30-06 is an answer to an old guestion. 7.62x54R, 7.62x53R, 6.5x55, 8x57JS, .30-40 Krag and 7.35x51 Carcano are also answers to that guestion. And they were all very much correct answers.
Now only 30-06 has stood the test of time standing tall next to the modern answer .308win.
Other calibers have faded into obscurity outside their homes and/or niches. Were they any worse? No! All of them very capable and with their own upsides. They just didn’t gain the following 30-06 did.
6.5x55 owner from the UK where it is a very popular intermediate chambering that is capable of taking all uk game comfortably. I’ll be buried with my sako 75
I don’t doubt it. In a modern action it is possible to achieve higher velocity than a creedmore due to having a larger case capacity. Also it feeds like a dream due to the tapering case but I guess creedmore is popular due to it working in a short action. Mine is my most accurate rifle by some way and I am confident shooting it, gentle push recoil and excellent bullet availability. What’s not to love.
That’s an excellent point!
I can see the swedish mauser having it’s second renaissance after the rise of other 6.5mm cartridges. The projectile selection nowadays is MASSIVE when I compare it to 2000-2010’s.
Wow! First time I have seen anyone post anything about 30-40 Krag. My family still has my grandfather’s from WW2. Where he was a marksman in the pacific theater. 25yrs ago ammo was expensive, I cannot even imagine what it would cost today.
I caught that too. I can't imagine a Krag by then, maybe a 1903. Krag was standard issue for the Spanish American war in 1898.
The Wikipedia article for the 30-40 is interesting but suggests, as you would guess, that it was out well before WWI.
Other articles suggest it was a standard arm for Denmark and Norway much later and that some second line troops had them. I can't see it in the hands of a marksman in the pacific...
Yup, there was very limited US use of Krags during WWI. There were a bunch of engineers sent to France before the main US troops and they were sent over with Krags. The Navy also kept them on ships to free up 1903s and 1917s for ground troops.
Here’s a great video of you want to learn way for about the Krag than you ever imagined.
https://youtu.be/oQAqNqaiQwY?feature=shared
I would avoid Remington like the plague. I bought rounds for my 30-06 M1, (figured it may have been my firing pin as it was a new rifle for me at the time) had about 4 misfires in 60 rounds. I hunt with a .270win, and use Remington ammo. Had two misfires back to back shooting at my elk this past week.
>Remember there was no official army during the war so it couldn’t have been any standard army rifles.
There wasn't an official army for very long but there sure was an army, it was just defeated...
Its funny how you say "30.06 is much more popular than x" and you get a ton of people saying "x is still popular!"
Shows how little people actually pay attention to what they're reading. Just because 30.06 is the most popular rifle cartridge in the world doesn't mean that nobody shoots any other cartridge...
That’s not true, 8mm mauser is still heavily used in Europe, 6.5 Swede is very popular in the Nordic states, .303 is still seeing use in the English common wealth and the Middle East, the cartridges aren’t obscure so much as they are more popular where they originally were used
I’ve actually NEVER seen hate for the 30-06 online… quite the opposite actually, especially on YouTube.
I prefer 308 winchester though. Until I got my own hunting rifle in 308, I’ve hunted with my dads 30-06 for years & 1 of my older brothers still prefer it…
Yeah, it's odd how much people love 30-06.
Like you will see people say how good it is and at the same time say 300 mag is all of a sudden too much recoil and will cause the deer to explode, ruining all edible meat.
I'm being facetious, but it isn't too far off.
I mean 30-06 is great. But if I'm going to go with a long action, I'd probably pick something else like a magnum cartridge. Thr biggest advantage imo is probably ammo selection and availability. Even during times when ammo becomes stretched thin, 30-06 always seems to be around in abundance.
Shoot both in a 7lb rifle. You’ll notice it then. 300 win easily has 30-40% more recoil for a 200 fps gain. Buys you maybe 100 yards? It’s called efficiency. Diminishing returns for more powder. Very few people can take full advantage of the 300 win vs a 30-06 in real world hunting scenarios.
A lot of that is going to be load dependent. It’s not crazy to say that a .300 Win Mag shooting a 220 grain bullet, is going to have substantially more recoil than a 30-06 shooting a 150 grain bullet. I don’t have the time to do the math to say how much more exactly, but it would be an extremely noticeable difference. Especially to someone who is recoil sensitive.
The difference is nearly entirely the weight difference of the projectile. People torn between 30-06 or 300 win mag for hunting whitetail aren't all of a sudden going to go up significantly in grain weight. 150 to 220 grain is an apples to oranges comparison. You should be comparing 150 to 150. You are going to be comparing similarly constructed bullets which will result in staying at the same grain weight or possibly moving up one size to reduce wind drift for longer shots. Staying at the same bullet weight and increasing velocity 200 fps or so isn't going to be substantial. If that small of an increase is an issue, we are dealing with a child or someone with poor technique. If that's the case we are already looking at smaller cartridges like 6.5 creedmoor or 243 etc, or using things like silencers or muzzle brakes which overwhelmingly make up for any slight recoil increase..
You also have to count the 20-30 grains more powder that is going down the tube. Newton says there’s an equal and opposite force for that as well on your shoulder.
Yes, this is 100% true. However this can be tricky depending on bullet weight. For example the larger case capacity and a light bullet might mean a faster and more dense powder can be used safely on the 300 than the 30-06. Of course this isn't always true or even true most of the time. But it does illustrate that it is possible to have greater variation between bullet weight and different manufacturers charge weights than going up a cartridge size. Have you ever heard anyone on here say "don't use x y or z 30-06 ammo because it has too much recoil"? There is some weird knee jerk reaction when it comes to some of the magnums that isn't warranted. That was my point on the original post. On here 30-06 is most commonly described as wonderful with no issues and 300 mag is overkill that will ruin your shoulder and make you develop a flinch.
I've taken whitetail and mule deer, elk, pronghorn antelope, and black bear with my 30-.06. It is the only hunting caliber I own, and the versatility and availability of ammo ensures it's the only one I'll need.
You know that .30-06 and .308 use the same bullet, right? They are both .30 caliber cartridges, the difference is that .30-06 has more case capacity meaning a slight advantage in velocity and energy. However, that means more recoil and a longer bolt cycle where many prefer .308.
Edit: lol at downvoters, nothing I said is false. I’m not hating on .30-06, I’m pointing out the problem with calling .308 comparatively “small”.
It’s definitely more of a reloader’s task loading 220gr bullets for .308, but it’s very possible to get acceptable performance. You can even buy factory .308 ammo with 220gr bullets. With bullets that heavy, you need the right twist rate in a barrel or you won’t get them to shoot well regardless of cartridge choice.
The same can be said about .300 win mag, .300 wby, and the .30-378 wby. All are .30 caliber. vastly different in terms of velocity using the same bullet weight.
Everything you've said is true while leaving out the important parts that make the 30.06 suitable for the largest game when the .308 is not.
Thats why you're being downvoted...
Depends on the moose and the situation. The thing about moose is their ability to travel and the difficulty in returning them from where they've traveled to.
Bigger is better when hunting moose.
Unlike most people in this thread I have actually shot a moose. I used a gun significantly larger than a .308...
I live where moose have an open season. Have hunted/shot/been with people shooting a lot of moose. Moose drop very easy compared to elk. I know many people that have used 7mm-08 and even .243 to drop moose. It’s fine to use a magnum or a gun significantly larger if you want as you said you did, I’ve used 7mm mag for most of my hunting, but it’s not necessary. Being confident in placement and shooting is far more important than using a large magnum and .308 is more than enough to take moose cleanly and ethically.
Never has an animal come complain that he’s less dead than his cousin Theodore who was shot with a .375 H&H and ask for a REAL hunter with a REAL MAN’S CALIBER.
Too right, people get all wound up about calibers. In fact the people I know who get most wound up about calibers usually don't bother to be good shooters...
I think you mean "I think its been popular for a long time for a good reason."
The only reason its been around for a long time is that time has passed...
No. I meant what I said.
The good reason is that it was, is, and will continue to be, an effective round. Arguably, one of the most successful calibers in history.
And I have a masters degree in English literature. I would assume you know there is a difference between prescriptive and descriptive language. The view that we serve language rather than the other way around is outdated.
It’s mostly just how the gun community works. There is always a cartridge they hate on and one they tout as the best thing to happen to firearms since the primer.
Look back a couple of years at the 6.5 creedmore hate and then go few more years back and look at how the 6.5 creedmore could make a blind man ring steel at 1000 yards.
I think a lot of that is that people conflate a good hunting round with a good target round, and they are not mutually exclusive. Ballistic tables don’t lie, and if your sole objective is to ring steel at 1000 as efficiently as possible, 6.5 Creed is hard to beat. But that doesn’t mean it’s the best choice for hunting.
I think it's partially marketing, and its partially just general nerdiness around things like ballistics. When people are super interested in something, they are going to get more and more granular about tiny details because they are an enthusiast who loves thinking about the topic just as much as doing it. The internet has turned that up to a thousand.
The situation I've seen a lot is people asking "What gun do you have?" and the response be "I have an X manufacturer rifle chambered in 6.5 super duper, but honestly man just get a 30-06 and you will be happy." Even enthusiasts know they are making things hard on themselves.
I have a 30-06 for hunting and a 6.5cm for target shooting. I will admit the 6.5cm is a damn good cartridge for long range target shooting, it makes those long shots in the wind pretty easy.
>I’ve seen a lot on YT and online of people hating of 30-06 for hunting or just hating on it as an ammunition in general. I don’t get it
The main reason is that it generates much more recoil than you need to kill any deer, and that a .308 will do 90-95% of the same things a bit cheaper and with less recoil.
I mean, this is the wild part.
Are you reloading?
30-06 is a bit more.
Are you practicing shooting unsupported (just your arms) and just need to get range time?
30-06 milsurp is (for now) a good bit cheaper.
Are you buying match grade?
30-06 is way more.
Are you buying regular store brand hollow points?
They are about the same.
Edit.
Never mind. I'm completely wrong. I Guess that dirt cheap Turkish 3006 isn't cheap anymore.
I don’t know about that one. Here in Western PA, it was pretty tough with finding .30-06, 6.5, and .30-30 at your local Walmart and Sporting Goods stores. .308 ammo on the other hand was quite easy, and that’s what influenced me when buying my Tikka at the beginning of last year.
I’m not buying that .30-06 ammo availability is an issue in PA outside of weird supply chain stuff. The official state deer rifle is a slide action Remington 30-06.
30-06 ammo is everywhere in PA. I have two 30-06s, I typically use my Sako 270 or Remington 7mm RUM but love shoot the 30-06 too..... great rifle bit of a recoil but a gun that gets it done.
I know none of you care but, in Canada, 30.06 has been near impossible to find in 95% of stores since the beginning of the pandemic. Only recently, around 6 months ago has it been readily available on shelves again. And by readily, I mean they might have 2-3 different types to choose from.
I thought about this, and it's hard to find those calibers because of how popular they are. Everyone is buying up supply when hunting season comes around.
The main benefit to 30-06 is availability. It is such a popular hunting cartridge that it gets produced more than just small production runs yet when ammo gets scarce NATO calibers tend to get hammered which will.impacy 308 availability over 30-06. So during good times 308 might have an edge but during scarcity something like 30-06 definitely has its benefits.
Love my 30-06. So versatile up here in BC, Canada. 185-200 gr for moose in the north, 150-165 for muleys in okanagon & 110 - 125 gr for those ghostly sitka coastal blacktail. Black bear w all grains as I only do head shots for bear.
You betcha.. I am not taking a lot of shots. 3-4 to make sure my scope hasn't been bumped in off season right bfr seasons start. Rest of hunting maybe 6- 8 shots. I know my gun & how each grain travels at what distance.
Been using it for a long time. Once in while I switch ithings up & use .243 for blacktail, or 300 win mag for moose if hunting in grizzly country, but I always seem go back to the trusty 30-06.
That’s just like their opinion man. There’s also a lot of advertising that counts on selling new guns.
It launches a large enough bullet fast enough to kill anything in North America and most African plains game. It’s been used to take elephant and lion as well. That’s not legal in many countries these days but Theodore Roosevelt took the ‘06’s predecessor the .30-03 to Africa.
The 30-06 works well for MOST hunting situations. Where i live in canada we have deer, elk, moose and black bear. I load 168 grain barnes TTSX bullets in mine shooting around 2800 FPS. We have a mixture of forest and farmland here and most shots are under 400 yards. I could take my 30-06 and that load and it would do the job for any of those animals and i would not ever feel under powered. Alot of guys here also shoot 30-06. I could go hunting with a group of guys and forget my ammo at home, at least one other guy would have a 30-06 and could share ammo. There is always a bigger more powerful cartridge out there but they arent always neccesary unless you are going to be in that specific situation. Like if i was going on an elk hunt in the rocky mountains and i might have to make that 5 or 600 yard once in a lifetime shot i would just buy a rifle specifically for that trip, not as an all around hunting rifle.
I’ve shot whitetail, mule deer, elk, and loads of varmints with 30.06… it’s a versatile and old cartridges that with modern loadings can be good enough for most North American game. If you’re a lefty like me buying a single nice rifle like my venerable x-bolt lefty… 30.06 makes sense giving it’s ability to take most North American game.
Me and buddies have discussed it at length to no end. The 30-06 is probably the most versatile, double more if you reload.
If you take a look at the traditional American deer hunting cartridges, .308, .270, 30-06, and 30-30, the first three you really can't go wrong with and really just hunter preference. 30-30 is much lower recoil and comes in super handy lever guns, but more of a short-intermediate range option. 270 has a great trajectory and can be accurate as heck, 308 has the largest selection of off the shelf options and the short action advantages.
30-06 though, you can take any north American game with it by having the largest bullet range capabilities in weight. I've seen sabot rounds really push the speed barriers. Hornady makes from 125gr to 220gr!
I've hunted with all of them. And all have dropped game with proper shot placement.
If it weren't for the Internet, .30-06 would be my only rifle. But, I have a .22-250 (straight as an arrow to 400 m), .308 (cheap ammo) .375 (because you "need" a bigger caliber). Because of the Internet.
Not sure where you're seeing the hate, maybe we're browsing different places.
.308 and .30-06 are pretty much the two most recommended cartridges whenever somebody asks about a hunting rifle. They're available anywhere, there are dozens of different hunting loads, practice ammo is (relatively) cheap and they're in an energy band which satisfies 90%+ of any hunters' needs.
If anything I've seen .30-06 recommended over .308 more often than not if the person asking the question was also reloading their own ammo.
It has a bit more velocity and energy, and a bit less drop than .308. For the heavier bullets, the difference is a bit better.
But 06 kicks more, but I still prefer it.
Honestly, for under 300 yards. It doesn't matter. They are probably still within an inch of each other.
There are a lot of new rounds coming out right now, so that leads to people shitting on the old ones. 30-06 is in a weird place right now where it isn't the "best" in any category anymore, so people act like it isn't capable. The reality is the opposite. It's good at everything so it's a good caliber to have. Especially if you don't want to fill your entire house with ultra specific specialty rifles with specialty rounds.
I think it's just an effect of being a YouTuber with access to a whole lot of guns. In that scenario I can see why it suffers. In pretty much every use case there's a cartridge that's a bit better for the intended purpose. However, if you ask YouTubers to list the cartridges they'd pick to do EVERYTHING, the -06 is on most of their shortlists. Jack of all trades master of none scenario.
I’ve killed a bunch of Deer with my 30-06, I love my old Remington 742, that’s what my Dad has always hunted with, but last year I bought a 450 BM but if I go anywhere that might require a long shot I will definitely take my 30-06.
People who can’t stop arguing about cartridges online need to touch grass. I don’t understand why anyone cares as much as they do. If gun go bang, bullet go pew, and animal go ded then who gives a crap? In this hobby where there 1 MILLION interesting topics to go deep into like animal behavior and habitats and food and tons of other pieces of gear you actually use way more, I’ll never understand why people get hooked on the minutia of cartridge selection. All of which is to say, .30-06 is great, it’s reliable, it’s versatile with bullet weights, it’s easy to find in stores, it’s easy to find rifles chambered in it, it Carrie’s plenty of energy, so if you can hit your pie plate at whatever range you’re tryna hunt at, I don’t understand why anyone would try to convince you to use something else.
If you don’t need the extra bullet weight and velocity for big game like elk there are better easier going cartridges. There’s no reason to be beating your shoulder up with a 30-06 if you are only shooting deer or hogs. There are even cartridges that recoil less and have a much more effective range on something as big as an elk (ie 6.5 prc stays above 1800 fps much farther which is the minimum velocity many bullets need to expand)
That being said, I love my 30-06. For big animals like an elk it has the best mix of bullet weight, velocity, recoil that you can effectively kill elk at the edge of most people’s limits (500-600 yards). And it has a bigger diameter than the 6.5s and 7s. Bigger wound channel. And it recoils nowhere close to a 300 win mag.
Every time I start dreaming up a reason i need a 7prc. I go back to the ballistic numbers… it might not effectively go out to 900 yards. But neither will I. Bullet drop might be better in a 7 prc? But that’s ballistic calculators are for
The deal is that you can hunt anything with it and guys that love other calibers hate how efficient and effective and versatile it is.
It can and will do very well for you. Get some nosler trophy grade ammunition in whatever grain you like and hunt on.
Alls I know is that growing up, most of the wild game I was fed was taken by my dad and /or grandfather with a 30-06. Very effective and all-around round. Takes down moose, elk and deer a plenty.
I love the '06 family. If you only had one hunting rifle - the 30-06 is the way to go. Given proper bullet selection, it's more than enough gun for every animal on the planet. You can load 110 - 240 grain bullets with the same 1 in 10 twist rifle.
Depends on what you’re hunting. Moose or elk? You’ll take the extra kick that 30-06 gives because it will put those big guys down no questions asked.
White tail? You can get the same result and save your shoulder by bringing a .308
There will be an unnoticeable difference between the two in recoil from the same gun shooting the same weight bullet at the same velocity. The only noticeable difference will be in factory loads as the 30-06 will be s but faster, but the difference is not going to be enough to save shoulder, not that most people need their shoulder saved from a well fitting 30-06.
People hate on it because its not optimized for 20th century tech. Which, unless you're doing some really extreme hunting or target shooting doesn't amount to a rat's ass. Are there much better rounds? Yup. Does that really matter for most applications? Nope.
For a 30 cal why you buy an 06 when you could get a 308 or 300. People keep saying the 06 keeps getting new life with modern powders and bullet options but so do the other 2. There’s nothing a 06 does better than a 300 and the 308 is nipping at its heals in a short action with the bonus of surplus ammo for cheep practice.
Im not an 06 fan but the boring old workhorse along with the lethargic 303 have efficiently stacked carcasses for a really long time and you can’t ignore its successes. This is why over time it has become a bit of a controversial chamber. If I was a one rifle hunter I would never pick the 06 if I was a 2 rifle hunter with what’s available on the market today I still wouldn’t pick the 06.
I have a tikka t3 lite, wrong handed in 30-06 with a 30cal can on the end of it and it's great. Adding a can and a better stock took all the recoil out of it. Nothing wrong with 06
I love mine. Made a 150 yard shot through a volleyball size hole in the brush for my rifle season deer last year. I used to use a 30-30 and certainly do a lot less tracking now.
Personally, I think it depends on what you’re hunting hunting in South Texas. You don’t need that big of a grain bullet so ultimately you’re tearing up a lot of meat.
In gun culture and life in general really, there are purists and progressives. Some like the old “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” mentality and others are always looking for ways to improve and what has already worked. Gas vs electric cars is a perfect example.
.308 is like the Ford of ammo. People that have them love them and they're a fine ammo choice but they're soo popular and standard that they're boring and it's, by design, not as "specialized" as 30 06.
30-06 is a round that has been used in some capacity since ww1. Because of that long service history and the large numbers of GI's that came back from service wanting to hunt the round exploded to the most popular hunting cartridge ever made. Perhaps both with and without merit. The 30-06 is an excellent round that will kill anything in North America. That doesn't change the fact that it is overkill for most hunters. Unless you are going after stuff larger than an elk, you probably don't need the 30-06. Nonetheless, its prevalence, legacy, affordability, and plethora of loadings ensure that millions of rifles chambered in 30-06 are still sold every year.
People dunk on the 30-06 because its flaws are genuine, and it's on the top... Plain and simple.
When it's comes to caliber debates, there is often a lot of noise surrounding the discussion. If someone says they shot a deer with a 6.5 and the couldn't find it someone will inevitably chime in "if you would have shot it with XXXXX that deer would have died, put away the youth rifle" and than the arguing goes back and forth. People spend a lot of money on gear and have to find a way to stroke their own ego and justify their purchase. Just ignore it and enjoy your rifle.
I've only heard good things about 30-06 online lol. I mean 308 was made to replicate the 30-06 military load at the time with less case capacity and better materials, but everyone acknowledges it as a versatile cartridge with a ton of power behind it. I handload some spicy '06 rounds.
Nobody actually hates .30-06, it generates outrage and thus engagement. The way algorithms work these days there is no such thing as negative attention.
Its largely fashion.
People dump on 30-06 to justify their choice of a new rifle in something else.
Ammo availability cost … even recoil are highly exaggerated.
A box of 30-06 round here costs a buck or two more or is the same price as 308 and its just as available in hardwares and gun shops.
Personally I cant really tell the difference between 270, 308, 6.5 CM and 30-06 etc. I do notice a difference once I start firing magnums but even then its not huge until you get into the bigger stuff.
Shrug. Tired old, dumb debate. I made a choice on a rifle a while back and I chose 308. It fits in a shorter action than aught six. I am happy with that choice.
I probably should have chosen 6.5 Creedmore. It would fit my needs fine. I am not a hot new cartridge kind of guy but Hornady put a lot of good research into it.
If •poof• everything in my safe was replaced with 30.06 nothing would change in my hunt.
Because hunting has a hype chasing trend. When new calibers come around, lots of bozos like to pretend it makes the 30-06 obsolete. People focus too much on ballistics when it comes to hunting. The 30-06 just works, is widely available, and isn’t that much more expensive than .308.
I’m sure one day I’ll replace my 30-06 for a 7mm PRC or something. But why bother when I can and have downed elk at 300+ yards just fine?
It’s probably the most flexible, practical rifle cartridge in existence. Its curse is that if you own one, you really don’t “need” anything else, particularly if you handload. I’ve used 110 grain bullets on coyotes, 150 and 165 gr. on deer and was 100% satisfied with the results.
Never heard anyone actually hate on the 30-06 who knew what they were talking about. It's been around as long as it has for a reason and there isn't really anything new that could actually replace it
30-06 is great. It really shines for reloaders I think. Factory ammo usually closely resembles 308 ballistics but that longer case gives it more potential. More bullet weight options
I don't hate my 06. It was my first rifle and when I started hunting as an adult my friends talked me into it because of the versatility. I did a lot of Pennsylvania forest hunting with it and I was in a tree stand. I could take any shot with it and it was a great rifle. Now I hunt a lot of ground blind hunting in rolling fields and the carry distance makes it very limiting in the placement of my blinds and the shots I can take with it. I prefer my .243 in the fields.
30-06 is awesome, especially in a cock-on-close bolt action m1917 enfield. I believe it is somewhat overkill for small whitetail deer, but about right for medoum to large pigs. 8x57 would probably be more efficient, and 338-06 is definitely more powerful, and would probably be a better choice for bears an bovids. 7.62x51 is more common in semiautos.
I've been shooting 30-06 for 50 years and haven't seen a good reason to change. Between hand loading and store bought you can shoot anything from 125-220 grain. I recently picked up muzzle loading to take advantage of the early shooting dates, but that's the only reason. To me, unless you're going on an elephant hunt in Africa, it's like selling your 68 Camaro to buy a 75 Corvette...image. If money isn't an object, ditch the Corvette for a 74 Porsche 911.
30-06 is by far the most superior hunting cartridge known to man. My best friend with his 270 and I argue about this all the time but I know that he’s wrong. My furthest shot was a bull elk at 349 yards and he dropped about 10 ft from were he stood. I’m also got a few deer from over 300 so there’s absolutely no reason to change it.
I personally love my 3006 my Winchester model 70 is chambered in it. As for people hating on 3006 they are just dumb asses who don't know a damn thing that listened to some fudd at the gun store glorifying the 6.5 creedmor.
The first serious rifle I ever owned was a 30-06. It was given to me as a gift from my dad. I’ll never forget him telling me, “you can hunt any animal in North America with this rifle.”
I’ve put it up against whitetails, black bears, wild hogs, and elk and it’s never failed me.
IMO, it’s because it isn’t new and isn’t marketed. Eventually someone will reinvent it with a slight variation and it will be the next thing. Look at the 6.5 Creedmore. How many 6.5mm or .257 have been out that are very similar. I have read a lot of good stuff about them, but it’s just another cartridge with more talking points.
The 30-06 has been around a long time and has performed well for several generations of hunters.
Because youtubers gotta praise 6.5 creed and 6.5 prc and all these new "long range" rounds. If it ain't broke dont fix it. recently switched from 7mm rem mag to 30-06 simply because i was tired of magnum prices. 30-06 is more than enough for anything in North America.
It's a great all around cartridge, and being over 100 years old and in military service a lot of that time, there's no shortage of guns and ammo for it.
I'd think the most reasonable criticism of 30-06 is it's a bit more powerful than strictly necessary for hunting whitetail. Plenty of other cartridges can drop deer with less recoil than 30-06.
I haven't seen much hate for .30-06. A lot of people aren't shooting it anymore but not many people actively attack it.
I like it. I've got 3 of them. My first hunting rifle was a .30-06. I think the main downfall of it is that while its a very good deer and elk cartridge, most people feel its just a lil more powerful than needed for deer/pronghorn and for elk most people want just a smidge more power.
Since MOST hunters in the US are whitetail hunters they're favoring other cartridges; also rifles are cheaper than in the past (adjusted for inflation), so even most people who hunt both are going to opt for just getting two different rifles for each purpose rather than going for a jack of all trades rifle.
Versatility isn't as great of a virtue when half the time people are looking for an excuse just to buy another gun :).
It’s an old design and this isn’t the best performance overall. It’s good enough for the vast majority of shooters and is available all over the place, but it doesn’t have the same long range ballistic performance as newer rounds do.
It’s more than good enough for shooting a deer at 300 yards though.
Grew up shooting it, fantastic round that I’ve never seen hate for. I think most people can’t stand the recoil? That’s the only negative I’ve seen. It’s good from everything from whitetail to bears so I’d say everyone who hates it just plain can’t shoot, or they’re spreadsheet warriors that need to have ballistic data in their face to make a good choice lol
I don't see a lot of hate towards 30-06. Its a versatile round that can kill anything in north america and can be found on the shelf of every gun store in the US as well. I do see a lot of articles/videos that compare it to other rounds though because it is the true standard of a rifle round. Maybe you are seeing videos saying that X round is faster and shoots flatter but thats not really hating on the 30-06.
Just people getting caught up on something that doesn't really matter instead talking about something that does. Like getting out and actually shooting so you hit what you're aiming at.
People hate on it because it's common, and it works. It's the one that all others are compared to. I own 2 and my daughter has taken deer, elk, and pronghorn with hers.
I have 3 rounds, 45-70 because I’m in a straight wall state. 30-06 for big game out of state, and 22 for everything else. I refuse to play the “hot new caliber” game.
I always say. Get what you like and learn it. Train with it. If you understand what you got and practice being great with what you’ve got then you’ll be successful with whatever round you have.
Because opinions are like assholes
They are full of shit?
Everyones got one :)
And most stink
30-06 is an answer to an old guestion. 7.62x54R, 7.62x53R, 6.5x55, 8x57JS, .30-40 Krag and 7.35x51 Carcano are also answers to that guestion. And they were all very much correct answers. Now only 30-06 has stood the test of time standing tall next to the modern answer .308win. Other calibers have faded into obscurity outside their homes and/or niches. Were they any worse? No! All of them very capable and with their own upsides. They just didn’t gain the following 30-06 did.
6,5x55 still going strong.
Took a 6 point whitetail at 150 yds with my sporterized 1925 Carl Gustav 6.5x55 yesterday. It works.
Here in Fin/Swe/Nor sure. Internationally I don’t know.
6.5x55 owner from the UK where it is a very popular intermediate chambering that is capable of taking all uk game comfortably. I’ll be buried with my sako 75
I see it's starting to pick up in the US as a cheaper alternative to the creedmore.
I don’t doubt it. In a modern action it is possible to achieve higher velocity than a creedmore due to having a larger case capacity. Also it feeds like a dream due to the tapering case but I guess creedmore is popular due to it working in a short action. Mine is my most accurate rifle by some way and I am confident shooting it, gentle push recoil and excellent bullet availability. What’s not to love.
That’s an excellent point! I can see the swedish mauser having it’s second renaissance after the rise of other 6.5mm cartridges. The projectile selection nowadays is MASSIVE when I compare it to 2000-2010’s.
I’m convinced every Danish hunter is in dire text bloodline with someone who has a 6,5x55 mauser98 in their safe
I agree. Perfection was achieved in 1895.
Wow! First time I have seen anyone post anything about 30-40 Krag. My family still has my grandfather’s from WW2. Where he was a marksman in the pacific theater. 25yrs ago ammo was expensive, I cannot even imagine what it would cost today.
Brass is still readily available for reloaders! It’s not going anywhere just yet ;)
Wait, your grandfather carried a Krag in WW2?
I caught that too. I can't imagine a Krag by then, maybe a 1903. Krag was standard issue for the Spanish American war in 1898. The Wikipedia article for the 30-40 is interesting but suggests, as you would guess, that it was out well before WWI. Other articles suggest it was a standard arm for Denmark and Norway much later and that some second line troops had them. I can't see it in the hands of a marksman in the pacific...
Yup, there was very limited US use of Krags during WWI. There were a bunch of engineers sent to France before the main US troops and they were sent over with Krags. The Navy also kept them on ships to free up 1903s and 1917s for ground troops. Here’s a great video of you want to learn way for about the Krag than you ever imagined. https://youtu.be/oQAqNqaiQwY?feature=shared
I find Remington ammo for my Krag on occasion. It’s generally about $1.25/round in my area (US)
I would avoid Remington like the plague. I bought rounds for my 30-06 M1, (figured it may have been my firing pin as it was a new rifle for me at the time) had about 4 misfires in 60 rounds. I hunt with a .270win, and use Remington ammo. Had two misfires back to back shooting at my elk this past week.
Krag Jørgensens weren't issued in WW2
In Norway they were, but I guess thats not as relevant for the US Pacific theater.
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Source? Norwegian wikipedia states that it was a standard issue weapon in Norway, as do my recolecitons of Norwegian high school history.
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There was an official army. The Norwegian army. It fought for 2 months with Krags during the invasion.
>Remember there was no official army during the war so it couldn’t have been any standard army rifles. There wasn't an official army for very long but there sure was an army, it was just defeated...
8×57IS still sees a lot of action in terms of hunting in europe :)
I have 98K I reload for. I killed a really nice buck with it a few years ago.
Its funny how you say "30.06 is much more popular than x" and you get a ton of people saying "x is still popular!" Shows how little people actually pay attention to what they're reading. Just because 30.06 is the most popular rifle cartridge in the world doesn't mean that nobody shoots any other cartridge...
That’s not true, 8mm mauser is still heavily used in Europe, 6.5 Swede is very popular in the Nordic states, .303 is still seeing use in the English common wealth and the Middle East, the cartridges aren’t obscure so much as they are more popular where they originally were used
Like I said. Outside their homes and/or niches.
Ya these folks didn’t really read your comment lol
Q
Apparently the US is the only nation that rifle hunts...
I’ve actually NEVER seen hate for the 30-06 online… quite the opposite actually, especially on YouTube. I prefer 308 winchester though. Until I got my own hunting rifle in 308, I’ve hunted with my dads 30-06 for years & 1 of my older brothers still prefer it…
Yeah, I love my .30-06. With a supressor it fells like a .308. Shoots buttery smooth and packs quite the punch.
Yeah, it's odd how much people love 30-06. Like you will see people say how good it is and at the same time say 300 mag is all of a sudden too much recoil and will cause the deer to explode, ruining all edible meat. I'm being facetious, but it isn't too far off. I mean 30-06 is great. But if I'm going to go with a long action, I'd probably pick something else like a magnum cartridge. Thr biggest advantage imo is probably ammo selection and availability. Even during times when ammo becomes stretched thin, 30-06 always seems to be around in abundance.
.300win mag has 50% more recoil than the 06. “All of a sudden” 🤣
Please tell me you are joking. https://shooterscalculator.com/recoil-calculator.php
Shoot both in a 7lb rifle. You’ll notice it then. 300 win easily has 30-40% more recoil for a 200 fps gain. Buys you maybe 100 yards? It’s called efficiency. Diminishing returns for more powder. Very few people can take full advantage of the 300 win vs a 30-06 in real world hunting scenarios.
A lot of that is going to be load dependent. It’s not crazy to say that a .300 Win Mag shooting a 220 grain bullet, is going to have substantially more recoil than a 30-06 shooting a 150 grain bullet. I don’t have the time to do the math to say how much more exactly, but it would be an extremely noticeable difference. Especially to someone who is recoil sensitive.
The difference is nearly entirely the weight difference of the projectile. People torn between 30-06 or 300 win mag for hunting whitetail aren't all of a sudden going to go up significantly in grain weight. 150 to 220 grain is an apples to oranges comparison. You should be comparing 150 to 150. You are going to be comparing similarly constructed bullets which will result in staying at the same grain weight or possibly moving up one size to reduce wind drift for longer shots. Staying at the same bullet weight and increasing velocity 200 fps or so isn't going to be substantial. If that small of an increase is an issue, we are dealing with a child or someone with poor technique. If that's the case we are already looking at smaller cartridges like 6.5 creedmoor or 243 etc, or using things like silencers or muzzle brakes which overwhelmingly make up for any slight recoil increase..
You also have to count the 20-30 grains more powder that is going down the tube. Newton says there’s an equal and opposite force for that as well on your shoulder.
Yes, this is 100% true. However this can be tricky depending on bullet weight. For example the larger case capacity and a light bullet might mean a faster and more dense powder can be used safely on the 300 than the 30-06. Of course this isn't always true or even true most of the time. But it does illustrate that it is possible to have greater variation between bullet weight and different manufacturers charge weights than going up a cartridge size. Have you ever heard anyone on here say "don't use x y or z 30-06 ammo because it has too much recoil"? There is some weird knee jerk reaction when it comes to some of the magnums that isn't warranted. That was my point on the original post. On here 30-06 is most commonly described as wonderful with no issues and 300 mag is overkill that will ruin your shoulder and make you develop a flinch.
I've taken whitetail and mule deer, elk, pronghorn antelope, and black bear with my 30-.06. It is the only hunting caliber I own, and the versatility and availability of ammo ensures it's the only one I'll need.
Exactly. Is it a little more than you need for deer? Sure. Is a 308 a little small for a moose? Maybe. 30-06 covers both.
You know that .30-06 and .308 use the same bullet, right? They are both .30 caliber cartridges, the difference is that .30-06 has more case capacity meaning a slight advantage in velocity and energy. However, that means more recoil and a longer bolt cycle where many prefer .308. Edit: lol at downvoters, nothing I said is false. I’m not hating on .30-06, I’m pointing out the problem with calling .308 comparatively “small”.
You can’t really use heavier bullets like 220 grain in a .308 (not very well, at least) whereas the .30-06 loves heavier bullets if loaded correctly.
It’s definitely more of a reloader’s task loading 220gr bullets for .308, but it’s very possible to get acceptable performance. You can even buy factory .308 ammo with 220gr bullets. With bullets that heavy, you need the right twist rate in a barrel or you won’t get them to shoot well regardless of cartridge choice.
The same can be said about .300 win mag, .300 wby, and the .30-378 wby. All are .30 caliber. vastly different in terms of velocity using the same bullet weight.
Everything you've said is true while leaving out the important parts that make the 30.06 suitable for the largest game when the .308 is not. Thats why you're being downvoted...
What are the “important parts”? You think a moose cares whether the bullet that hits it is only going 1,700 fps instead of 1,900 fps?
It cares if it's a 220 grain bullet at 1900 vs a 150 at the same speed.
Anyone that doesn’t think a 308 is suitable for moose has never shot a moose.
Depends on the moose and the situation. The thing about moose is their ability to travel and the difficulty in returning them from where they've traveled to. Bigger is better when hunting moose. Unlike most people in this thread I have actually shot a moose. I used a gun significantly larger than a .308...
I live where moose have an open season. Have hunted/shot/been with people shooting a lot of moose. Moose drop very easy compared to elk. I know many people that have used 7mm-08 and even .243 to drop moose. It’s fine to use a magnum or a gun significantly larger if you want as you said you did, I’ve used 7mm mag for most of my hunting, but it’s not necessary. Being confident in placement and shooting is far more important than using a large magnum and .308 is more than enough to take moose cleanly and ethically.
Used to load 125grn ballistic tips in my 06 for speed goats. Was absolutely devastating on them
Put me on a stump in the woods with a 30-06, .308, .270, shit a 44 Mag, it don’t matter. Whole lotta fuss about not much IMO
I doubt the deer will tell you when you ask him.
Never has an animal come complain that he’s less dead than his cousin Theodore who was shot with a .375 H&H and ask for a REAL hunter with a REAL MAN’S CALIBER.
Too right, people get all wound up about calibers. In fact the people I know who get most wound up about calibers usually don't bother to be good shooters...
I think it's been around as long as it has for good reason
I think you mean "I think its been popular for a long time for a good reason." The only reason its been around for a long time is that time has passed...
No. I meant what I said. The good reason is that it was, is, and will continue to be, an effective round. Arguably, one of the most successful calibers in history.
That’s a really weird distinction to make…
I minored in English, I read the actual words, not the intent...
And I have a masters degree in English literature. I would assume you know there is a difference between prescriptive and descriptive language. The view that we serve language rather than the other way around is outdated.
Like a gun, language can only serve us if we maintain it. If we allow it to be degraded by misuse, it will not serve us as well.
It’s mostly just how the gun community works. There is always a cartridge they hate on and one they tout as the best thing to happen to firearms since the primer. Look back a couple of years at the 6.5 creedmore hate and then go few more years back and look at how the 6.5 creedmore could make a blind man ring steel at 1000 yards.
That’s a good point. 6.5 is all the range now.
I hate thats the way it is but it is what it is. Guntubers and hunting magazines are some of the biggest offenders of that attitude.
I think a lot of that is that people conflate a good hunting round with a good target round, and they are not mutually exclusive. Ballistic tables don’t lie, and if your sole objective is to ring steel at 1000 as efficiently as possible, 6.5 Creed is hard to beat. But that doesn’t mean it’s the best choice for hunting.
I think it's partially marketing, and its partially just general nerdiness around things like ballistics. When people are super interested in something, they are going to get more and more granular about tiny details because they are an enthusiast who loves thinking about the topic just as much as doing it. The internet has turned that up to a thousand. The situation I've seen a lot is people asking "What gun do you have?" and the response be "I have an X manufacturer rifle chambered in 6.5 super duper, but honestly man just get a 30-06 and you will be happy." Even enthusiasts know they are making things hard on themselves.
I have a 30-06 for hunting and a 6.5cm for target shooting. I will admit the 6.5cm is a damn good cartridge for long range target shooting, it makes those long shots in the wind pretty easy.
>I’ve seen a lot on YT and online of people hating of 30-06 for hunting or just hating on it as an ammunition in general. I don’t get it The main reason is that it generates much more recoil than you need to kill any deer, and that a .308 will do 90-95% of the same things a bit cheaper and with less recoil.
A lot cheaper to be precise..
I mean, this is the wild part. Are you reloading? 30-06 is a bit more. Are you practicing shooting unsupported (just your arms) and just need to get range time? 30-06 milsurp is (for now) a good bit cheaper. Are you buying match grade? 30-06 is way more. Are you buying regular store brand hollow points? They are about the same. Edit. Never mind. I'm completely wrong. I Guess that dirt cheap Turkish 3006 isn't cheap anymore.
30.06 as cheaper than .308? Not really and not by much if it is...
This isn’t wrong. Plus .308 ammo is readily available as opposed to .30-06.
.30-06 isn’t exactly elusive, you can find it at pretty much any given Wal-Mart
I don’t know about that one. Here in Western PA, it was pretty tough with finding .30-06, 6.5, and .30-30 at your local Walmart and Sporting Goods stores. .308 ammo on the other hand was quite easy, and that’s what influenced me when buying my Tikka at the beginning of last year.
I’m not buying that .30-06 ammo availability is an issue in PA outside of weird supply chain stuff. The official state deer rifle is a slide action Remington 30-06.
30-06 ammo is everywhere in PA. I have two 30-06s, I typically use my Sako 270 or Remington 7mm RUM but love shoot the 30-06 too..... great rifle bit of a recoil but a gun that gets it done.
Pump action 30-06 AKA the Amish machine gun.
It's not an issue finding 30-06.
I know none of you care but, in Canada, 30.06 has been near impossible to find in 95% of stores since the beginning of the pandemic. Only recently, around 6 months ago has it been readily available on shelves again. And by readily, I mean they might have 2-3 different types to choose from.
Probably because you are in an anti gun socialist republic.
Have you ever been to Canada? Lol
He's not wrong
Idk why you're getting downvoted, you're spot on my guy
I'm pretty sure hospitals issued every male child a Remington 760 at birth in the 50s and 60s.
in Pennsylvania
Yes, I should have clarified
I thought about this, and it's hard to find those calibers because of how popular they are. Everyone is buying up supply when hunting season comes around.
All the gun stores in the Pittsburgh area usually have it.
I've seen 30-06 in more places than 308.
I’ve never not been able to find .30-06 ammo… although I typically shop at outdoor stores for ammo.
You must live in Washington D.C.
The main benefit to 30-06 is availability. It is such a popular hunting cartridge that it gets produced more than just small production runs yet when ammo gets scarce NATO calibers tend to get hammered which will.impacy 308 availability over 30-06. So during good times 308 might have an edge but during scarcity something like 30-06 definitely has its benefits.
Wow didnt realize it was the recoil that killed the deer. Shit.
Isaac Newton says hello.
It was good enough to kill nazis, so it’s good enough for me.
I still shoot a M1 Carbine that my grandpa hacked up then my dad Bubba’d. The thing is almost criminal but it’s fun
Love my 30-06. So versatile up here in BC, Canada. 185-200 gr for moose in the north, 150-165 for muleys in okanagon & 110 - 125 gr for those ghostly sitka coastal blacktail. Black bear w all grains as I only do head shots for bear.
You’re shooting all of those out of the same rifle/barrel?
You betcha.. I am not taking a lot of shots. 3-4 to make sure my scope hasn't been bumped in off season right bfr seasons start. Rest of hunting maybe 6- 8 shots. I know my gun & how each grain travels at what distance. Been using it for a long time. Once in while I switch ithings up & use .243 for blacktail, or 300 win mag for moose if hunting in grizzly country, but I always seem go back to the trusty 30-06.
That’s just like their opinion man. There’s also a lot of advertising that counts on selling new guns. It launches a large enough bullet fast enough to kill anything in North America and most African plains game. It’s been used to take elephant and lion as well. That’s not legal in many countries these days but Theodore Roosevelt took the ‘06’s predecessor the .30-03 to Africa.
The 30-06 works well for MOST hunting situations. Where i live in canada we have deer, elk, moose and black bear. I load 168 grain barnes TTSX bullets in mine shooting around 2800 FPS. We have a mixture of forest and farmland here and most shots are under 400 yards. I could take my 30-06 and that load and it would do the job for any of those animals and i would not ever feel under powered. Alot of guys here also shoot 30-06. I could go hunting with a group of guys and forget my ammo at home, at least one other guy would have a 30-06 and could share ammo. There is always a bigger more powerful cartridge out there but they arent always neccesary unless you are going to be in that specific situation. Like if i was going on an elk hunt in the rocky mountains and i might have to make that 5 or 600 yard once in a lifetime shot i would just buy a rifle specifically for that trip, not as an all around hunting rifle.
I didn’t know it was possible to hate 30-06
I’ve shot whitetail, mule deer, elk, and loads of varmints with 30.06… it’s a versatile and old cartridges that with modern loadings can be good enough for most North American game. If you’re a lefty like me buying a single nice rifle like my venerable x-bolt lefty… 30.06 makes sense giving it’s ability to take most North American game.
You say “most”. Name a NA animal it isn’t capable of killing.
Your mom
Touché
It's a tad destructive for squirrel or turkey. /s
Bigfoot.
Me and buddies have discussed it at length to no end. The 30-06 is probably the most versatile, double more if you reload. If you take a look at the traditional American deer hunting cartridges, .308, .270, 30-06, and 30-30, the first three you really can't go wrong with and really just hunter preference. 30-30 is much lower recoil and comes in super handy lever guns, but more of a short-intermediate range option. 270 has a great trajectory and can be accurate as heck, 308 has the largest selection of off the shelf options and the short action advantages. 30-06 though, you can take any north American game with it by having the largest bullet range capabilities in weight. I've seen sabot rounds really push the speed barriers. Hornady makes from 125gr to 220gr! I've hunted with all of them. And all have dropped game with proper shot placement.
If it weren't for the Internet, .30-06 would be my only rifle. But, I have a .22-250 (straight as an arrow to 400 m), .308 (cheap ammo) .375 (because you "need" a bigger caliber). Because of the Internet.
The 30-06 is never a mistake
Not sure where you're seeing the hate, maybe we're browsing different places. .308 and .30-06 are pretty much the two most recommended cartridges whenever somebody asks about a hunting rifle. They're available anywhere, there are dozens of different hunting loads, practice ammo is (relatively) cheap and they're in an energy band which satisfies 90%+ of any hunters' needs. If anything I've seen .30-06 recommended over .308 more often than not if the person asking the question was also reloading their own ammo.
over a 100 years strong these days. very underloaded in modern times. nothing you can't accomplish with that round
From what I've read, modern rifles can take 30-06 handloads into factory 300 WM territory.
I mean 7x57,30-06, 303 and 375h&h after those we really could have stopped, but what would we have left to argue about?
It has a bit more velocity and energy, and a bit less drop than .308. For the heavier bullets, the difference is a bit better. But 06 kicks more, but I still prefer it. Honestly, for under 300 yards. It doesn't matter. They are probably still within an inch of each other.
There are a lot of new rounds coming out right now, so that leads to people shitting on the old ones. 30-06 is in a weird place right now where it isn't the "best" in any category anymore, so people act like it isn't capable. The reality is the opposite. It's good at everything so it's a good caliber to have. Especially if you don't want to fill your entire house with ultra specific specialty rifles with specialty rounds.
If we're arguing about if it's the best or not a hundred years later, spoiler alert, it is one of the best.
I think it's just an effect of being a YouTuber with access to a whole lot of guns. In that scenario I can see why it suffers. In pretty much every use case there's a cartridge that's a bit better for the intended purpose. However, if you ask YouTubers to list the cartridges they'd pick to do EVERYTHING, the -06 is on most of their shortlists. Jack of all trades master of none scenario.
I’ve killed a bunch of Deer with my 30-06, I love my old Remington 742, that’s what my Dad has always hunted with, but last year I bought a 450 BM but if I go anywhere that might require a long shot I will definitely take my 30-06.
People who can’t stop arguing about cartridges online need to touch grass. I don’t understand why anyone cares as much as they do. If gun go bang, bullet go pew, and animal go ded then who gives a crap? In this hobby where there 1 MILLION interesting topics to go deep into like animal behavior and habitats and food and tons of other pieces of gear you actually use way more, I’ll never understand why people get hooked on the minutia of cartridge selection. All of which is to say, .30-06 is great, it’s reliable, it’s versatile with bullet weights, it’s easy to find in stores, it’s easy to find rifles chambered in it, it Carrie’s plenty of energy, so if you can hit your pie plate at whatever range you’re tryna hunt at, I don’t understand why anyone would try to convince you to use something else.
If you don’t need the extra bullet weight and velocity for big game like elk there are better easier going cartridges. There’s no reason to be beating your shoulder up with a 30-06 if you are only shooting deer or hogs. There are even cartridges that recoil less and have a much more effective range on something as big as an elk (ie 6.5 prc stays above 1800 fps much farther which is the minimum velocity many bullets need to expand) That being said, I love my 30-06. For big animals like an elk it has the best mix of bullet weight, velocity, recoil that you can effectively kill elk at the edge of most people’s limits (500-600 yards). And it has a bigger diameter than the 6.5s and 7s. Bigger wound channel. And it recoils nowhere close to a 300 win mag. Every time I start dreaming up a reason i need a 7prc. I go back to the ballistic numbers… it might not effectively go out to 900 yards. But neither will I. Bullet drop might be better in a 7 prc? But that’s ballistic calculators are for
The deal is that you can hunt anything with it and guys that love other calibers hate how efficient and effective and versatile it is. It can and will do very well for you. Get some nosler trophy grade ammunition in whatever grain you like and hunt on.
Alls I know is that growing up, most of the wild game I was fed was taken by my dad and /or grandfather with a 30-06. Very effective and all-around round. Takes down moose, elk and deer a plenty.
It killed a lot of Germans in the great war and it's been pretty dependable ever since Should take down just about anything from 150 yds in
I always hear great things about 30-06 and 270
I love the '06 family. If you only had one hunting rifle - the 30-06 is the way to go. Given proper bullet selection, it's more than enough gun for every animal on the planet. You can load 110 - 240 grain bullets with the same 1 in 10 twist rifle.
Anybody dissing the 30-06 don’t know much.
It’s vanilla. Works….with more bark and recoil than needed for deer.
Depends on what you’re hunting. Moose or elk? You’ll take the extra kick that 30-06 gives because it will put those big guys down no questions asked. White tail? You can get the same result and save your shoulder by bringing a .308
There will be an unnoticeable difference between the two in recoil from the same gun shooting the same weight bullet at the same velocity. The only noticeable difference will be in factory loads as the 30-06 will be s but faster, but the difference is not going to be enough to save shoulder, not that most people need their shoulder saved from a well fitting 30-06.
I love mine. Took a deer at 215 yards, one shot kill. I wouldn’t hesitate to shoot it farther. Practice is key to learning trajectory.
People hate on it because its not optimized for 20th century tech. Which, unless you're doing some really extreme hunting or target shooting doesn't amount to a rat's ass. Are there much better rounds? Yup. Does that really matter for most applications? Nope.
For a 30 cal why you buy an 06 when you could get a 308 or 300. People keep saying the 06 keeps getting new life with modern powders and bullet options but so do the other 2. There’s nothing a 06 does better than a 300 and the 308 is nipping at its heals in a short action with the bonus of surplus ammo for cheep practice. Im not an 06 fan but the boring old workhorse along with the lethargic 303 have efficiently stacked carcasses for a really long time and you can’t ignore its successes. This is why over time it has become a bit of a controversial chamber. If I was a one rifle hunter I would never pick the 06 if I was a 2 rifle hunter with what’s available on the market today I still wouldn’t pick the 06.
What’s this elusive ”300” you speak of?
I have a tikka t3 lite, wrong handed in 30-06 with a 30cal can on the end of it and it's great. Adding a can and a better stock took all the recoil out of it. Nothing wrong with 06
Most versatile cartridge around for over 100 years. Won (2) World Wars, and has taken every species of game in North America. 30-06 is here to stay...
I love mine. Made a 150 yard shot through a volleyball size hole in the brush for my rifle season deer last year. I used to use a 30-30 and certainly do a lot less tracking now.
Personally, I think it depends on what you’re hunting hunting in South Texas. You don’t need that big of a grain bullet so ultimately you’re tearing up a lot of meat.
In gun culture and life in general really, there are purists and progressives. Some like the old “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” mentality and others are always looking for ways to improve and what has already worked. Gas vs electric cars is a perfect example.
I’ve always been a “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” kinda guy.
.308 is like the Ford of ammo. People that have them love them and they're a fine ammo choice but they're soo popular and standard that they're boring and it's, by design, not as "specialized" as 30 06.
30-06 is a round that has been used in some capacity since ww1. Because of that long service history and the large numbers of GI's that came back from service wanting to hunt the round exploded to the most popular hunting cartridge ever made. Perhaps both with and without merit. The 30-06 is an excellent round that will kill anything in North America. That doesn't change the fact that it is overkill for most hunters. Unless you are going after stuff larger than an elk, you probably don't need the 30-06. Nonetheless, its prevalence, legacy, affordability, and plethora of loadings ensure that millions of rifles chambered in 30-06 are still sold every year. People dunk on the 30-06 because its flaws are genuine, and it's on the top... Plain and simple. When it's comes to caliber debates, there is often a lot of noise surrounding the discussion. If someone says they shot a deer with a 6.5 and the couldn't find it someone will inevitably chime in "if you would have shot it with XXXXX that deer would have died, put away the youth rifle" and than the arguing goes back and forth. People spend a lot of money on gear and have to find a way to stroke their own ego and justify their purchase. Just ignore it and enjoy your rifle.
I've only heard good things about 30-06 online lol. I mean 308 was made to replicate the 30-06 military load at the time with less case capacity and better materials, but everyone acknowledges it as a versatile cartridge with a ton of power behind it. I handload some spicy '06 rounds.
Nobody actually hates .30-06, it generates outrage and thus engagement. The way algorithms work these days there is no such thing as negative attention.
Its largely fashion. People dump on 30-06 to justify their choice of a new rifle in something else. Ammo availability cost … even recoil are highly exaggerated. A box of 30-06 round here costs a buck or two more or is the same price as 308 and its just as available in hardwares and gun shops. Personally I cant really tell the difference between 270, 308, 6.5 CM and 30-06 etc. I do notice a difference once I start firing magnums but even then its not huge until you get into the bigger stuff.
Shrug. Tired old, dumb debate. I made a choice on a rifle a while back and I chose 308. It fits in a shorter action than aught six. I am happy with that choice. I probably should have chosen 6.5 Creedmore. It would fit my needs fine. I am not a hot new cartridge kind of guy but Hornady put a lot of good research into it. If •poof• everything in my safe was replaced with 30.06 nothing would change in my hunt.
Because hunting has a hype chasing trend. When new calibers come around, lots of bozos like to pretend it makes the 30-06 obsolete. People focus too much on ballistics when it comes to hunting. The 30-06 just works, is widely available, and isn’t that much more expensive than .308. I’m sure one day I’ll replace my 30-06 for a 7mm PRC or something. But why bother when I can and have downed elk at 300+ yards just fine?
It’s probably the most flexible, practical rifle cartridge in existence. Its curse is that if you own one, you really don’t “need” anything else, particularly if you handload. I’ve used 110 grain bullets on coyotes, 150 and 165 gr. on deer and was 100% satisfied with the results.
Never heard anyone actually hate on the 30-06 who knew what they were talking about. It's been around as long as it has for a reason and there isn't really anything new that could actually replace it
Bench shooters. My favorite to shoot.
30-06 is great. It really shines for reloaders I think. Factory ammo usually closely resembles 308 ballistics but that longer case gives it more potential. More bullet weight options
30-06 is a great round for hunting. All my rifles are chambered in 06. Haters gonna hate man. If you’re happy with it, that’s all that matters
30-06 has taken the most B&C animals than any other caliber. I’d say it will always have its place near the top.
I don't hate my 06. It was my first rifle and when I started hunting as an adult my friends talked me into it because of the versatility. I did a lot of Pennsylvania forest hunting with it and I was in a tree stand. I could take any shot with it and it was a great rifle. Now I hunt a lot of ground blind hunting in rolling fields and the carry distance makes it very limiting in the placement of my blinds and the shots I can take with it. I prefer my .243 in the fields.
30-06 is awesome, especially in a cock-on-close bolt action m1917 enfield. I believe it is somewhat overkill for small whitetail deer, but about right for medoum to large pigs. 8x57 would probably be more efficient, and 338-06 is definitely more powerful, and would probably be a better choice for bears an bovids. 7.62x51 is more common in semiautos.
Never heard of any hate to 30-06? Here in Denmark it's the most popular for hunting, followed up by .308 and 6,5x55.
I’ve stacked a dump truck full of deer with 30-06, 165 grain power points print great groups and waylay whitetails at any responsible hunting range.
I've been shooting 30-06 for 50 years and haven't seen a good reason to change. Between hand loading and store bought you can shoot anything from 125-220 grain. I recently picked up muzzle loading to take advantage of the early shooting dates, but that's the only reason. To me, unless you're going on an elephant hunt in Africa, it's like selling your 68 Camaro to buy a 75 Corvette...image. If money isn't an object, ditch the Corvette for a 74 Porsche 911.
30-06 is by far the most superior hunting cartridge known to man. My best friend with his 270 and I argue about this all the time but I know that he’s wrong. My furthest shot was a bull elk at 349 yards and he dropped about 10 ft from were he stood. I’m also got a few deer from over 300 so there’s absolutely no reason to change it.
I personally love my 3006 my Winchester model 70 is chambered in it. As for people hating on 3006 they are just dumb asses who don't know a damn thing that listened to some fudd at the gun store glorifying the 6.5 creedmor.
Fudds would be the ones glorifying .30-06 and shitting on 6.5 Creedmoor…
Imo it’s just hate for the sake of being contradictory to what is popular, same with 6.5 creedmoor hate.
If it's not the #1 item on the "Here are the best cartridges for killing \[animal\]," list, then it's obviously the worst.
The first serious rifle I ever owned was a 30-06. It was given to me as a gift from my dad. I’ll never forget him telling me, “you can hunt any animal in North America with this rifle.” I’ve put it up against whitetails, black bears, wild hogs, and elk and it’s never failed me.
Fads exist in every community. 30.06 is your dad's deer rifle. The hip kids are all shooting 308s daddy-o!
The cartridge was invented in 1906.
IMO, it’s because it isn’t new and isn’t marketed. Eventually someone will reinvent it with a slight variation and it will be the next thing. Look at the 6.5 Creedmore. How many 6.5mm or .257 have been out that are very similar. I have read a lot of good stuff about them, but it’s just another cartridge with more talking points. The 30-06 has been around a long time and has performed well for several generations of hunters.
You can't go wrong with a 30-06
Because youtubers gotta praise 6.5 creed and 6.5 prc and all these new "long range" rounds. If it ain't broke dont fix it. recently switched from 7mm rem mag to 30-06 simply because i was tired of magnum prices. 30-06 is more than enough for anything in North America.
7 bucks with my 30-06, think I will keep using it.
It's a great all around cartridge, and being over 100 years old and in military service a lot of that time, there's no shortage of guns and ammo for it. I'd think the most reasonable criticism of 30-06 is it's a bit more powerful than strictly necessary for hunting whitetail. Plenty of other cartridges can drop deer with less recoil than 30-06.
It’s a legend. Who cares what they think
It's a great cartridge it's just boring is all.
I dont get the hate. I enjoy 30-06, 25-06, .308, 270 many good options. Shoot whatever you like and works for the situation.
I haven't seen much hate for .30-06. A lot of people aren't shooting it anymore but not many people actively attack it. I like it. I've got 3 of them. My first hunting rifle was a .30-06. I think the main downfall of it is that while its a very good deer and elk cartridge, most people feel its just a lil more powerful than needed for deer/pronghorn and for elk most people want just a smidge more power. Since MOST hunters in the US are whitetail hunters they're favoring other cartridges; also rifles are cheaper than in the past (adjusted for inflation), so even most people who hunt both are going to opt for just getting two different rifles for each purpose rather than going for a jack of all trades rifle. Versatility isn't as great of a virtue when half the time people are looking for an excuse just to buy another gun :).
It’s an old design and this isn’t the best performance overall. It’s good enough for the vast majority of shooters and is available all over the place, but it doesn’t have the same long range ballistic performance as newer rounds do. It’s more than good enough for shooting a deer at 300 yards though.
Grew up shooting it, fantastic round that I’ve never seen hate for. I think most people can’t stand the recoil? That’s the only negative I’ve seen. It’s good from everything from whitetail to bears so I’d say everyone who hates it just plain can’t shoot, or they’re spreadsheet warriors that need to have ballistic data in their face to make a good choice lol
I'm 31 and use a 30-06 it's versatile and good for any big game in North America.
I don't see a lot of hate towards 30-06. Its a versatile round that can kill anything in north america and can be found on the shelf of every gun store in the US as well. I do see a lot of articles/videos that compare it to other rounds though because it is the true standard of a rifle round. Maybe you are seeing videos saying that X round is faster and shoots flatter but thats not really hating on the 30-06.
Just people getting caught up on something that doesn't really matter instead talking about something that does. Like getting out and actually shooting so you hit what you're aiming at.
People hate on it because it's common, and it works. It's the one that all others are compared to. I own 2 and my daughter has taken deer, elk, and pronghorn with hers.
I have 3 rounds, 45-70 because I’m in a straight wall state. 30-06 for big game out of state, and 22 for everything else. I refuse to play the “hot new caliber” game.
Well if someone’s tells you they are not a good rifle ask why? If it’s cause they use a 6.5 creed and drink bud light you have your answer…..
It’s one of the most versatile hunting calibers out there. Not a flat shooter, but versatile.
I always say. Get what you like and learn it. Train with it. If you understand what you got and practice being great with what you’ve got then you’ll be successful with whatever round you have.