Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Any love for the 30/06

The 30-03 was meant to use a 220-grain bullet, so it has a 1:10 twist. After the Germans started using a 153-grain bullet in the 8x57 Mauser, we turned the 30-03 into the 30-06 by shortening 30-03 barrels and swapping in a 150-grain bullet. So it was “designed” to use a 220, went to war with a 150 which later got bumped to a 174, then back to 152 grains.

It happens to shoot a lot of different bullet weights well.


Okie John

Thanks for the education Okie John, so it's a myth as I figured.

Classic round. I still have a pre 64 70 in 30Gov't06. Great rifle, shoots amazing for being over 80years old. But to be honest I tend to shoot my more modern rounds more. Less recoil, more efficient bullets/cartridges usually get the nod. No flies on the 30-06, but after 20 rounds, I've usually had enough fun for the day. With the 6ARC or 6.5CM I'm just getting started @ 20 rounds.



Edit: Opps, OP ask about 30-06 in Deer Hunting Forum

As a 69 year old Boomer it is almost a given that I would own or have owned at least one rifle chambered in 30-06.

Currently have a few if them around in bolt, pump, semi-auto, and combination gun configurations.

Well the manbun cartridges were designed for shooting paper , the 30-06 was a battle rifle cartridge from the old days made for men that turned out to be an excellent all around big game cartridge. I know the ARC was designed as a better intermediate round to replace the 5.56 but both are very light recoil and better suited for long strings. 20 rounds of 30-06 is plenty to check sight in and appraise trigger.

That probably came about because overall the 165's are so easy to make work. Will of course also shoot 150's and 180's very well but by and large the 165's go with the 30-06 like bread and butter. You run across some that prefer a 150 or a 180 over anything else, but the 165's are the easy button in a lot of them.

I think it was Jack O'Conner that said if a 30-06 wont shoot a 165 gr bullet with 57 gr's of IMR 4350, it doesn't need to go to a gunsmith, it needs an exorcist.

That said I shoot whatever I have on hand or want to shoot, because they all work and work well in that great old cartridge.

I use 212 ELD’s in mine.







Works good enough.. i could probably get rid of the rest of my junk, but that’d be too easy.

Wow, that's a gorgeous rifle!

Rem 721, 165gr Core-lokt. I don't use it often, but it does work

In my Kimber Classic Select Ramshot Hunter behind the 168 TTSX, Federal 210 primer in Remington cases get 2950 FPS with 1/2 MOA at 200 yards

Love the 30/06

Don't forget the .30 M2 AP, at 165.5-168.5 gr..

They shot quite a bit of that as well.




GR

Would NEVER choose a 308 or 300 WSM over my 30-06's -

Still getting it done here-

I like them so much, I just ordered a defiance action to build one with. No. 2b bartlein finished at 24.5". Can't wait to stack meat with it. Hopefully it will connect with an elk this year.

I think the last time I shot a game animal with a 30-06 was in 2018. I was on a cow elk hunt up by Raton Mew Mexico and was checking the scope on my .35 Whelen when the reticle decided to do a disappearing act. I wasn't all that sure the load I had for the 06 was sufficient as I'd never uses the 165 gr. Accubond on game although it was quite accurate in the rifle. A commercial FN Mauser with a custom barrel with unknown twist rate. It was supposed to be 1 in 12" but a Husqvarna 30-06 I have with factory 1 in 12" barrel shot 180 gr. bullets just fine. Well I guess I'd have t make do with what was still working and as luck would have it, I got an easy shot at just a bit over 100 yards. She ran maybe 30 yards and expired.

I got my first 30-06 back in 1955; a J.C. Higgins M50 and I still have it. Been in love with good Mauser actions ever since. I'll admit I haven't fires a shot since December 27, 2019 when I took my last elk with the Whelen. I'd been doing quite a bit of work with the 7x57 nd on January 2, 2020 was on the way to the range when I was in a bad wreck. I'd been using the 06 almost exclusively until 1973 when I bought a much light weight rifle in .308 Win. The 06 was getting too heavy and at that time I was a very heavy chain smoker. I quit in 1975 Most of the time I just hunted deer so more or less stayed with the .308. Mid 1980s I started trying for elk tags but not much luck.

I think that at 85 years old, some of the rifles I've used for hunting have a bit too much recoil. I'm not afraid of the "kick" but do worry about stuff like a detached retina. Can't hunt and shoot if you're blind.
PJ

Hell yeah, just yesterday afternoon loaded some 180gr power points i ordered from MidwayUSA to 2706 fps over 61gr H-4831SC, zeroed old 1955 year model 760 Gamemaster three inches high at 100 this morning, will verify, but should zero around 230 yards, no whitetail deer or pig is gonna walk off from that.

i have new contour 3 Brux barrel ordered 9 twist , 6 grooved that will be chambered to Old Faithful 30-06 and put on a Winchester model 70 with the claw. told my son keep this rifle forever , the 30-06 cartridge will always be a cartridge that ammo can be found any place in the world.

Jim (JK) Cloward built this pre-war Model 70 30.06 for me in about 1974

One of my all time favorites. Boring cartridge, boringly accurate, boringly effective and has ABSOLUTELY nothing left to prove..........................

I'm almost embarrassed to say this, but I don't own an 06 in a t3 stainless. Way I see it, you really couldn't ask for more in a rifle or a cartridge for all around meat getting.