 7mm-08 finished out the list. According to her, these six calibers accounted for about 90-95% of the deer hunting ammo sold, at this store.

Now remember, this is for hunting white tail deer, where I live in the south, mostly woods, probably not many shots over 100-150 yds. In reality, most shots probably less than 100 yds.

Not a scientific study, but I figured that lady would know more than I did on what ammo sold best at that store.

I would've never thought that 7mm-08 sells more than .308

Federal's 2014 list of top-selling cartridges:
1. .223 Remington/5.56mm NATO
2. .308 Winchester/7.62x51mm NATO
3. .30-’06 Springfield
4. .30-30 Winchester
5. .270 Winchester
6. .243 Winchester
7. .300 Winchester Magnum
8. 7mm Remington Magnum
9. 7.62x39
10. .300 Winchester Short Magnum
11. .22-250 Remington

Source is the NRA:
https://www.americanhunter.org/articles/2015/12/20/america-s-most-wanted-ammunition/

Given that a LOT of .223 is expended for things other than hunting and isn't big-game legal in many states, I doubt the .223 deserves the top spot if considering hunting ammo.

The 30-06, 270, 30-30 and 243 may not be "flashy", but they've stood the test of time. Can't say as much for many of the cartridges introduced in the last couple of decades.

My list of rifles chambered for "obsolete" cartridges includes .243 Win, .30-30, .30-06 (4x), .375 Win, and .45-70. Sure wish I'd had the good sense to buy WSSM, WSM, RSAUM and some others instead.

That surprised me too, but it could just be the store or the lady I was talking too. Our local WM is not a superstore and there is not always the same women working in the sporting goods area. I have been in the store and no one was at the counter in sporting goods.... go to the electronics area and if that clerk isn't waiting on someone, he/she will come wait on you.

Did you ask him why more moose up there over the years have been harvested with two worse options... the 303 British and 6.5 Brenneke (pretty sure that’s the 6.5 I’m thinking of)?

30-06 gets a bad rap, but it works on all big game. Especially if you reload higher BC bullets.

On another moose hunt up in Canada (still trying for a Maine or Wyoming tag!!! growl!!!) a bunch of local indigenous people came into camp. They were out moose hunting. They were using 30-30's and a single shot 12 gauge with cut shells! I guess you use what you have. After talking with them for a while, they invited me to go hunting with them and were excited about having a more modern and powerful firearm along. I told them my rifle is an obsolete 30-06, they looked at me like I was nuts! LOL! Anyway, no moose that day, but was neat running the woods with them. Still keep in touch with one of them.

This. It is truly more gun than needed most of the time. For many years it dominated the deer hunting camps of my youth. Mostly because the old timers carried sporterized O3 A3's.