Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles I do not "hate" the 30-06, but...

As with the 270 Win., I don't dislike the 30-06, but I prefer other cartidges.

My "deer" rifles range from 240 PSP thru 6.5x.284, to 6.5 CM, to 7x57, to 7-08, to 7mm WSM.

My now deceased father was a 30-06 guy and my two favorite hunting uncles carried 30-40 Krag and 35 Rem.

I have a couple of 30 calibers, but do not feel the need to use them for deer sized animals.

Am I wrong?

donsm70

Not at all. If you don't like it, that's your prerogative.

I've never got all this, "I hate so and so cartridge" stuff on the Fire. Either you like a cartridge and can be competent with it or you don't/can't. I could care less what anyone else likes, dislikes, or chooses to hunt with - their business as far as I'm concerned. I do what pleases me.

Yes. 😉

I started with a 30-06 because its what my beloved grandfather used and Im a sucker for versatility. If hard times come a knockin' you can always get it done with a 30-06, which is why I also like the 270. After purchasing my first 30-06, grandpa said, your good that'll do everything, your done now....uh, surely wasnt. Tried rifles in a whole slew of calibers took a doe here or there with them, but used a 30-06 for the core of my hunting for almost 25 years.

The older I get, the more I want to travel and hunt, I really enjoy it. 30-06/270 ammo is everywhere and well suited for the mixed bag hunts I desire the most. In the end, we use what makes us happy as they all work.

Don't want to sound harsh (well maybe a little), but WGAF?

What is this, junior fugging high school?

I don't think so, in fact for quite a few years I felt that the 06 was more than necessary for deer.
Even tho I have 1 and killed deer w/it last year, I believe it's better suited for larger game.

OTOH I really like the 7 mm RM because of it's flatter trajectory FOR longer ranges.

I also have and really like my Win 70 Black Shadow in 300 WM ---- just because. It's irrational I know but
I've always liked the cartridge and IMO the 300 WM is hard to beat for an Elk rifle in open territory.

Sometimes WE just like a cartridge and DISlike others. I read threads per cartridges I don't like but MOST of the
time I don't comment for that reason.

We only have ourselves to please.

Jerry

Is a 30-06 overkill on deer? Do they blow to pieces when hit with a 150gr core lokt? Jesus Christ....my 100lb 16 year old daughter shoots a 30-06. She drives a mini Cooper with pink stickers on the back window. Go start a Maybelline vs revlon thread.

I’ve never been a huge fan. I’ve killed a few animals with it and never got better results than I did with cartridges that kicked less or shot flatter with about the same recoil.

I still respect its versatility, though. I have just always preferred .257 - .284 bullets to do the jobs I need done. Maybe because I’ve always been an open-country hunter that I gravitate the way I do.

No, it's the off-season.

The -06 is more than you need for most deer but it is always reliable. It will always get the job done when things are less than perfect. I realize some of my eastern brethren shoot deer at relatively short ranges and out of stands so a smaller caliber makes sense but for us western folk where shots can be hurried and at long range the -06 will always get er done. The 270 aint no slouch either.

I vote Revlon, make my complexion absolutely sparkle!!!!!

I guess I'm a slut. I'm in love with the rifle I hold in my hands at the moment. I've shot medium game with a pile of them from 243 to 500 BPE and every one was perfect! Oddly, the 30-06 is not one of them.

Having a preference is fine. Hating an inanimate object like a cartridge is a little nuts.

This is a place mostly for gun enthusiasts, and the 30-06 is not really an enthusiasts cartridge. Its what a 305 Chevy is to car guys....."boring". But, if you want to put somethings ass on the ground or get yours down the road, both represent "greatness". I like both!

Here is what I've gleaned from several years on these forums:
The 243 is not enough except for dinks but the 223 AI is perfect. The 6mm Rem is OK because the "maybe" extra 100fps makes a huge difference. The 30-06 is over kill unless you're shooting into the next county. Then you need the 6.5 CM, 257 Weatherby, a 7mm mag, or a 300 mag. Sorry if I left out your favorite "guns of Navarone" cartridge. The 270 is gay and the 280 (especially the AI) is uber. For the "next county" shots you will need glass capable of picking off Aborigine midgets on the dark side of the moon even though hunting regs state from 1/2 hour before sun rise to 1/2 hour after sun down. YMMV

Finally...someone "gets" it...

I suddenly have an urge to buy a .300 RUM!

Not here it isn't. Busy getting ready for late archery/muzzleloader.

"Maybe she's born with it, maybe it's Maybelline"?

I know the " in crowd" at the 'fire will want to burn me at the stake for this, but I had a 300 RUM years ago and I really liked it. Might even buy another one if I can stock up on Retumbo and 200gr Accubonds beforehand. 😎

'06 is never a wrong choice.

Some denominations think it sin for females to wear cosmetics. Some think it sin to wear none.

I never over-killed a deer.

g

Sin or not -- it's a SHAME for some without it.

Jerry

Way to go Dave.


Jerry

No, you are not wrong.
Use what like, and like what you use.

I'll drink to that....

I have 3 '06. a .338 WM, .243, ..30-30, 260, several BP(various calibers). and have had other calibers, including gay...

They all kill, with no discernible lag.(PLACEMENT ADVISED! ) ...., tho I have yet to personally blood a BP. My brother in Colorado did so with my .50 Hawkin, which he "borrowed" about 20 years ago...

Mostly I kill with the '06..

But after 40 years, and several tons of game with it, I finally got that .243 to shoot decent groups... Now the damned thing wants to go kill something! Sorry Bud- the .260 has first in line....for a moose anyway. You already killed one...

POST OF THE MONTH...

And your point is?

Any of your " preferred" cartridges for deer sized animals will work on anything in North America. Better? perhaps on smaller game , but adequately on larger. I personally "prefer'. an '06, or .338 sometimes, but I took my .260 elk hunting. It worked just fine...and will on moose if it gets the chance..Probably gonna gift it to my Denver son for a deer/elk rifle. It only likes 140 gr bullets, which are certainly adequate for the game intended.

By preference, I personally think a .22 caliber is too small for anything over 100 lbs. Eskimos take 1,000 lb polar bears with .22cf all the time. Haven't heard of anyone getting mauled yet..... A difference in perspective - those boys just seem to me to be recoil shy, and too bashful to admit it..... They think I'm hunting with a howitzer.....

From 78 through 90 I owned a 22-250 and a 30-06. I killed far more ground squirrels at longer ranges with that old Win 670 30-06 than I ever did with a couple 22-250s. I killed elk and many deer with the '06. I loaded everything from 110 pistol bullets at 2000 fps to 220s as fast as I could push them. That rifle ate a couple thousand 165s and several hundred Hornady 190s at 2800 fps. I used 180 gr X and Win Failsafe in it. I worked with every powder imaginable, SR 4756, IMR 4198, 3031, 4064, 4895, H414, 4320, 4350, IMR & H4831, Rl 19, RL22, even H870. Then I AI'ed it and started over.

Finally, there simply was nothing left to learn from the cartridge and I traded the rifle off out of sheer boredom.

.
So I am with the OP. Give me a fast 6mm or 6.5 for deer and a 7 mag or 300 for elk.

I tried to nip this in the bud before it gathered momentum, but it appears I failed.

I love the idea of getting a 30-06 or two and hunting the world, but I have never found them to be particularly accurate. I have messed with 40 or 50 of them trying to find my "Holy Grail," a super accurate 30-06, but I am still searching. Some have been pretty good (Tikka, NULA, Kimber) of which I have owned multiples except for NULA. At best, I have found them to be finicky and plus or minus MOA with preferred loads. Most have been mediocre, shooting 1.5-3". I have tried custom rifles, different ammo, dies, etc to no avail. I'm still looking and just bought another clean pre-64.30-06. I think the cartridge is much harder to get to shoot than a .270, .300 WM, 7-08, 6.5 Creedmoor, etc. I know of a Ruger .30-06 that shoots well so know that they are out there.

Not until this comment

I'm sure others will be along posting pics of tight '06 groups so I won't bore you with that.

Have several rifles, an Enfeild with the original barrel that I've managed 3-shot 5/8" groups, a M70 Classic w/ BOSS that will do 1/2", a 110, 5/8" if you can tolerate the recoil. Not that I can get these results every time. When I'm hunting I use 150 gr. Hornady Light Mags in the M70 @ 3165fps. I'd try to duplicate this load but I value my fingers & eyes.

That said, most of the time I'm carrying a 280AI.

Not until this comment





Personally I've owned 1 30/06 and it ended up going down the road after about 2 years. Ive gravitated toward the rounds that still kill very well but don't recoil all that much but then again I generally shoot well into the thousands of rounds every year and high round count and high recoil don't really go together IMO. I realize the 30/06 is said to kick like a pussycat by many but most of the people who make that statement only shoot a box of shells a year sighting in and then subsequent years might see far less shooting.


Trystan

I have had a few .30-06s that would do 0.75" or so for three shots with select loads but never had one that was consistently accurate with most everything. Every 7-08 and the two 6.5 Creedmoor I have owned would do what you list above for five shots with a variety of loads. I don't remember owning an inaccurate .270 either. My current one is 3/4" for five shots with many loads and I had a ULA that may have been the most accurate hunting rifle I have owned. Most .300 WMs I have owned have been accurate also. .30-06s have always for me required more work.

I have a couple of 30 calibers, but do not feel the need to use them for deer sized animals.

Am I wrong?

Nope.

But it's not the right question either in my opinion.

See, we are engaged here in discussion and comparison. Like talking about Eggs Benedict, a Spanish Omelet or Eggs Over Easy.
Some folks will prefer one over the other.
No one is wrong. And no one "needs" to eat one for some logical reason, over another.

It's a very petite and stupid man that gets angry that you don't agree with his preference when another option does the same job.


We see Dem/Libs on TV and the internet every day that are "offended" that we don't agree with them
Why would any honest man with 1 oz of integrity stoop to that same level of emotionalism?

Free Men buy what they want. Slaves are allowed what their masters think they need.

Just never hit the right one I guess.

Sig worthy.

Where you be finding those Hornady Light Mags? Been hard to find in my AO for the past 10 years or so. Since they were discontinued.

G

Everyone knows Eggs Benedict rules. Add a bit of Dungeness Crab and an avocado slice on top of each egg and serve with Schramsberg Blanc de Noirs.

It’s the Creedmoor of huevos.

You're not wrong. Shoot what you like.

If a .30-06 was the 'right' cartridge I shot the wrong thing for 24 years. Still do for the most part, even though there are four .30-06 rifles in my safe.

I call the 30-06 “The Everyman’s Elk Cartridge.” IMO, it’s at its best on Bigger, big game. While I’ve taken Whitetail (and antelope) with it, its power seems a bit much for such a dainty animal, and I can’t find any reason to deal with that recoil level shooting animals like Whitetail. But then I consider the 250 Savage and 257 Roberts about “ideal” for Whitetail... and I’d include the 6.5 Creedmoor with those skinny jeans and all.

The 30-06 got where it was here the same way the 6.5x55 was so popular in Scandinavia.
It wasn't the most popular because nothing would ever be better for every task. But because they were the most easily obtainable and readily available rifle in each country.

Now we have dozens of centerfire rifle cartridges that with the right bullet choice can all do similar work. I don't love or hate any of them. But sometimes just want to try a different one.

There's only one cartridge that could never be replaced for me. The .22 long rifle.

^^^^
Bingo!

I bought 'em locally maybe 15 yrs ago, they weren't selling well so I got a deal on a case. Haven't tried the replacement, Superformance, I did buy some of the powder, but had a hard time finding load data.

That's probably the only thing that this entire forum would agree on.

I think the advent of the Barnes TSX and TTSX has made bore diameter less relevant. Launch a Barnes at 3000 fps+ and you will penetrate the chest cavity from just about any angle with good expansion and close to 100% weight retention. My 280AI launches 120 gr TTSXs at 3300 fps and is near perfection for me. Having said that I do have a soft spot for the 30-06, having killed over 20 critters including deer, anteope and elk with it and the AI variety.

The deficiencies you describe in the 40 or 50 30-06 rifles you've owned has little to nothing to do with hunting and more to do with target shooting IMO. I've never shot a 3 or 5 shot group at an animal. Most I've ever fired at the same animal has been two rounds and that has only happened once.

Although I have not read it, A man named J.Y. Jones wrote a book about killing all the big game species in North America with one 30-06 rifle, a 700 ADL which is about as vanilla as you can get. If you have owned 50 30-06 rifles, some custom made, it would be a safe bet that you've owned one that shot better groups than the one that Mr. Jones used to fill an ark.

If we are honest with ourselves, we have to admit that this forum is populated by people who are rifle enthusiasts and target shooters first and hunters second. Lots of good reasons for that, mainly shooting and tinkering with rifles is a lot of fun. Owning different rifles is a lot of fun. Shooting tight groups is a lot of fun. There is no closed season or bag limits on targets. None of that has anything to do with killing animals.

If all centerfire cartridges larger than .22 and smaller than .35 were outlawed but for the .30-06, we would bitch mightily, but, we would also go about killing as much stuff as we do now.

I usually avoid such threads that decry one cartridge or another and ballyhoo one cartridge or another. It really is one of several scenarios: A) Someone just wants to say something on a national forum, even if it's inane. B) Someone is bored. C) Someone is clueless (because he has zero experience or has never read a book). D) He just wants to stir the pot in a troll-like manner.

What cartridge we happen to use on any given day is nowhere near as important as knowing how to use the rifle it's chambered in- whether it be at a shooting range, the back yard, or hunting environment. I have a helluva lot more respect for the guy who can slop five shots into a dinner plate-sized circle at 200 yards off the hind legs with the old family heirloom .30-06 sporter than a whole bunch of other nimrods who can shoot 1" groups at 200 yards with their custom .6.5/.243/7mm/.30 Mag Wonder Rifles off the bench with state of the art optics under ideal conditions but who haven't fired a shot from offhand/sitting/prone position since Boy Scout Camp 30 years ago.

Okay, I'll bite...200 yard 5 shot group with a Sako Hunter '06 shooting factory Federal 165grain Sierra Game Kings. Bought it used off the classifieds from Spotshooter. He told me it shoots best with 180s. I can't wait to try those!
Not too boring, at least not to me .

The 30-06 is a favoritems of mine. My first semi custom on a Springfield action is and still is a very fine shooter. It is also a lucky rifle, seems that I get what I'm after when I carry it. If I had only not experimented with all those different cartridges the money I would have saved could easily buy a new Corvette. It is not a rifle I shoot long strings off the bench with but it fits me perfectly and recoil isn't bad or even noticeable when I hunt with it. That said I typically use rifles ranging from 7x57 to 35 Whelen. The 7x57 is good enough that I don't need the latest fad rifle or even a 6MM but I play with them anyway. The old 06 can do it all but why defy yourself all the other toys?

Almost thirty years ago, I came across a FN crested Mauser in a classic custom stock with fine line checkering, border leaf, Neidner butt plate, and a silver grip cap. It was priced about right, neither a steal, nor a real deal. I bought it and a couple of boxes of Light Magnum 180s, advertised at 2880 fps from a 22" barrel. Mine is 24". I choose 180s because of winds in the foothills of the Guadalupes in far west Texas. Upon trying the LMs, I got groups in the 1 to 1 1/4" range, so I went back and bought all the dealer had in stock at the time. I'm down to my last box and a half. No matter, age has caught up with me and I no longer roam those hills in search of desert mule deer. The annual use of this rifle is two verification shots prior to the season, one or two shots for deer, and usually two or three for coyote.

My other two '06s are sighted in with 150s. The other favorite is a '70 Grade III BAR. It does barely over an inch with factory ammo. Between a little weight and the gas system, it doesn't need a pad and it is a great stand gun. I once was swarmed by a herd of pigs during a spring pig and coyote reduction hunt. The BAR went five for five before running dry. Two days later, the coyote business picked up over the remains.

Jack

I disagree slightly. Of the 40-50, most all would work for the hunting I do. With said, I like to set up the sticks or shoot prone out at 500-600 yards for practice. I also shoot offhand to about 400. Many of those .30-06s were not accurate enough for my practice at 500-600. On live animals, I prefer getting within 300 yards and my most memorable hunts have involved taking animals after long stalks at 10-15 yards. I honestly am a gun (not rifle per se) enthusiast and hunter in about equal parts.

A few years ago I found an unfired early 80s M700 ADL .30-06 for $300 and bought it because of Mr. Jones' book. The gun didn't live up to my expectations so got sold.

I have a fully blueprinted 700 and a McMillan stock sitting in my gun room ready to become something. It was going to be a .280ai or .300 win mag but this thread kinda makes me want to turn it into a boring .30-06, stuff it full of 165s or 180s and go kill stuff. Cheap brass, good barrel life and a shelf full of components makes for some pretty economical shooting which builds confidence.

I am not going to get into "I could have just one gun,."
If I was to start over, i would buy a 30-06.
If I could afford it, it would be a custom build.
If not, a good bolt action, in a good (aftermarket ?) stock. All I would need.



If I had some money, I would end up needing more.

I like the 30-06 for what it is. It is a huge symbol of Americana, and a powerful and versatile hunting cartridge. I seldom use it to hunt as it is way more rifle than I actually need for anything I do.

I used to use my dad's old 06 to teach youngsters to shoot as the old man was a compact guy and had a well designed stock built for his rifle. That and it's heavier than average barrel contour make it a nice rifle for younger shooters and some women.

Not too big for deer, not too small for elk. I heard you can even kill a moose or two with one. Pretty boring cartridge, thinking about replacing my 30+ year old s&w 1500 (howa) with a tikka or sako 06. Throat is getting a bit long in the 1500, still shoots with a longer coal though. Hard to beat perfection

Started with Dad's 30-06 long ago. Messed around with a lot of different cartridges, but... that good ol' 30-06 was always there, and now and again it would go afield with me.

Last year with the 30-06 I took: elk, black bear, mule deer, pronghorn, wolf & grizzly. The elk & black bear were both beyond 300 yards, and each died of a single bullet. The grizzly admittedly took a little more shooting. I kinda like the old warhorse of a cartridge. Actually I like it a lot.

Kind of funny how after the decades rolled on by, I came back to that good old cartridge.

Guy

I have a sudden urge to go shoot 240gr Woodleighs through my 1903A3.....


Thanks, Tom

Just about all my hunting is done with a .30-06 or 7X57 these days. I've owned and hunted with a bunch of others but seem to come back to these two.

I've always liked the .30-06 and have owned several. A practical, versatile, deadly workhorse that will likely remain popular for as long as people hunt with rifles.

When I get really serious about needing to fill the freezer I usually grab my R700 .30-06.... Just seems to always get the job done. I like playing around with other things though. I try to add something different every few seasons. but the safe will always have the .30-06 and a marlin .30-30 ready to grab if needed.

-Jake

The old 06 kicks lots more than 308 does little more . If I want to step up from a 308 I'll go to a 300 Magnum.

I don't understand the op question?I've had and have a cpl "relative" tack drivers...from a sporter standpoint.These are nicely balanced,good natural pointability,easy to shoot rigs?No big deal really.

I realize that I ended up asking "Am I wrong", but it is more of an opinion than a question.

Thanks to all that responded.

donsm70

Interesting that several have opined negatively about the 30-06 accuracy. Maybe the snowflake cartridges have softened those guys up so they cannot handle a medium amount of recoil?

Especially in a T3, it is the suck!

It'll suck the blood, the air and the life out of most any critter!

SD

Every so often this very topic shows up. The 30.06 is great gun for deer or whatever. In Wisconsin where i hunt you would be hard pressed not to find several of them being used at deer camp. I own a 2 myself. Its not my favorite, but when i started hunting i had enough money for ONE gun. And if you are a one gun hunter then all you need is the 30/06 IMO. I wouldn't be afraid to carry that in North America to be honest with the right bullet for the job. Now that i am older i exclusively hunt deer with my 308 which is my all time favorite "boring" caliber. Same as the 06, just slightly less recoil and to me more accurate. Maybe even more boring but for deer hunting its fantastic. I love calibers that you can find ammo at the local gas station. I don't want something so specific you can't find unless you order online and wait. 30-30, 270, 243, 308 and 30.06 for me. But then again, i don't buy into the hype everytime something new comes out.

Always had a love hate relationship with the 30-06. After finally maturing I finally found out that it is a great Cartridge. Hated to have something that everyone had but it made sense. I finally settled on a Tikka T3 superlight with a leupold 2.5-8 scope. Shoots like a house afire with 180 Ballistic tips and 165 partitions. That is my permanent back up rifle for everything.

This. I have 2 safes full of rifles that have accurate ammo loaded up for them. All using the monos. Some from the early days of the Barnes. I don't have enough years left to me to go shoot one deer with each of them and have any expectation of getting through it. If I had to look at the hole in Bambi and pronounce a judgement as to which caliber killed it I couldn't begin, and that's with bullets that can be 2x the diameter and 6-8 times the weight lightest to heaviest. There has to be half a dozen '06s in them. If I was going out to kill another deer tomorrow, I couldn't begin to tell anyone which rifle I'd use for the job.

I have penetrated the chest of deer from about every angle with monos and never stopped the first one in a deer yet, not needed a second shot so far. The bullets available today make what I started loading with back in the '50s look like trash.

Agreed, although I would expand the list of game-changer bullets to include a few other designs including the Partition, A-Frame, Trophy Bonded, North Fork and similar. No one in my hunting party has recovered an X/MRX/TTSX bullet. I've put a couple lengthwise through mulie bucks.

Cool! Good for you!
06 is my main hunting rifle and the 270 comes with me as a back up. Which it in it self is almost sacrilegious having both and picking one side.

Just got a new weatherby Mark 5 in 30/06. Shoots better than I do so that all that counts. Especially
150gr Accubonds. Also does real well with 165gr Accubonds. Still working on loads. Don,t think I,ll
shoot many rounds over 165gr. Rifle is real light, compared to my 270 Winchesters.

I have a M70 extreme weather in 30-06 that I keep around as my all around/backup rifle. I prefer my 308 to the 30-06 but theres no way I'm getting rid of it.

It's not my number one choice, but if I had only one gun it would be.