How much longer before the 30-06 becomes an "antique?"

[16Bore]

30-06 gangsta’s don’t worry ‘bout shit ‘cause 30-06 gangsta’s don’t worry.

Damn it feels good to be a gangsta....

 

[grizz_bait]

the hunting industry is driven by trends just like any other outdoor industry. this forum moreso than any other hunting forum is reflective of market trends. rokslide is mostly a long-range shooting forum. the 30-06 isn't new and exciting and is a poor caliber for 1000-yard shots so most people here don't talk about it. instead, they'll talk about mounting a 2 pound, 5-25 scope on a 5 pound rifle. and then only use that rifle for shooting animals at 200 yards. when making comments about the 30-06 not being a frequently recommended hunting caliber, consider your source.

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

The 30-06 is a solid choice if you are only going to own 1-3 rifles. In reality, how many people own that few rifles especially on this site?

I do have a 30-06 and will never part ways with it due to it being my first rifle. However, the only time I consider taking the 30-06 on a hunt is for black bear. For every other animal that I hunt and where I hunt them, I have better options.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

I have a few 30-06 rifles and they get used every year. I’d say the 30-06 is more or less my go to rifle, I hunt with it, reload for it and enjoy shooting it at the range. I see a lot of 30-06 rifles here in my neck of the woods.

 

[_Scooter_]

Interesting responses. In my view, not really in line with the amount of discussion on this board about the '06. I almost never see anyone asking or talking about or building an '06 here. Usually the only '06's I see here are for sale. It would be interesting to know among the member here, what % of them actually consider their '06 their primary hunting rifle.

I enjoyed mine while I had it. If it had been in a heavier rifle, I would have enjoyed it even more. LOL

Agree, but as a new member here, new to hunting and new to rifles (but not new to firearms), it seems like there's a large number of the community on here that is all about the "latest and greatest". They gotta have the newest bougie camo, the absolute best (most expensive) packs, nothing except the most expensive glass will do, and the current flavor of the month calibers otherwise why bother.

I got a few smarmy replies when I disclosed that my first (and only) rifle is a .30-06. Some just couldn't come to terms and comprehend why I went with a .30-06. I actually pondered over it for a couple months, did a ton of reading and research and spoke to quite a few friends that are hunters, ex-military, visited a bunch of LGS, etc. I also don't wear flat-brimmed baseball hats. It just seems like everyone has the caliber that they like and when someone else has chosen a different caliber they're automatically wrong or crazy for choosing something different.

I want to learn to hunt. I dont want a rifle made for the range. I don't want to film my outings while I'm wearing the highest priced camo out there trying to land a sponsorship or be a social media influencer. I don't want to reload. I don't care about dialing in or tweaking a rifle to shoot tiny groups at 1,000 yards. I don't want to modify a stock rifle and/or dump a bunch of money in it with aftermarket stocks and replace every single part on the rifle to where it't nothing close to what it was when I bought it. Not into crazy expensive scopes that could see a flea on a deers are a mile away, and spend more time tinkering with the gun on my kitchen table than actually going out and hunting.

I just wanted a solid workhorse of a hunting rifle that I can sight it in at the range, figure out which production ammo works best with it and then be done with all that and put more time and effort toward learning how to actually hunt.

 

[_Scooter_]

The 30-06 is a solid choice if you are only going to own 1-3 rifles. In reality, how many people own that few rifles especially on this site?

Me.

 

[16Bore]

I’m down to 3 centerfire rifles and had to turn in my rifle looney card. But what a stack of f’n cash the others turned into!

 

[RadScorpy]

People keep saying 30-06 will die... we are still waiting

 

[menhaden_man]

Chuck Hawks compiled a list a few years ago... gonna be real hard knocking a top three cartridge off the list.

This was a few years ago, but still interesting how a few of the Rokslide favorites are absent.

The 10 Best Selling Centerfire Rifle Cartridges

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Agree, but as a new member here, new to hunting and new to rifles (but not new to firearms), it seems like there's a large number of the community on here that is all about the "latest and greatest". They gotta have the newest bougie camo, the absolute best (most expensive) packs, nothing except the most expensive glass will do, and the current flavor of the month calibers otherwise why bother.

I got a few smarmy replies when I disclosed that my first (and only) rifle is a .30-06. Some just couldn't come to terms and comprehend why I went with a .30-06. I actually pondered over it for a couple months, did a ton of reading and research and spoke to quite a few friends that are hunters, ex-military, etc. I also don't wear flat-brimmed baseball hats. It just seemed like everyone has the caliber that they like and when someone else has chosen a different caliber they're automatically wrong or crazy for choosing something different than they chose.

I want to learn to hunt. I dont want a rifle made for the range. I don't want to film my outings while I'm wearing the highest priced camo out there trying to land a sponsorship or be a social media influencer. I don't want to reload. I don't care about dialing in or tweaking a rifle to shoot tiny groups at 1,000 yards. I don't want to modify a stock rifle and/or dump a bunch of money in it with aftermarket stocks, parts, crazy expensive scopes, new barrels, etc. and spend more time tinkering that actually going out and hunting.

I just wanted a solid workhorse of a hunting rifle that I can sight it in at the range, figure out which production ammo works best with it and then be done with all that and put more time and effort toward learning how to actually hunt.

when I first moved to AK, I had to bring one rifle with me and one rifle only, I didn’t have the extra space or cash at the time to bring several gun cases along full of cool stuff, I had one single gun case and that was it. I picked a 30-06 with a 3-9 scope and a Ruger 44mag. That’s all I had for a few years and I was able to get moose and caribou every year with it, never wished I had anything else, I just shot federal factory loads with 180g partitions and 200g TBBCs and didn’t think much of it.

that was several years ago now, I’ve gotten much more settled in here in AK and have bought more guns since then but I still use the 06 more often than not. I have a 6.5 creed that I don’t use all that much, a few mountain rifles but my main use rifles are 30-06s. You just can’t go wrong.

 

[Rob5589]

The 30-06 is a solid choice if you are only going to own 1-3 rifles. In reality, how many people own that few rifles especially on this site?

I only have two, one is really for my daughter, 7/08 & 7RM. Kinda want an '06 now...

 

[Mike Islander]

308 Win is damn near 70 years old (1952) and I believe more popular than ever. As well, the 30-06 isn't going anywhere. That is my best guess and only based on my love of the 30-06, even though I own a 6.5CM too.

 

[RS3579]

It’ll be to long from now. None of us will ever know. My guess it’ll probably never go away.

 

[maj]

I think this thread has inspired me to make my new build a .30-06. Will be my first one.

 

[Wapiti1]

7X57 is antique? My wife has one and I have 2. I don't have trouble finding ammo.

This weekend I finished building a 30-06 on a Howa action. That gives me 3 of them. One is a double rifle, one is in Montana so I don't have to take a rifle when I hunt with family back home, and this new one that I built just because I had an extra action sitting on the bench. Oh, and the 30-06 is a good choice. Always.

Jeremy

 

[Oldffemt]

30-06 has been my go to for 20+years. I love it when midwestern guys tell me it’s not enough gun for elk and then proceed to miss the broadside of the barn with their brand new magnum rifle.....repeatedly. 30-06 has plenty to offer for any game on this continent and both my boys are now shooting them too, so I guess it’ll probably be around for At least another 50 years or so.

 

[dreamingWest]

I recommend a 30-06 all the time. But I usually don't waste the effort on an online caliber debate. I'm a big researcher, reloader, and gear tester. When it came time for me to settle on a caliber for western hunting I went with a Barrett Fieldcraft in 30-06. With modern bullets and powders, it checks every box for a hunting rifle.

And it is sexy! A properly loaded 30-06 always reminds me of the Saturn 5.

 

[Shortstop07]

I've always been a big fan of the 7x57 Mauser round. I love it's history, it's efficiency and how far ahead of it's time the caliber was. 100+ years later, it can hang with anything made.

But it's an antique. You can barely find factory ammo for it anymore, and the action length is an antique too. So these days I shoot the 7mm-08 which is the closest "modern" equivalent.

Someday, the venerable 'aught six' is going to join the 7x57 Mauser in the "antique" category, relegated to a handful of romantic hunters, collectors and military buffs. Most folks have already moved on, and in another generation, I bet we see very, very few '06's in the field.

I'm not sure what constitutes an "antique" caliber, but at what point do you think it's going to start becoming hard to find '06 ammo?

20 years? 50? 100?

There is only so much room on the Wal-mart ammo shelf, and with the 6.5 CM taking up more room every day, something's gotta give.

That gun and it's cheap ammo aren't going anywhere. Terrific all around chamber and you can find that ammo in any dive store in a small town. Can't say the same for our 7mm 08 6 mm and 6.5 CM. So hard getting ammo for that in even bigger cities here in Idaho.

 

[Newtosavage]

The 30-06 is a solid choice if you are only going to own 1-3 rifles. In reality, how many people own that few rifles especially on this site?

I keep trying! LOL

 

[Newtosavage]

Agree, but as a new member here, new to hunting and new to rifles (but not new to firearms), it seems like there's a large number of the community on here that is all about the "latest and greatest". They gotta have the newest bougie camo, the absolute best (most expensive) packs, nothing except the most expensive glass will do, and the current flavor of the month calibers otherwise why bother.

I got a few smarmy replies when I disclosed that my first (and only) rifle is a .30-06. Some just couldn't come to terms and comprehend why I went with a .30-06. I actually pondered over it for a couple months, did a ton of reading and research and spoke to quite a few friends that are hunters, ex-military, etc. I also don't wear flat-brimmed baseball hats. It just seemed like everyone has the caliber that they like and when someone else has chosen a different caliber they're automatically wrong or crazy for choosing something different than they chose.

I want to learn to hunt. I dont want a rifle made for the range. I don't want to film my outings while I'm wearing the highest priced camo out there trying to land a sponsorship or be a social media influencer. I don't want to reload. I don't care about dialing in or tweaking a rifle to shoot tiny groups at 1,000 yards. I don't want to modify a stock rifle and/or dump a bunch of money in it with aftermarket stocks, parts, crazy expensive scopes, new barrels, etc. and spend more time tinkering that actually going out and hunting.

I just wanted a solid workhorse of a hunting rifle that I can sight it in at the range, figure out which production ammo works best with it and then be done with all that and put more time and effort toward learning how to actually hunt.

Scooter, I'm probably more like you than most members here if I'm being honest, but I don't regret getting into handloading. It's a fun hobby. I don't do it because I want to shoot flies off boulders at 1000 yards. I do it because it's fun and I enjoy shooting, and reloading lets me shoot 3x as much for the same $. That's all.

When I bought my stainless Tikka T3x 30-06, it was to do exactly what you described above. One and done western hunting rifle. At least, that was the idea.