Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game "The 30-06 is obsolete!"

I hope to obsolete a few pigs this weekend if I get a chance.

I would suggest "optimized for particular purposes" rather than "improved" upon.

My safe holds a.280 Rem and five .30-06 rifles. if I had to chose between a .280 Rem and a .30-06 as my only rifle, the .30-06 would win easily.

My first rifle was an 8mm Mauser that was bubba sporterized and had a 4x scope. Bought it for $15. Back then ammo was hard to find and expensive. So I saved enough to buy a 30-06. Have always had one around. Have one now that is a FN made for Sears, back in the 1950's or 1960's. Excellent condition and shoots a dime group. Has a glass bedded stock. Also have a 35 Whelen with the same type FN receiver and bolt. They are interchangeable. Bought them from a guy about 15-20 years older than me a few years ago. He hunted elk out west in timber. Have three 308's, but If I ever get out west, the 30-06 and the 35 Whelen is what I am taking.

I believe this is all a matter of semantics. Lets define our terms.

Obsolete equals ............what?

I see the 41 Rim fire as obsolete. I also see the 6MM Lee Navy as obsolete.

Not because they didn't work, but because other things have come along and supplanted them completely. Not one rifle is made today in 6MM Lee and not one handgun is made today in 41 Rim Fire.

And not one handgun or rifle so chambered has been made in about 100 years. Not any!

That's obsolete!

So with that as a base line in our understanding of the word 'obsolete' we need to ask if the 30-06 is now not being chambered in any rifles, and see how unpopular it is, and how useless.

No one wants one for serious use.............right?

No one chambers the old 30-06 at all,-------------- except Remington, Winchester, Browning, Ruger, Savage, Tikka, CZ, Mauser, Heym, Purdey Westley Richards, H&H, Boss, Howa Weatherby, Steyr, Beretta, Demolin, Blaser, Bakal, H&K, Mossberg, Rigby, and probably a few dozen others, as well as every custom and semi-custom gunsmith in the USA, and every other nation that allows such crafts to be practiced...........but other than those,--------- no one makes the 30-06 anymore and no one buys any 30-06 rifles made by any of these companies or people listed.

Right?

The 10 Best Selling Centerfire Rifle Cartridges in the USA

Compiled by Chuck Hawks


The following list was compiled from various online and print sources, including the major ammo manufacturers' sales lists and the sales of RCBS reloading dies. The various sources tend to parallel each other, with certain exceptions. Bear in mind that a lot (probably the majority) of .223 and 7.62x39 ammo sold is for plinking or "tactical" use, not hunting. The same probably applies to a lower, but still significent, percentage of the .308 ammo sold.

The .223, .308, .30-06, .30-30, .270, .243, 7mm Rem. Mag. and .300 Win. Mag. appear on almost all lists. The .22-250, 7.62x39mm, .300 WSM, .338 Win. Mag. and 7mm-08 Rem. have appeared on at least one list, but not others, while the .222 Remington, .30 Carbine and .303 British (once Top 10 stalwarts on most lists) have dropped back in popularity. The .300 Win. Mag. and 7mm Rem. Mag. swap places on some lists. Anyway, here are the averaged results based on the data that I could find. Consider it approximate.

USA (Averaged 2015 sales rank)

.223 Remington
.308 Winchester
.30-06 Springfield
.30-30 Winchester
.270 Winchester
.243 Winchester
7mm Remington Magnum
.300 Winchester Magnum
7.62x39mm Soviet
.22-250 Remington

Honorable Mention: .300 WSM, 7mm-08 Rem. and .338 Win. Mag.

Not to bad for an obsolete cartridge.

That list is over a year old, maybe two. It's obsolete.

What...no 284 Win. haarrrump

humm NO Creedmoors ? No 260 Rem ? No 6.5X55 ? Apparently Campfire members don't count.



Seriously, My 4 ( FOUR) favorites are IN the top 10.
270, 7 RM, 30-06, 300 WM

I'm hoping my 98 Mauser 284 Win becomes a favorite of mine.

Jerry

ob·so·lete
ˌäbsəˈlēt/Submit
adjective
1.
no longer produced or used; out of date.
"the disposal of old and obsolete machinery"
synonyms: outdated, out of date, outmoded, old-fashioned, démodé, passé, out of fashion;

er, nope. Doesn't fit.

There are a bunch of "new and improved" cartridges that have been introduced in recent years that seem to fit that description or are heading towards it at full speed.

Dang,

My truck has hand crank windows. And a stick shift.

I guess I better park the dang thing.

Geno

I'm 62...used,abused,but not obsolete,yet. 30.06 used,abused,shoots every time,kills every time...and can by ammo in far West Texas at convenience stores!! Not yet obsolete!!

Some of these folks who say the 30-06 is obsolete will tell you the 45-70 in a lever gun is the cat's meow! Phewy. Many of the newer cartridges were still-born. How long are these short fat magnums going to be available in factory loads?
The 30-06 will be commonly available as long as cartridge rifles as we know them are legal and used.

Well, I like my .45-70. it is fun to shoot and I've taken deer and elk with it but it can't match the .30-06 for utility.

The .30-06 is as obsolete as chocolate cake.

My goofy nephew came up to me at first light of elk season opener about 3 miles in and told me he forgot the bullets for his 30-06. I told him to go over to one of the next couple of ridges and ask to borrow a couple of rounds from the hunters set up there (part of our group). Sure enough he came back about 20 minutes later with 4 180 grain 30-06 cartridges.......I would be surprised if you could do that with anything but the old 06.

Obsolete never, a 30/06 with 220gr round nose, is like a 7mm mauser with 175gr round nose. sh*t dies, back in the day those cartridges where the creed of today! I don't believe in shooting things at at 1000 yards, rather do my killing up, close less walking.

Exactly what I was thinking.

I bet the 30 06 obsolete's a few game animals this fall!!!

More than a few!

I'm 71 year's old and have never shot the first living thing with a 30-06. Now I do have a very nice Paul Jaeger 30-06 that was made in 1945. This year I'm using it for an elk rifle and now someone say's its obsolete????