30-06??

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
30-06 is a great round to do it all. If you're thinking of 6.5 than screw the bandwagon and go with 6.5 - 300 Weatherby . Blows Creedmoors out of the water. Are you thinking of going long range - over 400 yards for hunting or plinking?
 
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
 
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've chosen wisely. The 30-06 is one of the most versatile cartridges this country has. The big magnums, like the 300 and 338, basically just add range. The old 06 will kill elk out to 500 yards with no problem, and typically leave a good blood trail. Elk are big, long-haired animals and that blood trail can be very important to your finding your elk. 270s and smaller diameter calibers are not the ticket in my opinion. They will certainly kill elk, but may cost you when it comes to finding the animal. You've chosen the best cartridge in this country for killing AND finding an elk for the average person who may not comfortably shoot one of the big magnums. Enjoy!!!
 
Please don't let desparaging comments annoy you, there's jackasses on every sight. If I don't like a particular thread, I just move on; however some people have a penchant for trying to put others down. Generally all the people on here are extremely helpful and supportive and they are all more than willing to help. I found this thread interesting and picked up on it right away because I too have an interest in the 30-06. And......I'm hitting 75 this year, and have been shooting since I was eight-years old with my first .22. Why not the 30-06, it's been around since 1908 or there abouts. I am finishing up a custom 30-06 as I write this reply. I could have built whatever I chose to build, it was the 30-06 because of its versatility and can be used for just about anything one would care to hunt for in the U.S.; woodchucks to dinosaurs!! I black bear hunt and have plenty of rifles to use for that, however I also wanted something that could be used for black bear as well as a stand in gun for whitetail deer hunting, for me that's a 30-06. I am considered "ole" school compared to many who are on the forum. I also like the .270 Winchester, and when a new, barrel burning designer cartridge comes out I compare those ballistics against those of the .270 Winchester. Unless one has to eek out every "foot-per-second" out of a cartridge, the .270 Winchester is a tough one to beat. I don't get excited over any of the designer cartridges because advertising hype doesn't equal performance; and....for me the 30-06 doesn't need hype because it "does" have performance. When the .280 Ackley Improved came out, it was the latest and greatest 1000 yard, anti tank cartridge on the market and it was going to revolutionize the hunting and shooting world. Well....three years later and you no longer hear or read about the cartridge. I am not putting this cartridge down as I believe it is a great round, just making a point that the marketing hype is now touting another round to make sales. I am now reading where the "shooting specialists" are saying that the 6.5 Creedmoor is an overrated cartridge and is being used on game that it was never designed for. The latest and greatest is the "6.8 Western", a glorified .270. A lot of press and hype, I cannot believe it is being touted because its twin, the .270 Winchester short magnum, is already out there. If you choose to go the .270 Weatherby magnum route you will be paying around $100 for a box of ammo, and around $3.00 for a round of brass, and.....that is if you can even find it anywhere. The 30-06 will do anything that you have stated that you want to do with the cartridge, and it will not rattle your back molars loose when you squeeze the trigger, cause you to remortgage the house to purchase ammunition or components, and you will be able to find ammunition available just about anywhere you choose to hunt. In my opinion you made a great choice in both rifle and in cartridge. Good luck hunting with your step-son, at 67 it's great to be looking at new adventures.
Years ago, I had a unique opportunity to have a 280AI made out of my Rem 700. I've used that rifle since 1982 with outstanding results. I've often been asked what caliber I would buy when I have to rebarrel this fine Ren 700. I say without thinking 30-06. Ballistically, it's almost identical to the 280 with handloads or Hornady Superperformance ammo. Better would channel & blood trail. Greater bullet selection. Tailor-made for hunting!!!
 
Years ago, I had a unique opportunity to have a 280AI made out of my Rem 700. I've used that rifle since 1982 with outstanding results. I've often been asked what caliber I would buy when I have to rebarrel this fine Ren 700. I say without thinking 30-06. Ballistically, it's almost identical to the 280 with handloads or Hornady Superperformance ammo. Better would channel & blood trail. Greater bullet selection. Tailor-made for hunting!!!

I like the .280 Ackley Improved, it was a toss up between the .280AI and the .270 Ackley Improved. I chose the .270 AI because I wanted a wildcat cartridge and also because I didn't like what Nosler did changing the dimensions of the casing so they would have the market on the brass. I am just putting together a Ruger 77 tang safety with a 26 inch Lilja barrel on a blueprinted action, pillar and glass bedded the stock with a Leupold 4-14 scope. I built the 30-06 because I wanted to complement the Ruger 77 in the .270 AI for deer hunting, plus due to the integral scope bases I can change the scope up to a Leupold VXR 2 X 7 for bear hunting if needed. I consider the 30-06 to be the mainstay of cartridges. I think that the OP has made a great decision for both cartridge and rifle for what he intends to use it for.
 
Well Mr. New Guy, there you go!!!! 12 pages of why you made an excellent choice!!! Real nice rifle , Excellent caliber ,Great bullet choices, great ballistics out to 400 and 500 yards!! No its not a 1000 yard Elk or Sheep killer, but then again neither is my 270 Win or my 270 Weatherby Mag. I personally hold to 300 yards for my 270 Win, with 130 Grn Ballistic tips and 600 yards for 270 Weatherby Mag. Even though the the velocity is high on the 270 Weath. Magnum with the Nosler 150 Grn Accubond LR ,my personal feeling is the energy at 750 yards and beyond ,is just not enough to insure a really clean , proper kill on Elk. That's just me . have fun with the new Rig!!!Shoot a lot , get real good with it.!!
 
I have about 15 hunting guns all different calibers and have hunted about everything all over North America. If I had to just keep 1 at 61 years old it would be my 30-06, versatile, good out to 600 yards and components and ammo is well used to be everywhere.. Great choice!
 
I don't know how old you are, but I'm 67 and I regularly walk 1,000 yard range to get my targets carrying a 19 lb Desert Tech and a 50 lb pack. This gentleman may be able to do more than you think.
I work part time in a home depot. My work there as me walking 4 hours 4 days a week. So I'm getting into shape. Live in west Washington so I'll be hiking too.
 
Ya just put folks like that on ignore..........he added nothing to this thread.
Some folks are learning from this thread ......so you are helping.
I'm older than you and am looking at a 30-06 tomorrow.......been hunting 57 years. From 22 thru 7-300 Weatherby...........development done in the 1950s later became the 7 STW and up to 475 caliber.
the 30-06 I'm looking at is a Steyr.
Do you reload?
Re-reading ? Not yet, but it's part of the long term plan.
 
30-06 is a great round to do it all. If you're thinking of 6.5 than screw the bandwagon and go with 6.5 - 300 Weatherby . Blows Creedmoors out of the water. Are you thinking of going long range - over 400 yards for hunting or plinking?
Plinking. yes, over 400. Hunting? I'd need a lot of confidence built from experience to hunt like that. So. Not yet.
 
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 be extremely happy with your purchase, 30-06 will kill anything on the North American continent, 6.5 Creedmoor will not. I own both, but for hunting you made the correct choice.
 
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