IMMORTAL...That's the absolute best word to explain the 30-06 ,ever.

I’m 68, retired, living on a farm in Central Virginia. When I was a young teenager 30-30’s and 30-06’s were the main cartridges used by deer hunters in this area. I started with the 30-30 then eventually bought a 30-06 and wow what a difference in capabilities. As I aged I bought a 270 and immediately felt like it was the perfect deer caliber for whitetail deer. Now, about 50 years later I’ve discovered the 7mm-08 and feel like this is my new love. When I think of the 30-06 I immediately recall the recoil. Of all the calibers I hunted with the 30-06 had the hardest recoil. That said, it’s a powerful caliber that puts deer on the ground. Always enjoy your thoughts and still learn something I never knew. Keep sipping the coffee and ruminating upon all things rifle.

Ain't many troubles a man can't fix with $700 and a 30-06.

The fact that we have a cartridge from almost 120 years ago which is still a go to shows how amazing it is. I think 30-06 has some of the best wildcats too 35 Whelen, 280 ai, 270 25-06 it’s a moose to antelope.

Thankyou for your excellent comments of the 30-06 and various other parent cartridges. I am a die hard fan of the 30-06 but do accept why fellow shooters go for the other various existing cartridges and new upcoming ones. I bought a .375HH lately for always having the need for a true magnum rifle in my heart. I do not mind recoil and not being ashamed to still use the 30-06 and will always be doing so.

I've used 3006 forever I'm 71 years old..have dropped all my large game with 3006

I totally agree! I love the 30-06

My dad bought the 30-06 for my first big game rifle, i never thought I was out gunned, elk or deer. I always bought the cheapest winchester 180 gr. rounds available from wal mart and it worked really well. That was 30 years ago at modest hunting ranges 250 and in. I now reload and vvn160 powder and a 190 gr ablr and it's business at 500yds.

6.5 Staball does wonders for the 30-06. I just might need to buy a 30-06.

Brown bear? Ok understand opinion on dangerous game. However, 1980 - Kodiak Brown bear taken with Husqavarna DM8000 - 30-06 - 220 gr handoad at approx 80 yards. Love the rifle, have loved the cartridge for a long time. Versatile only begins to describe what this round can be tailored for. Saying its immortal is spot on. Have shot nummerous other bigger and smaller rounds. No cripes about any overall. Just no one other round as adaptable to literally any situation or demand. Great vid, very much appreciated.

Good job Patriot, I swear by the 30.06 cartridge, been shooting it for years

I usually shoot a 270, but I really love the 30-06. It is the best all-around cartridge out there. I have been handloading for a lot of different cartridges for the last 40 years and it is one of my favorites favorites for the ease and number of components that work.

I have been a hunter all my life. I grew up shooting a 30-30, like most people. When I got out of college and got a good job, I wanted to get a nice gun that I could hunt pretty much anything in North America with. I work for the public and became friends with an old guy who hunted around the world. He had an impressive jungle room full of mounts from everywhere. One day I asked him if he bought 1 gun that you could hunt anything in North America with, what would that be? He told me to get a Browning Bar chambered in 30-06. He said it is not perfect for everything in North America, but it has the broadest application, in his opinion. I bought it about 25 years ago and it is still my favorite gun. It is a beautiful gun. The availability is important to me too. I love the 9mm for pistol use because of the comfort in shooting and availability too. I know many will say that I am too limited, but you do you and I will do me.

Thru the years I have had tried several different chamberings I keep coming back to the 30-06

Great job on the video! Always looking forward to seeing more.

30-06 is hands-down my #1 favorite cartridge of all time, and nothing could EVER take its place! I use a Weatherby Vanguard with a 26 inch barrel, and these are the velocities I get: 130 grain: 3,400 ft/s 150 grain: 3,100 ft/s 165 grain: 3,000 ft/s 180 grain: 2,900 ft/s 190 grain: 2,780 ft/s 200 grain: 2,750 ft/s

Excellent video! Probably the best I’ve ever seen on the subject!!

Good video - you touched it all from barrel life to versatility - congrats!

There are lots of new cartridges that have appeared over the last few years and I'm happy there is a healthy gun culture. Being a long time student of exterior ballistics I do have to say there have been no new ideas that haven't been known already. Merchandising is the name of the game in firearms now.

30-06 loaded with 180 gr sst Hornady bullets ,hard to beat

Ive just bought my first hu ting rifle chambered in 30-06. As you guessed by it being my first im very new too hunting (city boy who moved to the country). I wanted to thank you for your video it has in my mind, eased my worries if i chose the right caliber. Look forward to your videos in the future

30-06 and 30-30 are the go tos here in northern Alberta, bush hunting we use a 336 and a 94 pushing 170s when the wife and I hunt, when we get out to the open quarter sections it is the 30-06 BSA Monarch using a 180 partition. This combo has fed our family for many years.

Great video. Really enjoyed it. Took my first two antelope in Africa with a 30 06. A special place in my heart

There are very good reasons ,why the 30-06 is the cartridge that is the standardby which all other hunting cartridges are compared.

Great job of sharing some information on the .06. My first big game rifle was a REM. 700 in .30-06. Today I have four more .30-06’s, besides my other various rifles.

Thank you for great information,I just invested in a 30-06 and this is perfect information for me . Thank you blessings

I am 56. I have a stupid assortment of rifles. Thus nearly as many calibers. Your video is spot on. I don't live and breathe 30-06 but it is awesome. I am very impressed by 6.5 Creedmoor accuracy but there is a reason folks around my neck of the woods call it the "6.5 needs more ". This was a very good video . I will be watching more of you thanks.

In whatever it lacks in performance it always still wins because ammo can be found in every hardware store in every small town.

Excellent video. My dad and I have discussed all of this subject for years and years. After starting off my deer hunting journey with a .243 with 85 grain bullets, there was a tremendous difference when I killed my first buck with an ‘06. It’s been my standard for a long time now.

If I could have one rifle, it would be on the list.

30-06 can be loaded today to what 300wm was in the past.

If you can’t kill it with a 30-06, you probably shouldn’t be hunting it.

30-06....still my go-to and favorite

I started with a 3030 ,,, got a 06 an was hooked ,,,, luv messing with different calibers but the 06 is my favorite

At 57 with a bad shoulder and a messed-up neck I've become recoil sensitive. I had to sell my 12 gauge and 30-06. Gone are the days of hunting with 1 ounce slugs and 180 grain deer thumper in the remmington auto. Really miss it. After a lot of research and saving money, I built a 6mm arc ar15 that is extremely accurate and has very little recoil.

Just finished a custom build in 30-06,this is my second 30-06 and love this cartridge. That said I do want a 7 PRC and I also get excited for new cartridges.

Killed my first whitetail with the 06. So many have fallen in the past 60 years. Everything on this continent as well from the brown bear on down to antelope. Just can’t say enough about the 06 !! 👍👍😀

Great topic. Nothing better than sitting around a hunting camp at night with a beer and debating cartridges. ❤. My Brother also felt that way. Said I just need 1 cartridge and I can do whatever I wanted in hunting. Rem 700 BDL and he was set. Unfortunately he passed away several years ago due to Pancreatic Cancer 😢. Well I inherited it. I have never been a 30 cal guy I've always been a 7mm man. While he got his 30-06 I got a 7RM😂. So now I have his rifle and I wanted to do something special with it as not a fan of BDL. So I have as I write this my brother's action at a custom smith getting totally redone. PR 26" barrel McMillan Game hunter stock. Terminator T3 Muzzle Brake. NF ATACR 5x25x56 Mill-C ret. TT flat shoe trigger. Bottom metal from the smith's preference with DBM 3 rounders. He is starting this month. Hope to see it in March. Oh and its not a 30-06 anymore it's a 30-06 AI. 😂 have 101 rounds ready to go. LAPUA brass loaded with some cheap 180 hornady 180 interlocks. Oh funny, as your talking about some cartridges being overbore I am literally doing brass prep on my new 6.5x300 wby. FL sized, chamfer, and debur case mouth. Gonna prime tonight. Tomorrow I will load up some new 153.5 Berger Hybrids with N570 with Fed 215M ignition.😂 Oh happy days. I feel the same as you do about the 30-06 as I do about the Mighty 7mm Rem Mag. It will never die. Great video

30-06 is the one cartridge to do it all. It’s even better when you own a few 30-06 rifles 😂

+ 30-06 ~ an oldie but a goodie

As I've said before, I made a grave mistake when my first hunting rifle purchase was a Tikka T-3 light stainless in .30-06. The mistake was I've never had any reason to buy another high-powered rifle. I live in Colorado and use 125 gr. ammo for antelope, 150 gr. for mule deer, 165 gr for elk, and 180-200 gr. for Moose. I never pull the trigger on anything over 200 yards away. At a little over 6 lbs., I can drag that rifle around with me all day long. My father was issued an M-1 Garand in WWII, and my grandfather was issued an '03 Springfield in WWI. I love shooting other calibers, I just don't see the need to own any.

I've owned and hunted with a lot of cartridges. My favorite for medium sized game Deer hog's Black bear is the 30-06.

Absolutely awesome video. Countless great points and valuable pieces of info. Of course I am biased with my 20“ 30-06 main hunting rifle 😂. The key point for me from your video is that the 30-06 is the home for heavy bullets out of a non-magnum. I run a 200 grain ELD-X at 2550 ft/s which works extremely well. IMHO the manufacturers should offer more heavy options, e.g. the 178 grain ELD-X is too light for my taste and will be only 100 ft/s faster

30-06 is KING

Great Video, well done, I love the 30-06, my rifle is an old Brno ZG47 made in 1957, still as good as the day it was made,, never let me down, the rifle or cartridge.

Very well explained

I found Army surplus 30 -06 solid brass machine gun rounds that run perfectly through my antique Winchester mod. 70. At 500 yards, they'll punch through an engine block.

The fact that ammunition for the .30-'06 is so widely available globally over 100 years after its creation, speaks volumes about Its popularity. This cartridge isn't going away anytime soon.

It’s all about making money, selling guns and selling new shells

Haha a video like this takes some guts to put up, you know you are going to make someone mad. One gun channel to another, solid sub from me.

I love my 30.06😇👍. Thanks for the Video 👌. New Subscriber. Cheers from 🇨🇦🙏.

I still have my first '06, that I paid for, 45 years ago. A sporterizrd 1917 eddystone. It will still do what ever I want it to, if I do my part.

I bought a 30-06 for the same reason back in the 80's. All the different bullet weights for different game.

I love the 30-06 as far as it's capabilities within 400 yards. I want both a 308 in a light weight AR10 and I want a 30-06 in a modern rifle like a fierce or something along that lines. Either way on your opinions on the cartridge it works and works very well and sets the standards of everything hunting cartridges

Great analysis of North America's sweetheart cartridge

I do believe that the 30-06 is the do all take everywhere cartridge for those just starting out and getting into this sport because of its versatility. Thanks for the video

A friend went to Africa. His only rifle was a 30-06. Hornady used to make 220 steel jacketed RN's. I had 2 boxes, I gave him 1 so he could handle the "big 5" if he had to. His main load was 180 Nosler Partitions. He didn't take any elephants, but lesser cartridges have with heavy bullets (read Karamojo Bell). He did take a hippo and the 220's worked fine. One cartridge for ALL? 30-06. Ok, maybe the 375 for Africa, but a bit much for deer and mountain goats. I love my 30-06. My main load is the Nosler 180 partition at 2735 f/s. An honest 400 yard load, maybe 300-350 for moose and elk. Wont blow up on a bear at 5 feet. BTW, I HUNT, not snipe at game. ONE load for everything from deer to bear and up, reasonably flat, 225 Yd zero, hold dead on to 300 for big game. +/- 3" to 260 yds, 6" low at 300. Done. Works for me.

Great post! For 2023 season, I successfully my tags with my rifle chambered for 30'06🤨😁 Kodiak was successful I sighted my ironsights for the 200gr Nolser bullets. Along with Moose and it performed as expected, my shot placement, as you would expect😂... Im always amazed whenever big game drop right there even though I know whats going to happen but all were taken no further than 50 paces😉 I agree the 30'06 is Immortal. The caribou and black bear tags that i filled was with my ironsighted REM700 in 222REM using Nosler 60gr ammo. Take care😉

Love all new cartridges, i still love the 6.

When i grew up, we had a 22 a 30-06 and a 45-70 along with various shot guns and revolvers 22 ,38 special and a 357 mag. I never felt inadequate when hunting anything. That being said, the 45-70 always felt good in my hands, i never wanted for anything else.

Well said. Because it occupies the liminal space between magnums and short action 30 cal it is THE one. I am a pretty new to firearms world and wonder how it can be accurate with such a broad range of bullet weights. (Like the .223 1/8 vs 1/12 twist and accuracy with heavier and lighter projectiles. My 1/8 223 isn’t as accurate with 55 grainers but loves the ‘heavy’ stuff) Always enjoy your intelligent and balanced videos mate 🙏 🇦🇺

Very good presentation. I own most of the calipers you've named off and I totally agree with you if you need one that's pretty much a do-all but not a full-blown Magnum for example the 30.6 with a 180 grain soft point it will hit like a hammer. Or if you want something that's just fun and stupid fast a 110 grain V-Max and a 30-06 is a blow dart.

30-06 cartridge was the standard when I first got into the Marine Corps in 1960, but they were waiting for the M-14 to come out in numbers to supply the troops; was going to be the NATO 308 caliber round. That round was used by me in my M-1 Grand and later BAR and aside from being a tad heavy in stacks of 20 rounds or more it was an excellent bullet to use in combat and field general . The 308 was also an excellent round to use and was just as accurate at 500 to 600 yards fired from M-14 or M-60 at even longer ranges. Bullets have specific purposes and one needs to use that one which fits the purpose at the time of use.

I New 1964/1965 Winchester model 70 in 30-06 cal and it’s shoots like a nail drive.❤❤❤ kicks like a mule.

The 30/06. Is a very good all around rifle This rifle is the magnumto the rifle. You're talking about it is the 8 mm Moser. It has the same range and the same knockdown power for big game hunting

Now could you do a comparison to the 6.8 and the 30.06 cause I'm interested to see what it would show between the two

I've always wanted a 300RUM and as of the last few years a 300WM or 6.5cm , due to 300RUM being way more expensive and me not willing to pay double for that 10% more in added power . I also said that once I burned those barrels out I would convert that magnum receiver to the Ultimate high bc shooter and not have to sacrifice power , as of right now , I would most likely convert the magnum receiver to shoot either the 30-06 , 308 , or 6.5cm .

It would take a full day to talk about all the cartridges that came off of the 30/06. The 30/06 is always going to be in the PA woods for sure.

Great video and info! I love the 30-06!

The cartridge that should’ve knocked it off was the 280 Remington, but I heard they screwed the launch up and put it in a terrible gun and such. The 7 mm are really the sweet spot but I do love 30s.

Good job....😊

The Alaska Fish and Game department recommend the 30-06 with premium 200-220 grain bullets for Brown Bear. The sectional density of those rounds make them great brush cartridges too.

What is your opinion of the 3006 AI? I was looking at the nosler loading manual The AI looks pretty impressive.

By chance have you tried vihtavouri N160 with a 180 grain SST for the 30-06.

LOVE❤ THE 30-06 THEN AND NOW 9NE CGOICE CARTRIGE.

I have a Bergara B-14 ridge in 30-06 it's got a muzzle brake so recoil is no issue. I went with it because of the versatility of the cartridge, that thing shoots lights out

What do you think of the 8.6 blackout?? I saw it, learned and fell in love with it! Is my love misplaced...?

The 30-06 saved a lot of lives during WW II flying out of the M-1 Garand at the German's, Japanese and later, the North Koreans and Chinese even into early Vietnam.

30-06 is greatest cartridge of all time, there’s not even a close 2nd, will handle anything in North America, undeniable devastating power & energy to 400 plus yards. 30-06 using 180 Grain Nosler Partition is one of the best rounds for deer hunting ever, more killing power up to 400 yards than 7mm Mag, 22% more bullet frontal diameter, 7 Mag out performs it after 400 yds, also not enough difference in 30-06 vs 300 Win Mag to justify buying one, the next REAL step up from 30-06 is 300 Weatherby Magnum. 30-06 is still the most popular hunting cartridge.

Bam hit the nail on the primer

The 7mm-08 is the refinement of the 30/06. Using identical sectional density comparisons the 160 grain 7mm bullet and 180 grain 30 caliber bullet are identical. The 7mm-08 can drive a 160 grain bullet to the same velocity of the 30/06 with a 180 grain bullet.

My 22 inch Remington 700 in 30-06 is my baby. To handle recoil better just do push ups or even bench presses a bit. Barrels can be ported too.

My first rifle is a 30-06 Model 700 ADL Remington, 1975 model. I still have it. I have over 30 more rifles of different chamberings. The 30 caliber is still the most versatile.

Couldn’t agree with you more on your points. I’ve owned over 85 rifles from .22 - .45 caliber. I loved them all. And I think the new calibers are just great. But as I’ve aged (65yrs) I’ve just gone back to the 06, 270 or 7 Rem but not to take away from 7 PRC, 6.5 PRC, 6.8 etc etc but for what I hunt in western Canada it does me well. As a note I read somewhere recently but Phil Shoemaker the Master Guide in Alaska used the 06 with 220gr bullets for his grizzly hunts. So I think there is something to be said about experience. Remington’s CDL and BDL now have a twist rate of 1 in 8 on the 7 Rem Mag. The CDL is now chambered in the 7 PRC. So I think we will see more manufacturers bringing out the 7mm and the 270 in faster twist rates. Although I’ve never had a problem with shooting my two 6x7 bull elk at 80yds and 390yds respectively with my 270 in 150gr Noslers.

First rifle a boy learned was the Marlin 10-22. Moved to .270 and 30-06. My journey took a hiatus then. I might continue, but I probably won't.

My only hunting rifle most of my life. 700 rem adl 3006. Perfect with 165gr, boattail, balistic tip nozler mule deer and elk. Started with my grand fathers mod 88 lever win 308 and hated that gun and traded it for the 3006 and never regretted it. I always wanted a 7mm rem mag, weatherby vanguard walnut and i always loved the 270 but ended up with the 3006 and i will stick with it as im accurate as hell with it.

agree!

Great info. If you look a little deeper, you will find that the 270 was first based on the '03. Hence, the slightly longer case.

If I lived where I could spend thousands to sling bullets a thousand yards, I would own a 6.5 cry more.😊 I own 30-06 and 308 rifles that are proven around the world and still take game. Thanks for highlight the 30-06 for the Fudds like me.🤠

It took me a minute before I realized a few things. I’m in the East Coast and hunt near Woods and in woods. Long range does not matter but blood trails do. The trend fueled by competition, marketing and UKposts is long distance. I’m not in that camp. Granted it does give me better and more options for ammo and accessories. I tell friends new to hunting get a 308. For a youth a 6.5 cm just because that is the ammo I see in the shelf most. I have no need for magnums and the new prc magnums.

I bought a howa 30-06 to make a long action 308 target rifle...never did that... instead realized how much more performance I could get out of the 30-06...I now load a 225 eldm at 2650fps....that's 3500ftlbs at the muzzle...22" barrel... I was fine tuning my zero last week, and getting 1/2 moa.

I watched this because I am a HUGE fan of 30-.06. Great discussion / video. Thank you. I think factory load availability should also be taken into consideration. There's a whole slew of newer cartridges that I've not seen a box of on a store shelf where I live since 2020. I don't think there has been a single day that I couldn't find something in 30-.06 whether it was some M2ball or 200gr core-lokts or anything in between. Every cartridge company in existence has multiple loads available for the 30-.06. Now that there's somewhat better availability, I find boxes of 30-.06 considerably cheaper than most other options. A lot of these newer cartridges, while quite popular, simply aren't available everywhere a person might live or travel. 30-.06 is literally EVERYWHERE. You can drive through a town so small it doesn't have a dot on a map, and the one general store in it is going to have a couple boxes of it, but they most likely won't have a single box of any WSM, WSSM, or any PRC or any WBY magnums, etc.

great presentation , but id just add you can fettle all cartridges to suit the need, i e softer shooting heavier shots etc , i do that with my 7mil RM :)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE 264 WINCHESTER MAG AND THE 338 WINCHESTER MAG

👍 Good discussion on the main points. My first rifle that I bought was a 30-06. It always did the job. I usually tell those who ask that the 30-06 and the 308 are "kissing cousins" - same family, same general features, individual differences. For any given load, the 30-06 will be 100 to 150 fps faster (more often 100), until you go above 180. That's the point that the 30-06 rapidly pulls away from the 308. I've shot a 243. Nothing bad to say, but was never satisfied with it. Always had to track (never a DRT). 30-06, seldom tracking. 270? Very good, and I mostly liked it, but it doesn't take the place of a 30-06. 7 mag? Don't like it - mostly because of muzzle blast and increased recoil. Then again, I usually think the same thing about any of the "magnums." For older shooters, and smaller stature shooters, I usually suggest a semiautomatic, or a recoil absorbing system (PAST recoil pads, or recoil tamer stocks). Both soften a 30-06 considerably. I will say that a friend introduced me to his 6.5x55 Swede and I was favorably impressed. Low relative recoil and good on target performance (and the Swedes use it for moose). The 6.5 Creedmoor is, at its core, a short action 6.5x55, so it has joined my list of "good" cartridges. If you are trying to reach out to horizon distances, you probably won't like a 30-06, but you can. Little known fact, but one of the development criteria for the 30-06 was "able to kill a horse with one shot at 1000 yards". Fortunately, we rely on ballistics nowadays. P.S. Blackout coffee preferable to Black Rifle coffee.

WW1 also saw widespread military use of the U.S. model of 1917 Enfield in .30/06. It was my first deer rifle, and boy that 26 inch barrel was accurate.

Couldn't have said it better myself !

The 3006 is great in Africa we use it even on dangerous games such as buffalo one shot is enough depending on where you place your shot, thanks bro for your good great explanation on the 3006,

I concur

Im a fudd from South Georgia, and this is my favorite cartridge. In my opinion it is the goldilocks of cartridges. I have a wide variety of cartridges, but I always gravitate to it. Since I was was a small boy, I remember listening to the oldtimers talk about how good the 06' worked on game. I received my first 06' at the age of 13 and downed many many deer with one. Regardless of what foruns and the internet says, being an old no frills "grandpa" cartridge does not make it less effective. Most younger guys like the flashy boutique cartridges due to marketing or the exclusiveness of having something that people oooh and ahh over. Plus most manufactures make the newer trendier rifles in the new cartridges flavor of the week cartridges, whereas the 06' is normally chambered in the more traditionally styled rifles that arent super tactical prs inspired designs that lots of people want now.