30-06??

[Mrkdiver]

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Just to be clear, this is Long Range Hunting dot com and not Shooting 101.

Well your quite the dick. Nothin like being Helpful. You should be on Facebook with the rest of the experts

 

[srogerson]

You made the right choice. I have a 6.5CM and a 30-06. If I was going after elk, I'd take the 06.

Also, agree with the suggestions regarding 168 - 180 grain bullets. I see you got a 10 twist, so you should be good to go on that.

Welcome to the forum. Great bunch of folks around here, generally! Don't let the jerks scare you off.

Enjoy the forum, and your new rifle. When is it coming in? Please post pictures when it arrives!

Scott

 

[StumpGrinder]

The 178 absolute Hammer will breath new life into that old work horse!

the most important things to remember when preparing for a hunt is practice, and bullet choice. Your affective range will be the distance at which you can reliably put every shot into a paper plate or pie pan sized target. Your terminal range will be the distance at which your bullet drops below the terminal velocity for proper performance. For an expanding bullet that is around 1500 fps I think. The bullet manufacturer is your best source for that info. Also the amount of energy to reliable kill elk sized animals is around 1200 to 1500 pounds. A 180 grain Boat tail plastic tip bullet with a muzzle velocity of 2600 fps should still be traveling around 1800 fps at 500 yards with an energy of 1350 ft pounds. I also recommend you do some physical training for a hunt for elk. You will probably be in for a long hike in and if you score, a long pack out with meat on your back. Elk weigh over 1000 pounds and even boning everything out your looking at several hundred pounds of meat. Also do some survival skills studies and preparations. Things can go south in a hurry in the high country if your not prepared. Good luck and be safe.

 

[Ken61]

The 30-06 was my go to for deer and Elk.
You won't be sorry.

 

[OldTimeHunter]

Far more Elk have been and are killed with a 30-06 than all the whiz-bang cartridges beloved by the elites and writers. Just sayin'

 

[seattleman1969]

I have ordered a 30-06 custom from Weatherby about a month ago.
I plan on shooting for fun and mostly targets.
But I will be learning to hunt. At 67 I figure it's never to late to learn, and I have a very experienced stepson to help.
(ELK)
But with what I'm seeing these days i must have chosen the wrong cartridge.
Maybe I should have gone 6.5 Cm or the new 6.8.
Or the 270 weatherby.
Your opinions are the reason for the post.
Newguy

Personally, my opinion, I think at your age, your choice is perfect. Getting into the hunting and shooting game late you will most likely never get into "true long range" and stay under 500 I would imagine.

.30-06, with proper bullet and placement, is more than enough medicine for elk!

 

[seattleman1969]

The old '06 is probably one of the best all around cartridges there is. Load light and fast for varmints through medium sized deer or step up to heavier pills and still have a 600 yard big game rifle. I've got a stable of the newest and best yet 90% of the time the '06 is the rifle on my shoulder.

Amen!

 

[StumpGrinder]

Wow thank you.
From what I'm seeing here it seems like it can be good to 600 yards...when I am of course

yes the weak link in most modern shooting system is the shooter! My guns are all capable of shooting better than I am.

 

[R-Dog]

The 30-06 is still a good all around cartridge after over a hundred years . I still have a few unopened box's of Twin Cities Ordnance Plant 175 gr .30 M2 rounds . They will never be used just for keep sakes now . The 1:10 is standard for them and not a thing wrong with it so many of us just like to experiment and play around with new chamberings and not any thing wrong with that either . You can find factory loads in many different bullet weights for different types of hunting nearly any where you go in the world still to this day . I think that the only other 30 cal. that might compare to it as to availability with not an excessive amount of recoil may be the 308 . We each have our own ideas as to what constitutes long range for some it's 1000 plus yards but for others it may only be 500 yards and with the 30-06 600 - 700 is long range but there have been confirmed kills made at longer ranges with it . Enjoy your 30-06 and spending time with your family .

Thank you. Especially the family part.

 

[Karey Kimmel]

R-Dog, there are so many different rifle calibers to choose from today and every one has a close following with opinions galore. You can virtually match the caliber, bullet, distance and game to select the best possible rifle/caliber/bullet for that combination. The 30-06 is a wonderful, versatile, accurate all around caliber that has ammunition available that will take almost any game animal (yeah, there are exceptions and I had to say this or I would be severely lectured on this site) and you can usually find a very wide variety of ammo almost anywhere you go (worldwide). My favorite, go-to hunting rifle is my OTC Browning A-Bolt chambered in 30-06! It's a perfect, inexpensive, light-weight field rifle that I have walked many miles with while hunting. I'm not afraid to get it dirty or scuffed up - because its a workhorse, not a show dog. I've taken antelope, white tail deer, mule deer and elk with it out to ranges of 300+ yards and most all have been DRT, not to mention the few dozen ground hogs and prairie dogs that have sacrificed their lives catching the lead my '06 delivered. t's not the caliber I'd select if I were truly shooting match or long range, but for general hunting in North America you can't go wrong! You have made a wise choice that I doubt you will ever regret. Wish you many years of safe, successful hunting!

 

[Mike Matteson]

Nothing wrong with a 30-06. The only thing is what is the twist rate of the barrel? Copper bullets require faster twist rates, than jacketed lead bullets. If you are hand loading I would look at 150 to 165 grain bullets, and get the velocity up it will flatten out the down range drop. If you have a faster twist barrel then I would look at Hammer bullets. At the same time you will need to see what it likes. Great luck to have a son-in-law that trying to get you into hunting.

 

[cariboo crawler]

I have ordered a 30-06 custom from Weatherby about a month ago.
I plan on shooting for fun and mostly targets.
But I will be learning to hunt. At 67 I figure it's never to late to learn, and I have a very experienced stepson to help.
(ELK)
But with what I'm seeing these days i must have chosen the wrong cartridge.
Maybe I should have gone 6.5 Cm or the new 6.8.
Or the 270 weatherby.
Your opinions are the reason for the post.
Newguy

You will not be disappointed .
excellent choice . Tried and true for many many yrs .

 

[jarnold37]

I have ordered a 30-06 custom from Weatherby about a month ago.
I plan on shooting for fun and mostly targets.
But I will be learning to hunt. At 67 I figure it's never to late to learn, and I have a very experienced stepson to help.
(ELK)
But with what I'm seeing these days i must have chosen the wrong cartridge.
Maybe I should have gone 6.5 Cm or the new 6.8.
Or the 270 weatherby.
Your opinions are the reason for the post.
Newguy

Since you are going to be a beginning hunter, I think maybe a little shooting 101 is a prerequisite to long range hunting. Assuming this is a beginning of a learning curve, many of us have learned to shoot at longer ranges. I dont think it would be beneficial to jump right in until you learn some of the "101" aspects. The 30-06 is a very good cartridge and would be best learned by shooting and to shoot good groups at 100 yards. I would reccomend 125 or 150 grain bullet as the recoil is much less with lighter bullets. Many long range hunting situations end up being 500 yards or less. If at some point your desire to go to longer ranges and a bigger bullet it might be best to realize recoil can be a detriment because if hunting long range, it is necessary to have experience and ability not to flinch. However, one would not be totally inept with 150 grain at much longer distances.

 

[Justin Petrovich]

I have ordered a 30-06 custom from Weatherby about a month ago.
I plan on shooting for fun and mostly targets.
But I will be learning to hunt. At 67 I figure it's never to late to learn, and I have a very experienced stepson to help.
(ELK)
But with what I'm seeing these days i must have chosen the wrong cartridge.
Maybe I should have gone 6.5 Cm or the new 6.8.
Or the 270 weatherby.
Your opinions are the reason for the post.
Newguy

Goodmorning,
I think you made a fine choice. I have other calibers but I find myself still taking the 06. Most hunting shots for me are between 50-300 yards and the 06 will never let you down within that range. I am 42 and maybe some of the new guys will have a different opinion but I've used my 06 for over 20 years and just because there is something new doesn't mean there is something wrong with the tried and true. In my opinion experience with your current rifle is a much better than trying to keep up with the ever changing caliber game.