Rookiest of rookies to rifles...(30-06 question/s)

[Silvershade]

I'm a firm believer that barrel break in is the biggest bag of BS I've ever heard of! The 30-06 is just fine for any thing in North America with the right bullets and placement. Not quite a creedmoor but darned close( just kidding)

I too have wondered about it...of all the new vs old I've had I just clean em a bit and go. But then got my 357 lever and tried an actual method...unfortunately it came from Henry with a defect. I sent it back telling them, hey this lever/action is wonk, and they it sent back having done almost nothing at all to rectify it (they claim to have replaced hammer....um. ok)

 

[2Rope]

The -06 is what the need more wants to be when it grows up….

 

[dug]

Ok so disclaimer right out of the box , i'm old school and long in the tooth to prove it !
there is nothing wrong with the older proven calibers for hunting or shooting hobbie ,
as with any goal ,shooting has to be hitting as close to the point aim on your target as you can.
there are companies that rework and split hairs to improve on older versions of cartridges. Humans get bored with the same old ,same old feeling and love to tinker with the next new cartridge. Companies market the next caliber cartridges to be the end all to anything older you may own and shoot well !
we tend to forget about the rifle we have that shoots boringly sm groups and need another project to work out , to prove that men can take a new bullet or powder or rifle , make it a small grp producing hunting or target gem .
the creed is the most famous for this exact capitalist company strategy.
there is nothing wrong with the 3006 for your intented use , is there better options ? YES .
the creed has its great points , are there better options ? YES !
i dont care what caliber or new space age level equipment u are using ! The snake oil salesman has the next better option when your ready to lay more dollars on the counter.
i will be more impressed watching someone produce small grps on paper or steel or 100% hits on a range with multiple yardages , with what ever they are shouldering , and what ever amount of dollars spent. i have wittnessed more poster people at the range with the latest and greatest equipment all shiney and waxed up for the "show".
with the poorest looking target , or 50% hit factor on steel .

my advice is good for what u pay for it : if the 3006 fell into your lap as an easy choice , then get it to the range ,learn your rifle ,and train often . if the rifle lives up to your goals ,be happy for as long as you can and enjoy it .
for the next month there is a new wiz bang caliber, bullet , powder, headed your way , i promise you.

I currently have more dies on the shelf than my wife has shoes
, im winning so far !

 

[ridgewalker]

I have owned and hunted with a 30-06 for close to 60 years. In the hunting fields it will do most anything any other cartridge will do depending mostly on the guy behind the sight.
I handload from reduced 110 grain fmj bullets used for turkey, dusky grouse, a bobcat once, rabbits, and plinking up to 200 grain for dark timber elk.
None more universal than the 30-06. JMO&E
Enjoy!

 

[Kingsgr8]

I look at the cleaning/break in as quality trigger time. Slows me down a bit and also get a feel for the gun.

 

[Reelman1]

I don't particularly believe in breaking in a barrel in regimented fashion. I shoot til I BELIEVE its repeatable. Case in point is a Howa 300 WbyMag. Its been shot 32 times and gets shot twice, once a year now since I got aged somehow. Once at 100yds impact 6" high at 12 o'clock and once at 500 yds in the bull(basket ball sized). Never "broken in" and it's capable of that every year so far. From a sled. Same lot of ammo (bought 200 rds at a ridiculous price in 1995) 180 gn Remington. Left over ammo would sell for the price of a rifle today. Four safes FULL and none ever "broken in", except MAYBE some military bring backs. From pistols to 50bmg rifles. I also don't believe in scrubbing the life out of the barrel.

 

[Radman]

I'm a firm believer that barrel break in is the biggest bag of BS I've ever heard of! The 30-06 is just fine for any thing in North America with the right bullets and placement. Not quite a creedmoor but darned close( just kidding)

Agreed. Of the 30 or so weapons that I've bought new over the years I've never once "broken-in" one of them. I DO however clean the bores thoroughly after shooting them, just I do on every rifle or shotgun. Pistols not so much.
I think just shooting one knocks down burrs, smooths & polishes most rough edges or tools marks in a new barrel.
It does seem to me that carbines take much longer to settle-in than other rifles. Just MY Opinions. Whatever your's is - I respect it.

 

[NeoConShooter]

Ok for context I've been shooting for only 11-12ish years but mostly all handgun and shotty...

One day I found a screamin insane deal on some rifle ammo at an estate sale which lead me to buy a Howa 1500 (I think that's the model number) 30-06...

And then fast forward like 8 years and I've still never taken it out to shoot...hahahha

So I have never broken it in, I have a good amount of ammo for it. I have match grade and normal win whitebox...

Should I break it in with whatever or....?
What all should I do for break in IE shoot, clean, oil etc for 20 rounds? I've read all kinds of stuff...

Anyone else use the 30-06 and is it still a viable choice for hunting these days? Seems like everyone on GunplanetEarth uses 6.5 creedmore or killmaster9000 rounds hahaha

Dear Silvershade; The 30-06 is perfectly fine for any game on the north American Continent, assuming you do your bit and put the right bullet in the right spot! These days, I figure the 7.62X51 NATO-.308 Winchester is even better because it has less recoil and that makes it easier to practice and thus to shoot well! I had a friend who shot polar bears with a .222 Remington!!! I shot Baboons, Hyena and all manner of small deer and Gazelles with a .22LR Pistol for three years that we were stationed in Asmara, Ethiopia! I also used a Remington XP-100 in .221 Fireball to kill a single Kudu with one shot. My Inuit friend used his M-14 because he had to leave his .222 rifle at home for his family to use.
So do not be afraid to use your 30-06 on anything anywhere!
PS. This guy named Bell something or other shot thousands of elephants with a 6.5, and 7 MM Mauser, certainly not as powerful as a 7.62X51/.308!

 

[Small Lady]

Although inexperienced, I've learned this much already, ask 20 shooters what is the best break in method, and you will get 20 different answers.

Len did a good write up here on the forum, covering his recommendations. Which was different from the stores where I bought my rifle.

 

[skipglo]

First: as most have stated: 30-06 great caliber, is capable of killing everything on the Globe! However...I wouldn't use it when the Autobots land!
Second: Cleaning....as @Kingsgr8 said."...look at it as quality shooting time"
There is no set method on cleaning....none...
I listened to a podcast a bit ago where 3 of the top barrel manufacturers where asked this question....and all agreed...that there's no such thing...they laughed and said So many people kept asking...that they had to INVENT SOMETHING! Cleaning is like changing a baby..we all know it's got to done...we just don't know when they're going to go..or how often!
Absolutely nothing wrong if your barrel is cleaner than mine...unless..mine is shooting better.
Final word...don't overheat your barrel unnecessarily!

 

[watersfam]

Ok for context I've been shooting for only 11-12ish years but mostly all handgun and shotty...

One day I found a screamin insane deal on some rifle ammo at an estate sale which lead me to buy a Howa 1500 (I think that's the model number) 30-06...

And then fast forward like 8 years and I've still never taken it out to shoot...hahahha

So I have never broken it in, I have a good amount of ammo for it. I have match grade and normal win whitebox...

Should I break it in with whatever or....?
What all should I do for break in IE shoot, clean, oil etc for 20 rounds? I've read all kinds of stuff...

Anyone else use the 30-06 and is it still a viable choice for hunting these days? Seems like everyone on GunplanetEarth uses 6.5 creedmore or killmaster9000 rounds hahaha

Your 30-06 should be fine. We have taken mule deer, elk, white tail deer, roebucks, greater kudu, blesbok, black wildebeest, and oryx with this caliber.

 

[highfinblue]

I have one friend that religiously breaks in every barrel, and his guns shoot fantastic when he is pulling the trigger; he's just a very good shot in my opinion. I used to break them in, and to be honest I can't say it made much difference for me, but I am not what you would call a good paper puncher. I listened to a high end barrel maker, at the time his barrels were at the top, and he said break in was bs, and all you were doing was wearing out the barrel, he said it not me. The guy that built my best rifle told me to break it in by shooting it; that's what I've done and it's taken elk out to 980 yards, and whitetail at 600, so it shoots just fine as long as I do my job. My friends rifles shoot better than mine because he is a better shot than me. My son can pick up my rifles and basically cut my groups in half, because he too is an excellent shot. The very first time he picked up a shotgun while we were shooting clays he never missed a single shot. I would say he is a natural. I can kill critters, but I miss plenty when I'm shooting at targets, at least I miss the tiny little spot I'm aiming at. As odd as it sounds I have never in my 61 years owned a 30-06, not because I never wanted one, but being left-handed there's not a ton of good options, and when I buy a rifle, especially nowadays, I look for a good deal; those are rare, but I still plan on buying one someday.

 

[264WM]

The good old 30-06 can perform at 3416fps with the H335 powder and a 110 gr speer bullet.

 

[Pointman]

All good advice. The venerable 3006 is a fine caliber that has taken game animals for decades. One caveat on cleaning. IMO, avoid using bronze brushes, brass cleaning jags, and rods. They do give false positive reactions that appear to be core fouling. I have converted all of my cleaning rods and jags to stainless steel and prefer using nylon brushes. I would avoid SS brushes as they can be detrimental to barrels.