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

[3MTA3]

The .280 Rem is a great cartridge that is overlooked.

Another great .280 is the slightly larger .280 AI gives up only 50-100 fps to a 7mm Magnum with less recoil and barrel wear.

 

[Sgt Nambu]

Wow! Oooold thread resurrection!

As to the original question, of course there are better calibers in their own niche. IMHO, the old '06 is the best caliber for versatility on this continent. Not much the old war horse can't do! Since adulthood I've always had a couple of .30-06's on hand!

 

[3MTA3]

Wow! Oooold thread resurrection!

As to the original question, of course there are better calibers in their own niche. IMHO, the old '06 is the best caliber for versatility on this continent. Not much the old war horse can't do! Since adulthood I've always had a couple of .30-06's on hand!

Agreed and especially true if you hand load your ammunition.

 

[Brutus57]

For versatility, availability and 2-4 legged critters stopping
power......let me know if you know of a cartridge better then the venerable 06.

Brutus out

 

[Andy54Hawken]

It is very hard to beat the .30-06 as many here have already stated.
I would have thought that the fact that it is still with us since 1906 and in wide use would speak for itself.
Andy

 

[Captain O]

I bow and pay homage to the .30-'06 cartridge as being the most "flexible" (read useful) cartridge on the face of the earth. I hate to say it, but it still beats the .308 Winchester hands down at long ranges. A 24" barreled .30-'06 is "mister bad boy" out to 400+ yards! The .308 is good, but at long ranges, the .30-'06 "cops the cookie" with heavier bullets.

Not much beats it.

 

[mrblond]

 

[MountainBear]

Well, since I last posted in this thread, I don't believe they have come out with a better overall cartridge...

 

[orygun]

WoooHooooooo!!! Someone wants to talk 06 again.

I've played with a 270 and thought a bunch about a 280, or more likely a 280AI, but I decided to screw things up a bit and have my rifle turned into a 30-06 AI. Should be rather interesting, at least to me.

 

[orygun]

Boy, I miss Spitpatch. He was a lot of fun, quirky and knowledgeable.

 

[bsa1917hunter]

Good thread. What's not to like about the grand ol 30-06? Load it up with 180gr. Nosler partitions and go slay anything in north America. I've used one since I was 12 years old, so I probably shouldn't be posting: Way too biased...

 

[v0lcom13sn0w]

before the dog sledding accident i had a 308,30-06 and 300WM. my 30-06 is retired to the safe for two reasons: it was too heavy for me to pack around hunting; it was a 1942 US Remington 03-A3 thats been sporterized. Other reason: i inherited it from my grandfather when i was 10 when he passed away and i just like it looking at it better than taking it thru brush getting wet and scratched.

i do agree though 30-06 is pretty much a do-it-all cartridge for North America big game. Sure, on paper theres better cartidges but is there? the '06 is over 110 years old and we're debating if anythings better? what other 'working' objects could you do that with? Cars? No. Tools? No. i rest my case.

 

[DeanMk]

Good thread. What's not to like about the grand ol 30-06? Load it up with 180gr. Nosler partitions and go slay anything in north America.

You could probably expand that to anything in the world, within 400 yards and 2000 lbs..

 

[No_Regerts]

Technically, there are better cartridges but practically, for most hunters, there is a lot of diminishing returns. For your average guy that never shoots beyond 350 yards and isn't so slight in build they need a shorter action and rifle, the 30-06 will do everything. This goes double if you aren't a reloader.

 

[smoothbore]

Technically, there are better cartridges but practically, for most hunters, there is a lot of diminishing returns. For your average guy that never shoots beyond 350 yards and isn't so slight in build they need a shorter action and rifle, the 30-06 will do everything. This goes double if you aren't a reloader.

The 3006 is a great all around cal. So is a host of others. The 270,280 (Which is a 270 +10 lol! 2506,7mm mag, 300wm, 375 H&H and all the wildcats thrown in. The 06 can be loaded from mouse to Alaska Brown.Most animals don't have a clue what killed them.
If you don't reload the 3006 ammo is the most available big game ammo on the market. It's everywhere

The older I get the more I'm back to the basics. I like to hunt. Not long range target practice.My favorite center fire gun now for big game is my 4570. It is iron sighted and fits like a glove. I feel confident in shooting it out to 200 yds for Elk, or Deer.I don't load it for Big Bear, so the recoil is pretty tame. My deer and elk loads with a 400 gr. bullet kick less than my 06 with 180 gr. I don't need expansion. That 45 cal bullet leaves a plenty big enough hole.There's a good reason the cal's like the 4570 and 3006 have lasted so long."They work" They work well.

 

[TM-Salem]

I love the 06 (wish I had one again) but all I need is my 35 Remington lever action and 45-70 to take anything I will ever want. hmm then there is the 300 savage or the 6.5x57 I guess I like the oddball things

I dont need any of the wizbang magnums to hunt dear (although I have a nice 7mm Mag)

 

[MountainBear]

6 days since my last post and still no new contenders to the thrown.

Look, I have calibers from .22lr all the way up through .45-70. They all do a certain job very well, even if it's only to entertain me. But nothing does as many things well as the good old '06. There may be better calibers for specific applications, hell, of course there are. But the .30-06 just covers so many bases. If someone is going to own just one center fire rifle, it could easily be argued it should be an '06.

 

[Kruel J]

Only because I didn't read this whole thread, am I the ONLY one that thinks the 30-06 is old and clunky and kicks like a mule? I would vote the for 7mm Mag or the .308 for a do-all round good to a grand. Popular, fairly easy to feed and especially the 7mm for distance. .308 for overall popularity. Please correct me if I'm wrong...

 

[MountainBear]

Your wrong. There, corrected. Wasn't that easy?

 

[Ura-Ki]

WOW, 4+ years and yet nary a one better, who would a thunk it! Sure there are better tools out there, but none that truly shine as a do all, be all, and end all cartridge! Before this, we had the .30/30 as the main do it all, and while it is still good for what it is used for, the .30/06 was light years ahead in every category of performance! Still is in many minds! Give me a nice 03 Springfield Sporter chambered stock .30/06 and I am a happy man! If I cant kill it with this, it don't need killin!