The under-estimated 30-06... :)

[HAWKEYESATX]

It sure is funny when the younger people see a wood stocked rifle at the range, being used by a well experienced shooter.
They have all of the fanciest equipment, and then the look over at us, getting it done with the way we were taught. Yes, maybe it is old fashioned, but it works.
It sure turns their heads when they hear a louder boom, and ringing steel. Then they come over and ask, "whatcha shooting there?" Half curious, half amazement.
Someimes with a mutter,"You're using that old cartridge."


Hawk

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[noslerpartition]

A friend will sell his Blaser R8.
Not because it is a bad rifle.
But because it is what half of the new hunters buy after completing the course.
He is 'just' 31 and hunting for 15 years, competing in hunter-class (skeet, trap and 4 rifle stands) and does not want to be taken for a beginner.
Learned the craft from his dad.
He uses and old Sauer 90 rebarreled to 300 WM and a simple 308.
And he hits what he aims for...

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[PJGunner]

Well I guess most of my game has been taken with a 30-06 if truth be told. I used it almost exclusively from about 1955 to maybe 1973. About that time I bought a .308 and a .270 right around 1973 I took a few deer with the .270 but used the .308 most of the time because it weighed less. Even after the move to Arizona most of my deer hunting was with the .308 although I did pull out the 30-06 when I drew a rare elk tag. I've done a few hints with other cartridges but always seem to have the good old 06 hanging around, usually take as back for whatever else I was using.

I'm thinking if I had any sense, considering my age and physical condition that I should put up just about everything up for sale except a few so I could still do a little hunting and shooting. One thing is written in stone; one or two of the keepers will be chambered to the 30-06.
Paul B.

 

[6mm Remington]

The first rifle I purchased with my own money was a Remington 700 ADL that I put a 4x Leupold scope on it. Great rifle with which I took a lot of deer, antelope, and elk. 165 gr. Nosler Solid Base Boattails until they stopped making those, then it used the 165 gr. Partitions. I sold that rifle as I had an opportunity to purchase a brand new Ruger 1B. I put the same 4x scope off the ADL that I sold onto the 1B and it's been on there since. Great combination and I absolutely love the 1B's or any Ruger Number One's for that matter.

The 30-06 is pretty fantastic in my book. It was hard to decide should I take my 30-06 to Alaska on my grizzly bear hunt last fall, or the Winchester Model 70 built into a 280AI. Hard choice but because the custom rifle is what my father wanted me to do after he passed away, that is what went with me. I don't regret it at all and it served me well just as the 30-06 would have.

 

[HAWKEYESATX]

Nothing wrong with the .30-06 in my book.
The factory ammo leaves something to be desired, but it sure comes into it's own when it's handloaded.
My dad, swears by the .30-06!
He bought an old Springfield 1903A3 rifle back in the 60's, and sporterized it. He bought a Fajen stock, and never bubba-ized it. He took a draw file and got all the tooling marks off the barrel, and polished her all up, and blued it. Made it look beautiful!
My dad first taught me how to shoot with that rifle he sporterized.
Myself, I've always like the older Remington ADL, and the BDL M700's. Between them, and the Winchester M70, to me, they are artwork.Old world hand polishing, stock and metal. Handfitted and took a real knack to make them look great.

Hawk

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[SJB358]

What's a 30-06? Sounds like a neutered 270 Winchester.... :lol:

Just kidding, just kidding.... :mrgreen:

 

[FOTIS]

LOL

 

[remingtonman_25_06]

I've never owned, nor care to own a 3006. I'd rather have one of the many other variants off that case, either smaller or bigger in bore diameter. The 3006 just doesnt do it for me, and never will. It's just always been kinda boring. I know it works, but I like to be somewhat different and everyone either owns, or has owned an 06' But, it will still do the job on most anything in the world out to reasonable ranges, guess that's why it's so popular and been around 100+ years, it just works. If I was limited to just 1 rifle, there are about 10 other cartridges I'd still rather have.

 

[PJGunner]

"The factory ammo leaves something to be desired, but it sure comes into it's own when it's handloaded."

Interesting that you should say that. I guess it's been about 6 or 7 years ago now but I ran some Winchester Power Point ammo with the 180 gr. power point bullet though a .308 Win. and 30-06. Both load ran almost the exact same velocity from 2" barrels. Roughly 2600 FPS with some slight change. IIRC, the 30-06 was slightly faster than the .308 by only about 20 FPS. I didn't have longer barreled rifles for the .308 but did have 24" and 26" barreled 30-06s. To keep this short and simple, the only time that factory ammo came even close to the advertised 2700 FPS was from the 26" barreled Ruger #1 B.
I do know that I can run a 180 gr. Hornady Spire Point to 2820 FPS from a 22" Remington M700 BDL with no apparent signs of high pressure so dropping back to a more reasonable 2700 FPS should be very doable and worry free.
Paul B.

 

[1100 Remington Man]

A Man like Guy with his 30-06 who hand loads and Someone who knows how to shoot has enough Gun for any thing on this Continent IMHO and at longer range than most would believe.

 

[HAWKEYESATX]

A Man like Guy with his 30-06 who hand loads and Someone who knows how to shoot has enough Gun for any thing on this Continent IMHO and at longer range than most would believe.

I have to fully agree with you there!

Hawk

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[Guybo]

My first rifle was a rem 700 adl 30.06 and I hunted with it for about 8yrs and harvested a truck load of deer with. I have a friend who had a sako 25.06 and I started shooting it regularly whenever we would go out and shoot at the range. Needless to say I fell in love with that caliber and bought one and have had one every since and it is without a doubt my favorite caliber. I guess you could say I love the 30.06 but I love the 25.06 more.

I still have the 30.06 and will never get rid of it but it sits in the safe for the most part. I do take it out from time to time and shoot it and usually hunt with at least once a season. I load lightweight 125gr bullets in it and it still smokes deer when I pull the trigger. I actually told my son it was his but made him promise to never let it go.

 

[clearwater]

A 30-06 was my Dad's first gun. His dad made a stock for an 03 which scoped brought the weight down to 8 lbs. It was used for everything from prairie dogs to elk and Mtn goat using surplus 4831 with surplus fmj bullets for varmint and partitions for big game. My dad passed it down to me. With reloder 17 and Hornady 212 grain eld-x it makes 2600 fps and 3 shot sub MOA. All this from a 90 year old gun.

I have other guns. I don't need a lot, just one more. But if I could have only one it would probably be this.

 

[JD338]

What's a 30-06? Sounds like a neutered 270 Winchester.... :lol:

Just kidding, just kidding.... :mrgreen:

It's a necked down 35-06.

JD338

 

[Joec7651]

My dad swore by the 30-06, and he didn’t miss. He was on the Army’s 1000 yard rifle team in the 50’s shooting it with an aperture sighted 1903. He used that ragged old 30-06 for everything but squirrels. He taught me to shoot with it across wide open clear cuts, and I’ve seen him drop a nice bull elk In 1982 with a 150gr Cor-Lokt at 350 yards if it was an inch. One shot, dead bull, took 4-5 steps.

 

[Guy Miner]

Ya know - one of the reasons I went back to the 30-06, was because nobody I knew here locally was still hunting with one. Folks were using all sorts of 280's, 7mm & 300 WSM's, 6.5's in several flavors...

The common, had become uncommon.

So, that spurred my 2016/2017 season of the 30-06: mule deer, black bear, antelope, elk, wolf and grizzly. :grin:

Found that I could shove a 165 downrange at 2940 fps via H4350, 2970 with one batch of powder. AND single digit SD figures... Dang... Zero that rascal at 200 yards, and stuff just fell over dead when I thought about shooting.

It was real fun, getting re-acquainted with a cartridge I'd loaded long before.

Oh - and check Hodgdon's 30-06 loads for StaBALL powder... They're talking 3,000 fps with a 165 gr bullet.

I haven't tried that yet. Yet.

Regards, Guy

 

[clearwater]

I have a few rounds made up with the staball to try.

Another thing I like about the 06 over many of the new cartridges is how I can shoot light or heavy cast bullets at low velocity for small game and quiet practice loads. Doesn't wear the barrel and is CHEAP. A fast twist barrel like the Creed won't like cast loads so much and will likely wear out the barrel in half the time with full power loads. But with the bullets in 30 cal having BC's up to .6+ the 06 can be a distance shooter/hunter.

 

[AFG270]

What's a 30-06? Sounds like a neutered 270 Winchester.... :lol:

Just kidding, just kidding.... :mrgreen:

LOL! I wonder if Guy spilled his coffee?

Great post, Guy, some really good stories on the ole 30-06. I got my first 30-06 in the early 70's and hunted/shot everything from ground squirrels to elk with it. My dad hunted with an 06 all his life using factory ammo and killed several mule deer and antelope with it well into his 80's, he lived to be 93 years old. That was his only rifle other than a 22LR.

 

[Guy Miner]

After they were both home from WWII, Dad and his older brother decided that they wanted to hunt bears in Northern California. They made arrangements with some fellows who hunted them with hounds.

Showed up on their appointed date with their 30-06 bolt action hunting rifles, complete with Lyman receiver sights.

They were asked "What did you bring those cannons for?" :grin: In those days the 30-06 was considered a rather large and powerful cartridge Dad explained to me later.

Apparently the bear guides would follow the hounds until a bear treed... Then they'd go up a nearby tree, or the same tree... And shoot the bear in the heart with a 22 pistol, so as to not damage the hide!

:shock:

Good grief. Dad said that neither he or his brother got bears on that trip. Dad never did get one. I'm pretty sure that my uncle shot quite a few over the years since he made his career in Montana and Idaho as a Forest Service engineer and was an enthusiastic hunter. Good ol' 30-06 rifles. Both of those rifles still exist, Dad has one, my youngest son shoots the other.

Guy

 

[TenMileHunter]

I love my 30-06 but I miss my 25-06. Maybe ole Santa will bring me one in December. Guess I’m an ought-six kinda guy.

TMH


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