Who's using the 30-06

[Inukshuk]

I'd like to have your experiences in hunting with the 30-06. Share your stories. But please keep this thread for 06 users.
My self I've actually shot a Snow goose with mine and the meat was okay. Phew! plus fox up to Caribou and hopefully Polar bear in the near future. My farthest shot was at 660 yrds.

 

[James Jones]

The 30-06 is just as capible as alot of other rounds that seem to have fallen to the wayside in the shadow of the new sexier super mags..

The 06 can get a 180gr bullet to 2900fps from a 24" barrel , with the new Accubond showing such great results on big game I see no reason that it coulden't be used for anyhting in North America if the time were taken to get a good shot.
I personaly know of a fella that hunted with the 30-06 Ackley for over 30 years , the load was a 180gr Nosler Partition at 3000 fps and has killed several Alaskan brown bears with it , granted that would not be my first choice for a big bear but its certainly doable just make sure that you either anchor the animal or have cover that allows you to stay hiden.

I have killed whitetailed deer out to just over 600yds with a 308 , seeing that the 30-06 shoots a bit faster ....

 

[kcebcj]

I bought a Winchester Model 70 30-06 in 1963. Saved a few more dollars and put a Weaver 4 power on it and never looked back. It's on its third stock (horses just raise hell with stocks when they go down) third barrel and third scope. Started reloading about 1968. The load was 52 grains 4895 with a 150 grain Hornady spire point. Moved up to the 165 grain spire point boatail when I started hunting elk as much as deer. I have literally lost track of the bucks that rifle has taken with that load. Killed my first bull in 1976 in eastern Idaho with that rifle and load. Dropped him like a rock at about 300 yards. I can't give a yardage number for some of the really long shots I have made with that rifle other then they were way and the heck out there.

Knocking around the idea of having Kirby Allen build me a 300 AX. Just kinda fond of the 30 caliber bullet. I t should start to perform well where the 06 leaves off. In my opinion for a deer and elk rifle out to 400 yards the 06 is right there with the best.

 

[BCinKS]

My first gun i ever got was a 1917 enfield that my great uncle, built for my uncle.It has a hand carved hand checkered stock that he built along with a Douglas barrel and a 3x9 Leupold scope.I have killed whitetails,mulies and antelope with it out to 300 yrds.I am taking it to Montana next fall for a guided mulie hunt.Me ,my uncle and cousin are all going to us our 30/06 's that our great uncle built.He died 2 yrs ago and we think it would be cool to use and old plain boreing 30/06 . We all shot 4831 with a 165 Nosler B-tip or a Sierra 165 hpbt.

 

[nfhjr62]

Deceided to use my match rifle to hunt one year as the family were going to hunt a new area that had some long range shooting in one spot so i put a different stock on my 03 springfield 30/06 with a Douglas 26 inch match barrel on to it and a 3-9 power weaver scope i know it's a little heavy but i know how it groups out to 600 yrds.
Worked up a load for 180gr round nose bullet so i'm all ready to go on the first day and as we were walking in to were we were going and i happen on two bucks laying in some brush was about 50feet from them when up they jump and start running through some saplings i cut loose and all i see in the scope was asses, just as i fire they cut right and all i hit is trees now the last deer just falls down like a ton of bricks and when i walk up to him there is a bullet hole right on his shoulder AND some wood splinters, i had shot him through a sapling about three inches thick blowing out the back half of the sapling.
The rem round nose bullet expanded and broke his shoulder and took out his lung as well

 

[heiner39]

I use my Savage 116FCSS in 30-06 for deer hunting. I bought the gun new last fall and couldn't be happier. I'm fairly new to rifles and deer hunting so I was super excited when I took my first whitetail with it. I took my first crack at my big Saskatchewan whitetail at about 300 yards (ya I know it's not long compared to some of the guys out here...but it's my first). I hit it and ended up tracking it for quite some time before putting the finishing touches on it from 125 yards. Last fall my ammo of choice was 165 grain Federal Fusion.

This year, I've been drawn for mulies and of course I'll be going out for whiteys again. I'll be using the same '06 but this time I'll be launching a 150 grain Hornady Interbond (my gun really likes that round). I'm not sure how that round is going to perform on the deer but it sure is accurate!!!

By the way my whitey from last fall scored just shy of 145. Not a booner by any means but he was nice and thick (and pretty tasty too).

Here's a pic from my last range trip. I just mounted a Leupold VX-II on my '06 and here's my 3 shot group after sighting it in. Not bad being that I don't consider myself a great shot.

 

[bocajnala]

I have been using a .30-06 for the last four years. Taken 6 whitetail with it. Farthest shot was 250 yards. It is nothing special, just a remington 700. But I love to carry it. I am comfortable with it out to 400 yards, just not found a shot at that distance yet.
-Jake

 

[heiner39]

Come on...there's gotta be some more '06 users out there with stories to tell.

 

[Rymart]

Shot my first Elk and my second, third, and fourth deer (1st was with a bow) with a 3006 named Bertha. As the oldest son, Bertha is now mine. Before she was mine, she was my fathers, before that she was his fathers, before that she was his fathers' fathers, and according to family tradition she belonged to the US army before that (as my great grandfathers' service rifle in WWI). Bertha is a M1917 Enfield from the Eddystone Plant. My Grandfather cut off the front and rear sights, recrowned the barrel, added a scope mount, and put it in an aftermarket stock. My father had her glass bedded and put in a custom trigger. I put a Leupold VXIII and better rings on her, and Tubbs FF'd the bore. She is now a solid 1 moa rifle.

My wife killed her first, second, and third elk with Bertha as well as her second, third, and fourth deer, and several antelope. We are shooting 180 gr Accubonds with good results on elk and deer. On several occasions they have been able to go through one shoulder, through the chest cavity (lungs), and stop at the offside shoulder. So far the Accubonds from Bertha have not made it through both shoulders of an elk (wasn't necessary).

 

[Derek M.]

I love my 30.06 and will never part with it. It's got a 22" fluted PacNor SS on it. Rem 700 LH DM. The factory wood stock has been painted and is pillar bedded.

I use this rifle for most all of my baited bear hunts and my nonbaited hunts in BC. I've killed quite a few black bears with it now from 8 yards to 200 yards. I'm very comfortable with it to 400 yards.

I've also killed 3 or 4 mule deer with it and I cannot remember how many whitetails in MO, AL, SC, KS, and KY.

Sure it's not an ideal LRH rig, but lets face it, we don't always have 500+ yard shots on game. I can't imagine being without it.

 

[ebd10]

I bought mine, a 700 BDL, for a 1996 bear hunt. I got it second hand from Michi-Gun & Tackle in St. Clair Shores, Michigan. The stock has "Huff Creek Mine Safety Award 1995" laser etched on the stock. Apparently, the previous owner received it for his safety record. He wasn't a hunter, so he traded it in on some fishing gear. I walked into the shop the next day and walked out with a new rifle. It has killed more paper than anything, and it's on its second barrel. However, it has elevated itself to heirloom status by virtue of being a 1/2 MOA rifle. 165 grain Partitions make cloverleafs if I do my part.

 

[Scott S]

I killed my first elk last week (6x6) in Colorado using my Winchester Model 70 FW 30-06. It has a 22" inch barrel, Leupold VXII 3-9x50, and I was using a handload 180 gr Accubond. I wouldn't trade or sell my rifle for anything.

 

[teddy12b]

I took my first and second deer with a 30-06. It was an encore using 150gr factory Remington corelokts. The doe dropped right there, and the buck ran about 40 yards uphill before he flopped over. It wasn't more than 100 yards, but it's a 30-06 hunting story.

I've been in love with my new savage 30-06 since I got it and recently took it on a bear hunt in Canada. Unfortunately I didn't even see a bear, but that's part of hunting. It's a special ordered 110FP, just a heavy barreled 30-06 and all I did was switch out the stocks.

I wrote a review of the rifle here.

http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f23/110fp-30-06-range-report-bullet-advice-needed-pics-29503/


There really is something about hunting & shooting with a 30-06.

 

[3006savage]

My last elk trip out west 2 years ago we had 5 guys in camp. 1-300RUM, 1-338 Win Mag, and 3-3006s. Prior to the trip we 06 guys were lectured at length about how difficult is to kill an elk and that we are hunting with the bare minimum cartridge.
I recieved the weekly emails with photos of milk jugs being shot at 600 yards etc with the 338 magnum and 300 RUM. During the first morning of the hunt one hunter proceeded to shoot 3 shots at a stationary 5x5 at 190yds with the 338 without a hit. Finally the bull started running and he then missed a 4th shot. Talk about an miserable hunting partner the rest of the week.
The next morning the 06 trio, me included, walked up the hill 300yds out of camp to a park just in time to have 6 elk run across the field at approx 220 yards. We took 3 elk with 5 hits. These were the only elk taken that week. 3 of the 5 shots were pass thrus and the two recovered bullets broke both front shoulders.