Do you need more power than a 30-06?

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abowlieb

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Imo to be truthful honest with myself I don't think ill need anything more then a 30-06. From 1906 -1960 when I think the 7mm mag n 300mag were introduced the 30-06 had enough power to take any game in the USA including grizzly and brown bear. I read a lot of post were people say more rifle is needed to down those animals. I've had a 7mm mag savage 11/111 th xp, I enjoyed it and I didn't feel the recoil until I started to get into high round counts 20+. I've shot all types of weapons 270, 300win mag, 12g, 20g, m40a1, m16, M4, rocket launcher and a tank round lol but I never had a rifle that just felt like it was meant to be mine until I shot my first 30-06. When obese first introduced to rifles I didn't want any parts of a 06 because everyone was talking about it like it was the best things since slice bread Smh boy I wish I would have listen to them those many years ago. I would have saved a lot of money lol. Anyway I say all that to say this, I would feel more comfortable walking in big bear country with a 06 that I'm totally intoned with, then I would with 7mm mag or 300win mag + I'm able to shoot. Its proven it is able to handle dangerous bears even when up close n personal for many years. Long before the mags came along. Long live the 06!!!
 
I would go as far as saying the .30-06 is more gun than I need for the hunting that I do which is typically whitetail deer at ranges of less than 100 yards, 50 is more typical. We don't have huge bears here, and I have never even been bear hunting. If I did go black bear hunting, I would trust the old .35 Remington to be more than adequate.

If I were to be going after larger species of deer like elk or moose, I would feel a lot better about a .30-06 or the 7mm mag, especially if I was hunting from any significant range.
 
Need probably doesn't enter into much of the shooting stuff. I've shot hogs and deer with my Ruger in 350 mag, and I've shot the same animals with .257 Roberts and smaller. When we say we need something it's just an excuse most of the time to convince a wife or maybe ourselves that we need to buy something new. The old 06' will handle anything we run into in this country, but it's just not as much fun hauling the same old rifle out anytime you want to shoot something. You know the adage about "variety and the spice of life thing" .
 
Long live 30-06

The recent (on-going) ammo shortage, made me review all the calibers in my safe, both long & short. Have had a love affair with the 30-06, since I was a teenager in West Texas. We used the 30-06 for everything from punching holes in targets, shooting coyotes, to deer for the freezer. Got rid of every caliber except the 30-06, as I collect US Military, .22lr/WMR, and another old timer the .45ACP...Not planning a safari to Africa, so I guess, what I have in the safe will have to suffice. Dittos, to long live the 30-06!!
 
Actually I did a culling similar to what Dan described, for the same reasons. I needed to keep something versatile and easy to find ammo & components for and the 30-06 was it.

The other round that stayed was the the 7.62x39. Even under the current circumstances, the x39 is widely available and relatively economical to shoot.
 
The recent (on-going) ammo shortage, made me review all the calibers in my safe, both long & short. Have had a love affair with the 30-06, since I was a teenager in West Texas. We used the 30-06 for everything from punching holes in targets, shooting coyotes, to deer for the freezer. Got rid of every caliber except the 30-06, as I collect US Military, .22lr/WMR, and another old timer the .45ACP...
Click to expand...

On the contrary, there are times that the only ammo/components on the shelves are oddball stuff- there were a couple of months at our local Megaboxoutdoor store where there wer no bullets in .223 .308 or .22lr, but plenty in .284", .311" and .204" ...... lots of .327 ammo, but not .357 ..... and they never have run out of 7.62x38r ......

Consequently, I hold onto the odd caliber guns I have accumulated: If they have bullets, I likely have a firearm I can load them for...... there is much to be said for "diversifying".
 
Long live the 30-06

Hey Sarge, back at you..Can't go anywhere on the face of the Earth, where you cannot find lots of 7.62x39, and to a lesser extent, its big brother the 7.62x54.
Archeologists will be digging up sardine cans of the stuff, a thousand years from now, and it will still shoot...corrosive as H***, but it will do its job! I don't do Soviet Era stuff..Guess I'm a Cold War holdover...Most all Soviet weapons are crudely made, simplistic, ugly, and, and, Err deadly..Hanging with da .30 cal U.S., however gotta give the Iron Curtain Uglies, their due..
 
My Dad used an '06 for deer hunting. When I got old enough, of course I wanted something different and of course I believed myself to be a much better shot and didn't need the power of the '06. After starting with a 243; I moved to 270 win which is about equivalent to the 30-06. Have no need for anything else much like you and the 30-06.

You could say the same thing about a lot of calibers that straddle the 30-06 in terms of power. But I chose 270 win. The 30-06 is a great and versatile caliber for sporting purposes.
 
What with my uncle talking about using a Springfield back in the 1920s with the comment, "Anything inside of 300 yards belonged to me," and witnesses to the shots talking about my father killing deer at 500 yards with his Springfield sporter, I figured that the old '06 was about all a guy would ever need.

What with reloading and stocking up on components at discount stores, all this recent garbage about "out of stock" hasn't affected me at all. It's only hurt the folks who weren't paying attention to the world in which they live.
 
In 39 years of big game hunting there has only been once that I believe a 30-06 would not have been enough gun for the animals I have taken. It is the cartridge to which I compare all others, the cartridge that the first rifle I ever purchased was chamber for, and well always be one of my favorites.
 
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I would have no qualms hunting anything in North America with a 30-06 and my handloads. When confronted by one of the great beats, it would work just fine. FRankly, I'd be a lot more comfortable holding my .35 Whelen with my hot handloaded 225 gr. barnes TSX but is all I happened to have was the 06, I wouldn't sweat it. I'd feel the same way if I was in Africa. ain, I'd be more comfortable with the .35 Whelen but the only reason I'd be sweating is due to the heat.
Paul B.
 
Taking of large bear doesn't require much of a rifle cartridge to accomplish the task. The native Aleuts, and Northern Eskimos of Alaska are known to have taken {very large} polar bear with a 222 Remington cartridge.

I'll admit the 30-06 is sufficient for most game situations. But I believe. The 30-06 Springfield cartridge's original intention was to replace another Battle Field cartridge. Another was the 30-40 Krag as was the 7.62 X 51 NATO and renamed for civilian use as the 308 Win. As was the 5.56 mm i.e. 223 Rem also. Thus none of those previously mentioned cartridges were originally designed sporting rounds. So, I refuse to hunt game animals with any Battle Field Cartridge regardless of its popularity or I.d. change. It's just a quirk I have.

S/S
 
I'd happily hunt anything in North America with a 30-06, but sometimes when traveling bear country and sleeping in a tent situations come up that are close and sudden. In those situations you can't have a rifle too big.

One morning as I crawled out of the tent, I faced a very large black bear at 20 feet. With the sun glaring off my head net, I couldn't see my sights. Two quick shots, one to the chest, and a follow up to the head finished the bear. I was happy to have a 35 Whelen in my hand, but when I looked at where I placed the shots, a 243 would have probably done about as well.

That was a good morning. I hadn't had anything but fish and biscuits for 40 days. Bear meat was quite welcome.
 
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