Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles What cartridge makes a better ***all-around*** cartridge than the .30-06?

Another question that could be posed is

What cartridge did you you start reloading with?

For me, it was the 30-06 Springfield -- the BEST all around cartridge in the world

338 RCM

Yep

22-250

For me it was the other greatest cartridge in the world, the .308. There was a Canadian gunwriter, Ian McMurchy (RIP) who steered me in that direction. He was a great guy, willing to help a newb like me, and did a lot of long-range shooting.

He recommended the .308 for my first "long-range" rifle, and helped me set it up including re-loading. He recommended it because the .308 is easy to get to shoot accurately, has tons of great match ammo. available, and is pleasant on the shoulder to put lots of rounds downrange.

All opinions, mine included.

Guys, This is Someone Else's thread.........

I suggest start your own,.


Jerry

Just started wading through this thread.
Heartily agree with the “big bears” comment. And while I’m not sure it’s *better*, the 280 would be my choice also if I could have only one.

I was a slow learner, and I was only 14), started with a .308 Win., and started hand loading with a LEE LOADER. Then, 16 years later, I got the “best all around “ cartridge in the world.....a .375 H&H! memtb

hum.... I missed this !

loudest ? really, I did NOT type HARD.

That's only 25 % of where I've hunted !

I like having FREE RENT !


Jerry

7mm Rem Mag with the old Lee Loader with a rubber mallet. Plain jane 160gr Speers with 60gr of IMR 7828...just like a 280.

I think it depends on where you hang your hat. For most of North American, the '06 is plenty, Where big bitey-stompies are common, I'd like a 375.

First for reloading was 12 ga.

Second was 7mm RM.

Yesterday I ordered dies and brass for numbers 25 and 26 - .327 Federal and .32 H&R Magnum. Wife doesn't like the recoil for .327 loads but full-house .32 H&R are fine.

Just went through my dies (and the ones on order) to count:
.32 H&R Mag
.327 Fed
.380 ACP
.38 Spl
.357 Mag
9mm Luger
.44 Mag
.223
5.56
.22-250
.243 Win
.257 Roberts
6.5 CM
6.5-06AI
.270 Win (for Daughter #1)
.280 Rem
7mm RM
.300 BLK
.30-30
.308 Win
7.62x51 Nato
.30-06
.300WM
.338WM
.375 Win
.45-70

Have to say the .308 Win is my favorite to reload. I get higher throughput rates when trimming .308 brass than any other, much higher than some and perhaps most. The width of the mouth and the short case seem to help with alignment so they go through the trimmer with fewer issues. (Converted my RCBS hand crank to power driven with a variable speed drill. Works great with a rate of 400 to 450 .308s an hour, including deburr and chamfer.)

have read every reply on this post and yes we all have a pet cartridge,but truth be told the dang old 30-06 is still king . long live the 30-06 !

To the original question, I think that a 300 Win Mag or possibly a 338 Win Mag are actually better "all-around" in North America.

Both have more recoil than I want, so I do use a 30-06, but both can reach farther while keeping the velocity up on heavier bullets. If I were shooting across canyon on a big bull elk at 500 yards, for instance, and wanted to whack him before he got in the timber, I'd say that I would prefer a 300WM with a sleek 180/200 grain bullet over the -06. If I was shooting a giant mule deer in Sonora, in the brush country at 400 yards, I would prefer the 300WM also. Lots of scenarios that I could imagine around the world where the -06 wouldn't be the best gun to have in hand.

If I was running around Alaska regularly, I would choose the 338 because I think it puts more "smack 'em" on any animal than an -06.

I cannot really handle that level of recoil well, however, so I use a 30-06 instead.

Nah! 6.5 Creedmoooore is too much like the 0-6 in that it is really over kill and over recoil for better than 90% of what most of us do. Ill stick with my 6.5 Grendel for what I do.

Well I'd be looked at the 30-06 as a happy medium. With that in mind there are cartridges that shoot flatter, 6.5 Creed, 7mm, but not that much. I Used to shoot the 25-06, great cartridge in my book. But, 120gr at 3100fps, the 30-06 does that with a 150 grain slug. The 25-06 is a little flatter, but not much.
Except for the big bears, larger cartridges like the 375 H&H and the 40 and 45 calibers are the ticket. But, slight over kill on ground hogs and whitetails and blacktail deer. The 30-06 can take 100 grain to 240 grain slugs. If, (heaven forbid) I had to just choose one, it would be the 30-06.
So looking at the 30-06 as a center, there are cartridges that will do this job a little better, but then it won't do that job very good. Back to the great 30-06.

For me, I stand by the decision I made some thirty odd years ago: The .280 Remington.

At the same pressure as the .30’06 , velocities, in comparable bullet weights, are quite respectable. Without all the recoil of the heavier 30 cal bullets.
Feeds great, shoots great. Never abundant on LGS shelves which keeps one on their toes as to supply.

I like the AI and RCBS Improved variants , for what they accomplish in the velocity department.

My backup rifle is a .308 Win. Not as powerful as the .30’06, but slightly handier in a SA

In Grizzly country that changes to a .338 Win mag. I realize that a .308 with appropriate bullets could be just as effective as the 338 Win mag / 375 family of cartridges. I just don’t want to be the one to test the theory.

And the rest of the deer and pigs were where?

Well, this is the 24Hour Campfire, and a campfire implies HUNTING. The only way to resolve this is to own a lever action 30-30, a pump action or lever action or bolt action 308, and a pump action or bolt action 30-06.

You just take whatever fits your fancy that day with respect to weather and terrain and game.

Man - l just talked myself into two new rifles... i don't have a 308 or a 30-06...