The 'ole aught six.....

In North America, it's hard to beat the 30-06 for a "do-all rifle" chambering. In Europe, the 8X57 enjoys that spot. And in most places around the world, the 308 is rapidly becoming the "go-to" cartridge of choice. Me, I like a 7X57, but the '06 still works.
 
You can make the 30-06 recoil pad as soft as you want but you're still getting 20Lbs+ of bark and jump that is just plain uncomfortable for a lot of people. And if I'm shooting at 1000 yards the 06 or 308 isn't what I'd recommend. That being said I do agree the 30-06 is the best over all gun capable of taking every NA game and most African. The 308 will do for all but the dangerous brown bears.
 
If you only could have one gun.....

....what would it be?
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I don't like questions like this, they ask me to pretend I can only have one gun!

The 30-06 is a wonderful cartridge, the first rifle I ever purchased was chambered for it and I've missed it everyday since I sold the gun. It would be a great choice for the one gun guy but there are others out there that can compete with it. The 280 Remington, 270 and 308 Winchester are all great chamberings too. Some may say that those can't shoot as heavy a bullet as the 30-06, or in the 308's case can't shoot it as well, but I'd point out that lighter weight premium bullets and better powders have given handloaders an edge and they can be made as effective as the 30-06. In the end my opinion really is just that, my opinion, and if you like the 30-06 then that is what you should own. I still miss mine:(
 
"How often is recoil and issue hunting? Frankly I never hear or felt the shot."
It's not the kill shot that causes flinching.
 
Yep the old '06 will do the job. But I could just as well get by with my 8x57 or 7x57 rifles. But then again the 2 30-06 rifles I have are not for sale. And they do get shot.

I really don't agree with the 308 have a lighter recoil. The 308 is doing every thing it can to match the power of the 06 and to do so has to use a faster burning charge of powder because of the limited case capacity. That seems to give it a sharper recoil.

I had one 308, a Remington carbine with a 20" barrel. It was light weight and kicked like a mule. I tried some military 150gr loads for practice rounds and they were worse than the factory hunting loads. I am not sensitive to recoil. I have 50 and 54 caliber BP rifles and don't mind those at all. I had a 45/70 for a while and 400gr bullets were noticeable but they were not as bad as that 308.

Now I do wish I had that little rifle back. I would adjust the loads a little and I bet I could make it more fun to shoot. But my 30-06 rifles aren't bad at all so far as it goes for me. Not even the 180gr loads.
 
I have my third 30-06 now, inherited it. I've never carried one hunting before but using it on elk this year. Everything come's down to bullet's. 7mm up is where I think the best cartridges are, 7x57 being one of the best and a 7mm-08 should doo well also. All about delivering a bullet at reasonable velocity that will penetrate well. Deer on down bullet weight isn't that important. I killed one deer very dead where it was standing with a 75gr V-Max in a 243! Bullet placement. Would not have had the shot had the deer not gave me an easy way inside. Bullet's are the secret. Good big game bullet's for game bigger than deer start at 7mm amd go up. i read years ago that Eleanor O'Conner had shot exactly one elephant, she did it with a 30-06.
 
The .300 Flores Magnum is better in every way. It shoots 180 grain Nosler Partitions at 2750 fps, and has dropped more game than any other cartridge. It has a very rich and interesting military history too. Just about all rifle manufacturers offer the chambering as well.

3006.JPG
 
jmr40 said:
I won't disagree with the logic. In fact that is the decision I made in 1975 and hunted with the same 30-06 rifle almost exclusively for most of the next 40 years. But as much as I like the round, I'd advise younger shooters to make a different choice today for a variety of reasons.



Back in the day most shooters were primarily hunters and the trend was to only have one rifle. Going to a range and shooting lots of rounds down range just wasn't something most shooters did. A couple of boxes a year was typical. And no one limits themselves to one rifle any more.



Today most shooters are primarily shooters at the range; many never hunt but even for those who do hunting is secondary. For firing hundreds or even thousands of rounds down range each year there are better options that cost a lot less to feed and don't recoil nearly as much.



The advancements in powder, bullets, optics, etc. have made all cartridges far more capable. In the 21st century the 30-06 is best used on game like large Alaskan bear, moose or elk. If that were the primary game hunted then a 30-06 would still be a top pick. But the fact is that most hunters NEVER hunt any of those game animals.



There are several options today that cost less to shoot, recoil less, and are much better suited for the game most of us actually hunt. And for that occasional chance on larger game they would be at least as effective as 30-06 loads from years ago. The best 308 loads beat WW-2 era 30-06 loads by at least 100 fps.



With todays bullets and loads there is nothing I'd hunt with a 30-06 that I'd not also hunt with any of the 6.5's, a 7-08, or 308. And there are only a handful I'd not hunt with a 243.
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I agree if your just shooting down range it's not the best choice . However I am greedy and have a 06 , 270 and 243


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My 721 '06 isn't the happiest thing to shoot with its steal butt plate, but I am loading up 100 rounds of Sierra Game Kings in 200 grain for the top end application. Since I love "the family" so much, I also have a .270 Win with a plethora of 130's ready to go.

One or the other for the right application......two awesome guns.


"I agree if your just shooting down range it's not the best choice . However I am greedy and have a 06 , 270 and 243"

Thought you were going to say....you had an '06, 270 and a 25'06. That would be the true trifecta!!!!







......
 
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The .300 Flores Magnum is better in every way. It shoots 180 grain Nosler Partitions at 2750 fps, and has dropped more game than any other cartridge. It has a very rich and interesting military history too. Just about all rifle manufacturers offer the chambering as well.
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I assume this is a joke?
 
300 Savage, .308, and 30-06 all hit with plenty of power to down game animals. But they do not strike with the same energy at all distances. In other words, a hunter with a 300 Savage might have to stalk a little closer than a hunter armed with a 30-06 assuming same bullet weights are used for hunting.

Many hunters do not comprehend or perceive the need of a 25-06 or 270 if they already own a good 30-06. But there are those that argue the merits of their favorite cartridge and that's what makes our world go round.

Jack
 
And it sells guns!

That said, there is great interesting in AI cartridge when there is little evidence that they actually do anything.

You can get the same benefit by using a modern powder.

And we hear about flat trajectories but when you get ou8t to where it really matters, its 3 feet of this and 4 feet of that.

Hmm, so you are telling me your death dealing laser cartridge you can estimate 3 foot drop better than 4 foot?

Now don't get me wrong.

I think the 7.5 Swiss is the least appreciated cartridge in the world.

And its extremely rare in a modern gun, that's one reasons I built one.

Its also extremely doable and components galore from PPU for brass to all common powders and bullets for 308 caliber.

Given a modern gun I suspect you could make this a screamer over a 30-06. It already nips at the 06 with a much reduced powder load (older guns and limited burst pressures of those older guns)

As much as I admire it from the sleek short shoulder that will not stick to its fat efficient case (call it a 06 Short Magnum) I would not recommend anyone go hunting with it.

Why? Your hand loads better be with you, most stores don't carry it (though more big box than you might think)

So while the 7.5 is technically the better case (well ahead of its time design wise) its not the go to round either.
 
i'd rather have too much gun on small game than too little on big game

one of the 300s would be my choice

in a browning BLR
 
I've never heard of anyone claiming the 06 was to little gun for anything except maybe AK coastal or Kodiak brown bears. Possibly the NA buffalo as well. The common 30's all use a .308 bullet so basically you are comparing velocities at different distances. At 0-200 yards they all pretty much act the same.
 
your bears and moose are way bigger than the ones I've got and I still think 30calibres are somehwat puny

but that hos more to do with how I mostly hunt, I hunt with a single baying dog, and even our moose and and bear are big enough that I want more punch, because I am hunting up close and don't want them to lash out towards the dog (or me) when I put them down

for just sneak hunting or blind hunting I can go with my 6,5
 
What should be kept in mind was that most of the big AK harvests took place well before the boutique hunters came with their BAH (big honking) magnums.

Keep in mind that it was to get fed (moose) and elimination of a threat (Grizzly bears for the most part)

My step dads father took 8 very large Brown Bear with his 06.

The area was rife with big animals as it was almost coastal in nature (lots of water, trees, green stuff munchies for the moose and woods caribou as well as fish for the bears)

One picture the head of the bear is about as big as the front of the Willies Jeep.

The area did not lend itself to long shots, so you can guess they were likely under 200 yards.

The only thing a 30 caliber can not do reliably is the front penetration for an Elephant, Rhino or Cape Town Buff (maybe American as well).

One guy was famous for behind the ear shots with a under 30 caliber.

I was ready to take on brown bear with a 7mm if I had to. Never went after them but ready if it came up and no choice.
 
Just a though. Your going grizzly bear hunting and have a choice of three rifle's in different cartridge's, 7mm mag w/150gr bullet, 30-06 w/220 gr bullet and a 300 mag w/180 gr bullet. Ya can't change bullet's, which would you pick?
 
Don, based only on reading comments from Alaskan hunting guides, any of the three would work.

The primary factor is likely the hunter's ability to control his adrenalin rush. :)
 
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