Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 30-06 inherent accuracy

I didn't know this would be such a controversial question, but I appreciate all the response. It's been interesting to follow. I guess I'll keep my '06 anyway.

Smart move.

I do not believe in inherent accuracy.It is all the rifle and the guy pulling the trigger.

It's January on the 'fire, everything is controversial

Because of this thread, I bought a new 30-06. Thanks!!!!



It's about as "inherently" accurate as the rest in the safe..


Took a little work, that I normally do though. Glass bedding, trigger adjustment, and freefloating the barrel. When I start on load development, we will really see how "inherently" accurate it is. Showing pretty good promise so far though..

Seasons are over for a lot of us, boredom sets in, irritability skyrockets; hurry up Spring Turkey!

A 30-06 is accurate, a 308 is just more accurate.
Anything you kill with either will be just as dead.
"Minute of Elk" is 3"

Ain't that the truth!

Sorry I'm late to the party...I've just gotten done with reading through 21 pages of posts to see if anyone invoked Warren Page's article...no one did directly. Shame on you MuleDeer!

Warren Page gained access to the Remington Custom Shop's test firing records for their ultra accurate 40-X's in it's various chamberings. This is for hundreds of rifles test fired under ideal conditions (same very experienced shooter, benched in a tunnel). Keep in mind that Remington had a reputation to uphold because they provided a 1/2" guarantee for certain calibers. Also keep in mind that Mike Walker was a serious benchrest competitor. Page's article provides a graph of average group size for each cartridge. The graph starts on the left with the 222 Rem averaging .363" and as the caliber increase, so does the group size...except the 308 Win which is an anomaly in the trend at just over a half inch. The 30-06 is the next largest cartridge and it shows a significant jump in group size at 0.768"

Since others have mentioned the 30-06 for Highpower Rifle Competition, I'll offer that one of the longest standing records in the sport, the 1000pt aggregate was set by in 1968 by Eric England of the USMC shooting a 30-06 Win-M70 bolt gun; 998-45X. This record stood for over 4 decades through the rise of the 308. It took Sheri Gallagher of the USAMU shooting a TUBB-2000 in 260 Rem to beat it.

Other's have mentioned German Salazar's work comparing the 308 and the 30-06 prone on the 600 yard NRA Highpower target. Other's have dismissed it as "meh" or BTDT. That speaks to "you don't know German". He had identical rifles built with different chamberings, and loaded them both to his extremely high standard. He then tested and competed with both over the course of many matches, rounds and months. At the end of the day, the two cartridges ended in a statistical dead heat.

The NRA Highpower Target lacks resolution to separate accuracy between the two cartridges. These two examples are a testament to the skill of the shooters. But the 30-06 can certainly deliver on the NRA Highpower Target.

Thank you for taking the time.
That was informative as hell.

As I read through the 21 pages of posts, I jotted down notes on the ones I thought I had something to offer;


...Remington used to do that...and Warren Page reported on it. See above.

Someone did try the 6mm PPC at 600 yards. Scott Lindley from Montana built a PPC Space Gun and campaigned it across the course. He made NRA High Master with it but to my knowledge never won big with it. He shot 107 Sierra's (the best of the day) out of an appropriately twisted barrel out to 600 and 1K IIRC. I want to say he was getting 2500 or 2600 which was just a bit more than the 6x45 (223 necked up). Others improved the PPC case; Robert Whitley's 6mmAR and the 6mm RAT were similarly used by Space Gunners. But when freed up from the mag length limitation of the AR, folks shooting 6mm's inevitably went bigger...ie David Tubb and his 6XC.

You're right, Chris! But I started getting pretty weary of this thread....

Might also mention that while I don't shoot much competition, do shoot a lot of prairie dogs. Have used the 6mm PPC out to around 550 yards--but the 6XC works pretty well out to at least 700, even in typical high-plains wind conditions.

Very. Great reading.

Ahhh…winter cabin fever seems to always bring out a 308 vs 30-06 thread! I appreciated the opportunity to share about Eric England and German Salazar.

If anyone wants to learn more about England, read “The Phantom of Phu Bai”. He was so much more than a Highpower shooter. More kills than Hathcock but without the publicity that Hathcock got.

German Salazar did so much to share his knowledge (which I might add is still available in archived form if one was motivated to look beyond google.

That’s for the heads up on England!

Chris, thanks for the information on Page, Salazar, and England. Good stuff.

Just as a FYI, Englands book is 16 bucks on Amazon should anyone want a copy…

I just got the eBook version.

https://www.amazon.com/SNIPER-HUNTE...swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

I'm happy to see there's interest in Eric England's story. Amazing Marine...amazing man. That book had been out of print for a long time. I wanted to read it for a long time and even scoured the used book sites and ebay. I eventually settled on the ebook. A few months ago I saw it available in print, so I grabbed one. Who knows how long it will continue to be available in hard copy.

I don't want push this thread further off track, so to maintain the theme...Carlos Hathcock is probably the most famous Marine Sniper thanks to the book about him by Henderson (title "Marine Sniper"). He shot a 30-06. Two Marine Snipers who actually had more kills than Hathcock (kills don't tell the whole story of a scout sniper, but it's what get's talked about)l; Eric England who shot a 30-06, and Chuck Mawhinney who shot a 308 (7.62).

Chris- i shot here in arizona with German' he was amazing and meticulous in his shooting. if the 30-06 was legal in palma, Every record would be held by the 30-06.