The 30-06 is a better cartridge today than when it was first released. Powder development giving better velocities, better constructed bullets, better built actions , barrels and stocks ...
@@paulreid2223 I don't disagree, the cartridge can outperform me. But it is a fact that you can find a newer cartridge that can do anything you want the 30-06 to do, but better. Want to carry more ammo that performs similarly? Grab some 308. Want something better for longer range with less recoil? Plenty of 6 or 6.5 cartridges to choose from. Want something with similar ballistics but is way cheaper to reload? Plenty of that too
@@nk-dw2hm Availability of factory ammo/brass vs the more modern performers ..??? Having your favourite gun, but not able to feed it does happen from time to time ...
The 30-06 will never, ever be obsolete. It is far too versatile to ever be considered such. When all of the pretenders are said and done, the 30-06 will still be there.
My go to all around cartridge is a 30-06. And for hunting in North America, I truly believe all you need is a 30-06, a 12 ga, and a 22LR and your covered. But what fun is that?
It's a Christmas miracle, mixed in with all those wizz bang cartridges you have the lord's cartridge; .30-06. If baby Jesus was a deer hunter, he most certainly would have carried .30-06 bolt rifle.
My grandpa hunted black bear, elk, mule and white tail deer with his 30-06. He passed this year and I inherited his remington 700 bolt action. I can't wait to do the same with my boy!
I've hunted & guided in Colorado and New Mexico over 35 year's, I hunt almost exclusively with a Tikka dirty.06, beware the man that hunts everything with a 30.06, great video guys, thank you
@@kylehill2704 165 grain SST'S if I can find them, but last few years 165 grain Corelokts, if you go to my channel, there's more info, I hunt with a Tikka Superlite too
I still have some Hornady light mag 165 grain that shoot lights out out of my old Weatherby vanguard and a Leopold vxiii 2x8. You don't need all these new smoke poles when ol'faithful still gets it done.
@@kylehill2704 My .06 T-3 ultra-light stainless loves 165 gr. Fusion. A 7 pound 30-06 I can drag through the woods all day without tiring. 1 inch groups @100 yards all day long.
I've used the 06 since 1973. I started out using 165gr bullets because that's what Dad used in his. After a decade or so I became aware of the Barnes 110 gr and 130 gr bullets and have used these exclusively for my rifle season deer hunting. I find my accuracy is much improved with the lighter recoil. Yes I could use my 243 or 6.5 CM but I have so much confidence in the old 30-06 with these bullets out to 400yds. (Even though most shots have been within 50yd here in Michigan).
@@geraldkeyes4851 I've never seen a problem at any range. Through and through on all but one shot. That 110 grain entered in front of the shoulder and traveled through to just under the hide of the rear quarter opposite the entry. That's about 3 feet of penetration. It's also the only Barnes bullet I've ever recovered. It was also 40 yds angled towards me.
The 30-06 remains as it always was, only your perceptions of it changes. There’s a life lesson about constantly chasing the next “better” thing to be had here.
You are extremely lucky you didn't get yourself killed using that deer gun 30-06. In 26 years, I guide hunts in Alaska it was the 30-06 used by clients that always nearly got me killed going to look for wounded animals . There is a book written by a pioneer Alaskan about bear and moose hunting in Alaska, as said in the story's the 30-06 was a real bad choice for large bears and Yukon moose with the author nearly losing his life many times because the 30-06 constantly failed to bring down bears and large Yukon moose.
It requires a very well placed shot or you can have lost animals and it also requires a precisely picked round for what your doing. I say this because over the year's several times I've nearly lost big doe's that had really good shot placement. It's still my main carry but it can go wrong if you're not careful
@@Lure-Benson That's, strange. But also, client hunters aren't often known for being great hunters. Too much money and not enough know-how. I've seen plenty Yukon moose, when presented with a broadside/near-broadside shot, thirty calibre hole on one side, and either a 36-37 calibre hole, or the bullet stuck just under the skin on the other side. You know it's the hunter and not the cartridge when, most of the natives who subsistence hunt up there, either use .303 British, or .22LR and a brainshot, for everything, including moose, polar bear, and muskox. Hell, .30-06 has been used to kill all the big game species, including elephants, in Africa.
@@Lure-Benson The problem isn't the .30-06. It's your clients. You've obviously never lived in rural Alaska. Magnums only become popular in low orbit around the road system. Bush folk rarely use anything larger than the .30-06 unless they're gun geeks.
@@Lure-Benson funny about all those animals routinely taken with no problems with the 30-06. Maybe your problem is your client's can't shoot worth a dang.
Guys my first year handloading for my 30-06 was 61.8gr of superformance powder, hornady 165gr sst bullets, federal gold med match primers, seated .07 off the lands, lapua brass. Consistent velocities of between 2980 and 2990s. The rifle is my weatherby vanguard s2 with Bartlien 24in sporter B 5R barrel, bedded and free floated. And Vortex viper HS 2.5-10X44 scope. A confidence inspiring shooting system. Two very successful hunting trips in Alberta this fall. Like you guys stated, with today's optics, rifles, bullets, cartridges, powders and primers, the old 06 just keeps getting better and better. It will never let you down.
Rod dawe I agree with you on the ought six I only hunt northern Minnesota anymore and I use the ought six or the venerable old thirty thirty reload for both and I like the 165 grn Sierra gameking and the 150 grn Sierra in the thirty thirty never had a shot up here over 350yards
My Weatherby vanguard is almost 40 years old. Topped with a leupold vxiii 2x8. Hornadys old 165 grain light mag loads are the sweet spot at .5" at 200 yds. The korelokts shoot exactly 1 inch low. It is a dream!
I was, recently, gifted my grandfather's Remington 725 30-06. What a beautiful piece of history. It's getting a new scope, and a trip to the deer woods, this fall.
I started with the 30-06, played the cartridge game for several years, 7mm mag, 7mm ultra mag, 300 win mag, 6.5 creedmoore, 308, etc. Im back to the 30-06.
The good ol’ 30-06 is still as relevant as it was when the Springfield Armory folks introduced it. Aside from the attributes the ‘06 possessed, it seems half the great modern cartridges call it a parent or grandparent cartridge, not a bad thing! With new powders and bullets coming into play every year, the 30-06 seems to be good for another century! You guys should give some discussion to the 30-06’s grandparent cartridge, the 7x57! From antelope to elephants, the 7mm Mauser has done it all!
I was surprised when a guide smiled and nodded when he saw my well-used 30-06. He explained it’s comforting to a guide when a rifle looks like its been used and most guys with magnums don’t shoot as much. Made sense.
30-06 is and always be my go to caliber. I like others to but the old 06 just gets it done. Merry Christmas and happy new year and thanks for the great videos.
30-06,308, 270 and 7mm rem mag have always been the “best hunting rounds” up in north east Maine. It all depends on what your dad used and what he passed down to his kids. That’s what made “the best round”. I love all of em. Please do a 10 min talk on 7mm rem mag please!
270 conceptually was a fail. When you neck down to gain velocity and the original cartridge evolves to create higher velocities still, you kinda failed. Obviously it's effective but when you think of their goal.. it failed.
7mm Rem-Mag is an awesome cartridge, flat-shooting and with superb .284-cal. ballistics and SD numbers, but it only tops out around 160-170-grains for hunting loads (there are a few exceptions, but we're talking generalities), which is a consideration if you need something heavier. That said, there are plenty of guys using them for many of the same shots as they would a 30-06 or a 270. 7mm projectiles have better external ballistic performance than most .30-cal./7.62mm projectiles, but that's not normally an issue unless you hunt at ranges past 300-400 yards. Really, it fills the same niche as a 270 (6.8mm), but with more punch. That's my take, anyway. And I like all four of the cartridges you mention....
@@VG-913 I have never had any love for the 270 ...but to call the cartridge a failure means you will be visited by the ghost of Mr.270 Jack O'Connor.....seriously though my grandfather was a through and through 30-06 devotee and my father carried a BAR from the shores of France into Germany so that's where my fondness of the 30-06 comes from
Great Grandfather - Savage 1899 in .303 Savage Grandfather - Savage 1920 in .300 Savage Father - Winchester M70 in .30/06 (He grew up reading Townsend Whelen, G&H was cost prohibitive) Me - Winchester M54 in .270 Win (I grew up reading Jack O'Connor, Pre-64 M70 was cost prohibitive ). I don't think Dad's caliber means that much.
Remington 700 bdl 30-06 is my favorite gun in my safe. I bought it as my first gun purchase 35 years ago, and still pull it out of safe to go hunt occasionally. No telling how many animals harvested in that time. Classic, shiny, beautiful, deadly, and accurate. Hard to beat even with all new stuff out there.
That was my first rifle as well and still have it and hunt with it today. It is deadly accurate. My dad bought it for me as an Christmas gift my first year back from college.
I own and use many other rifles in various chamberings but my all time favorite is my Model 70 .30-06! It is the most well rounded, versatile hunting cartridge ever devised. Excellent video.
Good choice of rifle and cartridge. I, like you, have used many cartridges and rifles, but my favorite is a model 70 30-06. Actually it is two model 70's, a model 70 supergrade and a model 70 sporter coming in second by the slightest hair. My third favorite is a limited edition Browning B78 with beautiful feathercrotch walnut stock, in 30-06. And then there is the model 670 that I picked up in a pawnshop for 200, in 30-06, that has yet to miss an animal. Not so pretty but very functional and reliable. And then the 1917 Enfield in 30-06, that originally belonged to my uncle, my dad started hunting with it and when I got old enough, dad borrowed it from his brother for me to start hunting with. Shortly after that, I inherited it when my uncle passed away. It is basically retired now, but I will keep it till I die. There have been other 06's I have owned and used, but they are gone now. Don't need nine 30-06's, but I just can't part with my favorite 5.
The little quips and banter made this talk hilarious. I feel like I could listen to you guys talk about soup spoons for 20 minutes and you would still find a way to make it entertaining. Keep up the great work guys!
Some of the finest center-fire cartridges still in use for military, hunting and competition purposes are also some of the oldest. There's a lesson in there somewhere that what's new is not always what's best, and that things that stand the test of time do so for a reason. I am a historian, and one of the commonest biases we struggle with as humans and scholars looking at the past is what is called "presentism," i.e. the idea that what is new and modern is always superior to the past. It's simply not true, especially where these cartridges are concerned. 7.62x54R, 30-06, 7x57 Mauser, 8mm Mauser, .308, 6.5x55/Swedish Mauser, .303 British, you name it. All are still putting game down and meat in the freezer.
I'm glad someone also thinks this. Society in general has a lot of new ways that are quite obviously worse than the old ones. Education springs to mind...
The answer is, “Why wouldn’t it be”. My grandfather successfully hunted all of the Rocky Mountain states and Alaska with a Pre-64 Model 70 Featherweight in 30-06 shooting 165 Nosler Partitions leaving the barrel at 2830 fps. ‘Nough said.
@@quietobserver4636 My brother and I both "own" this rifle. In fact, he took a decent bull elk near his home in Wyoming this past fall using that rifle. He used the same load I described.
@@nmelkhunter1 Man that's awesome. My uncle left his boys this exact rifle. Its beat up. It's spent many hours in the east Texas woods. It has a little kick, but its beautiful. A pre-64 action alone is worth $1500. You can't find them at gun shows like you once could. I wish you could share pictures in these comments. I'd like to see your pops rifle. Happy New Year sir. I hope that 22 is a blessed year for you and yours!
The 30-06 is the benchmark by which all other cartridges are judged. There is a reason why it has stuck around so long, and to their point, it just keeps getting better!
Very well said. In my 30 plus years of hunting I’ve never taken the ‘06 to the field. This next coming season will, hopefully, see me bagging a deer and hog or 2 with a nice Remington Model 4 so chambered that I’m just starting to work up a load for the 165gr Speer Grand Slam. And just not 2 even 2 weeks ago I purchased a very nice Interarms Mark X .30-06. It may be a couple of seasons before I use that one. What a couple of gems. Took me long enough
30-06 is the all-around the cartridge for the western hemisphere. 375 H&H magnum is the all-around cartridge for the eastern hemisphere. It's like the cartridge version of Treaty of Tordesillas. Love them both, have them both.
30-06 was the first cartridge I started reloading for too feed my M1. I’ve been seriously considering a bolt gun in 06 to go along with all my wizbang newer chamberings.
@@georgesakellaropoulos8162 I still have the Garand, most don’t realize the modern 06 loads far exceeds the M2 ball ammo issued for the 03 Springfield and M1. I gave my dad a Remington 798 in 30-06 but he quickly realized it wasn’t the same rounds he used in Korea. After he passed I gave the 798 to my youngest son, now I need a modern 06.
My first rifle almost 20 years ago was a Parker Hale in 30:06 that I paid $400 CND with scope, the last 2 animals I've taken were elk, 1 at 225 yards and another at 335 yards both with 180gr Remington Core-Lokts that held good weight retention and neither elk went very far with no follow up shots. It's still my only big game rifle.
I’ve been looking for my next cartridge ever since my .308 tikka had to be taken out of service a few months ago. Looked at all the new PRCs, all the magnums and short mags, and all the “old faithful” hunting cartridges (.308, .270, etc.). After nerding out the past few months on calibers, I’ve come to the conclusion that the 30-06 is the most balanced cartridge for lower 48 hunters. Recoil is manageable, cost of ammo is very reasonable, and it will take all game in the lower 48 out to 400 yards without issue. Works great in a climbing stand in the thick woods of the Southeast and still gets the job done in the prairies of South Dakota. Can’t ask for more than that.
Great round for someone that does not reload their own custom bullets, because you can find a big variety of factory loads for that caliber. It’s just convenient and all around caliber. And their not the cheapest but definitely not the most expensive round so to get into long range on a budget also great choice
Dad bought me a Weatherby Vanguard with a Zeiss scope when I was 16. Lots of dings now but a amazing 30-06 with 165 nobler partitions and a case full of 4831. Just smokes. A great all around rifle to have! Thx!
Actually no. The 3006 was actually made for the 1903 rifle in 1903 and it was called the us cartridge model of 1903 but if fired a 220 grain bullet and when the Germans came up with the 8mm mauser that fired a lighter bullet and out ranged the 03 by quiet a lot America had to rethink the 03 and began loading it with a 150 grain bullet and renamed it the 30-06. It wasn't the 7mm mauser because Germany never used the 7mm in battle. There were several other countries that did but Germany used the 8mm
@@brianmouton196 Then please explain why the US government had to pay royalties to Mauser after the development of both the 30-06 cartridge as well as the rifle firing it because the designes where so similar? I didn't say Germany used it. Clearly stated that they (US Army) decided to develop new cartridge after Spanish American War therefore used by Spain as 7x57. You are correct about Germany using the necked up 8x57.
@@apkotze3608 they had to pay royalties to mauser because the Springfield 1903 was built from the mauser rifle. The us millitary brought in captured mauser rifles off the battlefield and designed the 1903 around it which infringed upon the patent of the mauser rifle and when the first world War happened the us said to heck with Germany and the patent infringements. After doing some research because I have been wrong before it appears that I could be wrong although there is literature backing both of our statements as far as weather it be the 7mm or the 8mm that caused the change to the 3003
Happy to hear that the old '06 still gets a lot of love. I'm planning on picking up a HCAR from Ohio Ordnance this spring so hopefully ammo availability will improve.
I took my 06 out this year after several years with a 7mm08 and a 308. What's there to say? Bang flop as usual. A good 165 grain at 2800-2900 fps is amazing.
Thank you for a great podcast! 30-06 with a 165 gr Hornady interbond @ 2800 fps has served me and my hunting clients very well on african plains game! Zeroed @200 yds it shoots flat and penetrates deep into the vitals.
06' fought to surpass the 30-40 Krag and the 303 Brit, which to this day have probably killed more brown bear in Alaska than any other cartridge. When we dropped bullet weight and got higher velocity the round skyrocketed in popularity. When it was throwing heavy bullets to compete with the 8mm it just wasn't living up to it's actual abilities. Once we went to the 180, and 150gr it began to shine. To this day it still out performed the Krag, Mauser and Brit which have been used to kill everything on the planet. New bullet selections make it probably the most versatile cartridge in history.
I am tempted to buy a gorgeous 1960s bolt action rifle that happens to be chambered in 30-06. A friend’s 30 something year old son has informed me that “the 30-06 is obsolete.” Made me want the rifle even more! 😂
My grandfather was issued an 03A3 in this caliber. My father went through basic and AIT with an M-1 Garand in this caliber. I'm 70 now and have only ever hunted with this caliber. I've missed a few shots, but the cartridge has never failed to perform for me.
I shoot a Ruger M77 MkII with a viper HS 2.5-10 X 44 scope. I reload Barnes TTSX 150gr, Barnes 165gr TSX and Barnes TTSX 180gr TTSX for this setup and it shoots great (sub MOA). And yes I'm 69 years young and was brought up with the mind set that "you get only one gun in life and you better make the right choice". That is the reason most of the old guys go to the 30.06, we are not allowed to have another gun (LOL). I just dial in the scope for the specific round (easy)
I love my M1 Garand! It needs so much work tho. I'm going to frame it and just buy a new one. I know bolt action is lightweight, but there is no greater feeling of POWER than 8 semi auto .30-06 rounds on Deck. Except 20rds on Deck from a BAR!! 💪
On the topic of cartridge family trees, I think it would be awesome if your crew did a 30ish minute talk on the 308 Family (243, 260, 7mm-08, 308, 338 Fed, & 358). and also one on the 30-06 Family (6.5/06, 270, 280, 30/06, 338/06, 8mm/06, & 35 Whelen). Development within these two "families" is actually pretty cool. Each compliments the strengths/ weakness of the others, and there is just enough "overlap" from one to the next. Having the whole 308 Family, I don't really see anything else in the ever expanding world of cartridges I would ever need for hunting here in Michigan, or anywhere east of the Mississippi for that matter. Shoot, a 10 minute talk on just the 338 Federal would make me happy. It has become my favorite "deer woods" cartridge, and has effectively made my 30-30 and 300 savage safe queens. My 338 Fed. and the old clunky Enfield in 303 British accompany me on most hunts these days.
@ Mark Wyatt - Looking at the reloading guides, they rank the British .303 cartridge as being around the 30-40 Krag and 300 Savage in terms of power, only slightly less than .308 Winchester. According to received wisdom, you ought not to use the venerable .303 on something as large as a grizzly bear, but plenty of Canadians have done just that over the years and lived to tell about it. Heck, the famous Canadian Rangers - who are armed - for a very long time used Lee-Enfield Mk. IV No. I .303 rifles as their long arm of choice, only finally modernizing a few years ago with a Tikka in .308 Winchester. Bullet choice and shot placement matter a great deal, which is why the Canadian Rangers have managed to do fine with these cartridges, neither of which approaches being a magnum.
I grew up with my dad putting meat in freezer with an 06’, and listening to my Grandpa talk about using an 06’ in the war. I have a few other rifles that do specific jobs better, but I think the 06’ is probably one of the most versatile rounds. I will have at least one 30-06 till they throw dirt on my grave.
Thanks for the video. If you're interested in looking at some of the cartridge development that the 30/06 worked off of check out the following calibers. 7.65x53, 7x57, 7.92x57 (8mm Mauser). There's others but these come to mind quickly. The German and to an extent French did a lot of development on more modern projectiles. The spitzer bullet I believe comes right out of the work that Mauser was doing. The 30/06 was also used in various capacities into the Vietnam conflict.
The 7x57 Mauser, which dates back to 1892, is the reason -indirectly - for the existence of the 30-06. Colonel Teddy Roosevelt, who led the successful but costly assaults to take the San Juan Heights during the Spanish American War of 1898, faced Spanish and Cuban troops armed with Mauser bolt-actions in 7x57 and came away greatly impressed. They clearly out-performed the American rifles, predominantly Trapdoor Springfields and 30-40 Krag-Jorgensen rifles. Which is why pretty darn near the first thing he did after being elected President was to direct the design of a new, Mauser-based rifle and a cartridge to go with it. Springfield Armory, our national armory at the time, did such a good job duplicating the Mauser that they infringed on a number of patents and ended up having to pay Mauserwerk some royalties. However, the result was well-worth it, as both the rifle - the M1903 Springfield - and its cartridge - the 30-03 and then the 30-06 - were absolute home-runs. The venerable 7x57 is still around and is as good a cartridge as it was 130 years ago. And its progeny, the 30-06 continues to shine as well.
The 7x57mm Mauser is the reason the 30-06 came about in the first place. When Colonel Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough Riders charged up the San Juan Heights in Cuba in 1898 during the Spanish-American War, U.S. forces faced a hail of accurate, long-range rifle fire from Spanish regulars above them. They inflicted a terrible toll, even though the U.S.won the battle. So, with this memory fresh in mind, pretty much Roosevelt's first military order as President was to tell the national armory system to develop a rifle based upon the Mauser bolt-actions he faced in Cuba. This is the rifle that became the Model 1903 Springfield bolt-action, chambered in 30-03 (initially) and then 30-06 when pointed (spitzer) bullets became common. The 7x57mm round is old, older than the 30-06 - but it has seen use by modern military forces here-and-there. The Belgian Congo ordered FN FAL automatic rifles in 7x57mm (7mm) during the 1960s, for example. It has passed away from such use today, like its cousin the 6.5x55, but hunters the world over still like and use both cartridges. Especially in Europe.
Would love to see an episode on the 25-35! My grandpa had one and recently when I was cleaning my house, I found 5 old cartridges hiding behind the wall trim and now I'd love to hear more about it!
It’s probably the most widely available cartridge in the U.S. perhaps Canada as well. If you go into the only store within 50 miles in the middle of nowhere in the mountain west, they’re likely to have 270 Winchester, 30-06 and perhaps 300 Win Mag or 7mm RM on the shelf. It’s probably overkill for hunting whitetail deer in the east but it’s a great all around cartridge that will work well on elk and moose or African plains game.
Tell ya Kurt Callughan.....I work on a ranch and have to shoot regularly for work. Gotta put 06 shells on the grocery list I go thru them. Got a 3 legged bull you sadly are not going to be able to butcher and he can't travel to water and you gotta put him down. .. If you got a young bear that has turned brave and is destroying anything and everything at the barn thinking it might be food. If you have crows and coyotes eating the eyes out of fresh dropped calves. I have a Remington 3006 pump carbine that just puts shots where I want them like I am tracing quarters on binder paper. As long as I use 150 grain bullets it is just amazing....for pump and semi auto ya experiment bullet weight for accuracy. They are not as tunable or tolerant as bolt actions it seems.
With the components available today, the 06 is better than ever. I am shopping for a new rifle, ITS GOING TO BE AN 06!!! The do everything cartridge 😀😀👍👍
Fantastic video, what would make my year is a 10min talk on the 300 Savage a cartage that was made over 100 years ago yet it looks like it was made yesterday.
Inside 150 yards, a 30 caliber bullet traveling at 2,000 fps at the muzzle will easily take any animal on the North American continent. The .300 Savage is proof of this.
30-06 is King !!! I had to learn the hard way. Took me years to leave the magnums and fast steppers before I saw the light. The 30-06 handloaded with 180grain bullets dose it all for me .
"If you can't do it with one-eighty at twenty-seven hundred, you probably can't do it!" ~ Colonel Jeff Cooper. He was talking about a 180-grain load being shot out of a 30-06.
Are there cartridges with more power? Yes. Are there cartridges that recoil less? Yes. Flatter shooting, more power, all manner of improvements? Yes. Do you need anything else? No! It’s the cartridge that all others are based against for a reason.
last Elk hunt I was on we met a group from California and there was 12 total in our group-8 30-06 - 2 7mm magnums - one 30-30-teenage boy-and one 243-old man who only owned one rifle.
That old man with the 243 I bet was good at shooting that rifle, my grandad had an old friend who used a 243 for everything and it worked he killed elk too with it
It's still as good as it ever was to me lol Grandpa used it my dad has used it and I still use it and has never let me down and still knocks the hell out of anything it hits what more can I ask.
absolutely the best cartridge that I have hunted with ! including some great classic cartridges ! it beats the 270 and 7 mm rem mag due to greater frontal bullet area ! even though both 270 and 7 mm rem mag shoot flatter ! I could go on and on about this cartridge ! advantages and disadvantages ! but it remains the optimum 30 cal cartridge! God bless and good hunting to you all!
Took 3 Kudu in Namibia with a 1974 L61R SAKO Finnbear Deluxe shooting 180Gr. Dropped two cows and a huge bull like it was nothing. Great cartridge! Best hunt I've ever had.
You have to search far and wide to find a cartridge that's more versatile. Many underneath are underpowered and not suitable for larger jobs. Many that are more powerful don't have the versatile lighter loads and destroy to much meat in the process. There are cartridges that are ballistically superior for specific use, very few are more versatile across the game profile in all hunting situations.
If you shoot a larger rifle, load it down for "30-06" ballistics and you have the ability to crank it up for bigger stuff, that's pretty versatile to me
So many loads and bullet options for reloading this was my first deer rifle. Since then coues deer, black bear, elk, coyotes. So versatile with the bullet and powder options.
Love the Kimber. I took that gun in that caliber with the Superformance on the table to South Africa and took everything up to 800+lb Wildebeest. Legendary indeed.
I don’t know if I’m going to push on him too hard about it. I’ve loaded it for friends. But I’ve never owned one myself. The round has obvious and proven merits but there are so many rounds I prefer to mess with. And I think the 7 Mag has had no shortage of attention for me to push for more. I’m afraid I’d fall into the “pot calling the kettle black” category.😕
My granddad left me his remington 742 woodsman semi auto, as well as a few other guns. When reloading for 165 gn bt sierra bullets is there an issue shooting max loads (4350 powder) from a semi auto vs a bolt action.
Is it still as good? It's better! Cheap, reliable, offered with almost every rifle as a chamber option, made by every manufacturer, light enough recoil for everyone but enough grunt to take down any north american game.. It's ubiquitous for a reason. Best at nothing but does everything you ask of it.
@@BaconSlayer69 All those WWII era battle rifle cartridges are very good. In their respective military loadings, and there sure is no significant difference between them. Nothing wrong with the 7.62 Russian, it is a very good cartridge to this day. The -06 has a slight edge when you start getting to 200 and 220 grain bullets, but not many folks shoot them. With the more popular loadings, they are all really good. There is a reason that outside of the Arisaka, all have strong followings today.
As a "younger" guy (24) I really like the .30-06, it represents what I would call "practical nostalgia". It works very well for 90% (Or more depending upon the task at hand) of just about what ever you want it to do with it. With a good load it's a honest 400 yard deer cartridge, works as a target round out to most ranges (not my first choice, but it would work), not over or under gunned for most tasks, easy to handload. It's like a trusty old dog, it might not be the newest thing going but you know it will be there when it is needed.
YES, the .30-'06 is still as good as ever! Newer cartridges just do certain things a bit better. A bit more history: .30-ish cartridges were becoming very popular in militaries by the early 20th Century. There was the British .303, Russian 7.62x54R and the German 8mm Mauser for the US to study and emulate. Also, the .50 BMG is a scaled-up .30-'06, developed around 1920.
Recently stumbled across these podcasts and can’t get enough! Would love to hear one or more on the RUM family of cartridges, especially 7RUM. I know some RUMs have been touched on via several other cartridge talks but detailing the family or each would be awesome. Thanks for the vids/podcasts.
2 things. I was disappointed to not see a bungle of artisan firewood from Ian under my Christmas tree and I'm still waiting for an apology from Jim for saying the tt33 isn't sexy. It's like my mom telling me she wishes I wasn't born. Cut me deep Jim, ya cut me deep
Talking about the Remington sabot’s,shot them in 30-06 and 30.30 the 30-06 would shoot about a 4” group at 100 yds.My Winchester mod.94 20” barrel was a tack driver with them at 100 yards. Glad you mentioned them ,I’ll have to see if I can find some sabot’s to reload after supplies get better.
@ Zac Godfrey - It's a bit of a secret, under-reported might be the right term, but a hand-loader can custom-design a 130-140-grain load which nearly duplicates 270 ballistics. Apart from being slightly less-efficient aerodynamically than their 6.8mm counterparts at that weight - which doesn't matter a whole lot inside 400 yards - you're looking at a 30-06 load which fills the same niche as those famous Jack O'Connor 130-140 grain loads. And with a Barnes TTSX, I bet that sucker is a death ray in '06 for medium game. Using it in a magnum is almost unfair!
How do the light weight copper 30-06 compare to like 6mm arch and 6.5 grendal on drop and wind? I didn't even know they made light bullets for 30 cal and it's making me wonder if i would be better off with a 30-06 with solid copper vs light 6mm and 6.5 projectiles
In 1892 Paul Mauser created the perfect cartridge in the 7x57mm. Everything after that has been a blatant copy or a marketing gimmick. The .30-06 was designed after the US was outgunned by the 7mm Spanish Mausers during the Spanish-American war. Do the 7mm Mauser!
Honestly the only reason the 7x57mm got shafted historically was because most militaries of the time considered it underpowered when you chambered it into a belt fed machine gun. And considering it was often easier to argue for armies to upload their rifles to chamber the same round as their machine guns than the other way around, the likes of the .30-06, 7.62x54R, and 8x57mm Mauser ended up hogging the limelight as a result. But as a rifle round the 7x57mm is as close to perfect as your going to get, proving it could even drop the African Big Five in the hands of a good shot like Karamojo Bell.
@@Verdha603 I have to agree with you sir. The 7x57 (at realistic hunting ranges) IMHO is as near a perfect whitetail cartridge as can be found ...the modern handloader can vastly improve the ballistics over factory ammunition...I myself like heavier bullets 175 grain round nose ...big heavy bullets drive in deeper and don't destroy a lot of meat.....I love all three of my 7x57's ...but lately I've been thinking of the 7x57's child ...the 257 Robert's.....
I own and shoot a number of 30-06 rifles, but I've never hunted with one. I still hunt with the 30-06's grandfather, the 45-70. Like the 30-06 and many "obsolete" cartridges, modern powders and bullets make them as relevant today as any of the new fangled stuff.
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The 30-06 is a better cartridge today than when it was first released. Powder development giving better velocities, better constructed bullets, better built actions , barrels and stocks ...
The difference is the competition has improved even faster
@@nk-dw2hm Teddy Roosevelt took the African big 5 with it .... In the hand of an average to good shot any calibre can punch way above its' weight ...
@@paulreid2223 I don't disagree, the cartridge can outperform me. But it is a fact that you can find a newer cartridge that can do anything you want the 30-06 to do, but better.
Want to carry more ammo that performs similarly? Grab some 308. Want something better for longer range with less recoil? Plenty of 6 or 6.5 cartridges to choose from. Want something with similar ballistics but is way cheaper to reload? Plenty of that too
@@nk-dw2hm Availability of factory ammo/brass vs the more modern performers ..??? Having your favourite gun, but not able to feed it does happen from time to time ...
along with better powders making the 308 almost indistinguishable from the 06
The 30-06 will never, ever be obsolete. It is far too versatile to ever be considered such. When all of the pretenders are said and done, the 30-06 will still be there.
It also helped win a war lol
@@mauricemotors8207 ... and then a second war ... :)
I'd be willing to wager that the 30-06 has probably put down more elk than any other caliber its just a great all-around caliber
Lol, I thought that was the 30-30 claim. It’s a great cartridge, you don’t have to make stuff up.
@@altortugas5979 The 30-30 is a great cartridge, no doubt. The 06 is in another league though.
My go to all around cartridge is a 30-06. And for hunting in North America, I truly believe all you need is a 30-06, a 12 ga, and a 22LR and your covered. But what fun is that?
💯
Add a 375 H&H and you’re equipped to hunt any game species on earth.
Well if you're going for suboptimal, just use the 12 gauge for everything
Let's also add the 10mm, 357 and 44 mag to take with us when we go into the woods/jungle..
@@dg20120 30-06 has done just that, any and everything.
The .30-'06 is never a mistake.
Col. Townsend Whelen said that years ago.....
@@lewie7820 I know! And it's still true.
Bingo 🎯
Thank you. Over the last “very trendy” 30 years, the .30-06 has been my gun. I feel vindicated, and am sharing this episode with several people. 🔥🥊
You're not alone!
55 grain, it cooks
@@brianchambers5163 amen
It's a Christmas miracle, mixed in with all those wizz bang cartridges you have the lord's cartridge; .30-06. If baby Jesus was a deer hunter, he most certainly would have carried .30-06 bolt rifle.
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@@miamislice3280 truth from out of time
@@laurisjones The prophecy
Other countries also standardize rifle calibers into machine guns 7.7 303 8mm 7.62x54 ect the 06 is better than it ever was
@@miamislice3280 they must have re-uploaded it, I watched the video a couple of days ago when they sent the email about it.
I love these talks and finally America’s cartridge gets it’s own!
😉😉
My grandpa hunted black bear, elk, mule and white tail deer with his 30-06. He passed this year and I inherited his remington 700 bolt action. I can't wait to do the same with my boy!
I've hunted & guided in Colorado and New Mexico over 35 year's, I hunt almost exclusively with a Tikka dirty.06, beware the man that hunts everything with a 30.06, great video guys, thank you
What ammo are you using? Grain? Jw got a tx3 lite in 06 and want to feed it what It enjoys.
@@kylehill2704 165 grain SST'S if I can find them, but last few years 165 grain Corelokts, if you go to my channel, there's more info, I hunt with a Tikka Superlite too
I still have some Hornady light mag 165 grain that shoot lights out out of my old Weatherby vanguard and a Leopold vxiii 2x8. You don't need all these new smoke poles when ol'faithful still gets it done.
@@kylehill2704 My .06 T-3 ultra-light stainless loves 165 gr. Fusion. A 7 pound 30-06 I can drag through the woods all day without tiring. 1 inch groups @100 yards all day long.
I've used the 06 since 1973. I started out using 165gr bullets because that's what Dad used in his. After a decade or so I became aware of the Barnes 110 gr and 130 gr bullets and have used these exclusively for my rifle season deer hunting. I find my accuracy is much improved with the lighter recoil. Yes I could use my 243 or 6.5 CM but I have so much confidence in the old 30-06 with these bullets out to 400yds. (Even though most shots have been within 50yd here in Michigan).
Barnes vortx? How do they perform at 50 yards?
@@geraldkeyes4851
I've never seen a problem at any range. Through and through on all but one shot. That 110 grain entered in front of the shoulder and traveled through to just under the hide of the rear quarter opposite the entry.
That's about 3 feet of penetration. It's also the only Barnes bullet I've ever recovered. It was also 40 yds angled towards me.
I load my own ammo.
The 30-06 remains as it always was, only your perceptions of it changes. There’s a life lesson about constantly chasing the next “better” thing to be had here.
Lived in Alaska for 37 years, killed about 60 big game animals with many different calibers. But 30-06 became my go to, do it all caliber...
You are extremely lucky you didn't get yourself killed using that deer gun 30-06.
In 26 years, I guide hunts in Alaska it was the 30-06 used by clients that always nearly got me killed going to look for wounded animals .
There is a book written by a pioneer Alaskan about bear and moose hunting in Alaska, as said in the story's the 30-06 was a real bad choice for large bears and Yukon moose with the author nearly losing his life many times because the 30-06 constantly failed to bring down bears and large Yukon moose.
It requires a very well placed shot or you can have lost animals and it also requires a precisely picked round for what your doing.
I say this because over the year's several times I've nearly lost big doe's that had really good shot placement. It's still my main carry but it can go wrong if you're not careful
@@Lure-Benson That's, strange. But also, client hunters aren't often known for being great hunters. Too much money and not enough know-how. I've seen plenty Yukon moose, when presented with a broadside/near-broadside shot, thirty calibre hole on one side, and either a 36-37 calibre hole, or the bullet stuck just under the skin on the other side.
You know it's the hunter and not the cartridge when, most of the natives who subsistence hunt up there, either use .303 British, or .22LR and a brainshot, for everything, including moose, polar bear, and muskox.
Hell, .30-06 has been used to kill all the big game species, including elephants, in Africa.
@@Lure-Benson The problem isn't the .30-06. It's your clients. You've obviously never lived in rural Alaska. Magnums only become popular in low orbit around the road system. Bush folk rarely use anything larger than the .30-06 unless they're gun geeks.
@@Lure-Benson funny about all those animals routinely taken with no problems with the 30-06. Maybe your problem is your client's can't shoot worth a dang.
Guys my first year handloading for my 30-06 was 61.8gr of superformance powder, hornady 165gr sst bullets, federal gold med match primers, seated .07 off the lands, lapua brass. Consistent velocities of between 2980 and 2990s. The rifle is my weatherby vanguard s2 with Bartlien 24in sporter B 5R barrel, bedded and free floated. And Vortex viper HS 2.5-10X44 scope. A confidence inspiring shooting system. Two very successful hunting trips in Alberta this fall. Like you guys stated, with today's optics, rifles, bullets, cartridges, powders and primers, the old 06 just keeps getting better and better. It will never let you down.
Rod dawe I agree with you on the ought six I only hunt northern Minnesota anymore and I use the ought six or the venerable old thirty thirty reload for both and I like the 165 grn Sierra gameking and the 150 grn Sierra in the thirty thirty never had a shot up here over 350yards
👍👍👍👍👍
My Weatherby vanguard is almost 40 years old. Topped with a leupold vxiii 2x8. Hornadys old 165 grain light mag loads are the sweet spot at .5" at 200 yds. The korelokts shoot exactly 1 inch low. It is a dream!
@@shanewinters3009 It's great when everything comes together !!!!
The old 06 rocks! Always has and always will. Thanx for doing this one guys.
Thanks for tuning in, Chris!
Love the 20 Minute "10 Minute" Talks.
Yeah, at what point do we just go ahead and say it’s a 20min talk from the get go?
#10Minute-ishTalk
The 06 deserves its 20 min "10 min talk" without it we would be speaking German.
20 minutes and very little content..
@@eric8851 Exactly! Or speaking jap.
I was, recently, gifted my grandfather's Remington 725 30-06. What a beautiful piece of history. It's getting a new scope, and a trip to the deer woods, this fall.
My grandfather's Remington 721 in 30-06 is my favorite possession, and one that I never will let go.
I started with the 30-06, played the cartridge game for several years, 7mm mag, 7mm ultra mag, 300 win mag, 6.5 creedmoore, 308, etc. Im back to the 30-06.
The good ol’ 30-06 is still as relevant as it was when the Springfield Armory folks introduced it. Aside from the attributes the ‘06 possessed, it seems half the great modern cartridges call it a parent or grandparent cartridge, not a bad thing! With new powders and bullets coming into play every year, the 30-06 seems to be good for another century!
You guys should give some discussion to the 30-06’s grandparent cartridge, the 7x57! From antelope to elephants, the 7mm Mauser has done it all!
I was surprised when a guide smiled and nodded when he saw my well-used 30-06. He explained it’s comforting to a guide when a rifle looks like its been used and most guys with magnums don’t shoot as much. Made sense.
30-06 is and always be my go to caliber. I like others to but the old 06 just gets it done. Merry Christmas and happy new year and thanks for the great videos.
Merry Christmas to you, too! Glad you enjoy the videos!
30-06,308, 270 and 7mm rem mag have always been the “best hunting rounds” up in north east Maine. It all depends on what your dad used and what he passed down to his kids. That’s what made “the best round”. I love all of em. Please do a 10 min talk on 7mm rem mag please!
270 conceptually was a fail. When you neck down to gain velocity and the original cartridge evolves to create higher velocities still, you kinda failed. Obviously it's effective but when you think of their goal.. it failed.
7mm Rem-Mag is an awesome cartridge, flat-shooting and with superb .284-cal. ballistics and SD numbers, but it only tops out around 160-170-grains for hunting loads (there are a few exceptions, but we're talking generalities), which is a consideration if you need something heavier. That said, there are plenty of guys using them for many of the same shots as they would a 30-06 or a 270. 7mm projectiles have better external ballistic performance than most .30-cal./7.62mm projectiles, but that's not normally an issue unless you hunt at ranges past 300-400 yards. Really, it fills the same niche as a 270 (6.8mm), but with more punch. That's my take, anyway. And I like all four of the cartridges you mention....
7mm rem mag doesn't even need 10 minutes. Just say yes and move on, lol.
@@VG-913 I have never had any love for the 270 ...but to call the cartridge a failure means you will be visited by the ghost of Mr.270 Jack O'Connor.....seriously though my grandfather was a through and through 30-06 devotee and my father carried a BAR from the shores of France into Germany so that's where my fondness of the 30-06 comes from
Great Grandfather - Savage 1899 in .303 Savage
Grandfather - Savage 1920 in .300 Savage
Father - Winchester M70 in .30/06 (He grew up reading Townsend Whelen, G&H was cost prohibitive)
Me - Winchester M54 in .270 Win (I grew up reading Jack O'Connor, Pre-64 M70 was cost prohibitive ).
I don't think Dad's caliber means that much.
Remington 700 bdl 30-06 is my favorite gun in my safe. I bought it as my first gun purchase 35 years ago, and still pull it out of safe to go hunt occasionally. No telling how many animals harvested in that time. Classic, shiny, beautiful, deadly, and accurate. Hard to beat even with all new stuff out there.
That was my first rifle as well and still have it and hunt with it today. It is deadly accurate.
My dad bought it for me as an Christmas gift my first year back from college.
I own and use many other rifles in various chamberings but my all time favorite is my Model 70 .30-06! It is the most well rounded, versatile hunting cartridge ever devised. Excellent video.
Good choice of rifle and cartridge. I, like you, have used many cartridges and rifles, but my favorite is a model 70 30-06. Actually it is two model 70's, a model 70 supergrade and a model 70 sporter coming in second by the slightest hair. My third favorite is a limited edition Browning B78 with beautiful feathercrotch walnut stock, in 30-06. And then there is the model 670 that I picked up in a pawnshop for 200, in 30-06, that has yet to miss an animal. Not so pretty but very functional and reliable. And then the 1917 Enfield in 30-06, that originally belonged to my uncle, my dad started hunting with it and when I got old enough, dad borrowed it from his brother for me to start hunting with. Shortly after that, I inherited it when my uncle passed away. It is basically retired now, but I will keep it till I die. There have been other 06's I have owned and used, but they are gone now. Don't need nine 30-06's, but I just can't part with my favorite 5.
The little quips and banter made this talk hilarious. I feel like I could listen to you guys talk about soup spoons for 20 minutes and you would still find a way to make it entertaining. Keep up the great work guys!
Some of the finest center-fire cartridges still in use for military, hunting and competition purposes are also some of the oldest. There's a lesson in there somewhere that what's new is not always what's best, and that things that stand the test of time do so for a reason. I am a historian, and one of the commonest biases we struggle with as humans and scholars looking at the past is what is called "presentism," i.e. the idea that what is new and modern is always superior to the past. It's simply not true, especially where these cartridges are concerned. 7.62x54R, 30-06, 7x57 Mauser, 8mm Mauser, .308, 6.5x55/Swedish Mauser, .303 British, you name it. All are still putting game down and meat in the freezer.
I'm glad someone also thinks this. Society in general has a lot of new ways that are quite obviously worse than the old ones. Education springs to mind...
Thanks for the shout out on the 130 TTSX. This is my white tail load, chronoed at 3190 out of a Ruger American holding a 1/2" group at 100 meters.
Solid!!
The answer is, “Why wouldn’t it be”. My grandfather successfully hunted all of the Rocky Mountain states and Alaska with a Pre-64 Model 70 Featherweight in 30-06 shooting 165 Nosler Partitions leaving the barrel at 2830 fps. ‘Nough said.
That is super cool! It's clearly stood the test of time.
@@VortexNation Yes it has and thank you for the compliment.
Do you still have his rifle? That is an awesome rifle! Not to many around these days.
@@quietobserver4636 My brother and I both "own" this rifle. In fact, he took a decent bull elk near his home in Wyoming this past fall using that rifle. He used the same load I described.
@@nmelkhunter1 Man that's awesome. My uncle left his boys this exact rifle. Its beat up. It's spent many hours in the east Texas woods. It has a little kick, but its beautiful. A pre-64 action alone is worth $1500. You can't find them at gun shows like you once could. I wish you could share pictures in these comments. I'd like to see your pops rifle. Happy New Year sir. I hope that 22 is a blessed year for you and yours!
The 30-06 is the benchmark by which all other cartridges are judged. There is a reason why it has stuck around so long, and to their point, it just keeps getting better!
I’ve never hunted with an ‘06 in over 5 decades of hunting, but will never argue if there is a one “do all”, it would be the .30-06! Thanks
Very well said. In my 30 plus years of hunting I’ve never taken the ‘06 to the field. This next coming season will, hopefully, see me bagging a deer and hog or 2 with a nice Remington Model 4 so chambered that I’m just starting to work up a load for the 165gr Speer Grand Slam. And just not 2 even 2 weeks ago I purchased a very nice Interarms Mark X .30-06. It may be a couple of seasons before I use that one. What a couple of gems. Took me long enough
I post this on every video, but I love it. I personally own 3 30-06s because my grandad was a huge fan. Glad to see it get love.
30-06 is the all-around the cartridge for the western hemisphere. 375 H&H magnum is the all-around cartridge for the eastern hemisphere. It's like the cartridge version of Treaty of Tordesillas. Love them both, have them both.
30-06 was the first cartridge I started reloading for too feed my M1. I’ve been seriously considering a bolt gun in 06 to go along with all my wizbang newer chamberings.
It's worth it. I have a Ruger M77 mk1 and it's my go to hog rifle.
Do it. You can't go wrong.
@@georgesakellaropoulos8162 I still have the Garand, most don’t realize the modern 06 loads far exceeds the M2 ball ammo issued for the 03 Springfield and M1. I gave my dad a Remington 798 in 30-06 but he quickly realized it wasn’t the same rounds he used in Korea. After he passed I gave the 798 to my youngest son, now I need a modern 06.
I just got a sako s20 in the 30-06 and man, it stacks them together, worth ever penny.
@@jodytucker4474 got a question on your s20. Do you feel a spot in barrel when you clean it that corresponds to where the fluting begins?
My first rifle almost 20 years ago was a Parker Hale in 30:06 that I paid $400 CND with scope, the last 2 animals I've taken were elk, 1 at 225 yards and another at 335 yards both with 180gr Remington Core-Lokts that held good weight retention and neither elk went very far with no follow up shots. It's still my only big game rifle.
Mine also!
I’ve been looking for my next cartridge ever since my .308 tikka had to be taken out of service a few months ago. Looked at all the new PRCs, all the magnums and short mags, and all the “old faithful” hunting cartridges (.308, .270, etc.). After nerding out the past few months on calibers, I’ve come to the conclusion that the 30-06 is the most balanced cartridge for lower 48 hunters. Recoil is manageable, cost of ammo is very reasonable, and it will take all game in the lower 48 out to 400 yards without issue. Works great in a climbing stand in the thick woods of the Southeast and still gets the job done in the prairies of South Dakota. Can’t ask for more than that.
Great round for someone that does not reload their own custom bullets, because you can find a big variety of factory loads for that caliber. It’s just convenient and all around caliber. And their not the cheapest but definitely not the most expensive round so to get into long range on a budget also great choice
it's great if you _do_ reload too
From 110 grain to 220 grain projectiles. Most versatile moderate recoil cartridge ever.
The 7mmX57 was parent to all 30-06 based rounds. I have owned a number of "06's my first being a sporterized Springfield. Love the 06.
I could be wrong but it might be a scaled down 50 cal but... I gotta check it out
@@b01tact10n Isn't it the other way around, the 50 cal is a scaled up 30-06?
The .50 cal was based on the first German 13 mm Mauser anti-tank rifle used in the latter days of 1917.
I love my .30-06, I live in South Africa and take everything from Duiker to Eland with mine.
Please do a 10 min talk about 7×57 Mauser
They gotta do a talk comPairing the most popular euro rounds vs their American counterpart
30-06 is very popular here in Missouri for deer season . Awesome video . Merry Christmas everyone.
Favorite series on RUclips! Please keep ‘em coming, any and every cartridge. Merry Christmas!
“The pendulum swings.” How true it is. As for the .30-06, I love it, love it, love it.
Dad bought me a Weatherby Vanguard with a Zeiss scope when I was 16. Lots of dings now but a amazing 30-06 with 165 nobler partitions and a case full of 4831. Just smokes. A great all around rifle to have! Thx!
Probably should have given just a little nod to Mauser and the 7x57 that was the reason for the 30-06 development after the Spanish American war.
That was my thoughts too!! Thanks for mentioning it!!
Actually no. The 3006 was actually made for the 1903 rifle in 1903 and it was called the us cartridge model of 1903 but if fired a 220 grain bullet and when the Germans came up with the 8mm mauser that fired a lighter bullet and out ranged the 03 by quiet a lot America had to rethink the 03 and began loading it with a 150 grain bullet and renamed it the 30-06. It wasn't the 7mm mauser because Germany never used the 7mm in battle. There were several other countries that did but Germany used the 8mm
@@brianmouton196 Then please explain why the US government had to pay royalties to Mauser after the development of both the 30-06 cartridge as well as the rifle firing it because the designes where so similar? I didn't say Germany used it. Clearly stated that they (US Army) decided to develop new cartridge after Spanish American War therefore used by Spain as 7x57. You are correct about Germany using the necked up 8x57.
@@apkotze3608 they had to pay royalties to mauser because the Springfield 1903 was built from the mauser rifle. The us millitary brought in captured mauser rifles off the battlefield and designed the 1903 around it which infringed upon the patent of the mauser rifle and when the first world War happened the us said to heck with Germany and the patent infringements. After doing some research because I have been wrong before it appears that I could be wrong although there is literature backing both of our statements as far as weather it be the 7mm or the 8mm that caused the change to the 3003
@@apkotze3608 Because the 1903 Springfield RIFLE was an improvement on the Mauser
Happy to hear that the old '06 still gets a lot of love. I'm planning on picking up a HCAR from Ohio Ordnance this spring so hopefully ammo availability will improve.
I can 1000% not afford that, I'm kinda jelly.
@@linkbond08 I really can't afford it either. Been saving up for a while
I took my 06 out this year after several years with a 7mm08 and a 308. What's there to say? Bang flop as usual. A good 165 grain at 2800-2900 fps is amazing.
Thank you for a great podcast! 30-06 with a 165 gr Hornady interbond @ 2800 fps has served me and my hunting clients very well on african plains game!
Zeroed @200 yds it shoots flat and penetrates deep into the vitals.
06' fought to surpass the 30-40 Krag and the 303 Brit, which to this day have probably killed more brown bear in Alaska than any other cartridge. When we dropped bullet weight and got higher velocity the round skyrocketed in popularity. When it was throwing heavy bullets to compete with the 8mm it just wasn't living up to it's actual abilities. Once we went to the 180, and 150gr it began to shine. To this day it still out performed the Krag, Mauser and Brit which have been used to kill everything on the planet. New bullet selections make it probably the most versatile cartridge in history.
/06 is demonstrably better. It has no rim.
I am tempted to buy a gorgeous 1960s bolt action rifle that happens to be chambered in 30-06. A friend’s 30 something year old son has informed me that “the 30-06 is obsolete.” Made me want the rifle even more! 😂
It kinda is in a way when .308win came out but not really just like 9mm vs 45ACP
Thank you, this is America's 🇺🇸 cartridge along with .30-30 and .45-70. More Wars and Deer than any cartridge in US history.
You're not wrong!
My grandfather was issued an 03A3 in this caliber. My father went through basic and AIT with an M-1 Garand in this caliber. I'm 70 now and have only ever hunted with this caliber. I've missed a few shots, but the cartridge has never failed to perform for me.
I dream about all the "exotic" cartridges all the time but if I had to depend on a one shot one kill rifle it'd be my 30-06
I shoot a Ruger M77 MkII with a viper HS 2.5-10 X 44 scope. I reload Barnes TTSX 150gr, Barnes 165gr TSX and Barnes TTSX 180gr TTSX for this setup and it shoots great (sub MOA). And yes I'm 69 years young and was brought up with the mind set that "you get only one gun in life and you better make the right choice". That is the reason most of the old guys go to the 30.06, we are not allowed to have another gun (LOL). I just dial in the scope for the specific round (easy)
I love my M1 Garand! It needs so much work tho. I'm going to frame it and just buy a new one. I know bolt action is lightweight, but there is no greater feeling of POWER than 8 semi auto .30-06 rounds on Deck. Except 20rds on Deck from a BAR!! 💪
You are running M-2 ammo in that classic, right?
It still works for me X 4! Two custom Mauser sporters, an M-1 and a U.S. 1917 Enfield. LOVE IT!
On the topic of cartridge family trees, I think it would be awesome if your crew did a 30ish minute talk on the 308 Family (243, 260, 7mm-08, 308, 338 Fed, & 358). and also one on the 30-06 Family (6.5/06, 270, 280, 30/06, 338/06, 8mm/06, & 35 Whelen). Development within these two "families" is actually pretty cool. Each compliments the strengths/ weakness of the others, and there is just enough "overlap" from one to the next. Having the whole 308 Family, I don't really see anything else in the ever expanding world of cartridges I would ever need for hunting here in Michigan, or anywhere east of the Mississippi for that matter. Shoot, a 10 minute talk on just the 338 Federal would make me happy. It has become my favorite "deer woods" cartridge, and has effectively made my 30-30 and 300 savage safe queens. My 338 Fed. and the old clunky Enfield in 303 British accompany me on most hunts these days.
@ Mark Wyatt - Looking at the reloading guides, they rank the British .303 cartridge as being around the 30-40 Krag and 300 Savage in terms of power, only slightly less than .308 Winchester. According to received wisdom, you ought not to use the venerable .303 on something as large as a grizzly bear, but plenty of Canadians have done just that over the years and lived to tell about it. Heck, the famous Canadian Rangers - who are armed - for a very long time used Lee-Enfield Mk. IV No. I .303 rifles as their long arm of choice, only finally modernizing a few years ago with a Tikka in .308 Winchester. Bullet choice and shot placement matter a great deal, which is why the Canadian Rangers have managed to do fine with these cartridges, neither of which approaches being a magnum.
You forgot the 25-06.
I love my 30-30 BLR I have the scope offset so I can use my iron sights too.
I grew up with my dad putting meat in freezer with an 06’, and listening to my Grandpa talk about using an 06’ in the war. I have a few other rifles that do specific jobs better, but I think the 06’ is probably one of the most versatile rounds. I will have at least one 30-06 till they throw dirt on my grave.
Thanks for the video. If you're interested in looking at some of the cartridge development that the 30/06 worked off of check out the following calibers. 7.65x53, 7x57, 7.92x57 (8mm Mauser). There's others but these come to mind quickly. The German and to an extent French did a lot of development on more modern projectiles. The spitzer bullet I believe comes right out of the work that Mauser was doing.
The 30/06 was also used in various capacities into the Vietnam conflict.
The 7x57 Mauser, which dates back to 1892, is the reason -indirectly - for the existence of the 30-06. Colonel Teddy Roosevelt, who led the successful but costly assaults to take the San Juan Heights during the Spanish American War of 1898, faced Spanish and Cuban troops armed with Mauser bolt-actions in 7x57 and came away greatly impressed. They clearly out-performed the American rifles, predominantly Trapdoor Springfields and 30-40 Krag-Jorgensen rifles. Which is why pretty darn near the first thing he did after being elected President was to direct the design of a new, Mauser-based rifle and a cartridge to go with it. Springfield Armory, our national armory at the time, did such a good job duplicating the Mauser that they infringed on a number of patents and ended up having to pay Mauserwerk some royalties. However, the result was well-worth it, as both the rifle - the M1903 Springfield - and its cartridge - the 30-03 and then the 30-06 - were absolute home-runs.
The venerable 7x57 is still around and is as good a cartridge as it was 130 years ago. And its progeny, the 30-06 continues to shine as well.
The 7x57mm Mauser is the reason the 30-06 came about in the first place. When Colonel Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough Riders charged up the San Juan Heights in Cuba in 1898 during the Spanish-American War, U.S. forces faced a hail of accurate, long-range rifle fire from Spanish regulars above them. They inflicted a terrible toll, even though the U.S.won the battle.
So, with this memory fresh in mind, pretty much Roosevelt's first military order as President was to tell the national armory system to develop a rifle based upon the Mauser bolt-actions he faced in Cuba. This is the rifle that became the Model 1903 Springfield bolt-action, chambered in 30-03 (initially) and then 30-06 when pointed (spitzer) bullets became common.
The 7x57mm round is old, older than the 30-06 - but it has seen use by modern military forces here-and-there. The Belgian Congo ordered FN FAL automatic rifles in 7x57mm (7mm) during the 1960s, for example. It has passed away from such use today, like its cousin the 6.5x55, but hunters the world over still like and use both cartridges. Especially in Europe.
Would love to see an episode on the 25-35! My grandpa had one and recently when I was cleaning my house, I found 5 old cartridges hiding behind the wall trim and now I'd love to hear more about it!
I'm tempted to get one. It's the most powerful cartridge that has dirt cheap factory ammo.
Dirt cheap?not anymore atleast where i am unfortunately
Always loved my dad's old 30-06. Great range of bullets that are perfect for deer, elk, and much larger game that I have not attempted as of yet.
You can't go wrong with a 30-06!
It’s probably the most widely available cartridge in the U.S. perhaps Canada as well. If you go into the only store within 50 miles in the middle of nowhere in the mountain west, they’re likely to have 270 Winchester, 30-06 and perhaps 300 Win Mag or 7mm RM on the shelf. It’s probably overkill for hunting whitetail deer in the east but it’s a great all around cartridge that will work well on elk and moose or African plains game.
Tell ya Kurt Callughan.....I work on a ranch and have to shoot regularly for work. Gotta put 06 shells on the grocery list I go thru them.
Got a 3 legged bull you sadly are not going to be able to butcher and he can't travel to water and you gotta put him down. ..
If you got a young bear that has turned brave and is destroying anything and everything at the barn thinking it might be food.
If you have crows and coyotes eating the eyes out of fresh dropped calves.
I have a Remington 3006 pump carbine that just puts shots where I want them like I am tracing quarters on binder paper.
As long as I use 150 grain bullets it is just amazing....for pump and semi auto ya experiment bullet weight for accuracy. They are not as tunable or tolerant as bolt actions it seems.
With the components available today, the 06 is better than ever. I am shopping for a new rifle, ITS GOING TO BE AN 06!!! The do everything cartridge 😀😀👍👍
Fantastic video, what would make my year is a 10min talk on the 300 Savage a cartage that was made over 100 years ago yet it looks like it was made yesterday.
Inside 150 yards, a 30 caliber bullet traveling at 2,000 fps at the muzzle will easily take any animal on the North American continent. The .300 Savage is proof of this.
30-06 is King !!! I had to learn the hard way. Took me years to leave the magnums and fast steppers before I saw the light. The 30-06 handloaded with 180grain bullets dose it all for me .
"If you can't do it with one-eighty at twenty-seven hundred, you probably can't do it!" ~ Colonel Jeff Cooper. He was talking about a 180-grain load being shot out of a 30-06.
Are there cartridges with more power? Yes. Are there cartridges that recoil less? Yes. Flatter shooting, more power, all manner of improvements? Yes. Do you need anything else?
No!
It’s the cartridge that all others are based against for a reason.
Fantastic points!
00:55 yep…. Nothing but the top minds at Vortex.
What a coincidence 30 06 discussion on my birthday! My favorite caliber for over 30 years.
Happy belated birthday! :)
2024 getting it done again.... had ta watch this again!
last Elk hunt I was on we met a group from California and there was 12 total in our group-8 30-06 - 2 7mm magnums - one 30-30-teenage boy-and one 243-old man who only owned one rifle.
That old man with the 243 I bet was good at shooting that rifle, my grandad had an old friend who used a 243 for everything and it worked he killed elk too with it
It's still as good as it ever was to me lol
Grandpa used it my dad has used it and I still use it and has never let me down and still knocks the hell out of anything it hits what more can I ask.
Have carried my 3006 for over 40 years and taken deer ,Baer,moose and ground hogs with it let’s just say that I love this gun .great talk today
30-06: Is it Still as Good as it Once Was?
No - it’s even better*
absolutely the best cartridge that I have hunted with ! including some great classic cartridges ! it beats the 270 and 7 mm rem mag due to greater frontal bullet area ! even though both 270 and 7 mm rem mag shoot flatter ! I could go on and on about this cartridge ! advantages and disadvantages ! but it remains the optimum 30 cal cartridge! God bless and good hunting to you all!
Dirty Aught Six - LEGEND
Took 3 Kudu in Namibia with a 1974 L61R SAKO Finnbear Deluxe shooting 180Gr. Dropped two cows and a huge bull like it was nothing. Great cartridge! Best hunt I've ever had.
You have to search far and wide to find a cartridge that's more versatile. Many underneath are underpowered and not suitable for larger jobs. Many that are more powerful don't have the versatile lighter loads and destroy to much meat in the process. There are cartridges that are ballistically superior for specific use, very few are more versatile across the game profile in all hunting situations.
If you shoot a larger rifle, load it down for "30-06" ballistics and you have the ability to crank it up for bigger stuff, that's pretty versatile to me
So many loads and bullet options for reloading this was my first deer rifle. Since then coues deer, black bear, elk, coyotes. So versatile with the bullet and powder options.
I have many options, including magnums of all shapes and sizes, but more often than not I reach for my .30-06.
Me too. Has never failed.
Love the Kimber. I took that gun in that caliber with the Superformance on the table to South Africa and took everything up to 800+lb Wildebeest. Legendary indeed.
It's time to talk about Ryan's other favorite cartridge.....the 7mm Rem Mag!
Yeah, Ryan...any pet loads for that one?🤣
@@robertfree1908 We just need to keep bullying Ryan into talking about it
😉😉
I don’t know if I’m going to push on him too hard about it. I’ve loaded it for friends. But I’ve never owned one myself. The round has obvious and proven merits but there are so many rounds I prefer to mess with. And I think the 7 Mag has had no shortage of attention for me to push for more. I’m afraid I’d fall into the “pot calling the kettle black” category.😕
But there's talk about a 7mm PRC coming...
My granddad left me his remington 742 woodsman semi auto, as well as a few other guns. When reloading for 165 gn bt sierra bullets is there an issue shooting max loads (4350 powder) from a semi auto vs a bolt action.
Is it still as good? It's better! Cheap, reliable, offered with almost every rifle as a chamber option, made by every manufacturer, light enough recoil for everyone but enough grunt to take down any north american game.. It's ubiquitous for a reason. Best at nothing but does everything you ask of it.
Had a 18” 06 built last year. 208s suppressed my perfect 300 yard anything rifle.
Of the WWI and WWII rifle cartridges, it edges out the 8x57, 303 Brit, 7.7 Arisaka and the 7.62x54R.
7.62x54R is still very relevant 😅to this day still
@@BaconSlayer69 All those WWII era battle rifle cartridges are very good. In their respective military loadings, and there sure is no significant difference between them. Nothing wrong with the 7.62 Russian, it is a very good cartridge to this day. The -06 has a slight edge when you start getting to 200 and 220 grain bullets, but not many folks shoot them. With the more popular loadings, they are all really good. There is a reason that outside of the Arisaka, all have strong followings today.
I swear if you look hard enough you can find podcast for all ur interest and hobbies ! Keep it up!! We need these educational programs
As a "younger" guy (24) I really like the .30-06, it represents what I would call "practical nostalgia". It works very well for 90% (Or more depending upon the task at hand) of just about what ever you want it to do with it. With a good load it's a honest 400 yard deer cartridge, works as a target round out to most ranges (not my first choice, but it would work), not over or under gunned for most tasks, easy to handload. It's like a trusty old dog, it might not be the newest thing going but you know it will be there when it is needed.
Love the 30-06 . Thanks for another great video guys .
YES, the .30-'06 is still as good as ever! Newer cartridges just do certain things a bit better.
A bit more history: .30-ish cartridges were becoming very popular in militaries by the early 20th Century. There was the British .303, Russian 7.62x54R and the German 8mm Mauser for the US to study and emulate. Also, the .50 BMG is a scaled-up .30-'06, developed around 1920.
It all started with the 7mm Mauser however.
These podcasts are awesome to listen to while reloading. Thank you!
I own a 30-06 and a 25-06 i love both but i tend to grab the 25.06 more there's just something about it.
New Hunter and just got a .30-06 Tikka and very happy. Great all around Loadout.
The 30-06 is still the cartridge by which all other cartridges are judged. That alone says it all.
You're not wrong...
Recently stumbled across these podcasts and can’t get enough! Would love to hear one or more on the RUM family of cartridges, especially 7RUM.
I know some RUMs have been touched on via several other cartridge talks but detailing the family or each would be awesome. Thanks for the vids/podcasts.
The greatest cartridge, that I will likely never own.
Makes me feel good to hear you guys talk well about my favorite cartridge
2 things. I was disappointed to not see a bungle of artisan firewood from Ian under my Christmas tree and I'm still waiting for an apology from Jim for saying the tt33 isn't sexy. It's like my mom telling me she wishes I wasn't born. Cut me deep Jim, ya cut me deep
It's not sexy, but it works.
Talking about the Remington sabot’s,shot them in 30-06 and 30.30 the 30-06 would shoot about a 4” group at 100 yds.My Winchester mod.94 20” barrel was a tack driver with them at 100 yards. Glad you mentioned them ,I’ll have to see if I can find some sabot’s to reload after supplies get better.
I couldn't get the to shoot in a marlin or Winchester.
The 130 gr ttsx is so under utilized and unknown it amazes me in 308, 30-06 and 300wsm its literally lightning in a bottle.
@ Zac Godfrey - It's a bit of a secret, under-reported might be the right term, but a hand-loader can custom-design a 130-140-grain load which nearly duplicates 270 ballistics. Apart from being slightly less-efficient aerodynamically than their 6.8mm counterparts at that weight - which doesn't matter a whole lot inside 400 yards - you're looking at a 30-06 load which fills the same niche as those famous Jack O'Connor 130-140 grain loads. And with a Barnes TTSX, I bet that sucker is a death ray in '06 for medium game. Using it in a magnum is almost unfair!
My first caliber 40 years ago. Have reloaded it extensively. 165 grain Sierra boattails
Funny how the ought six just works...115 years later it still...just works...🤷♂️
How do the light weight copper 30-06 compare to like 6mm arch and 6.5 grendal on drop and wind? I didn't even know they made light bullets for 30 cal and it's making me wonder if i would be better off with a 30-06 with solid copper vs light 6mm and 6.5 projectiles
In 1892 Paul Mauser created the perfect cartridge in the 7x57mm. Everything after that has been a blatant copy or a marketing gimmick. The .30-06 was designed after the US was outgunned by the 7mm Spanish Mausers during the Spanish-American war. Do the 7mm Mauser!
I gotta agree with you on this.
Honestly the only reason the 7x57mm got shafted historically was because most militaries of the time considered it underpowered when you chambered it into a belt fed machine gun.
And considering it was often easier to argue for armies to upload their rifles to chamber the same round as their machine guns than the other way around, the likes of the .30-06, 7.62x54R, and 8x57mm Mauser ended up hogging the limelight as a result. But as a rifle round the 7x57mm is as close to perfect as your going to get, proving it could even drop the African Big Five in the hands of a good shot like Karamojo Bell.
@@Verdha603 I have to agree with you sir. The 7x57 (at realistic hunting ranges) IMHO is as near a perfect whitetail cartridge as can be found ...the modern handloader can vastly improve the ballistics over factory ammunition...I myself like heavier bullets 175 grain round nose ...big heavy bullets drive in deeper and don't destroy a lot of meat.....I love all three of my 7x57's ...but lately I've been thinking of the 7x57's child ...the 257 Robert's.....
I own and shoot a number of 30-06 rifles, but I've never hunted with one. I still hunt with the 30-06's grandfather, the 45-70. Like the 30-06 and many "obsolete" cartridges, modern powders and bullets make them as relevant today as any of the new fangled stuff.