Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 308 vs small bore

The case capacity to bore ratios for the 6.5CM/260/Swede and 30-06 are only 5-6% apart and can often function well with the same powders. It's a logical pairing. The .338WinMag falls in there too, for the next notch up past the Springfield. They'll all do well burning something along the lines of 4350.

I don't think so. It never left.

I do not have ammunition or rifle sales data for the 30-06, but I am certain that it sells a comfortable number of rifles and factory ammunition every year, and is probably in the top 10. This might anger some here, but cartridges like the 30-06, 30-30, the 270 and a few others keep selling, despite efforts to bury them. They work better than most of the newer offerings. The proof is evident by their continued demand. Even the new copper and bonded bullets haven't managed to push them off the front page. If anything, they have made cartridges like the 30-30 or the 270 better.

There will always be contenders to knock them from the top. Very few will earn a permanent spot. For example, the WSMs and WSSMs. What ever happened to them? Several came out, but few survived. Most were a flash in the pan. (sorry)

Which cartridges will still be around in 2070? I don't know, but it wouldn't surprise me to hear that the 30-06, 223 or the 30-30 will be there.

Why do these old cartridges have such a good track record? They just work...with boring regularity. The majority of hunters and shooters don't hang out here or on other websites debating why cartridge x is better then cartridge y. They just go into the field and harvest game. Proof of what works is the list of chamberings rifle companies offer year after year.

You cannot dismiss 100 years of sales. The 6.5 CM may or may not make the list, but it's too soon to know for sure. We can re-examine this 50 years from now.

One last thing: In part, gunwriters earn a living writing about the latest company offerings, but personally, they have their favourites. If you had five well known gunwriters around a campfire and asked them what their absolute keeper cartridge would be, I think the answers might surprise you.

"It never left", well put and so true.

And no, I don't think I'd be surprised. Old farts (me included) generally like the older rounds, based on nostalgia and years of experience. I'll admit to a Loony desire to try new stuff, but when the chips are down, hard to beat proven ordnance.

And, Heaven forbid, it got down to just one or two rifles, the "old '06" would definitely be there.

DF

good on you!

When Melvin Forbes started making his Ultra Light rifles in the late 80s, he sent me one to test for a while, a .300 Winchester Magnum, which shot great. That one was not for sale, so I decided to order one. Danced around with a few until realizing that what I really wanted was a .30-06, partly because I was doing a LOT of travel hunting then, and knew that even by some strange circumstance my ammo got separated from my rifle I could find a factory load anywhere on earth that would work. It was also very practical for testing new ammo and bullets, which sometimes occurred on "industry" hunts, because the first bullet most companies introduce is a 180-grain .30, and the first factory ammo they make is .30-06. Which is part of why I've taken more big game with the NULA .30-06 than any other rifle it showed up in 1996....

In how many rounds can one start with light bullets (110 gr.) do a X2 up to 220 gr.?

While 110 gr. may not the be the ultimate varmint bullet, 220 gr. may not be the ultimate big critter bullet, they'll both do their intended jobs with a bunch of in between choices that also do what they're supposed to do.

Pretty unique, IMO.

DF

I've posted this a couple of times, but every time someone says "30-06", an angel gets its wings.

The 30-06

The 30-06 is a real man's tote,
With an envious history that's worthy of note.
As pure and as pious as an Ave Maria,
As fun and as funky as a Cherry Garcia.

It never went stale like the short magnums did.
Or disappointed deer hunters. Heaven forbid!
From varmints to deer, big bears and more.
Through Vietnam, Korea, and two world wars.

Shot from Springfields, Garands and BARs,
It's earned its fair share of battlefield scars.
From 1906 to the present day,
It hasn't slowed down. It's not getting gray.

But what of the question: just what can't it do?
The answer is "nothing", but you already knew.
It's always been the best of America's picks.
The legend continues. The 30-06.

-Stephen Redgwell, 2016

Cool.

Thanks for sharing. I hadn't seen it before.

Classic round, great description.

DF

With the 3003 being a parent case of the 270 does it have more case capacity than the 3006?

No, the 30-03 and 30-06 differ in neck length but the bodies of the 2 shells are the same.

Actually, most modern cartridges are redesigns of the 303 British. European spies were everywhere! US ones as well. The 30-06, contrary to popular belief, had nothing to do with Peter Paul's Mausers, or the cartridges that were fired from them. Espionage was rampant.

Even the use of wood as a rifle stock was copied from the Lee Metford/Enfield designs. The Prussians weren't having much success using bratwurst as stock material, and took the British lead by using wood.

The 30-06 - an elongated rimless 303 British.
The 308 - a US copy of a rimless 303 British.
The Mauser cartridge family (all variants) German copies of a stretched rimless 303 British.
The 22 LR - a really, really small 303 British.
The 375 H&H - a bigger 303 British.
etc.

That was darned funny!

I always considered the 30s as small bores, the mediums start somewhere around .32 or .33 caliber with most of the 8mms smaller than the 8x68 and 8mm RM fitting better in the small bore category. The 325 WSM being almost a tweener.

You're one of the few. That is an old timey definition.

https://www.ssusa.org/articles/2017/8/23/what-is-the-definition-of-a-smallbore-rifle/

My two cents is that unless you have to meet some silly caliber or case shape restrictions or are planning on going after the big bears or big African game, you don’t need anything else to get the job done. However, if a bigger hole in the barrel will give you greater peace of mind, then you can’t go wrong with the .30-06. As stated above, over 100 years and many battles have proven the effectiveness and cartridges can be found literally everywhere that cartridges are sold.

After a little debate I got my Fieldcraft in 30-06. I figured a 168 gr TTSX at 2850 fps was never the wrong answer for what I hunt. Or for that matter a 150 gr TTSX at 3k.

My Buddy told me most moose harvested in the world is by the 6.5 x 55 due to Scandinavia hunting.

I know it's not important here but the 6.5 has a robust sectional density offering.

Angus,

That was probably true at one time, but I have hunted in Scandinavia and the 6.5x55 isn't nearly as popular as it used to be. My first trip was to Norway in 1996, and by far the most popular big game round was the .308 Winchester--I would guess because Norway was one of the original NATO countries

I hunted with a number of different hunters during traditional game drives (popular over there), and never ran into a hunter with a 6.5x55.

So true on a lot of moose was taken with the 6.5x55 there that is the goto round.
I have hunted around the world in my years from Africa/Europe/Russia/Mongolia/Alaska and the lower 48 the rifles I pack is the 6.5x55/Weatherby 300mag/375H&H/30,06 Have taken a cape with the 6.5x55 a lucky shot right in the ear canal straight to the brain. Was aiming to break the neck he stepped backed just as I squeezed.
so as a smaller round it will do the job and also have been known to drop a elephant and as early in this thread bullet placement

Very cool Steve!