30-06 is boring

I own just one .30-06, a Win70 SuperGrade 2011-vintage, been collecting dust at the back of the safe for quite a while.

I never reach for it, not because it is "boring", but because there is a crowd of 7mm-08s in front of it.
 
If anyone owns a 30-06 and thinks it's boring, they are owning the wrong rifle not the wrong chambering. I could see a Stevens 200 in 30-06 being a bit blah, but a nice old pre 64 or Browning Safari would be another story.

Consider the very common LE 303 British. Here in Canada there are untold 1000s of them, most bubba sporterized. I could see that combo being a bit boring, but a nice old Lee Speed in 303 would fast become a long term keeper and very cool to boot, not boring.

It's the gun, not the chambering.
 
SuperCub said:
If anyone owns a 30-06 and thinks it's boring, they are owning the wrong rifle not the wrong chambering. I could see a Stevens 200 in 30-06 being a bit blah, but a nice old pre 64 or Browning Safari would be another story...
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My two are a Ruger M77 MKII Express and a Browning B-78 Octagon... I don't find either to be "boring."
 
Safari in '06'..... my old moose rifle. I hunt deer these days ..... at 30 yards so it doesn't come out so often. But if I ever need it, it'll do a job on anything. I won't part with that gun .
 
Think of it this way, talking about only the cartridge now. How can a cartridge be boring that has the most factory ammo available ANYWHERE, most reloading components, most powder bullet combinations, most rifle platforms built for it and is capable of taking any game, on the north american continent. If you only had one rifle, I could think of several cartridges that would be boring, but not the 30-06 cartridge.
 
SuperCub said:
If anyone owns a 30-06 and thinks it's boring, they are owning the wrong rifle not the wrong chambering. I could see a Stevens 200 in 30-06 being a bit blah, but a nice old pre 64 or Browning Safari would be another story.

Consider the very common LE 303 British. Here in Canada there are untold 1000s of them, most bubba sporterized. I could see that combo being a bit boring, but a nice old Lee Speed in 303 would fast become a long term keeper and very cool to boot, not boring.

It's the gun, not the chambering.
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I have 2 m70’s one 30-06, and one 7mm-08. The 30-06 sits most of the time. The 7mm-08 is so much better in my eyes. Even built a custom 7mm-08 I like it so much.
Love the m70’s wish my 30-06 was a different clambering. One day I’ll rebarrel it
 
i do have a left hand ruger hawkeye with a laminated stock. whatever i feed her she is plain boring accurate: but i really her while a little heavy. not the fanciest but works great for me.
 
hometownhero said:
I have 2 m70’s one 30-06, and one 7mm-08. The 30-06 sits most of the time. The 7mm-08 is so much better in my eyes ...
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I do like my M70 SG in .30-06, mostly because of the shiny gloss bluing and the swirly grain of the walnut stock.
As far as using it, it would punch holes in paper and drop game on Vancouver Island as well as anything I guess ... but it is a tad heavy to carry all day.

Most of my 7mm-08's (e.g. W70 EW, Sako Finnlight, Kimber Montana, etc.) are a pound or 3 lighter in weight ... making them much more pleasant to carry while hunting. But, outside of hunting season, I can comfortably shoot the 7mm-08 at the range all day long - I cannot do that with the .30-06 (torn rotator cuff starts to complain).

BUt ... my .30-06 is not boring, not all. And ... is the "7mm-08 is so much better", I don't think so. My .30-06 just happens to be too heavy and too pretty for me to want to hunt with (hunting Vancouver Island is work - pouring rain/dead-falls to climb over/slippery mud)

On the other hand, if I owned a Kimber Montana 84L in .30-06, I expect that would see a LOT of use.
 
SuperCub said:
How is the 7-08 "so much better"?


What would you re-barrel it to?
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For me the 08 has less recoil, Darn near the same energy at the muzzle and greater energy down range, less powder, less wind drift.

After only having a 30-06 for a big game rifle and shooting 3500+ rounds from it I got bored of the caliber. Loaded for a few other 30-06's and uses within half a grain the same data. Not much fun to that either.
Is it effective? Yup. Is it something I enjoy? No not anymore

As for the rebarrel 280ai, 284, 6.5-284, or even swap the bolt and do 300 win or a 300 ism and shoot 230gr out of it.
 
I own a Lazerguard in 30-06 [plus a couple of other rifles, lol]
This (Howa) shoots everything I put through it very, very well
indeed. A 180 Partition at 2850 is darned effective, or for a bit
more penetration a 200 Partition at 2725. You want flatter? How
about a 150 GMX at 3025? The 165 Scirocco II at 2970 rounds
out the list. The very best part of all this is if I fired 3 shots of
each load at the same target, the maximum spread would be less
than 1½ inches at 100M. Doesn't get much better than that!! Dave.
 
-Savage- said:
... is the "7mm-08 is so much better", I don't think so. My .30-06 just happens to be too heavy and too pretty for me to want to hunt with (hunting Vancouver Island is work - pouring rain/dead-falls to climb over/slippery mud)

On the other hand, if I owned a Kimber Montana 84L in .30-06, I expect that would see a LOT of use.
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im hearing that, i had the 708 prior to my 06 but i much prefer to shoot an load the 708, i have shoulder issues aswell though which makes a fair bias toward one over the other.

the greater thing is i have a 7mm-08 kimber montana................ the 06 is a marlin, right. but i have a 308 Winchester, Montana barrel! i did not want to lose the 7-08 for the 308 even though the 308 is proberly the betterer one for what im doing, the 06 is taking its place an u do notice the extra bolt throw, powder intake and recoil, no doubt.

both fantastic deer rifles
 
At some point - any caliber becomes boring...often we change just for the sake of changing....imho...

Jeronimoe83 said:
Well, I have a nice Winchester Model 70 CRF 30-06 that my dad gave to me when I was 12. Ive had it for a few years and its collecting dust. Dont use it. Find it sort if boring. Any reason why I shouldnt re-barrel it to a 6.5-.284 Norma for my sheep hunting trips I do every summer?
I sort of lost interest in 30-06 ever since pops started calling it a pea shooter when I waa a young buck. Of course he shot a 300 win mag. Will re-loading the ‘06 turn it into a screamin demon?:confused:
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hometownhero said:
For me the 08 has less recoil, Darn near the same energy at the muzzle and greater energy down range, less powder, less wind drift.
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I pulled out a Nosler manual to look at similar bullets from each. I chose common middle weight NBTs 140s for the 708 and 165s for the 06 both at top listed velocity of 2900fps. The ballistics are pretty much exactly the same.

Both do have some minor advantages over the other but neither is really that "much better" .
 
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