A respectful look at an old friend

[charlie b]

I have an 06, a Garand. Like it a lot.

My bolt rifles are a .308 and .223 I love them. FWIW, the rifle I qualified with in the Army was the M14. Only missed one target. Not, not the 400m ones, it was the 50m target I carried the M16, but, never warmed up to it. Missed a couple at 350m. The max qual range was decreased when I shot the course.

I've had other rifles, including a .577-450 Martini-Henry.

Would I change? Probably not. No reason.

[ulav8r]

Have one 06, a sporterized 03 given to my dad by my uncle. I'll keep it but won't shoot it much except for cast plinking. Have one 308, a graduation gift from my uncle. It's a Mossberg 800, a little heavy but effective. Don't need another in either caliber. If I need more than the 308, I would definitely look for something bigger than an 06.

[HangFireW8]

I never argue someone choosing one or the other between '06 or .308. Or .270 or 7x57 or 7mmRemMag or 7mm-08. They're all good and all have their strengths, and no big weaknesses.

For cast boolits, the '06 has a longer neck and a longer throat. That makes heavier boolits easier than in most .308 chambers.

The debate we should be having is .276 Pedersen versus everything else. But what could have been, never happened.

[JSnover]

We keep missing the point.
What P&P asked was why do some cartridges become sacred?
There's no magic, no departed spirits residing inside the action, we just like to worship inanimate objects.

[Static line]

Look at my Avatar.That is me resting on a rice patty dike in Nam after a 13 hour fire fight back in 1968 while with the 82 nd Airborne division as a sniper. That's my rifle laying next to me.It's an M-14 that I qualified with at 1000 meters just to pass sniper school. My longest confirmed is over 600 meters.The 308 can do it.My favorite rifle is in my gun safe,a Winchester feather weight 30-06.

[FergusonTO35]

Look at my Avatar.That is me resting on a rice patty dike in Nam after a 13 hour fire fight back in 1968 while with the 82 nd Airborne division as a sniper. That's my rifle laying next to me.It's an M-14 that I qualified with at 1000 meters just to pass sniper school. My longest confirmed is over 600 meters.The 308 can do it.My favorite rifle is in my gun safe,a Winchester feather weight 30-06.

Can't argue with that!

[P Flados]

There are tons of guns that will do "just fine" for 95% of the rifle hunting needs in the US.

Although other cartridges may have some advantage in some situations, the average hunter does not really care about what is "best" for his needs. He is aware that there are lots of OK choices, but he also probably knows that any "advantage" of the best gun for his use is not a really big deal. Sure, some other gun may recoil less, weigh less, shoot farther, but so what. He is more likely to want the "extra power margin" of the 30-06 and will put up with the recoil and weight since no "real man" considers the 30-06 as too much for an average Joe.

Ammo is easy to find and does not carry a premium. All sellers have some, most sellers have choices from multiple makers. For this type of gun buyer, the 30-06 is a well know round that will do what he needs, and requires minimal thought on his part.

My bet is that 90% of the animals taken with a 30-06 could have been taken just as well with a 30-30 or 300 savage. So what. The 30-06 did the job and made the shooter happy.

[missionary5155]

Good morning
About the only thing a 30-06 case cant do is propel a fatter than caliber .41 cast down a barrel.
The 308 compared to a 30-06 is like comparing a 45 Schofield to a 45 Colt.
Nothing wrong with either one... ya just have to know your limitations and happily go on.
Mike in Peru

[tazman]

Again, not talking about WHY the .30-06 is extremely popular but rather; does that extreme popularity cause the cartridge to be selected without consideration ?

That would depend on the sources an individual has when he/she is trying to make a decision on a cartridge to use for whatever the use might be. I some circumstances, I am sure it happens. In others not at all since there will be other cartridges suggested instead.
With the selection of cartridges currently available, the iconic cartridge will be promoted or ignored depending on who happens to be doing the talking at the moment.
I think the iconic cartridges are chosen less often these days since internet access has greatly increased information about alternatives that are out there.
That said, my rifles are 30-06, 308, 243, and 223. I guess I am highly suggestible.

[ShooterAZ]

I think it's a really just a matter of standing the test of time. 3 major US wars and numerous lesser encounters, 100+ years in production, and countless heads of big game taken by the venerable round. Not saying the 30-06 is any better or worse than anything else, but it just keeps on getting the job done year after year. I think people just consider it based on it's proven track record.

[Sig556r]

Bought a 30-06 Rem700 just because I snagged quite a bit of some pretty good brass in nice ammo cases & I already reload 308 & 30-30 so I have the components for it.
Not fun to shoot when loaded hot but with light charges (i.e., Unique), no different than my other 30cals.
Given only a choice though, I'll take my 6.5CM over my 30cals

[Bent Ramrod]

If somebody wants a cartridge for general purpose, with utility, availability, and maximum effectiveness with minimum drawbacks as prime criteria, why not the .30-06?

It was designed by a committee of American military men, ballistic experts and target shooters, and incorporated the latest advancements available at the time. It was scaled for maximum range, power and accuracy, given the weight of the cartridge, recoil, operating pressure in all climates and other such desiderata, and the War Dept. spent more money in R&D than any gun company or individual could afford to on cartridge development. The customer does not have to be the beta-tester, as is the case with most commercial cartridges. Those who enjoy playing with Magnums, WSSMs, SAUMs, etc, and see them as major advances on older offerings, are not, obviously, a large customer base. Nor do any of these new developments actually represent a quantum leap over the performance that was available in 1906.

The .308 was designed to get close to the original .30-06 ballistics, with the added provisos of lighter weight, less materiel used in manufacture, and the standardization process the allowed all the allied nations of NATO to use the same cartridge in all their rifles and machine guns. For the individual shooter, not overly concerned with procurement, supply or logistics, only the availability issue would be important. Since both cartridges are easily found, the issue is moot.

Current cartridges are ever more specialized: to “wound” enemies and tie up resources in treating them, for dangerous game, for varmint hunting, for extreme range target shooting, etc. Someone who wants a general purpose rifle would not be overly interested in these areas of specialization, as long as his cartridge performed acceptably in all of them.

It’s simply a matter of practicality. The cognomen of “sanctity” or “sacredness” is in the eye of the beholder. I would think that such a descriptor would be better applied to whatever factory or wildcat cartridge the individual enthusiast proclaims as the hard-hittinest, brush-bustinest, wind-buckinest, tack-drivinest thing to come down the pike since the invention of gunpowder. And who regards any naysayers as ignorant heathens.

[JSnover]

30-06 is an old combat veteran who Was There when it happened. It took lives, it saved lives. It put meat on the table and won trophies. Someone who knows nothing about ballistics can choose it with confidence because it's reputation is solid. It may be less than perfect for a specific purpose but it'll get the job done and the new owner can buy something tailored to his needs later. Or not.

[afish4570]

30-06 is an old combat veteran who Was There when it happened. It took lives, it saved lives. It put meat on the table and won trophies. Someone who knows nothing about ballistics can choose it with confidence because it's reputation is solid. It may be less than perfect for a specific purpose but it'll get the job done and the new owner can buy something tailored to his needs later. Or not.

There is a reason all the military rounds 45-70.30-40,3006,308 and .223/5.56 are and have been popular. Veterans, family members and their friends know all the cartridges work. Not to mention the supply of good bullets, brass and magazine articles have fueled their popularity. The 223 as a big game caliber is up for discussion. The current craze to fit new calibers into the AR format is the latest fixation. My 3006's will all have a place in cabinet despite my recent fascination with 45-70's. afish4570

[6.5 CM]

Still waiting for 35/375/400 Whelen on a 308 case with the same "stooch" as the originals. (please don't say 358 Win)

[6.5 CM]

Someone far smarter than I once said: "If you can't get it done with a 30-06, you're doing it wrong."

There was a reason Gen. Mac killed the 276 Pedersen. Too bad he wasn't in charge when the idiot from Ford okayed to 5.56.

[Texas by God]

Still waiting for 35/375/400 Whelen on a 308 case with the same "stooch" as the originals. (please don't say 358 Win)

Never mind

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[JSnover]

I always thought if we had to go to a smallbore, the .250 Savage had already been developed and could have been adopted. The old guys would have complained, the new guys would have liked it, and right about now we'd be looking for something different.

[ShooterAZ]

I always thought if we had to go to a smallbore, the .250 Savage had already been developed and could have been adopted. The old guys would have complained, the new guys would have liked it, and right about now we'd be looking for something different.

Do you mean something different like a 257 Roberts?

[FergusonTO35]

Do you mean something different like a 257 Roberts?

We can dream, can't we?