30-06 varmint gun????

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I have a 30-06, along with the dies, press, tons of different weight bullets, powders, primers, etc. I don't think I have much interest anymore in hunting deer, etc. But I am keen to shoot a groundhog or gopher.

What do you fellow forumites think about using my 30-03 for varmints. I know it will be more expensive to shoot than a 22-250 or 223. As well there is the noise and recoil. And yes it will be overkill. But I have a few hundred 110 gr. bullets, that are good for varmints. Years ago, when I lived in Saskatchewan, we shot gopher with lead bullets out of centerfire rifles. If I recall we used to shoot about 1200 fps and did not have any leading problems.

I am all set up for the 30-06 and don't know if it is worth it to start all over in a varmint caliber.

Opinions please.
 
My understanding is that there are caliber restrictions in parts of Ontario, I'm not sure if this would apply to you. The .30/06 can be a fine varmint cartridge if you have a fairly accurate rifle and an appropriate scope. I haven't had much success with 110 gr bullets, but some folks who post here say they have got fine accuracy with them. The Speer 130 gr HP would be an excellent choice, and when loaded to the top velocity it tends to be fairly explosive which is useful for limiting ricochets. The 125 gr spitzers from Sierra and Hornady also shoot pretty well. Cast bullets loaded to moderate velocity, say 1200-1800 fps would be fine for pelt hunting or small game.
 
I think in your area you can't use anything greater than .270 caliber on small game and varmints. Check the regs to be sure.
 
varmints with 30-06

I used to regularly use a 30-'06 for rockchucks in Southern Idaho, also a 7x57
Results were spectacular when you got a chuck against a rock!:D
 
I used my 30-06 for varminting before I bought my first dedicated varminter. My rifle was most accurate with the 130 gr Speer hollow points. I've tried the Accelerators mentioned above... accuracy was awful, but on the rare time I connected, the terminal performance was pretty gruesome!
 
"...a 55 grain "Accelerator"...jacketed in some kind of plastic..." Accelerator's have poor accuracy out of most rifles. They have a plastic sabot, not a jacket.
.30 calibre 110 grain bullets are made for the M1 Carbine. Work up a load with 125 or 130 grain bullets.
"...keen to shoot a groundhog or gopher..." There are no gophers in Ontario. Ground hogs are a true hibernator and have gone to bed for the winter. They won't be out until Spring. Exactly when depends on how harsh the winter is this year. The earliest I've ever shot one was right at the beginning of March. Meanwhile, there are coyotes and fox. Use a commercial fmj(not the same thing as a milsurp bullet) if you want to keep the hides. You must have a small game licence to hunt either too. And you need a 'game seal' for coyotes. Read the pages 74 to 76 of the hunting regs.
"....275 max caliber in Southern Ontario...." It's not all of Southern Ontario and it's a municipal by-law thing. Some of 'em say nothing greater than .270 too. Definitely check your local by-laws.
 
Up your way the caliber restriction likely dosen't apply but you should make sure. Apart from that your /06 will provide some fine chuck shooting. The 110's and the also available 125's should just about lift a chuck 6ft off the ground. That's where the bigger calibers shine, CARNAGE. I even use a .375 from time to time. I'm not sure what overkill is;)
 
Thanks for all the replies. I am aware of the .270 or smaller caliber in Southern Ontario or at least parts of it.

I was more interested in opinions of people that had used or are using a 30-06 for varmints. I will try 125 gr. or 130 gr. at the range and see how they group.

Thanks
 
I use 110gr SP loaded to 30/30 in my 300 WinMag. No recoil, very accurate, groundhogs drop dead without being atomized as with a full load 300.
Reloading opens up all sorts of possibilities and makes your rifle more versatile.
I reload 300's with recipies for .308, 30-30, 30-06... there is also a wide selection of bullet weights for these calibers.
Experiment and have fun, just be careful not to "download" too low from your actual caliber. The pros say you can safely reduce loads to 50% of the maximum for a given powder in your rifles caliber.
 
Ive shot 110 gr over RL15 powder for 3300-3400 fps in 3 different 30-06 rifles, and it was accurate in all. I used hornady vmax - never did actually take them out for varmints (coyotes) though!
 
When I was still an apprentice in the Automotive Repair Industry, I made crappy wages, so felt the cruel pinch of want a few times. It meant owning 3 firearms only; a 12 ga shotty, a 22 rimfire and one centerfire. At the time I owned a Remington 700 Bolt action Carbine [20" barrel]in 30-06. I developed a load with the 130 Speer HP using H4895. Never 'graphed the load, but it was very accurate in that rifle, and was it h*** on Columbia Ground Squirrels. They would literally disintegrate on contact with that bullet. A buddy & I often hunted them in high country which would still harbor patches of snow in June, and if you shot one of them on a snow patch, it would paint the whole patch pink. As you may well imagine, recoil was heavier, and the noise factor was up, but we had a ball anyway. My pal's rifle was also a 30-06, a Winchester 670, and we used the same load in it, for similar results. Regards, Eagleye
 
110 gr SP

todbartell said:
Ive shot 110 gr over RL15 powder for 3300-3400 fps in 3 different 30-06 rifles, and it was accurate in all. I used hornady vmax - never did actually take them out for varmints (coyotes) though!
Click to expand...

I just started to experiment with 110 gr Hornady's. I used 61.5 gr S355 which is a little slower than Rel15. Any hotter and I will run out of case capacity, no signs of pressure though. What was your maximum Rel 15 load in grains?

I get MOA 3-shot groups which is surprising, because my rifle hates 125 gr Sako factory ammo.
 
I have just

recently been playing with 110gr V-max's out of my 30-06. I am using Varget and am getting over 3400 fps. I was blown away with how accurate they were.

I am off this week for whitetails and will see if I can call in a yote or 2 to try them out.
 
Big Guy said:
I think in your area you can't use anything greater than .270 caliber on small game and varmints. Check the regs to be sure.
Click to expand...

Does not effect Eastern Ontario, only Western areas.

I'll be using my .308 this winter for yotes, loaded with 110gr Vmax. Not quite as fast as the '06 varmint, but should at least be entertaining...:)
 
When I first started reloading I only had a 30-06 rifle I loaded every available bullet weight.

My favorite bullets were Sierra 110gr HP's they would put a 30 cal hole into the chest of a coyote and blow up and shread the off side chest/hide.

Definately not a fur friendly bullet... :)
 
I was scouting through some grassy clear cuts last spring with my trusty iron sited Ruger #1 and came across a gopher mound. One of the little buggers kept sticking his head up for about two seconds then he would duck down behind a little berm, I was about 75 yards away and couldn't get a clear shot off. I held about eight inches low and slammed a 500 grain hornady right through the hill and got him. #1 tropical 458 W.M. I believe you should always use enough gun.
 
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