The .30 Caliber Cartridge is probably the most popular and versatile Caliber there is.
Here are some of the most popular .30 Caliber Cartridges to name a few.
... 30/30 ,. .308., 30-06., 300 Win.,. 300 Wby .,. 300 RUM and the 30-378
Most of us grew up hunting with at least one of these.
well I will start with 3006 then 3030 and finally 300 h&h. a real fun lot.
The .30-06 by a wide margin, I have used it from greydiggers to elk. I even used it to take an antelope and a bighorn sheep too. Then the .30 Carbine, .308 Norma Magnum, ,308 Winchester, .300 Savage, .30-30 and .300 Weatherby in roughly that order. I like the .300 H&H too,though I have never owned one. The .300 Winchester Magnum leaves me cold.
I started with a .300 Savage and loved it. I only went to a .308 because of availability I used it a lot. Many deer and four elk. About then I got tired of it being "almost as good as an '06" and scratched that itch. I have only used a few other cartridges since, most notably a .338 Win Mag and a 12 gauge slug.
.308 Win and .300 Win Mag in that order.
Or the other way around.
IMO .30-06, .308 and .300Win Mag. Own all three and have taken game with each. All are versatile, with a wide range of commercially available cartridges to cover any North American game.
Current favorite is 300 H&H. Still have my 30-06 ready to go and will be hunting with my 30/30 this year.
.30-06 and .308 Winchester in that order with a decided preference for the .30-06. Have used and still own both but the .30-06 is a little faster and the recoil isn't bad. But I would be satisfied if all I had was a .308W. I own 2 very accurate .30-06s that I handload for but folks say the.308W is inherently more accurate and easy to find an accurate load for.
7 ought 6's - 'nuff said.
1 308
1 30-30
1 30 carbine
Well, 30 ain't my favorite by any stretch of anyone's imagination. Mostly it makes my eyes glaze over as it's actually no better than anything from about 28 cal. up to about 35 cal. The only 30 I have is an M-1 in deference to my Dad as that's what he carried in Korea. Having said that, I shot a 300 Win Mag. for long range for a decade or more and have often said if I was forced to own one rifle it would be in 300 Win. Mag., so long as I could reload for it. It isn't my favorite by a long shot and I haven't owned one in about 20 years but I have a lot of respect for that particular 30 cal. cartridge and what it's capable of......and there's at least a few dozen others just as capable.
I'd kinda like to have a 30 WCF in either a Marlin or '94 Winchester just for nostalgic purposes and because it is such a great cast bullet cartridge. I guess a '94 was the first centerfire rifle I purchased with my own money.
30-06, 308Win, 30-30. If I do my part, they perform admirably.
The .308 is not that impressive on paper, but I cannot argue with how it has treated me in the field or at the range. It just works.
I have no favorite, but I do have opinions...
The 30-30 is a great cartridge, but the case is awfully tapered, and has a capacity just a hair low. Great for cast bullets, so-so for jacketed bullets. The old Krag case is great, but once again, though the capacity is excellent, the case is tapered too much. It also works great with cast bullets. The 300 Savage has an excellent capacity, but a short little neck. The 308 is the same as the Savage in the short neck, short throat problem. Neither is great for shooting cast bullets, except under certain constraints. The 30-06 is a hair over ideal capacity, all things considered, but at least it has a long neck. Works well with both cast and jacketed bullets from 85 to 250 gr. The SAUM is great, if all you are shooting is jacketed bullets, as it works in a short action, maximizes efficiency with capacity greater than 30-06. All cases larger than the SAUM are also only of benefit if one does not want to shoot cast bullets.
If I had a favorite, it would be something like a long-necked 308, or a 30-30 or 30-40 AI, depending on whether I am shooting a bolt gun, lever gun, or single shot.
All of them until you get to the RUM and 30-378, Lapua etc. Call me a wimp.
Most favorite, 308 and 300 WM just because I have used those two more than the others.
.30-30 first and by a wide margin. Love the little lever carbines, both Marlin and Winchester, for the deer hunting I do in the places I do it. .30-06 second. Have kept one around for years. About the biggest I can shoot comfortably in a mid weight rifle without thought to recoil and fighting a flinch. My current Ruger 77 Hawkeye all weather so chambered is my bad weather deer rifle and it shoots very well. It's become my favorite of all the .30-06's I've owned and will probably be the last. I have no interest or use for anything bigger, smaller or in between these two in .30 caliber.
Have a fondness for the 30-30 and .300 Sav.