Guy Miner
Master Loader
- Apr 6, 2006
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30-06 Brush Gun?
- Thread starter Guy Miner
- Start date
- Nov 4, 2004
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The 30-06 is a brush gun and a darn good brush gun at that. It's also a great long range gun too. 
JD338
JD338
hunter24605
Handloader
- Apr 30, 2016
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Don’t you know it has to have a cool new name to be any good? I’m surprised the bullets just don’t bounce off deer. Not knocking the 6.5 creed, it’s a fine little round, but its gotten to anytime I see a younger person at the range, I already know is a 6.5 Creed. And they’re gonna tell you all about it.
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RL338
Handloader
- Mar 23, 2017
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Funny that you mention that. Awhile back when I was testing the 400gr RNs in my 416 Wby a younger feller was there with his 6.5 Creed. It was a Bergara Wilderness he got from Fleet Farm and was sighting it in with it’s second scope. He was using a lead sled with a brake on that rifle. He was telling me that sucker kicks like a mule , causing poor groups. I looked at his target with a 4.5” shotgun pattern and shook my head and set up my 416 on the rest and bag. I dug out 1 round fired it , he looked at me and grabbed his rifle and left.
I once lobbed a bullet at a deer with a 30-06. I guessed it at 65 yards but it ended up only being 55 yards. The miscalculation caused the bullet to go over its back by 3". Someday everything will line up and I will kill something with a the old obsolete 30-06 for nostalgia's sake. Will be a great day.
RL338
Handloader
- Mar 23, 2017
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I had a basket case 30-06 , but I hung another 30-06 barrel on it and now it shines. Brush hidin’ deer beware.
DrMike
Ballistician
- Nov 8, 2006
- 37,502
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The only cartridge worse than an '06 is a 270 Winchester! There! I said it. Finally got an '06, and it seems to kill game as well or better than the experts were predicting. However, my 280 Remington has 0.007 inches more frontal diameter. So, it just has to kill better. (I just haven't found a 270 Win at the same time I had my chequebook in hand.)
Finally got an '06, and it seems to kill game as well or better than the experts were predicting. However, my 280 Remington has 0.007 inches more frontal diameter. So, it just has to kill better. (I just haven't found a 270 Win at the same time I had my chequebook in hand.)walkinhorseman
Beginner
- Sep 28, 2010
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One would have to think that a 220 grain roundnose in a 30-06 would be a force to be reckoned with. .or. out of a 308. The problem that have with the '06 is overall rifle length. Long action vs short. Put a 20" brush length barrel on an '06 and you are better served by a 308. Sako's long action mannlichers never made sense to me.
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- #9
Guy Miner
Master Loader
- Apr 6, 2006
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10 years ago I tested the 220 grain Nosler Partition in the water jugs, using my old 21" barreled Model of 1917. The 220's were pretty doggone impressive.
.30-06 & 220 gr Nosler Partition
After much waiting, I finally got to the range to slam this Big Boy of a .30 cal hunting bullet into the infamous water-filled one gallon milk jugs. Was limited by my ammo supply, had only loaded five cartridges, because I only had five empty .30-06 cases! 52.5 grains of Ramshot Hunter, CCI 200...
forum.nosler.com
In 2017 I ended up going with the 200 gr Nosler Partitions for grizzly and wolf in Alaska. They worked well. I was shooting them at about 2600 fps from a 24" barreled Remington 700.
The good ol' 30-06 handles those heavier bullets well, but I have to admit I do most of my hunting with lighter 165 grain bullets. I can only think of three game animals I've taken at over 300 yards with the 30-06:
2021 mule deer, 350 yards, 180 gr bullet
2016 cow elk, 340 yards, 165 gr bullet
2016 black bear, 325 yards, 165 gr bullet
My youngest son has done well with it too. He often hunts with that old Model of 1917 rifle. Makes me smile, as that rifle has been around my entire life. It was Dad's, then mine, now pretty much my son's though I have borrowing rights.
Regards, Guy
I'm down to three 30-06s in my cabinet, an M1 Garand, Browning 1895, and a Winchester model 70 featherweight. If the 30-06 is such a bad caliber why have we based so many cartridges on its' case? I haven't hunted with an 06 in a few years but my 35 Whelen and 338-06 Ackley have had plenty of use.
- Nov 4, 2004
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xphunter
Handloader
- Sep 15, 2005
- 1,244
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That’s hilarious!
"One would have to think that a 220 grain roundnose in a 30-06 would be a force to be reckoned with. .or. out of a 308. The problem that have with the '06 is overall rifle length. Long action vs short. Put a 20" brush length barrel on an '06 and you are better served by a 308. Sako's long action mannlichers never made sense to me."
I'm not so sure I's agree with you. First of all, what's the difference in action length? Maybe .50 to .75"? One of the handiest rifles I ever had was a 1903 Springfield I was hunting deer up in the northwest corner of California. Caliber was 30-06 and ammo was probably loaded to about .300 Savage specs. Never had a shot over 50 to 75 yards in that very dense brush country. Usually loaded the brass with a 170 gr. bullet normally used in the 30-30. Deer not only died but usually were a bang/flop DRT.The difference between the average short action and the average long action is normally less that one inch. Methinks it's much ado about nothing.
Paul B.
I'm not so sure I's agree with you. First of all, what's the difference in action length? Maybe .50 to .75"? One of the handiest rifles I ever had was a 1903 Springfield I was hunting deer up in the northwest corner of California. Caliber was 30-06 and ammo was probably loaded to about .300 Savage specs. Never had a shot over 50 to 75 yards in that very dense brush country. Usually loaded the brass with a 170 gr. bullet normally used in the 30-30. Deer not only died but usually were a bang/flop DRT.The difference between the average short action and the average long action is normally less that one inch. Methinks it's much ado about nothing.
Paul B.
I will be the first to admit that I am not a fan of the ol' '06. And it not on my "must own" list.
Perhaps because it was my father's choice, while my uncle chose the 270. They argued enough that I knew that I wanted something different, and the 280 fit the bill for me. And no disrespect to either, because they both shot a lot of moose with their rifles, and I have taken moose and other big game with both cartridges over the years.
And I will readily admit that this older cartridge has been doing it all, and pretty handily at that, for well over 100 years now. And while the old Winchester Power Point isn't as sleek and/or sexy as a lot of other projectiles, it just plain works in the 30-06. As does the Corelokt and a wide assortment of other cup and core bullets. And I have seen moose hammered with those old, plodding 220 grain round nose bullets too. Yep, heck of a brush gun!
Come to think of it, I do not recall ever having shot game with a lighter bullet than the 180 in the '06 (or the 308 for that matter).
Only limiting factor in the cartridge's performance is the person behind the firearm.
Hard to argue with the success like it has obtained!
Perhaps because it was my father's choice, while my uncle chose the 270. They argued enough that I knew that I wanted something different, and the 280 fit the bill for me. And no disrespect to either, because they both shot a lot of moose with their rifles, and I have taken moose and other big game with both cartridges over the years.
And I will readily admit that this older cartridge has been doing it all, and pretty handily at that, for well over 100 years now. And while the old Winchester Power Point isn't as sleek and/or sexy as a lot of other projectiles, it just plain works in the 30-06. As does the Corelokt and a wide assortment of other cup and core bullets. And I have seen moose hammered with those old, plodding 220 grain round nose bullets too. Yep, heck of a brush gun!
Come to think of it, I do not recall ever having shot game with a lighter bullet than the 180 in the '06 (or the 308 for that matter).
Only limiting factor in the cartridge's performance is the person behind the firearm.
Hard to argue with the success like it has obtained!
- Oct 30, 2004
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Well they are "ENTITLED"............................................................
to their opinion
to their opinion
filmjunkie4ever
Handloader
- May 4, 2011
- 1,977
- 1,410
When I very first bought my Model 70, I shot it a lot. Way more than I even do now. I made some long range shots on coyotes and mule deer (with Tennessee elevation) that would cause these millennials to swallow hard. And I did it with regular 3-9 and 3.5-10 power “set and forget” scopes.
That being said, 85-90 percent of my shots on big game have been inside of 250 yards. I feel like with a perfect broadside shot, that I have the skills to make and more than enough gun for 400 yard shots. But, I still like to get inside of 300 (or closer) if at all possible. The cartridge is fully capable of shooting much farther, I simply do not like to engage big game at long distances regardless of cartridge or rifle setup. If you can shoot long range and do, then good for you.
Brush rifle to me is <100 yards. Having personally shot animals at six times that distance means the old, antiquated, not cool anymore .30-06 can still run with the best of them. I mean everything in the world has been taken with a .30-06 so that in itself is pretty impressive.
Cool meme Guy Miner!
That being said, 85-90 percent of my shots on big game have been inside of 250 yards. I feel like with a perfect broadside shot, that I have the skills to make and more than enough gun for 400 yard shots. But, I still like to get inside of 300 (or closer) if at all possible. The cartridge is fully capable of shooting much farther, I simply do not like to engage big game at long distances regardless of cartridge or rifle setup. If you can shoot long range and do, then good for you.
Brush rifle to me is <100 yards. Having personally shot animals at six times that distance means the old, antiquated, not cool anymore .30-06 can still run with the best of them. I mean everything in the world has been taken with a .30-06 so that in itself is pretty impressive.
Cool meme Guy Miner!
When I very first bought my Model 70, I shot it a lot. Way more than I even do now. I made some long range shots on coyotes and mule deer (with Tennessee elevation) that would cause these millennials to swallow hard. And I did it with regular 3-9 and 3.5-10 power “set and forget” scopes.
That being said, 85-90 percent of my shots on big game have been inside of 250 yards. I feel like with a perfect broadside shot, that I have the skills to make and more than enough gun for 400 yard shots. But, I still like to get inside of 300 (or closer) if at all possible. The cartridge is fully capable of shooting much farther, I simply do not like to engage big game at long distances regardless of cartridge or rifle setup. If you can shoot long range and do, then good for you.
Brush rifle to me is <100 yards. Having personally shot animals at six times that distance means the old, antiquated, not cool anymore .30-06 can still run with the best of them. I mean everything in the world has been taken with a .30-06 so that in itself is pretty impressive.
Cool meme Guy Miner!
You and 98% of every other hunter in the U.S. in my opinion. To consistently end up shooting farther than that on game when hunting, requires to be intentionally set up to do so. I realize there are specific geographical locations that possibly make the average shot 350 or greater in normal hunting situations, but those places are in no way routine for most people. That said with a bullet that is matched to the task, the 30-06 has both the ability and the downrange ooomph to cleanly handle game at much longer distances than what the average shot is taken.
- Thread starter
- #18
Guy Miner
Master Loader
- Apr 6, 2006
- 17,836
- 6,312
Cool meme Guy Miner!
Back story... I stole/borrowed that meme from filmjunkie4ever...
Guy
"Come to think of it, I do not recall ever having shot game with a lighter bullet than the 180 in the '06 (or the 308 for that matter)."
I can. At first I used whatever store bought ammo I could afford, 150 or 180 gr. Then one day I discovered jack O'Connor and his words on what he'd done with 150 gr. bullets in the 30-06. To be honest, my hunting with the 06 probably got started way back in 1956. I'd been messing with various bullets in the 06 starting in 1954 when I made my first handloads. Took a lot of deer with the 30-06 and 150 gr. bulleted handloads. Saw them tear up a lot of good eating meat as well.
Fast forward to 1970 when I got my foot in the door with the National Weather Service. The changed to that name on September 1, 1970, my first day of employment. Didn't have to draw tags back then and the 150 gr. Sierras were killing deer just fine as long as I was careful in shot placement. Hooked up with a fellow about 50 mile away from me and we hunted together every season until I transferred out to Tucson. He too was a big fan of the 06 but preferred 180 gr. bullets and talked me into using them instead. THey worked just fine and was a lot easier on eating meat. Along about 1973, the mountains were seeming to get much higher and my rifle, a seriously bubbaed 1903A3 was just too darn heavy for this old chain smoker to pack around the 9,000 foot MSL level. Solution? A lightr rifle. I found a Remington 660 in .308 Win. complete with a Bushnell scope for $99.95. Frankly, I had little respect for the .308, thinking it to be a 30-06 wannabe. Come opening day I'm up on the Argent Rim looking for a ice fate Mule Deer for the pot. MY buddies were about 500 yards or so to the right of me as I faced west. I hear shots and here's the bug 4x4 deer running like hell ay out yonder. I swung on him and touched off a Hail Mary shot to be honest and broke that deer's neck. My buds came over and we paced it off at 426 paces. My buddy took off to bring the truck around while his buddy whom I'd just met that day and I gutted the deer, We took a short cut to the road, straight down a 300+ foot cliff. He shows up with the truck just as his bud and I reach the bottom with the deer. We literally scaled that cliff in almost total darkness. Probably needs explanation.
WE found a place to hunt we called the hole in the wall. To get there, you had to go through a three foot opening in the side of the mountain. Only reason we knew about that brush cover crack was we saw a spooked doe take off and disappear into the brush. We checked it out and found out honey hole for deer. Do enough walking and youe end up on the rim. Dunno about now but back in the 1970s there were some mighty big deer up on that rim.
After that first deer with the .308 I played with a few bullets and settled on the 165 gr. Speer Hot Core for my bullet in the .308. I've used the 165 gr. AccuBond on one cow elk but that one was shot from the 06 which I brought along as back up rifle for the Whelen. Worked just fine.
Paul B.
I can. At first I used whatever store bought ammo I could afford, 150 or 180 gr. Then one day I discovered jack O'Connor and his words on what he'd done with 150 gr. bullets in the 30-06. To be honest, my hunting with the 06 probably got started way back in 1956. I'd been messing with various bullets in the 06 starting in 1954 when I made my first handloads. Took a lot of deer with the 30-06 and 150 gr. bulleted handloads. Saw them tear up a lot of good eating meat as well.
Fast forward to 1970 when I got my foot in the door with the National Weather Service. The changed to that name on September 1, 1970, my first day of employment. Didn't have to draw tags back then and the 150 gr. Sierras were killing deer just fine as long as I was careful in shot placement. Hooked up with a fellow about 50 mile away from me and we hunted together every season until I transferred out to Tucson. He too was a big fan of the 06 but preferred 180 gr. bullets and talked me into using them instead. THey worked just fine and was a lot easier on eating meat. Along about 1973, the mountains were seeming to get much higher and my rifle, a seriously bubbaed 1903A3 was just too darn heavy for this old chain smoker to pack around the 9,000 foot MSL level. Solution? A lightr rifle. I found a Remington 660 in .308 Win. complete with a Bushnell scope for $99.95. Frankly, I had little respect for the .308, thinking it to be a 30-06 wannabe. Come opening day I'm up on the Argent Rim looking for a ice fate Mule Deer for the pot. MY buddies were about 500 yards or so to the right of me as I faced west. I hear shots and here's the bug 4x4 deer running like hell ay out yonder. I swung on him and touched off a Hail Mary shot to be honest and broke that deer's neck. My buds came over and we paced it off at 426 paces. My buddy took off to bring the truck around while his buddy whom I'd just met that day and I gutted the deer, We took a short cut to the road, straight down a 300+ foot cliff. He shows up with the truck just as his bud and I reach the bottom with the deer. We literally scaled that cliff in almost total darkness. Probably needs explanation.
WE found a place to hunt we called the hole in the wall. To get there, you had to go through a three foot opening in the side of the mountain. Only reason we knew about that brush cover crack was we saw a spooked doe take off and disappear into the brush. We checked it out and found out honey hole for deer. Do enough walking and youe end up on the rim. Dunno about now but back in the 1970s there were some mighty big deer up on that rim.
After that first deer with the .308 I played with a few bullets and settled on the 165 gr. Speer Hot Core for my bullet in the .308. I've used the 165 gr. AccuBond on one cow elk but that one was shot from the 06 which I brought along as back up rifle for the Whelen. Worked just fine.
Paul B.
hunter24605
Handloader
- Apr 30, 2016
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