Say it ain't so

.30-06 is more than enough rifle for anything in North America.

Some people just like to buy the latest fad caliber.

357smallbore said:

Me and a buddy were in a somewhat heated discussion about my ole Savage 110 30-06.
Last week we finished our Elk hunt outside of Flagstaff. This year we were skunked. Saw a few possible bulls, just not what I was looking for.
3 years prior I took a beautiful 6x6 same area at 225 yrd with one hit to the spine. Used 200 grn partitions handloaded. Buddy today told me it was time to ditch my outdated 06 and get a new and better caliber rifle.
Them are fighting words to me. Been toting and shooting the ole Savage for 30 years. It's never left me wanting for more in all my hunts. I've bagged coyotes, bobcat, javalina, whitetail, mule deer, antelope, elk, one smallish black bear and a few other critters. Never needed more than one shot, and all were dropped within 250 yrds.
Buddy said the 06 is on its way out. Told me it's hay day came and went years ago. Said to get a 6.5 creed, 300 win or a 7mm-08. I told him I think I need a new hunting buddy
No way am I taking his flawed advice. My 06 is good as it ever was. Most important, it's reliable and it just plain works.
I'm old school.I hunt with my old Winchester 94 in 30-30 most deer seasons. My main varmint gun is an old Winchester 70 in 257 Roberts, My big game is my 06.

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I share your philosophy on the classic Calibers.
My son is a AR fan and owns rifles is several "new" Calibers. I was giving him a hard time about his AR in 6.5 Creedmoor.
About two days later he made a 550yd shot with his "6.5 Manbun"
So I stopped heckling him.

The venerable ought-six has been fading for a while now; at this rate in another 100 to 150 years almost no one will be using it anymore.

[QUOTE="
I told him I think I need a new hunting buddy .[/QUOTE]
EXCELLENT!

Ask him how does it get better than one shot kills, for 30 years?

Do the animals get within 500 yards, catch a whiff of a 6.5 Manbun and roll over and die? Or what?

After 30 years of toting around the same gun, with the history you have, as your friend I think I may look at you sideways for replacing it.

Your buddy is an idiot. There's just no polite way to put it.

As an aside, the 7mm-08 and .300 WM are hardly newcomers, either, debuting in 1980 and 1963 respectively.

And 6.5 creed better than '06 for elk? So you can have the same velocities with 25% less bullet, and he thinks that'll work better somehow?

Whole thing sounds like Fuddery to me… who cares?

I'll say it again, the 6.5 Creedmoor haters are worse than the straw-man 6.5 Creedmoor fan boys they always cite.

Peak boomer fuddery.

Having said that, love me some 30-06.

If it works, don't fix it! Unless you want to try something else...

30-06 has been working for me for over 50 years. Wusses always want softer kicking calibers. To me the 30-06 doesn't have much recoil and I use pretty hot loads and I don't use recoil pads.

You can spice it up a little - try different weight bullets. That will make it all new, like buying a different caliber!

I have buddies who trade often. Have to have the newest thing. Most just to brag and show off. They also trade vehicles every year or two and finance another one. Lol.

I had one who would trade his bow every year. And his rifle every 2 years. No matter what. I got some nice deals from him. His reasoning was wear though. Not so much having the newest.

I personally keep everything but I'm not above having a new something either. I have 100 year old guns and I have plenty of models from the last 5 years too. I had the first 5.7 and 460 Smith that most people around here ever saw. I also have vehicles from my first one , 66 f100. 352 3 on the tree, too my honeymoon/ high school car 86 fox body, my first 4x4 79 f150, up to my 21 f150 with 9k miles. Most of my 15 or so vehicles are still tagged and on the road.

I had one buddy who held on to things too long. Hunted with a very early savage bolt rifle and a scope that you simply couldn't see through. Many times we would see something far off in my fields and argue. That's a cat. That's a coyote. That's a stump. Then we go get his rifle to see what it was and after looking through his scope we were less sure than before. Lol. He is a great shot though. And hunter.

Maybe he was just messing with you..?

Armored farmer said:

I share your philosophy on the classic Calibers.
My son is a AR fan and owns rifles is several "new" Calibers. I was giving him a hard time about his AR in 6.5 Creedmoor.
About two days later he made a 550yd shot with his "6.5 Manbun"View attachment 1120053
So I stopped heckling him.

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I too feel the same about the 6.5, made that same comment to my oldest son, he started to get offended, so I let it drop. He is trying to grow a manbun but at 30 yrs old he is taking after me and doesn't have enough hair for one....I told him he is welcome

Will there ever come a time when the term “man-bun fuddery” will be ‘en vogue’?

crestoncowboy said:

I have buddies who trade often. Have to have the newest thing. Most just to brag and show off. They also trade vehicles every year or two and finance another one. Lol.

I had one who would trade his bow every year. And his rifle every 2 years. No matter what. I got some nice deals from him. His reasoning was wear though. Not so much having the newest.

I personally keep everything but I'm not above having a new something either. I have 100 year old guns and I have plenty of models from the last 5 years too. I had the first 5.7 and 460 Smith that most people around here ever saw. I also have vehicles from my first one , 66 f100. 352 3 on the tree, too my honeymoon/ high school car 86 fox body, my first 4x4 79 f150, up to my 21 f150 with 9k miles. Most of my 15 or so vehicles are still tagged and on the road.

I had one buddy who held on to things too long. Hunted with a very early savage bolt rifle and a scope that you simply couldn't see through. Many times we would see something far off in my fields and argue. That's a cat. That's a coyote. That's a stump. Then we go get his rifle to see what it was and after looking through his scope we were less sure than before. Lol. He is a great shot though. And hunter.

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Glad he's a great hunter, but if you can't determine what it is with the naked eye, and then still not after looking through his scope, your friend might just be a tight wad. I have seen plenty of useable scopes used and new for $300.

Your buddy is right; and wrong at the same time. The 30-06 as well as the 270 are fading fast in popularity. Some manufacturers are no longer offering rifles in those cartridges. And the ones that still do, sell very few new ones. Anyone who wants a 30-06 or 270 at this point already has one, or three. And there are tens of thousands sitting on used gun racks all over the place.

I hunted almost exclusively with a 30-06 from the 1970's up until 2009 when I retired it and have moved to 308 as my primary big game cartridge. I also have a 6.5CM and despite the hate for it, the cartridge works and lives up to the hype.

But by no means does that mean you, or anyone else should be looking for a new rifle. With modern bullets, powder, and optics the 30-06 is better than ever. In fact, that is part of the reason for its decline. In 2022 the 308 shoots the same bullets 200 fps faster than a 30-06 from the 1950's. Of course, the 30-06 is faster too, but it is now more gun than most shooters need or want.

Cartridges like 308, 7-08, and 6.5CM are proving to kill the same game, at the same ranges as 30-06 and 270. But they are proving to be more accurate, and with significantly less recoil. And for a handloader are cheaper to shoot. Most shooters today who need more power than that are skipping over 30-06 for one of the magnums

One thing I've stated many times here is that most hunters hunt for fun. It ain't a job, and you don't necessarily have to use the most efficient tool to do the job. Hunt with what you enjoy hunting with.

Jonny2guns said:

Glad he's a great hunter, but if you can't determine what it is with the naked eye, and then still not after looking through his scope, your friend might just be a tight wad. I have seen plenty of useable scopes used and new for $300.

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It was sentimental to him. Owned by a mentor. But he was also a tight wad. Lol. He had plenty of nice new rifles. But hunted with that old rickety savage, in 222 no less. He filled his freezer every year and has some bucks scored and in the books too.

And 300 dollars wouldn't have been needed. Ive had bb guns as a kid that came with better tascos. I can't remember what the scope on the 222 is. Either Simmons or tasco. But something is wrong with it anyway. I guarantee it used to be a much better scope

I don't own an 06 at the moment, but it is on my list. Have the dies, brass, powder, primers, projectiles. Just need to find another rifle, mine was stolen in 2000.

Nothing wrong with 30-06 other than I have zero use for it here in middle TN. It's over kill for most of what I do and there are so many more interesting cartridges out there. My one long action bolt gun is in 270 Win. I have done nearly all my hunting with an AR of one flavor or another for the past 6 or so years.

I also have a 6.5CM and despite the hate for it, the cartridge works and lives up to the hype.

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6.5CM hate has been stupid virtually from year one. Now it is usually some poor soul infected with "jack-in-the-box" syndrome. Once you say 6.5 Creedmoor he pops out of the box and says "hate the creedmoor" "needmore" or something equally lame. Been going on for over 14 years now! Well you know what foolish consistency is evidence of right?

wbm said:

6.5CM hate has been stupid virtually from year one. Now it is usually some "jack-in-the-box" idiot that once you say 6.5 Creedmoor pops out of the box and says "hate the creedmoor" "needmore" or something equally lame.

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What’s funny is people get offended at a little ribbing over their selected caliber…

We’ve gotten to the point where friendly ribbing damages our little snowflake hearts.

At least when someone gets called “boomer” for choosing to use a 30-06, 270, or 308, they have experience and history to fall back on and laugh it off.

Sling your 6.5 CM proud and cinch that top knot down a little tighter fellas!

Snowflakes huh? I tell ya what...try that crap at a range where I live and you might need an escort to get out. Lot of "brave" souls on the internet