cartridges above 30-06

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jabames

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Hi, is there any cartridges that are a little bit more powerful than a .30-06 but not a magnum? Like with a little bit more velocity and less bullet drop past a certain distance.
 
Yeah, maybe a 35 whelen would be good for meh, or somethin like that. I can handload so tailoring a cartridge to my needs shouldnt be a problem.
 
"I think you're heading to wildcat territory"
I agree
.308 is less gun so that is not the answer. You will be north of 3,00 ft lbs, so I'm not sure there is any where to go except to .300 win mag or something else you said you did not want. How much work you want to put into reinventing the wheel?
 
Lol maybe my next gun will be a .300 win mag, Im kinda not sure what to get lol, I think that my 30 cal 180 grain accubonds will perform bettah with magnum velocities.
 
.338-'06 and .35 Whelen are great if you want heavier bullets but won't get you more velosity/less bullet drop. Look into a .30-06 AI. It's probably the most common improved version and should get you a good 100 fps over factory rounds.
Also look into Hornadays ammo line , they used to offer what they called "light magnum" loads in several calibers, i.e. standard .30-06, 7x57 loaded about 100 fps faster than most. They are for modern actions only.
Good luck and keep us posted!
 
FWIW, the .280 Remington is the commercialization of the 7mm-06 wildcat - Remington's stab at a piece of the .270 Winchester's popularity/market.

"A little bit more velocity and less bullet drop" (than the .30-06) is a pretty fair description of the old .300 Super (.300H&H).



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Like with a little bit more velocity and less bullet drop past a certain distance.
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Unless you are willing to go up to a magnum round nothing will significanlty better the 30-06. A 270 or 280 offers VERY slight advantages in trajectory, but with lighter bullets and less performance at long range, and on larger game.


My first thought is .308. Better ballistics, shorter action, fairly common (plus milsurp). It'll be my next deer rifle.
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Sorry, but this is a step down. The 308 is a great round and one of my favorites, but it shoots the exact bullets as a 30-06 but about 150 fps SLOWER, not faster.

Same for 338-06 and 35 Whelen. They shoot heavier bullets, but offer zeo advantages over 30-06 when it is loaded with the heavier .30 bullets. They offer very poor long range performance. And while they don't have magnum stamped on them, recoil is comparable to a 300 win mag.

The next logical step up over 30-06 is one of the 7mm magnums. They shoot flatter than 30-06, 270, 280, or 300 magnum and recoil is so close to 30-06, you'll probably never notice the difference. The 300's heavier bullets offer a small advantage in energy numbers out to about 400 yards, but beyond that the 7 mags not only shoot flatter, but hit harder. The 300's are also a step up in recoil.

I've owned them all. Personally I'd keep the 30-06. If you don't handload, take the money you would have spent on another rifle and start loading for the 30-06. It is easy to safely beat factory speeds by at least 100 fps with 150-180 gr bullets and good handloads. You won't need anything else.
 
Problem is, "a little more power than .30-06" is pretty much the definition of Magnum.

I can understand flatter trajectory, always nice in a hunting rifle, but what do you need more power for? Big bear?
Otherwise, I am thinking of a .270, .280, or at most 7mm Mag.
 
is there any cartridges that are a little bit more powerful than a .30-06 but not a magnum? Like with a little bit more velocity and less bullet drop past a certain distance.
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We have to ask if you're talking about factory ammo or handloaded ammo. With modern metallurgy and better powders the .30-06 can be safely loaded to approach .300 magnum velocity. (By the same token, with the same metallurgy and modern powders, the .300 magnum can also be loaded to better ballistics.)

However, I find almost no benefit in doing so. The .30-06 is a capable cartridge even while cruising along at less than maximum pressure. My favorite loads are usually about 10% under max and harvest the game I want to harvest with no fuss. I realize that this forum is more than hunting, but if I wanted a rifle with a little more reach, I'd step down in caliber to the 7mm cartridges, or even to the 6.5mm cartridges. Better bullets, better BC, translates to flatter shooting downrange.
 
Only four cartridges come to mmind..

.338 Federal (recently introduced have no experience with it.
45-70 using commercial loads and current rifle: Ruger #1 & #3 and Marlin 336,
( no Trapdoors not even the replicas)
.35 Whelan, that Remington made commercial back in late 80's
in the m700, (you can also rebarrel a current 30-06)

.444 Marlin in the Marlin 1895(?) lever action

Then you are into the magnums and wildcats.
 
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