Why we all love the 30.06?

[tenusdad]

Is it not still the best all around hunting round in the USA? Any commnets on which bullet is more effective for deer? Bear?

[bclark1]

Versatility and availability. There are other cartridges that do one thing better, but none that do more.

Also, this might be a post for the rifle subforum.

[ZeSpectre]

"We all" whom?
Go .243! :D

[Buzzcook]

Propinquity. We love it because we're around it a lot and it's been around for a long time.

[King Ghidora]

Some of us grew up with a lot fewer choices of rifles. I can remember when you either bought a 30-30 or a 30.06. I don't think I even saw another caliber until I was in my teens and I saw my first 22-250. There were probably some other cartridges around but they weren't common. As a result you could buy ammo for your rifle at every country store in the country. If you happen to drop all your cartridges in the river while you were deer hunting (ahem!) you could easily find more close by. You probably didn't just miss with all your cartidges because there weren't any deer at the time but you could still find shells if you wanted them even if it was just for blowing holes through big trees (which I know is a dumb idea but hey we were kids :) ).

At any rate we grew to love the mighty 30.06 because it was the most powerful gun you knew about except for a few elephant guns you saw in the movies (which you never really saw in real life).

Even after a lot of other guns began appearing in the gun stores there was still that nostalgia about the 30.06. Not only was it the gun of your childhood dreams but you knew what it had done for the country and most likely you knew some old soldier who could show you how they were supposed to work at long distances. It was just like the .45 automatics. I knew a WWII sniper who showed us you could kill a groundhog at 600 yards with a .06 when we were on a camping trip with him. I also knew my cousin's uncle (on the other side of his family) that was a forward fire controller in Korea. He talked about parachuting right down on the Chinese with a .45 in each hand just trying to fight his way to the ground. After that he called in the artillery and watched the human waves part around each shell burst only to fill back in again like water. I'll admit I wanted the guns that those brave men used.

They were cartridges that had a history and to this day I still like the idea of being part of that. I have 2 .45's and a .06. It's not that I don't like other guns. I do and I've owned more than a few. But there's always going to be something special about those two in my book.

[jsmaye]

Propinquity

Great word. It was also ubiquitous.

[Art Eatman]

It works. Lotsa other stuff that also works, but I haven't seen the '06 quit, yet. I wouldn't grab mine as the preferred rifle for prairie poodles, but I can load down for squirrels. Several good coyote loads. Anything in the game animal department, it's plenty good.

From what I've seen as a handloader, it's just not really picky. Most any brand of bullet, primer or powder and I always get tight groups and dead deer. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," and there's nothing to fix with the old '06. :)

[FSJeeper]

I went through a 15 year period of trying all kinds of wildcat and european cartridges looking for the holy grail. Spent lots of time and money on brass and dies and never made a shot that could not have been done with the 30-06. I have since settled on the 30-06 which is what I started out with 30 years ago.

When in Africa about 10 years ago, I dropped my custom Win. 70
in .340 weathery Magnum in the rocks and it landed on the scope. This was on the 3rd day of a 3 week Safari. I had a OEM Win. 70 in 30-06 with only a trigger job done it as my backup rifle. I finshed the Safari with the 30-06. Using my handloads with 200 grain Nolser Partions it performed flawlessly on plains game. My favourite shot was of a stallion Zebra at 280 yards. Bullet hit exactly where I aimed, the Nolsler did the perfect mushroom thing, and we found it just inside the skin on the other side of the Zebra. You can't ask for more:

http://froadin.com/pascal/zebra.jpg

[chow chow]

How do those Zebras taste ? I bet the meat is excellent. I have tried horse meat as a kid and they were old horses slaughtered and sold in wet market in SE Asia. They are darker meat compared to beef. Same as water buffalo.

[The Terminator]

It is an American classic. Probably the last military cartridge we had before the bean counters started horning in on design. That credit may go to its shortened son, the 308.

Art Eatman: Would you please lock this thread before I go and buy a 30-06? Please. :)

Really, I know that I'll get another one sooner than later.

Best -

[sureshots]

I like the 30-06cal. but over the years I have found other calibers that will do the job just as well with much LESS RECOIL.

[crowbeaner]

One of the best deer bullets in the '06 is the Sierra 150 grain spitzer Pro Hunter. Absolutely deadly at 308 or 30/06 velocity, and the expansion and terminal performance are virtually unexcelled. What this bullet does to the vitals of a deer has to be seen to be appreciated; very small entrance hole with wide expansion and wound channel coupled with an impressive exit wound. A bit tougher on the scale is the Hornady Interlock; controlled expansion with penetration and very good accuracy. Either bullet will do an admirable job on ANY whitetail or pronghorn.

[jay]

I have a weatherby vanguard sub-moa in 30-06. I am trying to find the best powder, bullet, primer combination. Any suggestions? I have tried H414, varget, H4895, H335 with nosler Bal. tips and sierrs soft point sptz both in 150 gr. The tightest groups I can muster is about 4" @ 100 yards with lots of fliers. I have been meticulous with weights and measurments. Does anybody have any suggestions for this beginning reloader?

[UniversalFrost]

i learned on 30/06 based calibers that utilized the 06' case and then moved up to the 06' as I grew older.

I went through my mag and ultra mag years, but came back to the 06' as I realized that with the right loading you can take any north american game animal with the 06' .

Plus at around 12 bucks a box for factory loaded ammo at wally world you don't have any worries if you don't reload. And the sky is the limit for those of us that handload. the .30cal projectiles are dirt cheap and brass is dirt cheap, plus you can pick up 30/06 ammo just about any where, so if you are on a hunt in the middle of no where and lose or run out of your ammo, then you have little worry on finding more 06' ammo.

Oh and just about every long gun rifle line is chambered in 30/06 :D

also, jay I just PM'd you my info for what I use in my sub-moa 06' vanguard.

JOE

[Nanuk]

I grew up with the 30-06. My dad used and his dad used it. My Weatherby likes 180 grain bullets best Honaday SST's work very well on deer.

[j.chappell]

It’s all in what you start with and are exposed to.

A lot of you guys heard nothing but "ott six this and ott six that, blah, blah, blah" your dad shot it, your uncle shot it, the man down the street shot it, and why? Cause it was the commy killer, damn near the best and only thing out for a while, there were a whole boat load of surplus 06's to be had, and your firearms companies knew if the US used it so would every Tom, Dick, and Harry.

It took me near 15 or so years to buy one and when I did I didn’t understand what made it so great. My 308 did everything that it would do in a lighter, handier rifle with less recoil and only about 100fps slower, big deal if you can load 200 and 220gr bullets. A 308 with 180gr. Nosler Partition, Barnes MRX, or other premium bullet is big enough for anything the 06 will go after with a 200 or 220. If I need those I have other rifles that wont just work but will outshine any 06.

30-06 good yeah, great...maybe, but not the end all. If I had to choose but one 30cal it would be the 308 WIN. It just makes more since to me.

J.

[Buzzcook]

Jay: I use 48 grains of H 4895 behind a 150 grain Hornady spire point. It gets speeds a bit faster than 2750 fps. I get moa +or- out of a 24" 1/10 barrel.

I'd like to say i spent years working the load up, but it was just the first load I tried and it worked.

[j.chappell]

308 WIN 46gr. IMR 4064 Hornady 165gr SPFB out of my 20" barreled Ruger 77 is 2713fps. Not bad for an 06's little brother huh?

[KY Jim]

Well, I have wrote here on this subject before and I have posted the facts. Our beloved 30-06 has 102 going on 103 yrs of proven perfomence and is still going strong. It is the best selling and most popular round in not only this Country but many others around the world. BTW my father-in-law has developed a load with 180 gr Speer bullets that dupticates 300 Win Mag Velocities with out the 300 Mag recoil.
Jim

[B.N.Real]

Cause it's cool when you say,

"Yep,I just pulled out ma' old thirty-and-odd-six and blew that ten point buck half-a-way across that field!" :D

It ain't the best but then ag'in,there's just -THE REST! :D ;)

[skoro]

Because the -06 is just the thing for so many different uses. I only have one centerfire rifle, and it's a 30-06, because it does so many things so well. Plus, every podunk town has a store with 30-06 cartirdges on the shelf.

[King Ghidora]

30-06 good yeah, great...maybe, but not the end all. If I had to choose but one 30cal it would be the 308 WIN. It just makes more since to me.

I wouldn't argue with that one bit. But I still like the 06 just as much because of the history. Plus when I was looking for a real deal on a used gun guess which caliber I found everywhere I looked? They are ubiquitous.

[jpwilly]

Because a man (or woman) with and "Ought Six" always has enough gun and ammo choices. Long actions are sexier!

[Jseime]

Super versatile round
Accurate by nature
Been around 112 years
Served in several wars
And on and on and on

I believe that a 168 grain bullet is the most ballistically efficient weight in a .30-06 so that is what I would be using for just about anything. If dangerous game is on the menu you can gear right up to big ol 200 and 220 grainers that are tough enough to take down about anything.

[kymasabe]

For me, growing up, you had either a .30-30 or a .30-06. If you were lucky, you might have a British .303 stashed someplace but that was it. I remember blasting groundhogs with a .30-06 as a kid (12,13ish). Ammo was available everywhere for it.

[DIXIEDOG]

Because it may not do everything the best but it does basically anything well:D There isn't a more versatile caliber for North American game out there.