School me on .30-06

[luke moffat]

2650 is all the faster that a book load of IMR 4350 will push a 180 Hornady from my '06.

Obviously all I use that load for is to punch paper and field position practice. Clearly not something I would take hunting. I've got real loads for that. .

HAHA....yeah it would be absurd to hunt with something that shoots slo mo

 

[mtnwrunner]

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?

Well, congrats! Great choice and you'll have a hoot shooting the boring 06
I am in the RL 17 camp and shoot 185 bergers---deadly combination.
I won't post my powder weight as I would get slammed for it but it is close to what Steve said. You have to work up to it and every rifle is different.

Randy

 

[matthewmt]

Does anyone have experience with a shortened bbl in -06?
18-20", Shorter.?
curious how it would perform considering how many shorter bbl 308s are out there.
Looking at getting into a more mountain rifle type probably a tikka but wonder what bbl length is optimal.

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[ethan4895]

Well the 30 06 springfield is a excellent all around caliber for any north American big game and some African dangerous game

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[AdamW]

I was a pretty lucky kid. Within a price range and barring something stupid my dad let me pick my deer/hunting rifle when I was 13 (after a few years of using his). I picked a Remington 700 in .270 Win. I chose .270 because it was a good deer cartridge yet was something "different than dad's" which was a .30-06. If I had it to do over again I'd buy a .30-06. The range of bullets is amazing and it just works.

 

[Stid2677]

Okay,, this thread needs some color. The old 06 can be sexing looking too.

My favorite 2 06s and my wife's 280ai.

I don't think this Grizzly thought the 06 was too much.

Sheep

 

[Stid2677]

Sheep taken at 500 yards,, they bolted after my buddy pulled a Blue Falcon. Still plenty of energy to bring home the meat with a clean kill.

200 yard rapid fire group,, mine like H4350 too. The 06 and 4350 goes together like PB&J.

Steve

 

[rileybassman]

Stid, you always have the nicest picks for every scenario Thanks!

Was that a 180 in the grizz?

 

[Stid2677]

Stid, you always have the nicest picks for every scenario Thanks!

Was that a 180 in the grizz?

Yes Sir,, 180 grain Acc-U-Bomb,, same load as posted above. Through the boiler into the away leg, broke the bone and was stopped by the hide.

Here are a few 180 grain Accubonds I have recovered from various animals.

 

[rileybassman]

Very, Very impressive Makes me second think running TTSX's... but I love em and they are super accurate in my rig and have accounted for a couple elk and quite a few deer.

That's one of the most impressive 06 success stories I have seen... seems all the mags buy you is distance over an 06...

How far was that shot?

 

[Stid2677]

Very, Very impressive Makes me second think running TTSX's... but I love em and they are super accurate in my rig and have accounted for a couple elk and quite a few deer.

That's one of the most impressive 06 success stories I have seen... seems all the mags buy you is distance over an 06...

How far was that shot?

The Grizzly was about 200 yards, maybe just a bit closer as I remember, he was an old guy and had been hanging around without trouble. He got a smell of my sheep meat and would not take no for an answer.

 

[Stid2677]

This thread made me remember an old post I made in 2010. That was about the time I was rethinking the old 06.

I have recently been rethinking how I feel about different brands and calibers of rifles. I would be the first to admit that I have bought brands and selected calibers based much on emotion and the opinions of others. For years I have shunned the venerable 30-06 Springfield, for no good reason other than in my youth, my Uncle told me it was not a very good choice for deer. It would seem that brand and caliber loyalties run deep and appear to be handed down from father to son. For the last few years I have made an effort to expand my comfort zone and try some new brands and calibers as well as different platforms, ie bolt rifles, lever guns, and even auto-loaders.

I wasn't raised around rifles other than a few shotguns and 22s. I learned to hunt big game with a bow and have only been rifle hunting for the last 10 years or so. Being raised in the south, to me a 300 Win Mag was a BIG BORE. I also made the mistake of shooting a .338 Win Mag that was improperly setup and had the recoil of a Howitzer. That experience made me recoil shy for years. As a matter of fact, I have only recently discovered that not all large bores recoil as extremely.

I recently purchased a Marlin Guide Gun in 45 70 Gov. It is still early to say that I'm in love, but I do really like the feel and handling of it and I found the recoil on this ported model to by quite manageable.

I'm going to continue to experiment with different brands and calibers, however I'm seeing a trend starting to develop. For me the Winchester Model 70 in CRF seems to be my bolt rifle of choice.

So what are your rifle prejudices and why?

Steve

 

[micus]

I, Like many others, have had wicked success with H4350 and 168's.

Specifically the Barnes and hornady- all flavors sst, amax, TSX, TTSX etc.

I started with min load and worked my way up to sticky bolt, then back down a grain. Even my humble little savage axis will get 5 rds to touch at 100 with this setup.

Good luck with the winnie, I think my next gun will probably be exactly what you just got yourself, that an a 6 x leupold. Kick it old school.

Mike.

EDIT: I forgot you had asked what we'd shot with the 06. All I have shot with mine was a black bear. He was shot with the TSX h4350 combo and it was like someone turned the lights out on him, died where he stood.

 

[WoodBow]

stid, thanks for sharing all the pics and info. I have enjoyed this thread.

One rifle prejudice i have is that I do not like .270 and it is for a silly reason. I have shot a lot of various game in texas with a .243 growing up. I never had to trail a single animal that i can remember besides one poorly hit pig. Well a buddy of mine needed some cash so i loaned it to him and took his remington pump .270 as collateral. While I had it I shot a coyote with it and it ran off 50-75 yds and I had to trail it. It had so little reaction at the shot that I thought I had missed it. It probably had a lot to do with the particular bullet but to this day I do not want a .270 even though it is a highly validated round.

 

[belly-deep]

stid, thanks for sharing all the pics and info. I have enjoyed this thread.

One rifle prejudice i have is that I do not like .270 and it is for a silly reason. I have shot a lot of various game in texas with a .243 growing up. I never had to trail a single animal that i can remember besides one poorly hit pig. Well a buddy of mine needed some cash so i loaned it to him and took his remington pump .270 as collateral. While I had it I shot a coyote with it and it ran off 50-75 yds and I had to trail it. It had so little reaction at the shot that I thought I had missed it. It probably had a lot to do with the particular bullet but to this day I do not want a .270 even though it is a highly validated round.

Elmer Keith once called the 270 a barely adequate coyote round. Maybe he was on to something?

 

[Yellowknife]

As I mentioned before, one perk of the '06 (and similar "medium" rounds) is that they will work well with most bullet types. A few I've used over the years:


Started out with 180 gr Speer Mag-tips, because that's what my dad used. A very reliable bullet at 2720 fps. Used them quite a bit.


Plain handloaded 180 Hornady Interlocks stacked up some caribou for me when I got started handloading on my own.


180 Accubonds in Winchester factory loads did well on grizz, sheep, caribou and moose for a few years. Very hard to go wrong with that bullet.




During the component shortage, I was reduced to 180 SST's... and they worked fine too. Broke bone and exited on this cow moose.


Buddy dropped this one with good old Remington Core-Loks. One and done.

 

[Yellowknife]

175 LRX have decked a couple moose for me. Not really a long range bullet in the '06, but penetration was always good enough.


Dad used a 180 gr NPT on this one. Always a classic choice


I also experimented with heavier 200 gr NPT on several animals. Blew through a goat as expected, but I caught three of them in brown bear and a moose They worked very well, but I'm not sure they are really any noticeable improvement over the 180's.


Messed with some Berger 168's. They shot great, and decked goat and caribou for me. Got four out of four exits.



Have also witnessed kills using 220 gr RN Rem and 150 gr Speers on the ends of the spectrum, and probably several others I didn't notice or forgot. A very non-finicky round with it comes to picking ammo. If a bullet manufacturer makes a .308 projectile that doesn't work at '06 speeds, it was a failure indeed. Currently messing with 200 gr ELD-X, just because.... Those suckers shoot surprisingly fast and flat, although I'm not sure I'll ever be able to tell the difference in the field.

 

[rbljack]

been shooting a 30-06 savage 110 since 1989, first rifle I bought, and have used it on whitetails, mule deer, and elk so far. But I bought that caliber because it seemed (to me anyways) that it was the most versatile cartridge for anything in North America. Im sure it could be debated of course, but that black synthetic stock gun has been through hell and just keeps on ticking. The only complaint I had has the trigger on mine. They have since come out with the accu trigger which greatly improved things.

Anyways, Ive run 165 and 180 grain through mine typically. Ballistic tips for smaller whitetails at long range. Accubonds/Nosler Partition for Mulies, and elk. I sight mine in 2.5" high at 100 yards, and im set

 

[robtattoo]

Just an fyi.... The Rifle Basix Sav2 trigger is the best $80 you'll spend on any pre-accutrigger Savage.

Sent from a mountain somewhere, using telepathy.

 

[brushape]

My last o6 kill was this gnarly old boar I jumped in some tall grass at very close range, felt like something from Africa after it all went down

Just barely fit in the back of my Subaru


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