My cut and quote is not workibng (away from home on a strange machine)
Other than its the 30-06 cartridges is the best, not the rifle, entire agreement.
Don't get me wrong, I hunted with a 7mm. I came to the conclusion I would have been as well off with the 06.
Fortunately the time I got into I don not have the cartridges to go hunting like I thought I did, I was in large town and I could get 7mm.
And once you have a cartridge from 308 on up for larger N American game, its the shooter and not the cartridge that drives the results (below that its a good shooter that really knows what they are doing)
That said, an assist to the 30-06 is a an easier shooter, more practice with that gun in your chosen caliber.
I know the 06 never set out to be the best cartridge ever, but it was and is.
Not because its the best purely technically , but because its good, widely available , capable , good all around capability with wide bullet choices etc.
Personally what I thing is the all around technical best is 7.5 Swiss. I think it split the line between the magnums, short magnums (which it sort of is) and the 280/308/270 group.
But its not wide spread and readily available and not produced in starndard World Wide guns which is the final trump for the 06.