Why not the 30-06?

Can't the same be said for any of them though?

Why not the .270?

Why not the 30-06?

Why not the _________________

There is a great plethora of calibers in that area that are far more similar than not. None of them really stand head and shoulders above the rest so one can expect to here about any number of them more than any single one of them

I mean if you see 30-06, .270, 7MM, 30-06, .300 Win Mag, 308, .270, .308, 7MM, and 30-06 it seems like the 30-06 is the "not" most of the time when it is in fact over represented. Of the 10 choices made its only made 3 times. But if you consider that those three are more than any other single caliber it becomes clearer. Throw in a myriad of other choices beyond those 5 (why are none of the quarter bores mentioned or the .338) and it becomes more diluted.
 
So, who is there among you that has but one center-fire rifle?
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Long ago, I had just one rifle. It was an 03 that my Dad bought me in 1963.

A few months after that, I had two. I talked him into buying a 98K (8x57 of course) with me paying half the cost. The first one was $24.95 and the second was $14.95 at the same store that no longer exists.

I have owned 30-06, and 8x57 since that time.

At one time I had 5. Now I only have 4.

I have one center fire rifle that is less than 30 cal. I have 30 caliber and up to 45 caliber center fire rifles. Guess which caliber is shot the most.
 
you can go for '06. i mean the Col. Townsend Whelen said it best “The 30-06 is never a mistake.”

i've used '06 in 4 different guns( rem adl/ bdl/ 700 mountain rifle, sav m116, ). they were all accurate(except for the mountain rifle and handloads:mad:). i don't know how many deer i and the '06 have put down.

but its not my choice of rifles. for deer, using factory ammo only, then i like 7-08 . using handloads, 7x57. i have hunted with both of them.

what i use, is another thing. i use a tc encore with a 23" MGM barrel in 444 marlin with a 300gr fn gc and 2400/tuft of dacron. i have a 23" MGM barrel in 500 linebaugh in another tc encore. i have a 9.3x57 in husqvarna m46 that still needs d&t and bend the bolt handle to accompany my scope. theres also the 30-40 krag, 45-70, 30-30......
 
Personally, i loved my old 06'. Still miss it! Dang thieves!!!
Being young and inexperienced when i owned it the furthest i shot game with it was about 20p yards. Before the days of me having a range finder.
Never had to chase/track an animal. I always found it right where i shot it.
The 165gr Nosler Ballistic Tips did well by me!

Yeah, one of these days one will be back in my cabinet.
 
I hunt with 30-06,270 and few others. Handloader Special Edition, Top 10 Reloded rifle Cartridge, it''s base on top dies sales from Hornady,Lee,RCBS,Lyman and Redding and it's year behind.

The 6.5 CM was 3rd, 300 Blackout was 8th. 1st 223,2nd 308 4th 30-06 ,5th 243 and 6th 300mag,7th 270,9th 7mag,10th 22-250. Real interesting list.
 
It has a huge history heritage wise of over 100 years in its same identical form.

Not to mention a lot of wars and exposure to all those who served.
 
No one needs a sports-car, but the more practical station-wagon is hard to sell anymore. The '06 is perhaps ideal for Elk; more than adequate for Deer; and less effective than a 375 magnum for Brown Bear, though proven to work with heavy bullets.
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Well we have a Diesel Station wagon so maybe that is why I have a target 06? Love the car, always liked station wagons, piss on image. And it gets 42 mpg on the highway and 32 all around (and god knows it can go faster than I want to)

30-06 took more Brown Bear than all calibers combined ever all years.

Since it came out it was the go to cartridges for AK where they were hunted extensively, mostly property protection and to keep them away from the wee ones and your wife! (I know its a bad attitude but ....)

375 HH was eventually the DE-rigour with guides, now its the 444 with hard case, go figure.

But my best write up was EK and a Grizz that stalked a group of 5 hunters down on the AK Peninusla.

30-06 on up to 35 Whalen (they were hunting caribou not Mr. Brown who decided to hunt them though that is very rare - they did back track, found where he cut their trail and started following them so it was deliberate)

Upshot, 5 very experienced hunters formed the firing line and had at the Bear as it came up the slope of a knoll they were on.

Most hit (if not all) and it dies about 8 feet from them.

If you can get a good shot in anything from 270 on up will kill a Brown bear (others lower but more iffy)

If it gets pissed off, then 458 Winchester is iffy.

20 mm might be a good guarantee.
 
My first CF rifle was a .30-06 Savage that I handloaded for. A bunch of us had the same chambering and we used them to hunt woodchucks and deer. I never got a deer with mine, as they were scarce around here in the 1950s. I sold it, bought a .22-250 Rem 700 and shot a deer with it that fall! DUH!

Anyway, the '06 will go through a 3" hardwood and kill a deer standing behind it. I doubt if many other cartridges like the .243 would do that, maybe not even the .270.

I now use a .270 Win and shoot 130 grain pointed soft or plastic-tipped bullets. The reason was that we hunt a very straight, abandoned county road where we can kill deer out to 400 yards or so, but often don't have more than 5 seconds to aim and fire before they cross to the other side. I've killed deer at 300-400 yards with the .270 and, aiming for the shoulder, recover them in the road 99% of the time.

Because we don't have much time to estimate range and hold-over, the flatter shooting the cartridge, the better. Between the .270 and .06, there's a significant difference in trajectory out at 350 yards, so that's why I use it. It may not be quite as good in the woods, but I rarely have any trouble using the .270 there.
 
Good logic, works for you, that is what counts.

I can do the same thing with a 06 and a lighter bullet.
 
30-06 HAD it's place 50 years ago. The 308 ended the usefulness of the 30-06. 50 years from now the 6.5 CM will end the usefulness of the 308. Absolutely nothing wrong with owning the tried and true '06. My M1 and my 03A4 both have eternally warm places in my heart but as practical continuous shooters there is better, and less recoil abusive caliber choices,
 
The reality is that its not been replaced, alternatives exist and more come up all the time.

Better? If I am going to deal with a moose or a possible grizzly, my choice is a 06

7mm would be ok as well. 6.5 will do the moose but not the Brown bear as well as a 06.

None of anything out there is such a game changer as to drop the 06 popularity which continues to be at the top (any new gun comes out in 06 and 270 first)

Not sure if that will ever change.
 
I'm good with wagons and I'm good with the '06. I'm shopping for a new hunting rifle and while I entertained the idea of a 308 briefly, '06 is what I'll get.
 
The 308 ended the usefulness of the 30-06.
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This is near to blasphemy, brothers....:D
I believe that the truth is hard to fully know,,, but I'm under the impression that the 7.62 Nato was designed to replace the military version of the 30-'06 with a cartridge that had similar ballistics while making improvements relating to automatic weapons. Probably in an attempt to increase the cyclic rate of fire via a shorter bolt stroke? And they were looking at the 300 Savage as almost exactly what they were after, but not quite, so they tweaked that cartridge a little. Winchester, either caught wind of it, or perhaps they were involved; reading the writing on the wall, they quickly came out with the 308 Winchester. There are others here that would know the story more accurately, I am sure....
If choosing between two otherwise identical bolt action rifles, I would take the 30-'06 over the 308 everytime. If I had to give up the 270 for another caliber in its class, I would choose the '06.
 
My understanding, for whatever it's worth:

Factory loadings for the '06, I know, used to be 50,000 psi. The .308 began life at 55,000 psi. Ergo, basically equal muzzle velocities from 18" to 22" barrels, with 150-grain bullets.

My pet '06 is a Wby Mk V with a 26" barrel and I handload to right at 55,000 psi. The result is an advantage of some 300 ft/sec for me, over the usual .308. A 150-grain bullet at about 3,150 ft/sec.

Seems to me, then, that if you don't handload and you use an off-the-rack bolt gun, the only real difference is the length of the receiver. Performance with 150- and 165-grain bullets is right at the same.
 
Yep, but if you want to go heavier? The norm for the day up here was the 220 grain soft-point as you often had to deal with Brown Bears either hunting or keeping them out o the front yard.

You want a flatter shooter, 06 with a 130 grain bullet (or 140)

Also note that a true 7.62 NATO changed the twist rate to 1-12. Most 308 are 1-10.

308 in 1-10 can also shoot a lighter bullet as well as 30-06.

But the nothing has displaced the 30-06, it still works as good as it ever did. Complimented it, supplemented it, alternatives all true.

SAMI has the max pressure at 60,200 for 06. Modern rifle can take advantage of that vs the older lower commercial loadings.

All said and done, an Elk is not going to know the difference if you shot it with an 06, a 6.5 or a 308 as long as you have the right bullet and velocity.
 
The pesky difference between CUP and PSI.

Correct me if I am wrong,but the original Garand spec of 50,000 was a CUP spec. I don't think they had the piezo tech to measure PSI back then.As they had not forseen the tech,maybe some incorrectly substituted the term psi for CUP.

Its no secret the Garand needs to be held to 50,000 CUP or less,AND it must use proper burn curve powder for correct port pressure.That contributes to many folks short selling the 30-06.Folks think in terms of 4895 or 4064 powders.

Don't shoot them in a Garand,but you load the 30-06 for a strong modern bolt gun with a powder like IMR4350 (not real exotic) and No! my friend,the .308 does not make the '06 obsolete.


Don't get me wrong,the 308 is a fine cartridge,and I'd happily own a 308 bolt hunting rifle..I'd recommend one..but if I'm buying a bolt hunting rifle...I "feel" a 180 gr bullet advantage with an '06. I'm not a 150 gr guy.


YOU,however,may choose as you please! YOU choose what is best for YOU.


I'll decide what is BEST for ME
 
ecause we don't have much time to estimate range and hold-over, the flatter shooting the cartridge, the better. Between the .270 and .06, there's a significant difference in trajectory out at 350 yards, so that's why I use it. It may not be quite as good in the woods, but I rarely have any trouble using the .270 there.
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I do not have an unkind word to say about the 270.Great cartridge,and it works for you! Carry on.


I just looked at my Nosler book.I'm comparing your 130 gr Ballistic Tip BC .433 MV 3100

The 150 gr Ballistic tip,BC.435 gets a MV of 3000 loaded with IMR4350. from a 30-06.

I don't deny 100 fps is an advantage. I doubt it makes a tremendous difference in max point blank range
 
Yeah, the 270 shoots slightly flatter, but for the shooter that knows their rifle, I don't think it makes any real difference, especially when hunting, with or without a range-finder. Everybody else would miss a basketball at 100 yards if they didn't have their trusty bench rest for a crutch. The 30-'06 is every bit as good as the 270; each has their own very slight advantages over the other. Between the two, I honestly think it's a tie. Pick either one in the rifle that fits you best. But for Pete's sake, don't handicap yourself with a 308!;)
 
I love my 30-06. From 20 yard shots in dense undergrowth to 300 yards plus across soybean fields it has never let me down. I had a .270 and a .308. I still have my 30-06. I also still use a 30-30. Nothing wrong with the old calibers.
 
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