Are there any cartridges better than the .30-06?

[Spitpatch]

I think there are a LOT of cartridges better than the .30-06 for certain various purposes.

I'm just not sure there are very many cartridges better than the .30-06 for nearly all purposes in North America.

I think the cartridge is mundane, pedestrian, and unexciting. I have avoided it all my life for calibers of more intrique.

Tell me what caliber for general big game hunting in North America you believe is a better choice, and why.

I'll reveal my choice late in discussion. It may surprise some.

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[Douglas]

7x57, Mauser

 

[gunfreak]

I won't ever use anything other than the '06. Just about any rifle out there is chambered for it, when I go to the gun store there's boxes of used brass to reload, 30 cal bullets come in many shapes and sizes and you can kill anything on planet earth with it including Petty Officer Koga's Japanese Zero during WW2 on the Aleutians. Thays a fact, my Grandfather was there.

 

[JGRuby]

To me that is like asking what tire is better - to me if your going after elk go bigger than the 30-06 and if you are going after deer in most cases a 30-06 is probably to much. If I only had one rifle it would be a 30-06 because it is in the middle and can meet both of those scenarios. To me the 30-06 is the ultimate generalists cartridge - it can truely do it all. I own one but rarely has it been in the field - I use a 300 Savage or a 7mmX57 for deer and a 338-06 or 9.3X62 for elk. If there was truely a SHTF scenario - guess which bolt gun I am grabbing - the 30-06.


James Ruby

 

[skywag]

Yes. .270 Winchester is MUCH better.

 

[jonn5335]

7mm rem mag, it is the most popular magunum cartridge. If a store sells 30-06 ammo they sell 7mm rem mag. It has better long range performance and a wide range of bullet weights similar to the 30-06 but with higher B.C.'s in most cases. I have owned 3 30-06's sold one and am selling the other 2 I don't think I'll ever sell my 7mm RM but then again that's just my

 

[orygun]

Nope. There is nothing better as a "do-it-all" cartridge.

That's my story and I'm stickin' to it!

 

[Trailboss]

375 H&H, enough said.

 

[Akathepriest]

375 H&H, enough said.

At over $3/round that is hardly better than the .30-06

 

[del_and_bones]

From deer to large coastal brown bears, I saw it do it all growing up. It's the all-around cartridge for North America. That said I'd want more gun if I went brown bear hunting.

 

[ZigZagZeke]

"This is the american dream in action! We'd be fools not to ride this strange torpedo all the way out to the end!" -HST-

My very favorite modern writer (Hunter S. Thompson).

 

[Bigfoot]

Awfully tough to argue against it.

One nit that could be picked is it's more than needed for small deer like ours. Load it with fast powder like IMR4759, 4198 or AA5744 and the 125 N Ballistic Tip to 2400-2800 fps and it can recoil like a 257 Roberts. At those speeds that bullet will exit.

Mice to moose.

I prefer my 7 lb 300 WSM tho.

 

[Hogstooth]

I love the super flat shooting 25-06 at 3400fps with a 100 grain Nosler...shoots like a laser beam, but I can't say it is "better" than the 30-06 as an all around cartridge. Nosler Partitions make more difference than any spin-offs from the old parent cartridge. Both of my 30-06's have shot 1/2" groups or less with handloads at 200 yards, and they aren't anything fancy. My 96 North American Mauser in 25-06 shoots 3" at 600 yards on a good day. So I have two of each

 

[Pepiot]

300 H&H 200 grain

 

[Grommit327]

When you factor in ammo price, reloading component and factory ammo availability, and the versatility of the round it's no wonder it's number one. I never have understood people that feel they need for something more for elk. It has been dropping them for years. Bad shots maybe or just don't trust their rifle?

 

[mortre]

Not a big fan of the "Best for North America", but I will lay odds on 7x57. Mauser got it right first, America recognized it and tried to change it enough to not have to pay royalties. But they had to pay them anyway in the end.

Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk 2

 

[SCannon]

I agree, I like my magnums for a bench gun. But I use a 22-250 or a 280 for hunting. Its funny that people some how think you have to have a large caliber magnum rifle to hunt anything larger than a deer. I've seen some very large bulls go down with a 243.

 

[orygun]

Not a big fan of the "Best for North America", but I will lay odds on 7x57. Mauser got it right first, America recognized it and tried to change it enough to not have to pay royalties. But they had to pay them anyway in the end.

Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk 2

The royalties paid had to do with design elements of the 03 Springfield, but nothing to do with the cartridge.

 

[Trailboss]

At over $3/round that is hardly better than the .30-06

Less expensive does not equate to better, unless you're cheap. 375 H&H hands down better.

 

[orygun]

Less expensive does not equate to better, unless you're cheap. 375 H&H hands down better.

More powerful does not always equate to better, either.