Where does the .30-06 fit into the LRH Pantheon of cartridges?

[Pmacc60]

I grew up listening to my 06 , my dads 06 , 06 06 06! It got to the point I despised the 30 06. I think that also the one round that does it all does not suit me, I can't get behind that idealism . So after years of distain and experience I own several 3006 rifles and have killed more deer with that caliber than all the others combine. I found a rifle that fits me well and it happened to be chambered in 30 06. It's not a bolt, it's not topped with a NF high powered scope on top. It's a Remington 760 carbine with a 2x7 Leupold shoots under a inch with 165 Nosler partitions has killed game from 5 to over 500 yards. Fast follow up shots in close cover but able to reach out at reasonable distance ( 500 y and in) . It's the quintessential eastern game gun. I don't take it west with me , there are better rifles and calibers. I have always been that guy with his nose in the manuals looking for terminal ballistics , SD's BC's low drag , high impact etc . We all are on here but I digress . Who can challenge the point that 99% of the hunters out there can be served any better than with the venerable 3006? With the dedication of many of the hunters out there the 3006 will get it done . Many years ago my cousin drove down a dirt road that I was hunting a 20 acre field I had set up about 300 yards where I had scouted a buck walking out into that field. The does had come out and I was waiting for the buck to come out and here comes Gary! The does bolted hunting done for that evening. I walk out of my stand and talked with him and he said did you see those deer ? Yes I was waiting for the buck to come out when you drove up! He apologized and then said to me well at least I didn't cost you a deer, they were to far away for a shot. 300 yards !! Too far away !! Most hunters carrying a 3006s will never use it to its potential , thier ability will never match the equipment they have in their hand. These guys can go buy a box of shells in any store for around twenty five dollars or less ( instead of 65-95 bucks ) that some of the ear splitters cost. As for the LRH it probably doesn't fit anymore for the ELRH not at all. There is better choices. It still however will kill a lot of game for the foreseeable future.

 

[Oldschool280]

That's kind of odd in my experience, the old 760's were known to be among the most if not the most accurate and reliable pump's ever produced.

Even with cheap factory ammo that old rifle is still shooting about 1.5-2MOA like it has for over sixty years.

Not a precision weapon by modern standards but for it's day that was very good and for most hunters still exceeds their abilities as shooters.

+1 on the 760's, i find that the three that i have owned love big bullet jump and sierra's and with that will really tighten up to less than an inch.

 

[Pmacc60]

+1 on the 760's, i find that the three that i have owned love big bullet jump and sierra's and with that will really tighten up to less than an inch.

They are one of the best kept secrets !

 

[NEMTHunter]

I have found that my 06 will cover all my hunting needs out to 1000 yards and a little beyond for deer. Are there other 30 cals that will have more speed and energy at that range and be flatter shooting? Yes indeed there is But that still does not take away from the fact that my 06 is able to do it. If I need more then that I will just take out the big 30 cal I have and shoot to a mile with enough speed and energy to kill a deer. And we all now that that is not needed other then maybe just to say you did it. Or for the challenge.

I agree for the average hunter the 06 is all that was ever needed. Or any of the cartridges based off the 06. Over a 100 years latter and some of the best wildcats are based off the 06. Up to not many years ago the 06 was the middle of the road 30 cal. Now I fell the 300 win mag is the middle of the road. Just for the fact of the big 30 cal wild cats. And might relay be the do it all round to boot. just for the fact you can load it back to 06 and slower velocity's but still turn it up for the big game we hunt in North America.

There will always be a difference of opinion on what the do it all cartridge is. For some its the 12 gauge. yea I now it not a "cartridge"....

 

[Deleted member 103481]

I grew up listening to my 06 , my dads 06 , 06 06 06! It got to the point I despised the 30 06. I think that also the one round that does it all does not suit me, I can't get behind that idealism . So after years of distain and experience I own several 3006 rifles and have killed more deer with that caliber than all the others combine. I found a rifle that fits me well and it happened to be chambered in 30 06. It's not a bolt, it's not topped with a NF high powered scope on top. It's a Remington 760 carbine with a 2x7 Leupold shoots under a inch with 165 Nosler partitions has killed game from 5 to over 500 yards. Fast follow up shots in close cover but able to reach out at reasonable distance ( 500 y and in) . It's the quintessential eastern game gun. I don't take it west with me , there are better rifles and calibers. I have always been that guy with his nose in the manuals looking for terminal ballistics , SD's BC's low drag , high impact etc . We all are on here but I digress . Who can challenge the point that 99% of the hunters out there can be served any better than with the venerable 3006? With the dedication of many of the hunters out there the 3006 will get it done . Many years ago my cousin drove down a dirt road that I was hunting a 20 acre field I had set up about 300 yards where I had scouted a buck walking out into that field. The does had come out and I was waiting for the buck to come out and here comes Gary! The does bolted hunting done for that evening. I walk out of my stand and talked with him and he said did you see those deer ? Yes I was waiting for the buck to come out when you drove up! He apologized and then said to me well at least I didn't cost you a deer, they were to far away for a shot. 300 yards !! Too far away !! Most hunters carrying a 3006s will never use it to its potential , thier ability will never match the equipment they have in their hand. These guys can go buy a box of shells in any store for around twenty five dollars or less ( instead of 65-95 bucks ) that some of the ear splitters cost. As for the LRH it probably doesn't fit anymore for the ELRH not at all. There is better choices. It still however will kill a lot of game for the foreseeable future.

I prefer mine in Browning flavor but a 3006 auto loader is an absolute hunting machine.

 

[Oldschool280]

I prefer mine in Browning flavor but a 3006 auto loader is an absolute hunting machine.

I have two for sale!

 

[Deleted member 103481]

I have two for sale!

I have more than a few but if they are grade 3 or better/special editions pm me.

 

[Pmacc60]

I prefer mine in Browning flavor but a 3006 auto loader is an absolute hunting machine.

Years back my father in law ask me to put together a rifle for him so he could moose and deer hunt with it in his home state of Maine. It was a Browning Bar 3006 with a 3x9 Leupold VX2 . Two moose later he is a happy camper.

 

[uka]

with a 26" barrel using super performance powder or Rel 22 you can safely get almost 2700 FPS in the 06 with the 212 ELD-X bullet. with a BC of .66 it will shoot flatter then a 300 Win mag from the 70's and kill an elk up to any range you should realistically take a shot. I myself would never shoot more them 400-450 yds

 

[coop2564]

While on paper many beat it, on game it will always load the freezer. And as long as you can range your target and dial it in it will hit your target fur or steel.

 

[nralifer]

I try to encourage folks making statements such as this to reexamine the circumstances under which this assertion is made.

For 50 years or maybe a tad more, every model hunting rifle sold in the US was chambered for the .30-06 Springfield. So it stands to reason that it's still one of the most popular, there are millions of rifles needing to fed every year. The runner up would probably be the .270 Win.



I'm not quite sure where it sits on the list of long range hunting cartridges since I'm not sure there is such a thing. But in my own humble opinion, it is probably an 'also ran' cartridge in the long range hunting venue, not high on the list and closer to the bottom than the top. This doesn't mean that it can't function in the same field as other more notable and popular LR cartridges. When loaded with an aerodynamic, wind cheating bullet design, the .30-06 is perfectly capable of dispatching game at longer distances as long as we pay attention to the basic rules of hunting wild game.

Regards.

The key is the bullet design. It is very evident to me that standard 243Win, 308Win, 270Win, 30 06, when loaded with improved modern powders and high BC bullets copper bullets can perform beyond most hunters' capabilities and in most cases like the next caliber up.