The .30-'06

[SaxonPig]

The very name is iconic. Around for over 100 years it will still get the job done for about 95% of "big game" hunters. The 308 is more efficient, and the Magnums are more powerful, but for most of us the '06 will do.

My first center-fire rifle was an '06. It is long gone but I have managed to keep one or more rifles in this caliber on hand for over 40 years. If I found myself forced to live with only one CF rifle cartridge I could get by with the '06 as well as any and better than most.

Here are some of my 30-06s currently residing at the ranch. Feel free to share yours.














You KNOW we have to include a Garand...

 

[JEB]

I could get by with the '06 as well as any and better than most.

how true it is.

very nice looking rifles by the way! i am hoping to add a 30-06 to the collection in the very near future. if i get it done i will be sure to post a pic.

 

[Kachok]

While the 308 is more efficient the 30-06 is more versatile with it's wider array of bullet weights. While the 300 mags are more powerful the 30-06 can handle any bullet/game that they do and is much more logical within real world hunting ranges. The 30-06 is so good that it is the hunting cartrage standard by which all others are judged. Even though it is not my all time favorite it is well into my top 10 cartrages list.

 

[Texaszach]

I love my .30-06.
It is a lot of gun for what I generally use it for but I know it can handle any job I need it as long as I do my job.

I shot my first whitetail with an '06 and am glad I did because it is not only a cartridge with history but my grandfather ended up giving me the rifle and I love it even more just for that reason.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

If I found myself forced to live with only one CF rifle cartridge I could get by with the '06 as well as any and better than most.

You said it brother. It would be my choice hands down.
I LOVE that Ruger by the way. I'm a huge fan of the #1s.

Mine is a Weatherby Vanguard with a 3x9x40 Leupold. The target that came with it was one hole. Every now and then the stars line up and I can do it.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

I have 5 '06s -- two M1903A3 Springfields (one Remington and one Smith Corona), an M1 Garand (H&R -- made in the mid '50s), a Ruger M77 (shotgun safety) and an M70 Winchester (made in 1939.)

And that's ruined me! Everytime I get the urge to get a new rifle, I go through all the pros and cons and decide the ideal cartridge for it would be the .30-06, and since I already have so many, that puts the skids to the buying urge.

 

[content]

Hello friends and neighbors // I always wanted a Ruger 1, one half that nice would work just fine.

Although limited in rifle knowledge the .30-06 is my most used hunting round.

I like the versatility my 1968 Remington 760, .30-06 gives me.
Just buy a couple of extra mags and set them up with your favorite types of ammo.

Last years sighting in day before deer season.


I like the wobbly table, more like shooting while hunting the S.C. brush to me.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

In only 3 posts with pics we managed to get bolt actions, a single shot, an auto and now a pump. Nice.

 

[tightgroup tiger]

This is my pride and joy. 30-06 mag fed, lever action model 81.

 

[Kachok]

Someone could hunt the entirety of North America with a 30-06 loaded with any respectable 180gr bullet and never once feel the need to shoot anything else. Sure it is an overkill on whitetail and pronghorn, but it is not moving at super fast speeds so it won't mess up that much meat, and sure it seems a tad small for moose/elk/bear but it has done the trick for many years, who am I to second guess a hundred years experience.

 

[420Stainless]

My first center-fire rifle was an '06. It is long gone...

Mine's not gone, just borrowed by my FIL many years ago when he expressed a desire for a lightweight hunter. I suppose I'll get it back (hopefully not too soon) as part of my wife's inheritance. Hence, no pictures of my 30 year old Remington 700 Mountain Rifle. 30-06 feels mighty powerful out of a 6 lb rifle.

Really, really, really love those full length stocks Saxon.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

x2 on the love for the full stocks.

The .30-06 was my only hunting caliber for years. One gun for deer in the fall and groundhogs in the spring..Right now I am working up a varmint load for this old girl.

 

[sage5907]

I've been hunting big game for over 45 years. I get to thinking how simple my hunting life would have been if I would have started with a a pre 64 Model 70 30-06 and not used any other cartridge or rifle, but like every other fool I had to prove to myself that every other option wasn't any better. Jack O'Connor had a lot of good ideas but he was probably to blame for many of my mis-adventures and side trips. Some times too much information is worse than too little. I wonder how the younger hunters today can sort through all the mis-information that is floating around and find the gold at the end of the rainbow like I did. The traditional archery people say "beware of the hunter with one bow." That could just as easily apply to the 30-06. BW

 

[Welding Rod]

I like them better than the 308 just because the bigger cases are easier to find on the ground and to handle during reloading.

 

[RPRNY]

Good Lord, Pig, but you do have some gorgeous rifles!!!

 

[Cocked & Locked]

Own several rifles but only two .30-06 ones.

The first one up is a Remington 700 BDL (factory stock) DNZ mounts, Bushnell Elite 3-9X scope



Second one, and my favorite for some reason, is a SEARS model 53 (Winchester model 70)Weaver mounts, Weaver Classic 2-10X scope

 

[HarcyPervin]

Here's my Tikka in '06 (bottom). Absolutely love it with the Zeiss 3-9.


and now, a question....
The .30-'06 is renowned for its versatillity and for being everything 99% of hunters in North America could want or need. I'm wondering if anyone regularly shoots anything outside of the 150-180 grain loads? How well do they perform, what do you use them for, and can you shoot them out of the same barrell as you shoot the more "standard" loads?

 

[Arkansas Paul]

I have loaded up some low recoiling 125 grain Ballistic Tips and H4895, but have never gone on the heavier side of your range. They were very accurate, right out of that Vanguard in the pics above.

My favorite hunting load however is either a 150 grain ballistic tip or a 165 grain SST.

 

[USSR]

a question....
The .30-'06 is renowned for its versatillity and for being everything 99% of hunters in North America could want or need. I'm wondering if anyone regularly shoots anything outside of the 150-180 grain loads? How well do they perform, what do you use them for, and can you shoot them out of the same barrell as you shoot the more "standard" loads?

I have shot the 190SMK out of a .30-06 for years in 1,000 yard competition. While it is not a suitable hunting bullet, Hornady makes a 190gr BTSP bullet that should work just fine as a substitute.

Don

 

[sage5907]

Quote: "I like them better than the 308 just because the bigger cases are easier to find on the ground and to handle during reloading."

Welding Rod, I've have that same opinion for years. I load and unload my rifles in the dark with gloves during hunting season and the 30-06 cartridges are easier to handle than the 308 because of the longer cartridges. The 30-06 cartridges go into the magazine box easier with my big hands and are easier to catch as a group when they come out of the box. BW

 

[Bio-Chem]

Even after 100 years it's nice to see the 30-06 will be around for a lot longer. Many generations to come still need to learn to appreciate this caliber

 

[whetrock]

Here's a pic of my one and only ought six. It's just a stock Howa 1500 with a green overmold Hogue stock and Nikon Buckmaster 4.5-14 scope. This rifle has become my go to medium size game rifle. The only quarrel I've got with this rifle is the stock trigger but aside from that it will make a good hunting rifle.