Is 30-06 still a decent round?

Jet A-1

Jet A-1

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Yesterday I was at a local gunshop and saw a one only special on a new Stevens 200 chambered in 30-06 (for $300)... old stock or left over, something like that. Anyway it got me thinking about that caliber in light of more recent and/or "popular" calibers like 270, 7mm or 300's and the like. Is 30-06 still a decent chambering for big game? d:h: I kind of thought that the deal was good but wasn't really certain about the caliber. Opinions & advice?
 
Jet A-1 said:
Is 30-06 still a decent chambering for big game?
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Nope, not at all. The animals have gotten used to it and just shake it off.

Really? Have you fallen for marketing hype that much? The rounds has been used the world over for 100 plus years and am pretty sure has bagged more game that nay other calibre.
 
Did it change in the last 100 years? In some ways it did, but only for the better. Modern powders and guns have only made it better.

Why would anyone even ask such a question? What crap are you reading?
 
With modern bullets (and powder) the 30/06 is better than ever. If I had to choose only one cartridge for hunting 99% of the world's game, I would pick the 30/06.
 
i find it is a perfect mixture of power/velocity/FPE for big game. all my grandpa has been using for the last 30 sum years has been using in a rem 760 pump 30-06 and in that time hes taken down aprox. 15 moose and uncountless deer, before that he was using a savage 99 in .308win (that he gave to me/my brother) wich has also has aprox. 18 moose and also uncountless deer.
there is also a verry wide variety of ammo selection available for 30-06.
 
Don't misunderstand, I'm not dumping on that particular chambering and I realize it was the same round used by Moses and King Tut. I was just trying to decide if that particular deal was worthwhile when I've been paying more attention to 270 and 7mm rifles. I don't think I've ever given 30-06 a second glance. I don't know anybody with one and have never shot one either.

All we've (my father, his buddies, uncles and then me) ever used for moose and what I've become accustomed to is 303 or 12g slugs...
 
Jet A-1 said:
Don't misunderstand, I'm not dumping on that particular chambering and I realize it was the same round used by Moses and King Tut. I was just trying to decide if that particular deal was worthwhile when I've been paying more attention to 270 and 7mm rifles. I don't think I've ever given 30-06 a second glance. I don't know anybody with one and have never shot one either.
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If the price is right and you like the rifle, buy it. You won't regret the cartridge.
 
StoneHorse said:
With modern bullets (and powder) the 30/06 is better than ever. If I had to choose only one cartridge for hunting 99% of the world's game, I would pick the 30/06.
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I can see this question generates some stong opinions... I may have to go in there tomorrow, get that 200 and see for myself. I've been doing a bit of reading online and tried to dig up a few old articles from my stack of old gun mags.
 
do a little more looking into your 270 and you'll see it's just a 3006 necked down to 277 - not even 7mm ( 284) moreover, these so-called "new" calibers do not have the variety of bullet weights available to the 30 cals- like someone trying to re-invent the wheel-
 
The .270 is a .30-06 with the neck sized down.

The .30-06 offers a better range of choices for heavier bullets.

It is a fine all-around cartridge IMHO.

Jet A-1 said:
Don't misunderstand, I'm not dumping on that particular chambering and I realize it was the same round used by Moses and King Tut. I was just trying to decide if that particular deal was worthwhile when I've been paying more attention to 270 and 7mm rifles. I don't think I've ever given 30-06 a second glance. I don't know anybody with one and have never shot one either.

All we've (my father, his buddies, uncles and then me) ever used for moose and what I've become accustomed to is 303 or 12g slugs...
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Light Infantry said:
I know. i just thought your choice of words were amusing. :p
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I thought it was a funny way to state the question as well. But it seems like when the conversation turns to big game calibers 30-06 doesn't seem to come up as often as "newer" calibers for some reason. All I hear are guys praising the 300WSM and 7mm Remington and quite a few people I know have moved solidly into the 270 camp. Seems like the old 303 is not the old standby it used to be either (I thought it was anyway).
 
t-star said:
do a little more looking into your 270 and you'll see it's just a 3006 necked down to 277 -
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I was going to say that.






I've been using 30.06 since a teenager in the 70s. Of all commercially made ammunition, 30.06 holds the widest variety of bullets and weights on the market.

There are always going to be new calibers on the market, but thats marketing. You can't sell stuff that people already have, you need to create something new. As far as I'm concerned, not very many calibers come close to the versatility of this bullet. I've been dropping animals for almost 35 years with mine. My animals never stopped falling over just cause someone invented something new.
 
I've been shooting, hunting and killing with a 3006 for over 35 years. The last few years I have indulged in a number of different calibers and iterations but in a pure "get it done" sense they are all extras.

When you think 3006 think of a bottleneck cartridge that feeds into actions dependably; kind of like "grass through a goose". Think of a powder capacity that will push most bullets along fast enough to do what needs doing without bruising your shoulder. Think of a cartridge used in two world wars and several police actions over a 50 year period. Think of a cartridge that is good enough to have spawned the 2506, the 6.506, the 270, the 33806, and the 35 Whelan. Heck, many of these "Wildcats" have been around longer than many cartridges out there today.

When I was starting there was no extra money so I had to choose one rifle to do it all - that was the 3006 in a budget Winchester bolt with a cheap Weaver
4x scope.

So in answer to the op's question, yes, the 3006 is still a decent North American big game cartridge and some might argue it is superior to anything you have mentioned.
 
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