Is 30-06 future proof ?

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Odessit86

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Hi guys..
Just wonder.. I came along many websites and youtube channels..stated that 30-06 are dated and there are many other modern cartridges that better then 30-06..
I have Sako 30-06.. bought recently.. my first rifle ever .. never shot before .. I planing to start hunt next year ..
So my question is how long you think 30-06 will be around more ?
And any suggestion .. what is best deer cartridge in terms price and availability?
 
Odessit86 said:
So my question is how long you think 30-06 will be around more ?
And any suggestion .. what is best deer cartridge in terms price and availability?
Click to expand...

1. At least another 100 years. Or until laser technology unseats bullets as a primary hunting weapon.

2. .30-06 hands down. .30-06 is almost never the wrong answer.
 
As far as new rifles are concerned there is a definite decline in popularity. I could see a point in the next 20 years where it might be hard to find a new rifle chambered in 30-06 or 270. But there are literally millions of used ones out there. I think they will fall into the same category as 7X57. Rifle manufacturers make a few of them every few years to satisfy demand, but they are not a regular production item. Some manufactures are no longer offering 30-06 or 270 as an option with new rifles right now.

But with the long history and prolific use of 30-06 over the last 100+ years I don't think ammo will be unobtainable in my lifetime, or my kid's lifetime. Of course, it along with a lot of others isn't available right now, but I hope this is a temporary problem.
 
Well, you would certainly be missing out on a market of millions of 30-06 owners if you decided to stop producing 30-06 ammunition.

That said, Peterson just started making 7mm BR brass and that’s been obsolete since the late 90’s. Didn’t stop me from shooting it these last 20 years though.
 
Odessit86 said:
Hi guys..
Just wonder.. I came along many websites and youtube channels..stated that 30-06 are dated and there are many other modern cartridges that better then 30-06..
I have Sako 30-06.. bought recently.. my first rifle ever .. never shot before .. I planing to start hunt next year ..
So my question is how long you think 30-06 will be around more ?
And any suggestion .. what is best deer cartridge in terms price and availability?
Click to expand...

As the others said, 30-06 isn't going anywhere anytime soon...there's just too many of them, and it's just too versatile a cartridge. A Sako in 30-06 will handle pretty much everything in the lower 48 with the right ammo selection.

Honestly there aren't any cartridges "better" than the 30-06, there might be some cartridges and rifle combinations that are a better choice based on a situation or game.

Your other question opens a whole can of worms, because all deer aren't created equally and more importantly they're hunted in all sorts of terrain. A best deer cartridge/gun combo for the open west, might well be a hindrance if you're primarily hunting the heavy timber. While there's only one degree of dead, a high velocity round impacting at short distance can do a a lot of damage depending on the shot placement.

Then there's the whole climbing over deadfalls with my 26" barreled 6.5 Man-Bun while only seeing a scope full of brown fur thing to worry about. Which is just about as bad as hunting a 400 yd crop field with an iron sighted 30-30.

Different tools for different conditions.

I tend to choose my rifle/caliber based on the game and conditions. Having said all that, it's tough to beat an average 22" barreled .308, .243, 6.5C, 30-06, .270 bolt action with about a 3-9X scope on it. Something like that ( A Sako in 30-06 for example) will probably take care of about 98% of your deer hunting needs. You can then use your selection for bullet construction to mitigate the distances somewhat.

I'm still loading for;.40-70, .45-90 and .45-100, 8.15x46R and .350RM and I don't have problems finding components for any of them.
 
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jmr40 said:
As far as new rifles are concerned there is a definite decline in popularity. I could see a point in the next 20 years where it might be hard to find a new rifle chambered in 30-06 or 270. But there are literally millions of used ones out there. I think they will fall into the same category as 7X57. Rifle manufacturers make a few of them every few years to satisfy demand, but they are not a regular production item. Some manufactures are no longer offering 30-06 or 270 as an option with new rifles right now.

But with the long history and prolific use of 30-06 over the last 100+ years I don't think ammo will be unobtainable in my lifetime, or my kid's lifetime. Of course, it along with a lot of others isn't available right now, but I hope this is a temporary problem.
Click to expand...
So they chambering in a new modern cartridges ?
Yes there is new 6.5 creed , 6.8 western , 280 AI, 28 Nosler etc..
Yes but they are more expensive then '06 .. and still perhaps don't have that " authority " yet...
Will see in couples years ...
 
The Army and the target shooters are always looking for an edge. The Army does studies (I doubt we will have a general changeover to 6.8mm Whatever), the target shooters can go with the latest and greatest easily because they actually wear out barrels and can make a change at no added cost except a new set of dies.

Hunters and casual shooters are a different matter. A sporting rifle is the Platonic Ideal of a Durable Good. I have a couple over a hundred years old that are as good as they ever were. So the industry has to use those military and match developments to convince you that Grandpa's Gun is obsolete and you have to have the New Model.
It doesn't always work. So I would not worry about the working life of a .30-06.
 
Jim Watson said:
The Army and the target shooters are always looking for an edge. The Army does studies (I doubt we will have a general changeover to 6.8mm Whatever)....
Click to expand...

Ordinarily I would agree that getting the Army to change something as fundamental as its rifle cartridge is the ultimate hard sell -- i.e. the U.S. military has historically kept the same chamberings literally for generations. However, given advances in near-peer body armor and the inability of the current cartridge / projectile combinations to defeat it, I do think we are on the verge of a major change in military small arms.
 
Odessit86 said:
Hi guys..
Just wonder.. I came along many websites and youtube channels..stated that 30-06 are dated and there are many other modern cartridges that better then 30-06..
I have Sako 30-06.. bought recently.. my first rifle ever .. never shot before .. I planing to start hunt next year ..
So my question is how long you think 30-06 will be around more ?
And any suggestion .. what is best deer cartridge in terms price and availability?
Click to expand...

You bought one of the finest rifles available in probably the most versatile caliber, particularly if you get into reloading where you can use super light bullets for varmints or super heavy bullets for serious big game and everything in-between. Moreover, 30-06 is likely the most-available commercial cartridge along with the .22 and 12 gauge shotgun. I think you did yourself a solid by picking up that Sako 30-06!
 
I'm going to be the contrarian in here but I think while 30-06 will probably be around for a long time yet I don't think it's future proof. I anticipate honestly the 6.5 and or various calibers close to that supplanting it within the next 50ish years. I have literally no evidence to support this except for the growing rise of the popularity of these cartridges.
 
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upptick said:
Ordinarily I would agree that getting the Army to change something as fundamental as its rifle cartridge is the ultimate hard sell -- i.e. the U.S. military has historically kept the same chamberings literally for generations. However, given advances in near-peer body armor and the inability of the current cartridge / projectile combinations to defeat it, I do think we are on the verge of a major change in military small arms.
Click to expand...

The present 6.8 fad started out as the NGSW, Next Generation Squad Weapon. Army wanted something more powerful than a M249 and lighter than an M60 or M240. Then they added on a high powered rifle.
Reminds me of the Swedish HMG section with an 8mm MG and the crew with 8mm rifles. I assume so they could reload off the tail of an MG belt in a pinch. The rest of the Swedes had 6.5mm rifles and LMGs.

I still maintain that at most we will get a two tiered issue with the elite units getting the new, the grunts keeping the old.
 
Odessit86 said:
Hi guys..
Just wonder.. I came along many websites and youtube channels..stated that 30-06 are dated and there are many other modern cartridges that better then 30-06..
Click to expand...

It's hard to sell new rifles chambered for new cartridges that are not well established. One way to create a market for a new cartridge is to convince people that the older cartridges are inferior for their intended purpose.

I could go into more detail but, it seems the .30-06 Springfield has been doing it's job very nicely since it was first brought into being. It's major downfalls are that its bullets are effected by things like gravity, and wind; and that when fired it produces recoil. Although many cartridges have since been created to attempt to address these issues, it seems gravity, wind and recoil still present a significant challenge to the ammunition companies R&D departments.

Some have considered the .30-06 a marginal cartridge for game such as Elk and Moose, whilst others consider it excessively powerful for smaller game such as Deer. Everyone has their preferences of course. But if there's one North American Big Game cartridge capable of doing it all, many people seem to think that cartridge is the .30-06 Springfield.

I don't think you've got anything to worry about.
 
As long as bullet/brass combos are available, so will be .30-06.

It seems that recently there's a "flavor of the month" in rifle cartridges. However, there really are no NEW rifle cartridges, just takeoffs of previous wildcat cartridges. Some of these have been around for over a century. Add or subtract a belt, change the shoulder angle, or lengthen/shorten by 0.1 inch and you have a new cartridge .. no difference in velocity or ballistics but the new flavor of the month.

Quit worrying.
 
WrongHanded said:
It's hard to sell new rifles chambered for new cartridges that are not well established. One way to create a market for a new cartridge is to convince people that the older cartridges are inferior for their intended purpose.

I could go into more detail but, it seems the .30-06 Springfield has been doing it's job very nicely since it was first brought into being. It's major downfalls are that its bullets are effected by things like gravity, and wind; and that when fired it produces recoil. Although many cartridges have since been created to attempt to address these issues, it seems gravity, wind and recoil still present a significant challenge to the ammunition companies R&D departments.

Some have considered the .30-06 a marginal cartridge for game such as Elk and Moose, whilst others consider it excessively powerful for smaller game such as Deer. Everyone has their preferences of course. But if there's one North American Big Game cartridge capable of doing it all, many people seem to think that cartridge is the .30-06 Springfield.

I don't think you've got anything to worry about.
Click to expand...
I mean I know a person who successfully elk hunts with a 243. You just got to get a good bullet and a good shot.
 
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