The .30-06 is 100 years old, what remains to be done?

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Jeff Timm

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Now that the 30-06 is 100 years old, and it has spawned the .25-06 the .270 and the .35 Whelen, what else can we do based on the .30-06?

The .22-06 comes to mind immediately. Think we could get 4000 fps out of a 77 grain bullet?

I know there have been some experiements in .40 caliber, but a 10mm 06 would sound modern and give a useful cartridge for close range.

Geoff
Who owns a .308 Remington 700 BDL that does everything he needs a bolt rifle to do. :evil:
 
Caliber .30 model 1906 A winner then and still a winner despite all the magnums and flash in the pans.Happy birthday !!
 
The .22/250 is in my estimation about the most you can get from .22 caliber. The Swift is a little excessive for capacity. To me, a .22-o6 would be ridiculous. I reckon it's all been done. You can have a .22-06, though, if they still make those .30-06 accelerators with the saboted .22 bullets. The .22-250 is superior, though.

Oh, no one has mentioned some of the Ackley improved 06 versions.

There's not much you can't do with just the plain ol' .30-06. For all around, it's still one of the best. Some calibers do some things a little better, but that don't mean you CAN'T get it done with the 06. I don't own an 06, like 7mm mag ballistics better in big guns and love the short case and efficiency and inherent accuracy of my .308 a very compact short action Remington M7 stainless. If you want ONE do all gun, though, it's hard to argue against an 06. It won't shoot quite as flat as the big 7 and it ain't as handy as the short action guns, but that doesn't mean it can't get it done about as well as anything else, at least in north America on anything short of large Alaskan bears. I, for one, will never see a large Alaskan bear outside of a zoo.
 
In recognition of the centennial of the .30 US, 1906, I believe we are all duty bound to send at least 40 rounds of our favorite '06 downrange this year. This not only improves our skills but helps support domestic ammunition suppliers, reminds us how well this old war dog works, and may put us in touch with others who appreciate the classics.

If we don't happen to own a 30-06 rifle, it should be a perfect opportunity to acquire one or, at the very least, associate with someone who owns one.

Preferred launcher would be M1, 1903 or 1919, but what the heck, dust off those converted Mausers, Mondragons, Madsens, or what have you. Anyone can play!
 
rust collector

your right this is the year that i am going to get a 30-06. watching an documentry on ww2 makes me realize how important the 'o6 is and the m1 was
 
I jumped the gun a little bit (sorry for the pun) and bought my .30-06 a couple weeks ago. But I haven't gotten a chance to fire it yet, so at least my first shots with it will be in 2006.

I.G.B.
 
Jeff Cooper voiced the opinion the 30-06 (or .308) will do anything you might want done in the lower 48 states and I'm inclined to agree.

Certain 30-06 rifles dress up the gun cabinet, also. My wife got me this one (OK - I admit to "helping" her pick it out) for our 25th anniversary last May - this High Grade Winchester 95 - new in box and unfired.

AWINCHESTER95.jpg
[/IMG]

All she got was a little diamond ring and she's convinced she got the best of the deal - women - gotta love'em.;)

There will be at least 40 rounds through it next week!!;)

:) :rolleyes: :D
 
Preacherman said:
Just for grins, let's neck down the .30-'06 to accept the 17-grain .17 HMR bullet. How about a 5,000-fps-plus round for squirrels? :D
Click to expand...
Now that's a varmit gun!

I've actually thought someone should try doing that. Or maybe a .50 BMG necked down to a .17 or .22...
 
krochus said:
You missed a couple
Click to expand...

And another, the 6mm-06.

I have a heavy barrelled varmint rifle built by a gunsmith friend of mine in West Texas. He had a dozen or so sets of dies and chamber reamers made by Redding. It's a 6mm-06 with a sharp 52 degree shoulder. He built up 12 of these with Kreiger barrel blanks and Interarms Mk X actions for a group of friends in high school.

Using Nosler Ballistic Tips and H414 powder that little 70gr bullet just screams out the end of the barrel.

The sharp shoulder means I have to fire form the brass so the first loading is usually lighter. I have used 30-06 brass but I generally start with 25-06 since it's already closer to where I need to be. Easier to shove that lubed case into the die than the 30, but I've done it.

It's killed more coyotes than I can remember.

6mm06.jpg
 
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Gosh! Come to think of it, I've been shooting the '06 for more than half its lifetime!

Started with an Enfield 1917 back in 1950. Still using the load my uncle taught me, for 150-grain bullets.

:), Art
 
What remains to be done?

Build a rifle where you can load it to it's potential! Build either a Target or Tactical Rifle on a Winchester or Remington action where you can take advantage of the .30-06's large case capacity. With a quality barrel using Lapua brass, 60.0-61.0gr of RL22, and the 190SMK, 2900fps is easily and safely doable. Using this load as I do for 1,000 yard shooting, leaves the .308 in the dust and approaches .300WM factory loads. There's a lot of life yet in the 'ol girl if you have the right stick and know how to load for her.

Don
Win06t1.jpg
 
Like Frank Sinatra sang, "It was a very good year".

Which reminds me--I need to order another 1000 once fired GI cases. I may be getting older but the '06 is evergreen.
 
Dad bought me a model 70 in '06 for Christmas and I just bought the dies/bullets/powder today. What a great cartridge.
 
I bought a .30-'06 in 2005. The Gummint accidentally made what's still arguably the best all-purpose big game round (though some definitely favor the 6.5 Swede).

A more powerful round starts to get unpleasant in a hunting rifle. A less powerful round starts to fall short of the "all-purpose" moniker, even if it's superior for some kinds of hunting. And there's a lot to be said for short-action cartridges, of course. But the '06 is still the baseline for comparison.
 
What remains to be done?

1) Buy something that will utilize that cartridge, or buy another something to do it, in addition to those already in the safe.

2) Celebrate by utilizing said centagenarian to punch holes in paper or game animals of choice.

3) Repeat as needed...

:cool:

Seriously, it's a pretty sweet anniversary, IMHO.
 
rust collector said:
In recognition of the centennial of the .30 US, 1906, I believe we are all duty bound to send at least 40 rounds of our favorite '06 downrange this year. This not only improves our skills but helps support domestic ammunition suppliers, reminds us how well this old war dog works, and may put us in touch with others who appreciate the classics.

If we don't happen to own a 30-06 rifle, it should be a perfect opportunity to acquire one or, at the very least, associate with someone who owns one.

Preferred launcher would be M1, 1903 or 1919, but what the heck, dust off those converted Mausers, Mondragons, Madsens, or what have you. Anyone can play!
Click to expand...


AMEN
 
I would like to commend ammunition manufacturers for coming up with lower-powered .30-06 cartridges; I can now use my (very accurate) Savage 110 to take some "dog deer" that I'm afraid would be smithereenified by a full-powered .30-06. (And I'm going on a doe hunt this weekend, so the topic is not academic.)

Now we can talk versatility, from military loads to very-high-powered to not-quite-so-high-powered choices.

(While in the meantime, the 30-30 gets a new lease on life with Hornady Leverevolution...but that's a different thread.)

Here's to another century of the .30-06, and I hope I live to see it!
 
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