@BigBore44
Let’s rundown some of the yardsticks used here which could establish the 30-06 as “king,” or confirm it is not:
Versatility in component availability: 30-06 has a lot, but no more than 308win, not as much even, and not as much as 223rem/5.56. So it’s not bad here, it’s even good here, but it’s not “the King” by this standard.
Availability in components: without question, a dozen 30 caliber cartridges use the same bullets as the 30-06, so there’s no crown for the ‘06 based on bullets. 308win based cartridge cases have irrefutably higher availability and more options, as any brass maker who offers .30-06 is offering 308win, and some others offer 308 Palma brass which isn’t matched by the 30-06 class, and even further, more there are more 308win military munitions manufacturers than 30-06. Equally, the 223/5.56 trumps all of them for market saturation. So by this measure as well, the ‘06 falls short of the crown.
Versatility in bullet weight capability: the .30-06 is capable of a broad span, but no more capable than a dozen other cartridges like it. There’s no bullet weight which can be loaded in 30-06 which can’t be loaded in 300win mag, but the win mag will handle heavier bullets than the ‘06 at the heavy end. We hear 100-220grns for the 30-06, that’s 120 gen span. A 44mag can be loaded with 165’s up to 370’s, that’s a span of 205grns. A Marlin 1895 in 45-70 could be loaded with 200’s up to 500’s, I’ve even seen 700grn pills loaded in these, and the 45-70 has 3 published pressure standards for various velocities. So again, the ‘06 has done a lot, but it doesn’t reign supreme by this standard either.
Variety of game harvested: as mentioned above, the 22LR has killed everything the 30-06 ever has. The 7mm Mauser has killed everything the .30-06 has, or ever could, as they’ve both killed everything there is to be killed - so again, the .30-06 is not a superlative cartridge by this yardstick.
Rifle sales volume: the .30-06 hasn’t been the undesputed king atop the sales roster for decades. While I’m sure it’s possible it peaked in one year or another, it hasn’t even enjoyed presidential term limits within the last 30yrs, let alone reigning as king.
Absolutely biased, wholly subjective nostalgic preference: well, if this thread is evidence of supremacy in non-objective hearts and minds of certain shooters, now known in the modern era by the colloquial term, “fan bois,” then it’s certainly a contender. But I’d also cite the recent plethora of .270win fan boi threads which were more numerous, longer running, and more empassioned than this thread has been, so I think the evidence favors the 270 to have a more rabid nostalgic fan base than the .30-06 too.
If there’s any objective metric which puts the 30-06 irrefutably in front of all others, rather than simple anecdotes, biased observations, and nostalgic ramblings, I’d be all ears. But by no reasonable objective measure has any evidence been provided to show supremacy even in ONE metric, let alone all.