Now it time to mention the 25-06. The necked down version of a 30-06 cartridge. I have harvested at least 30 deer with this cartridge. I like this one in the 100-120 gr. bullet size, flat shooting and accurate.
Have you ever seen someone who "isn't bothered by the recoil" accidentally pull the trigger on an empty chamber?
Truth!! Most would not admit. Obviously to have nearly 11,000 views, this thread has some attention. Could it be many owners question if they could do as well with less punishment?
I like to shoot plenty at the range and improve my skills. Less recoil = more rounds able to be fired without the wear on me, or adversely affect my shot placement.
Not knocking the round or owners. Just a matter of "Do you Need" that much gun for your hunting. Some may. Many may not. Interesting the folks who have gone full circle and end up Effectively using a 223 or 243 for a bulk of hunting - and I do believe Deer are the most commonly hunted big game in NA.
If I simply wanted to Only fire a rifle to check zero and hunt, a 338 WM would certainly fix a fella up, IF the shooter can consistently place shots thru vitals. Some can. Likely more would pull the shot - at least more so than a lighter recoiling round.
As mentioned before the 06 is known for versatility but a master of none. Likely at the upper limit of recoil tolerance for many. No doubt an 06 will get the job done when steered properly.
I admit I hate recoil and If I never hunted anything larger than deer/hogs I would be happy with a 6BR or if not a hand loader a 243. Proven to me over and over. I do feel a 120-140 grain bullet properly constructed with good SD (or a mono that will expand at ranges hunted) is better mousetrap for Elk.
MY experience with 06 were wood and laminate stocks without recoil pad. No doubt a synthetic with a good pad would have reduced felt recoil. I still rather incur less recoil.
Good thread. Albeit yes some hilarious posts. Enjoyed the humor mixed in
I killed my first deer and a bunch of ground hogs as a youth with my pops .30-06. I have only owned two of them over the last 25 years. a 54 winchester I bought cheap and a sportsman 76 i got even cheaper. Never killed anything with either of them. I have deep respect for a .30-06 but no need to own one. I have a .243 , a .260 , a 7x57 , a 8x57 and a .300 win mag. so I have the .30-06 area cover and it only took 5 rifles to covered the same ground that 06 of dads covered. Now that is Rifle Looney math!
I haven't seen one person say the /06 has to much recoil so they don't use it, or seen anybody say anything about bolt throw either.
Have used an /06 quit a bit and agree with many that my 308's recoil less. I have been unable to see a difference between the 2 on animals, so why put up with more recoil?
You are an idiot...
Originally Posted by raybass
I try to stick with the basics, they do so well. Nothing fancy mind you, just plain jane will get it done with style.
Originally Posted by Pharmseller
You want to see an animal drop right now? Shoot him in the ear hole.
My Ruger M77 .257 Roberts is easily my favorite rifle. Recoil is minimal and it is certainly capable of taking elk, the largest animal I hunt. So why has the Roberts NEVER been the gun I carry opening day or even until I get my first elk down or am specifically hunting deer? The short answer is that for all its merits, I've historically preferred a larger cartridge with heavier bullets for elk (7mm RM, .30-06, .300WM, .338WM, .45-70).
For fun I ran the calculations on four of my loads, two for the .257 Roberts and two for the .30-06. These loads were as follows:
.257 Roberts, 110g AccuBond, 3163fps (my "antelope" load for the Roberts) .257 Roberts, 120g A-Frame, 2947fps (my traditional "elk" load for the Roberts) .30-06, 150g AccuBond, 2991fps (last elk I took with a .30-06 used this load) .30-06, 165g AccuBond, 2900fps (not a load I use, but easily doable)
For my calculations I assumed MPBR zeros for 6" diameter targets and 22" Ruger M77 or MKII rifles, 8.3 lbs each, scoped and ready to shoot. wind drift was calculated for a 10mph wind.
In the 33 years I've been hunting Colorado big game I've only taken one animal past 400 yards. That one was a cow elk at 487 yards with the .338WM. The vast majority have been at 300 or less. The Roberts is looking better and better...
Coyote Hunter - NRA Patriot Life, NRA Whittington Center Life, GOA, DAD - and I VOTE!
No, I'm not a Ruger bigot - just an unabashed fan of their revolvers, M77's and #1's.
I haven't seen one person say the /06 has to much recoil so they don't use it, or seen anybody say anything about bolt throw either.
Have used an /06 quit a bit and agree with many that my 308's recoil less. I have been unable to see a difference between the 2 on animals, so why put up with more recoil?
You are an idiot...
Originally Posted by SLM
Are you still angry you can't produce a single pic of anything you've killed with an /06?
Come on, post one pic of you and anything you've killed.
You tried to make a point that the Chambering(30-06)kicked less with the lighter bullets then when I mentioned that they were not very efficient you now want to mix words and not talk about them. When talking about the chambering and op question the bullets are part of the equation. Thats some funny chit !
You're not very bright, are you. I did not "try to make a point" about anything, other than answering the question by making the observation that the '06 can handle a wider range of bullet weights than lesser cartridges. You can see that for yourself if you actually read what I wrote (quoted below). The reason I mentioned lighter recoil was not to make a point, it was because he specifically referenced "lighter recoiling rifles" in his question.
In answering the OP's question, which was "Is there anything it does that a say 270 or similar, smaller caliber, lighter recoiling rifle will not do?" , I said this:
Originally Posted by smokepole
Originally Posted by 65BR
For North American game excluding big bears.
Is there anything it does that a say 270 or similar, smaller caliber, lighter recoiling rifle will not do?
What say you?
If you reload, it can handle a wider range of bullets, from 110-220 grains. Loading 110s or 125s makes recoil a non-issue.
Have you ever seen someone who "isn't bothered by the recoil" accidentally pull the trigger on an empty chamber?
This is an excellent exercise my friends and I run together. We'll load each other's rifles and once in a while pass an empty chamber.
I have to admit I've been caught flinching on rifles that recoil less than an 06.
My 30-06 is a hunting rifle. I take it out for steel & recyclable whacking at distance and May Fire it 3-4x, each time on a cold barrel, but the bulk of my shooting is done with smaller cartridges with milder recoil & blast.
Thing is, when I point & click that 06 shhitt falls. Hard. No question.
And that's why when I travel that rifle nearly always makes the trip. Confidence in both the rifle & the cartridge.
You tried to make a point that the Chambering(30-06)kicked less with the lighter bullets then when I mentioned that they were not very efficient you now want to mix words and not talk about them. When talking about the chambering and op question the bullets are part of the equation. Thats some funny chit !
You're not very bright, are you. I did not "try to make a point" about anything, other than answering the question by making the observation that the '06 can handle a wider range of bullet weights than lesser cartridges. You can see that for yourself if you actually read what I wrote (quoted below). The reason I mentioned lighter recoil was not to make a point, it was because he specifically referenced "lighter recoiling rifles" in his question.
In answering the OP's question, which was "Is there anything it does that a say 270 or similar, smaller caliber, lighter recoiling rifle will not do?" , I said this:
Originally Posted by smokepole
Originally Posted by 65BR
For North American game excluding big bears.
Is there anything it does that a say 270 or similar, smaller caliber, lighter recoiling rifle will not do?
What say you?
If you reload, it can handle a wider range of bullets, from 110-220 grains. Loading 110s or 125s makes recoil a non-issue.
Are you saying I'm wrong about that?
smokespoles, The statement that lighter bullets makes recoil a non issue is true HOWEVER the OP was obviously talking about BIG game and the use of 110 and 125 grain bullets out of a 30-06 are not the best for hunting.
Originally Posted By bcraig True that loading the lighter weight bullets Cuts down on recoil
But it also cuts down on performance as Ballistic coeficient and Sectional density go way down .
Then you post this .
That's where the versatility of having many different bullets to choose from comes in.
Besides light bullets, you can shoot heavies. Remember, the subject is the chambering, not the bullet.
I realize the chambering is what the discusson is about ! My point was that although lighter bullets do indeed cut down on recoil the OP is talking about for big game and most arent going to be shooting a 30-06 with 110 or 125 grain bullets just to cut down on recoil.
And as far as brightness goes ,well the OP didn,t ask about the versatality of using a 30-06 with lighter bullets . You may or may not be that bright but certainly your reading and comprehension skills are a brick shy of a full load .
Have you ever seen someone who "isn't bothered by the recoil" accidentally pull the trigger on an empty chamber?
This is an excellent exercise my friends and I run together. We'll load each other's rifles and once in a while pass an empty chamber.
I have to admit I've been caught flinching on rifles that recoil less than an 06.
My 30-06 is a hunting rifle. I take it out for steel & recyclable whacking at distance and May Fire it 3-4x, each time on a cold barrel, but the bulk of my shooting is done with smaller cartridges with milder recoil & blast.
Thing is, when I point & click that 06 shhitt falls. Hard. No question.
And that's why when I travel that rifle nearly always makes the trip. Confidence in both the rifle & the cartridge.
I've read that some people run a variation of this drill where instead of using friends and an unloaded rifle they load the rifle with random ammunition in a variety of chamberings pulled from their pocket and attempt to shoot an elk.
My youngest son started using the .30-06 in 2009 when he started hunting for bear. It was a big step up from his 6mm Remington. He's done just fine with the .30-06, taking a couple of bear and two bucks with it. No recoil problems:
Yeah, that's an ancient Model of 1917 he's using, updated a bit by me with a Bell & Carlson stock and the 6x Leupold. Sure works well for him. Or me, when I carry it.
My youngest son started using the .30-06 in 2009 when he started hunting for bear. It was a big step up from his 6mm Remington. He's done just fine with the .30-06, taking a couple of bear and two bucks with it. No recoil problems:
Yeah, that's an ancient Model of 1917 he's using, updated a bit by me with a Bell & Carlson stock and the 6x Leupold. Sure works well for him. Or me, when I carry it.