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

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.