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Who still shoots the old 06

N

Ncsporter86

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Joined
Nov 27, 2023
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15
Location
Central NC
Sorry if this is in the wrong location as I am very new to this forum. I have a 30 caliber problem and somewhat of an addiction. I have recently started down the rabbit hole of reloading, and learning every second of the way!
Anyway, this year I decided to venture out and build/develop a 30/06. I did get lucky enough to elk hunt the past 4 years, and i LOVE my 300WM Bergara but I am planning to suppress my hunting gun as i had a plug slip last year as I was putting the 2nd round into my 1st bull, who had just gotten up from a double lung shot at 500 yards and I think I am still ringing from it HA! And I know 500 yards is not "long range" but to a woods guy such as myself where I live, shotting 500 yards is not likely, so range time is all i get!
I decided to build a 30/06, I know it is not the newest and greatest or the best, but I did not want to add a suppressor on to a magnum and have an additional 6" hanging off the barrel. This year when I hunted, the weather was warmer so I was in the timbers more than i have been in the past and having a barrel that was 26" was enough walking through that!

Anyway, figured i would see if there is anyone still shooting the old rounds out there. I suppose I should get with the times and buy something newer, but they just seem to worry me about which one will take off, and which one will not last. I am not sure if i will ever be a good enough reloader to reload my hunting rounds, because I have not even gotten all of my components yet! so i wanted to stick to something commercially available.. Call me scared i reckon!
 
I still have my old 30-06, I don't plan on getting rid of it. I bought a 7mm RM this year only because my new hunting area a 600 plus yard shot is much more likely and the terrain is fairly open. When I hunted in wooded areas where stalking was much more possible 400 yards was a long shot. I'm more than comfortable making a 400 yard shot with my 30-06.
 
Ncsporter86 said:
Sorry if this is in the wrong location as I am very new to this forum. I have a 30 caliber problem and somewhat of an addiction. I have recently started down the rabbit hole of reloading, and learning every second of the way!
Anyway, this year I decided to venture out and build/develop a 30/06. I did get lucky enough to elk hunt the past 4 years, and i LOVE my 300WM Bergara but I am planning to suppress my hunting gun as i had a plug slip last year as I was putting the 2nd round into my 1st bull, who had just gotten up from a double lung shot at 500 yards and I think I am still ringing from it HA! And I know 500 yards is not "long range" but to a woods guy such as myself where I live, shotting 500 yards is not likely, so range time is all i get!
I decided to build a 30/06, I know it is not the newest and greatest or the best, but I did not want to add a suppressor on to a magnum and have an additional 6" hanging off the barrel. This year when I hunted, the weather was warmer so I was in the timbers more than i have been in the past and having a barrel that was 26" was enough walking through that!

Anyway, figured i would see if there is anyone still shooting the old rounds out there. I suppose I should get with the times and buy something newer, but they just seem to worry me about which one will take off, and which one will not last. I am not sure if i will ever be a good enough reloader to reload my hunting rounds, because I have not even gotten all of my components yet! so i wanted to stick to something commercially available.. Call me scared i reckon!
Click to expand...

My main hunting rifle is a Winchester model 70 in 30-06 it is killed more deer than all my other rifles combined
 
Ncsporter86 said:
Sorry if this is in the wrong location as I am very new to this forum. I have a 30 caliber problem and somewhat of an addiction. I have recently started down the rabbit hole of reloading, and learning every second of the way!
Anyway, this year I decided to venture out and build/develop a 30/06. I did get lucky enough to elk hunt the past 4 years, and i LOVE my 300WM Bergara but I am planning to suppress my hunting gun as i had a plug slip last year as I was putting the 2nd round into my 1st bull, who had just gotten up from a double lung shot at 500 yards and I think I am still ringing from it HA! And I know 500 yards is not "long range" but to a woods guy such as myself where I live, shotting 500 yards is not likely, so range time is all i get!
I decided to build a 30/06, I know it is not the newest and greatest or the best, but I did not want to add a suppressor on to a magnum and have an additional 6" hanging off the barrel. This year when I hunted, the weather was warmer so I was in the timbers more than i have been in the past and having a barrel that was 26" was enough walking through that!

Anyway, figured i would see if there is anyone still shooting the old rounds out there. I suppose I should get with the times and buy something newer, but they just seem to worry me about which one will take off, and which one will not last. I am not sure if i will ever be a good enough reloader to reload my hunting rounds, because I have not even gotten all of my components yet! so i wanted to stick to something commercially available.. Call me scared i reckon!
Click to expand...
Yes, but do not shoot them as I used to. I have a Remington 1903 in .30-06, a Kimber 84L Hunter in .30-06 that I had re-chambered to .30 Gibbs, and a Remington 700 in .30-06.
 
The old 06 feeds slick & easy with hefty bullets and with newer double base powders velocities can be increased. Olde time loads used 4064 powder but better stuff is available now. Ammo is available at most places on planet earth that have legal hunting. I'm so sorry that I sold my nice 10 twist 06 but it sold real fast & it is probably bringing happiness to new owners.

I'm real olde when I remember the stories of this guy who went thru WWII describing actions in the Pacific with a M1 Garand. Under today's standards a 150-grain bullet at 2600 -2700 fps is not impressive. The old guy described an event where he killed 2 or more single file enemies with one bullet.

Ammo loaded for the M1 dumbs down the 06 because high pressure loads will damage the M1 operating rod. M1 loads using 4895 powders have about 1/2 inch of space between powder & bullet. Using a good bolt gun & filling the case with the right powder for bullet weight for pressures close to 60K psi makes for an entirely different cartridge.
 
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Harvested this little bull in October with this single shot 30-06. HH137 over 4350. Didn't take a step, just looked at me and tipped over.
 

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All of my biggest bucks have fallen to the 30-06 chambered in rifles on opposite sides of the spectrum.

The first was taken with my late Grandfathers Remington 760 on the first rifle season I ever carried it.
IMG_8891.jpeg

That was my biggest buck until it was replaced by this one which fell to a pre-war Model 70 topped with a wide field Redfield scope.
IMG_3250.jpeg

The last and my current personal best was 3 weeks ago, a Mausingfield previously used to kill our camps only bear as a 6.5 PRC but rebuilt into a 30-06 3 days before the rifle opener with load work ups done less than 24 hours before the hunt.

IMG_8218.jpeg


My brother also got a nice 7pt this year with his new 30-06, an American Rifle Company CDG in a McWalnut stock so it has the looks of wood but the durability of fiberglass.
 
I mount scopes and zero a lot of 30-06s for customers and I don't know that I have seen one that wasn't accurate. My son and I shoot his 1943 03-A3 all the time with downloaded reloads. Great Gun. Great Cartridge
I really wish my dad had not traded his rebarreled K98 in 30-06. It had some recoil but was fun to shoot.
 

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