30-06?

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phelpsj

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I am looking for a rifle that would be good for most if not all north american big game. I have seen alot of pepole say that the 30-06 can take all of the north american big game species. I would just like to see how many of you think that this is true and get sugestions on what you think could do this task. Thank you for your help.
 
The .30-06 will do everything that needs doing in North America. More available commercial loads than any other cartridge from 125 to 220 grain bullets. Can be found in any backwater general store that sells ammo.
If you think you need more power, Federal High Energy and Hornady Light Magnum loads turn the '06 into a .300 H&H. If you handload you can comfortably get into this territory.
Most big game (all species) in Alaska are taken with the .30-06.
 
And handloaders can load down to squirrel loads and plinking loads as well as the 110-grain varmint bullets. :)

I got into the .30-'06 habit in 1950. Just never really been able to break that habit. :D

But it was all my daddy's and my uncle's fault. They got me started on account of that's what they used.

And that's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

Art
 
I'm just wondering as I know very little about this subject but isn't the .308 and .30-06 almost identical in ballistics? I see so much surplus .308 ammo available for plinking & target practice it seems that might be the way to go. I own a .270, .308 & .300 win. mag. If I could only choose one I'd take the .300 win mag. But it would be a lot cheaper to shoot the '06. In my opinion you can never have too much gun!
 
It would be hard to find an all around rifle that does a better job than the 30 .06. The wide range of bullet weights and availability of the ammunition for it makes it hard to beat. Yea there are bigger, louder, smaller, weaker calibers, but the 30.06 has the right stuff and gets the job done. It has proven itself over and over in the great outdoors on many successful hunts and has put meat on the table of starving hunters. :D
 
I'm just wondering as I know very little about this subject but isn't the .308 and .30-06 almost identical in ballistics?
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Yes and No. Modern loads provide .308 rounds that are very much equivalent to classic .30-06 offerings. But, then, modern .30-06 have been equivalently upped past .308 limits.

Personally, I don't own a 30-06, only because I have so many rifles chambered in .308 and I prefer the short action. But for overall breadth of loadings, availability of store bought ammo and parts and sheer kill value, I never look down on the .30-06 hunter. They generally know from whence they speak. "Sexier" US game loads exist; but none more practical.
Rich
 
For starters: The .308 in factory laodings is loaded to around 55,000 psi. The factory '06 stuff is loaded, typically, to around 50,000 psi. With 150-grain bullets, this equalizes the two.

The .308 cartridge case is more efficient than the '06. It works just fine with a 20" or 22" barrel. The '06 is a slightly overbore case, and works better with 24" or 26" barrels.

Because of the setback of a 180-grain bullet into a .308 case, the decreased room for powder means that '06 velocities cannot be achieved.

So: For one who does not handload, and who doesn't need to use bullets above 165-grains in weight, the .308 is superb. And, with the inexpensive ammo, it's less costly to develop one's shooting skill.

For a handloader who doesn't mind the weight of a long tube, and who tends to want a 180-grain bullet at great effectiveness, the '06 is better.

My own pet rig is a Weatherby Mark V with a 26" barrel. With scope, sling and six rounds of ammo, it weigs 9.5 pounds. I've put in many an eight-hour walking-hunting day with it. Yeah, it's fatiguing, somewhat--but it's a really nice Ma Bell critter. I grant that I don't do all that walking anymore, and have gone to a much lighter weight rifle, but I'm not really a spring chicken, either. :)

Art
 
Art always has great information and you can believe what he tells you, because he has alot of experience in this area.

ART YOU ARE THE MAN......
 
:D ARTs got it right! I got three of um and I know they will kill anything on the north american continent that walks, creeps, crawls, flies or slithers.:D
 
At normal ranges, 30-06 does it all. IF you are thinking out to 300+ yds, I'd lean toward a 300 win mag. You just have to accept that it will have more recoil.
 
'06 is a great all around round... as they mentioned you can get all different types of loads depending on your needs... I read a book about Hathcock the best sniper we had in Nam, he would often use an '06 model 70 (winchester).. I myself own a remington 7400 with a 3-9x50.. great gun and grt load be it in my brushy woods of upstate NY or anything up to say 500 yards.. anything over that id go with like a 270 personaly, and wouldnt be using my autoloader.. just my 2cents
 
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