School me on .30-06

I've got a 20". Moly'd 208 Amax at 2600 fps via RL-17.

WDZFMpc.jpg

Looks good! Did you just spray paint it?
 
On the eve of putting a new one in the safe, I am reminiscing about the 06' and my long time o session...
When I was 13, in 83', I bought an old, beat up 721 in 06'. It was my first "real rifle"... as the old iron sighted 30-30 I was killing bears with for the previous 4 years just didn't have that feel... even though the Bears and the blacktail didn't seem to know that!

Anyhow, dropped a $40 Tasco on that 06' and proceeded to start killing stuff.

Now, 35 years later, blacktail, mule deer, whitetail, black bear, antelope, elk, bighorn sheep, mountain lion, and moose have all fell to mostly 168 grainers... although a few 165s and a few 180s.

Nothing long range. I think a bearcat about 350 is the longest. Most game fell at 70-150 yards.

So, I want to order this lightweight mountain gun.... and they don't sell it in 06'... wtf? They sell it in 270. They sell the blued wood version in 06'....

I want the gun! I wonder if I can just slap an 06' barrel on the 270 version?

Or, do I make the switch... 308, 7-08, 65 Creed?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
The model 11 holds up just as well ;) You can save some cash & ½oz by selling the wood stock ($150 on eBay) & replacing it with Tupperware ($40, same place)

Sent from a mountain somewhere, using telepathy.
 
I love the 30-06 and have shot everything from gophers, to coyotes, to deer, antelope, elk, and black bear with it. I use either the 165 gr. Partition or the 165 gr. Accubond with everything. Winchester brass, Federal 210 match primers, and 57.4 grs. of IMR4350 has been the ticket for me. It shot the same in a Remington 700 ADL I first started out with and now works equally as well in my Ruger 1B. Either bullet is great and IMR4350 and H4350 are great powders. I never tried anything else because this worked so well I did not see the reason to even try.

Best of luck. You will like the 30-06!!
 
I've heard it said, in fact, I've said it myself, that the .30 caliber of 1906 is the finest, most versatile cartridge in the world.
I always felt justified in parroting this pearl of wisdom, because logic &, frankly, hundreds of thousands of people prove it to be true.
However I always felt a wee tad hypocritical saying this, as a complete caliber whore, because until today....I've never actually owned one.
I've bought several, but only because it's the cheapest way to buy a Savage that I've immediately rebarrelled to something sleeker, sexier, faster, bigger etc... I've never actually touched a single round of from an '06. In. My. Life

So now as the immensely proud owner of an American classic, the Rifleman's Rifle, the venerable Winchester model 70, lovingly nestled in a stunning, quilted walnut stock; I need someone to school me on the rascal.

What bullets work for which critter?
What powders are giving the best, consistent loads?
Who likes what brass?
What've you shot, how far was it & how happy were you with the performance?
Who wants to buy a Savage 110 in .280ai? ;)
Why did I have the visceral urge to buy this thing?
Is it compulsory to buy a full sized 1911 now?
Shouldn't it have come with a Greencard?

on the 1911, YES !! I am using a new laptop and away from home so I didn't read other posts, forgive me if I'm parroting other commentary ..... in it's purest form the 30.06 and 180's is the quintessential hunting combo BUT due to the newest generation of hyper-efficient HUNTING bullets that we now have 165 & even 150 premiums I dare say will do the job just as well with less "kick" and a bit better trajectories - the list of good powders for the '06 is too long to even ponder - Don't feel traitorous in your journey to arrive at the venerable 30.06, as all of us become longer in the tooth (and much wiser) it will occur a high percentage of us that shooting a 30.06 just simply makes more good sense
 
This is my pet load, near max so work up. With modern powders the old 06 gets near 300WM velocity. Feeds like a dream and you can find ammo anywhere, about the widest range of bullet sizes of any chambering even reduce recoil loads for stating new shooters. Killed about everything in Alaska with mine. If I had to sell all my rifles, but one. My Kimber Mountain Ascent in 06 would be the one I would keep.

200 yard group.

IMG_0759_zps1b086c5b.jpg
How does your 30-06 compare to your .280 ai in accuracy and recoil? Thanks
 
You have to love the 30-06! If I could only have one high-powered rifle, give me the 06 all day, every day!
 
3AF2D269-4340-47CD-977D-FBA70AA2A6A2.jpeg
Mmmmkay... this is a dick. The thirty aught six raffle cartridge has been responsible for putting a lot of these in the dirt...mmmmkay? So to sum up, thirty aught six is good mmmmkay? Drugs er bad, mmkay? And 6.5 Creedmoor is a drug, mmmkay?
 
I have two of em... my old war horse ‘63 Remy 700, and a young colt that shows a lot of promise T3x SS rattle can paint job. 5CE9038B-F93A-4828-8148-096801C9214C.jpeg

4A503609-249B-4B15-B063-95229F8097BB.jpeg
 
Since I posted this, the Winchester got moved on to someone who was happy to give me a significant profit. However, it was replaced very quickly with a stainless T3x/SWFA combo, which remains my favorite 'out west' gun.
So far it's racked up a cow elk, several whitetail & a couple of hogs, all with the same 165gn Partition over H4350 load.

It continues to amaze me just how boringly....good, this combo seems to be. It's accurate as hell & there isn't a critter walking is have qualms about poking with it.
 
I’ve found that a 30-06 loaded with 180gr Partitions pushed at nearly 2800fps is rarely a bad choice for the vast majority of big game hunting I’ll ever do. Flat enough to make 400 yard shots simple, not so fast to cause excessive meat damage or bullet failure at close range, and easily tolerable recoil. It just works.
 
Back
Top