30.06?

[Kestryll]

What is the deal with 30.06?
In casual reading and then a bit of looking because it piqued my curiosity it seems there is a wide variety of opinion on range, power, usefulness and whether it is 'obsolete' or not.

Some say it is pointless now because .308 does everything 30.06 does and does it better and the only way to get a better round or go farther is 300WM.
Others say the 30.06 splits the difference between .308 and 300WM giving better velocity and range than the .308 with less recoil and wear than the 300WM.

I've read that it is obsolete because it's loaded for older rifles and that means the same or less velocity than modern .308 ammo.
Again others say there are factory loads that surpass the .308 and handloads that approach 300WM.

Is it that much of a contentious caliber?
What's the real story?

[Iktomi]

It goes bang real good and possibly has killed more critters in the 20th century than any other cartridge. It's accurate and easy to find ammo for with a really good selection of bullets. What's not to like?

[bubbala]

good question,i've got all 3

[mountainmark]

i have hunted with both, i started hunting with the .308....i think around 165 grain. I prefer the 30.06 and now hunt with the 30.06 in the 165 grain range. For me there was too much bullet drop with a .308 between 250 and 450 yards. I'm very comfortable shooting the 30.06 out to 275 or 350 yards with a lot of confidence and success.

[LynnJr]

The 30-06 will push a 190 Sierra at close to 3000 fps with RE22 and no 308 I have ever shot will even come close to that.

[1859sharps]

I have only a small amount of experience actually using the 30-06.

But here is my two cents based on that small experience and some comments by people with credible opinions that I have read...

there isn't anything that walks the north or south American continents that you could not successfully deal with using a 30-06. Most things in Africa aren't too much for the 30-06 either.

I think there is truth to a point that there isn't anything a 30-06 can do that a 308 isn't capable of also doing. this ends however when you start talking needs that require greater than 180 grain bullets.

I don't agree that it is an obsolete round. And if you hand load you of course can over come the factory ammunition that is "limited" because it might go into an older rifle.

I am actually toying with the idea of getting a 30-06 bolt action in the near future.

[Bainter1212]

The 30-06 will push a 190 Sierra at close to 3000 fps with RE22 and no 308 I have ever shot will even come close to that.

Bingo.

The 30-06 can reliably push up to a 220 gr bullet.....the .308 can't go that heavy. So for big game, the 06 is more versatile.
Another plus? 30-06 ammo and brass is cheaper and easier to find. I have a tough time finding affordable .308 brass, but 30-06 is cheap and plentiful.

[Bainter1212]

The reason the .308 is becoming popular is pure economics.
The .308 is a short-action cartridge. It is literally cheaper to build an action for a .308 than for the -06. Especially in semi-auto form.

[jeremyro]

I shoot 30-06 routinely in 1000 yrd match shooting. I can push a 178gr amax at 2940fps and a 208 grain Amax shoots at 2711fps very accurately. I shoot as well as the 338 lapua or 6.5 guys and often better. 30-06 does lots that a 308 can't do, like keep my 208 grain supersonic past 1500 yrds. That and it comes with less component cost and wear than a 300WM. Plus I get to sass all the magnum guys when I ping the X ring at 1k. That being said I also shoot it in my 1960 Win 70, my 1903 and my friends remington 700.

I have come to really love the '06, however I do have a 338 Lapua for when I really just have to shoot to 1 mile.

[8mmFMJ]

Not true. I can't do this with my 24" .308 sniper

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=1037030

30.06 will push the same .30 caliber projectile quite a bit farther then the .308 win. I think of my 30.06 loads as magnum .308's.

[Sutcliffe]

it works

Not a fan of it, but there is nothing wrong with it and it has been a success for over a hundred years. That should speak volumes.

[Sailormilan2]

The 308 is cheaper to shoot(uses less powder when reloading), and is more efficient when shooting lighter bullets(uses less powder for same/similar velocities). It also has less recoil with the same bullets than the 30-06.
The 30-06 is better when using heaver bullets(165 gr+) in bolt action rifles.

[OpenSightsOnly]

Here ya' go, a teaser, part one of a three-part read . . .

http://riflemansjournal.blogspot.com/2012/05/cartridges-accuracy-secrets-of-30-06.html

[Divernhunter]

I have all three. It is really a Ford vrs Chevi thing when using 150 grain bullets and there is no need for heavier for hunting. Choose the right 150gr hunting bullet for the game you are hunting and it will be meat in the freezer.

Target shooters are a whole different thing and since I am not a completive target shooter I will keep with my above comments.

[Rem222]

"Is it that much of a contentious caliber?'

Not with me. My O3A3 is the most accurate C&R rifle I own. That being said my hunting rifle is chambered in .308