Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game "The 30-06 is obsolete!"

Damn! Guess that means the Pre-64 Win I purchased will be a loosing proposition. Wonder if I can depreciate it on my taxes.

My experience is such phrases should obviously be tongue in cheek when commenting on anyone's wife, firearms, or truck.

I've been fortunate to hunt a lot, and in a lot of very remote areas. Great memories! No matter where I go, there's 30-06 ammo available. Never said there weren't "better" cartridges and not comparing the 30-06 to other ones. As a tradesman of almost 40 years, I've seen a lot of new tools come out for the construction industry, some are great, some are not. I try them, but sometimes I just stick with the tried and true!

With the new bullets, i.e. LRAB, ELDX, Bergers etc and the newer powders i.e. Rl-17, Rl-26 etc the old 06 can even play the long range game.

It has many positives, long barrel life, relatively efficient, 1/10 twist barrels, handles the 200gr plus bullets much better than a 1/12 twist 308.

The truth is for normal hunting at normal ranges it is still hard to beat an 06 with Partition bullets.

It will never be obsolete.

+1 on each point.

DF

Stoke the 06 with Barnes TTSX, and for most normal folks, assuming they can hit anything to start with, its as much or more than most would ever need for almost anything north American....

Many of these posts are confusing definitions. The word is 'obsolete', not 'inefficient' or 'under powered'. Obsolete just means that nobody is using it any more or they're not making ammo any more. That's hardly the case.

I don't know what is so great about a .30-06...

... or why there are currently five of them in my safe.

Almost?? What wouldn't a 168 or 180 TTSX kill??

I guess animals are getting tough! ha ha!! Maybe it is obsolete?!

I doubt a P-64 M70 in 30-06 will ever be obsolete.

I just never found myself using it anymore. When I would imagine the scenarios that got it carried on a hunt it was always like IF this happened AND that happened... always a couple levels removed from actually happening... it had become, well, obsolete in my particular gunsafe.

Take this fall. I think I'm gonna burn my Antelope points and hunt Steens. I'm bringing my LR 7 WSM and my new 6.5 SAUM for that. No 30-06. Don't know what deer tag I'll get; if it's bkacktail it'll either be my .358 if I'm the thick stuff or my 6.5 if I'm out walking closed roads... and for elk, if we hunt spikes I'll carry my 7 WSM Kimber or my 6.5, if it's bulls, my .338.

I really tried to get revved up on it again. This was a PAC-Nor rebarrel; very accurate, nice rifle... Put it in a new stock... played with the 208 Amax at long range (lot of recoil), etc.

Just to pitch some crap my own direction... many of my rifles are now in obscure chambering... .358... 7 WSM... 6.5 SAUM... I better not forget my ammo!

"The .30-06 is obsolete". I truly can't imagine a more ignorant statement concerning firearms.

It kind of aligns with the idea that high quality steel, well sharpened, is obsolete.

It's the stupid moose's fault. If he had only known, he might of lived.

This thread got me so worked up I just went out a bout a 30-06. I don't have an affinity for the 30-06 but as someone who is nearing obsolescence I should probably arm myself accordingly!

+1

And if you load an 06 with Partitions it is double dependable.......
Yet by modern standards a complete bore. Only place it is not completely effective is in the "Lead free" zones!!!!!!

In a sense, the guy that made the statement is correct. Due to the general availability of great bullets, the .30-06 is a cannon for deer and 6.5s are adequate for pretty much adequate for everything in N.A. short of big bears and bison. That said, all ships rise in a rising tide and given that, the .30-06 is better than ever. There isn't much a 168 grain TTSX at 2900-3000 won't do.

Expat

Expat I'm surprised an 'outfitter' made the statement altho there are all kinds of 'outfitters'.

I would expect that statement from 'behind the counter' salesmen. I expect other caliber rifles are out selling the 06 these days, especially considering the black rifle frenzy.

Just because the 06 is old, it's a long way from obsolescent. (IMO)


Jerry

So obsolete that if ya ever run out or loose your ammo you won't ever be able to go into town or another camp to buy, beg, borrow,or steal enough to get you by. Said NO ONE EVER!!!

Just try and take a Creedmore to Africa as a nice gift/tip to your PH and see what happens compared to what an '06 would put on his face.

If a 30-06 is obsolete, so are rubber tires.

It's funny when you look at it from a timing perspective. The 30-06 is one of those cartridges most can agree is one of the better all around cartridges available. Now, assume it wasn't introduced when it was and instead was introduced this year, half of the rifle "loonies" around would be saying "why do we need that"? along with the moronic "won't kill any deader" and similarly moronic "animal won't know the difference" ad infinitum. The other half would be proclaiming it to be the best thing to hit the rifle scene since the 7X57.