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30-06 any love anymore?

Don't leave us hanging. What are you considering? action, barrel, stock, trigger.

Well
-Iv got a manners eh1 in hand with a bdl mini chassis
-Bartlein 3, 10 twist also in hand
-Some fancy Hawkins action screws in hand
-Defiance tenacity on order, looking at 2 months
-Plan on picking up a rem bdl setup so it fits the manners inlet without dinking around
-Hoping to score a deal on a triggertech special or primary Black Friday.


My plan is to have LRI barrel the action, thread, muzzle brake and cerakote. Maybe put it all together if they don’t mind. Gives me an excuse to drive to SD and shoot some coyotes


Hoping to have an 10-11lb all up rifle.

Goal was to make a 600 yard killer, up to elk size game, without the noise or recoil of a magnum. Kind of stuck to a long action because I had the manners stock as a take off.
 
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Well
-Iv got a manners eh1 in hand with a bdl mini chassis
-Bartlein 3, 10 twist also in hand
-Some fancy Hawkins action screws in hand
-Defiance tenacity on order, looking at 2 months
-Plan on picking up a rem bdl setup so it fits the manners inlet without dinking around
-Hoping to score a deal on a triggertech special or primary Black Friday.


My plan is to have LRI barrel the action, thread, muzzle brake and cerakote. Maybe put it all together if they don’t mind. Gives me an excuse to drive to SD and shoot some coyotes


Hoping to have an 10-11lb all up rifle.

Goal was to make a 600 yard killer, up to elk size game, without the noise or recoil of a magnum. Kind of stuck to a long action because I had the manners stock as a take off.
Sounds great. All solid choices. Keep use posted and throw up some pictures when the build is complete. Of course, let use know the accuracy of the 06. Although as some say is outdated. My A$$.
 
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Sounds great. All solid choices. Keep use posted and throw up some pictures when the build is complete. Of course, let use know the accuracy of the 06. Although as some say is outdated. My A$$.

I’m looking forward to get back behind a 3006, my first rifle was an 06, killed my first deer with an 06. And from what Iv run for numbers it will do exactly what I need it to. Along with give me many reloading options and premium components.

Excited to see what @LongRifles Inc. can make of it. Been drooling over their work on here for a while now.
 
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How can you bash a cartridge that has been killing all of North American mammals with ease except for the brown, grizz and polar bears? Then when you recall that Patton said "M1 Garand Is the Gun That Won World War II" and it was chambered in 30-06, possibly without the Garand French would have died out as a language replaced with German. Granted it has been a while since I killed anything with one of 4 30-06 I always have one loaded for and sighted in as a backup for my 375 Ruger when bear hunting. Should I drop my 375 out of a tree some season I will probably put two holes in a bear with a 30-06, until then I will put two larger holes in the bears with my 375. I am talking about black bears, if I was talking the big bears I would probably have my 375 and my 416 Taylor, the Taylor would be my backup and that Mother really kicks, but would put two bog-assed holes in a bear and that is a good thing if you are part of the animal's diet.
There is a reason why the 30-06 has been around for so many years, it just works kind of like the 6.5 x 55, maybe neither goes well with man-purses or -buns but they do do the job.
 
Have or have had in my youth - 1903 a3, 1918A2 BAR(my absolute favorite), colt potato digger, 30-06 Garand, 30-06 tanker garand, Remington 700 sniper rifle, and at one time over 28000 rounds of various 3006 ammo. Really hate that cartridge!!!
 
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To this day 30-06 cartridges are one of the most widely available cartridges. Is a very capable hunting round and is also effective far enough out for most people. Reloading options galore, lots of load data and proven repeatable reloading performance.
View attachment 7178401
IMO, 30-06 isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Pic above does show I am slightly biased :)
Nice rifle! What strap-in cheek piece is that?
 
Nice rifle! What strap-in cheek piece is that?

Thank you. Its a great shooter and it's over 50 years old. Can hit quarters pretty consistently at 300yd which is the furthest I have readily available.

The piece is made by Bradley. Couple years ago looked high and low and ended up with the Bradley.

It's very well made and is comfortable - doesn't snag my grizzley beard. It's adjustable enough for me to get a comfortable and relaxed sight picture. Comes in many colors and patterns. They aren't cheap which is the only negative I guess.

I would for sure buy again and would recommend. Mine is the elite series Codura.

 
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People say there are other things that can do it better but I ask: like what? I can’t think of much that fills the role between a short action 308 and a magnum 300.
 
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And why does everybody think you have to shoot 200 grain bullets out of a 30-06? I shoot 150's threw mine with a 10 twist barrel.
 
Well
-Iv got a manners eh1 in hand with a bdl mini chassis
-Bartlein 3, 10 twist also in hand
-Some fancy Hawkins action screws in hand
-Defiance tenacity on order, looking at 2 months
-Plan on picking up a rem bdl setup so it fits the manners inlet without dinking around
-Hoping to score a deal on a triggertech special or primary Black Friday.


My plan is to have LRI barrel the action, thread, muzzle brake and cerakote. Maybe put it all together if they don’t mind. Gives me an excuse to drive to SD and shoot some coyotes


Hoping to have an 10-11lb all up rifle.

Goal was to make a 600 yard killer, up to elk size game, without the noise or recoil of a magnum. Kind of stuck to a long action because I had the manners stock as a take off.
I’ve got an LRI ‘06 that hammers. 8# scoped, fluted Bartlein 3, manners eh3, TT special, and <0.5”MOA with an accubond. LRI’s std 700 action runs smoother than my deviants, and their customer service is top-notch. Great caliber, fantastic gunsmith and I love your component choice. Not for the weak-shouldered, but it flat hunts.
 
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She's pulling over watch in the safe.
MCS-t2a30-06001.jpg
 
It is one of the most iconic rounds in history and will always have a home in my safe in one form or another. I don’t have a modern bolt gun at the moment, but I sure do love shooting an m1 garand.
 
Ammo availability. Plain and simple. You can go anywhere in the U.S. (maybe the world) and buy a box. 180gn cor-locs put a hurtin on elk.
 
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Travel into the past and look up some of the load work Montana Marine and others were doing with 30-06. Accurate Shooter Bulletin has a little bit as well.
 
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My first hunting rifle was my dads 30-06. He started me out with 125 spire point handloads. Perfect for deer, and light enough recoil skinny 12 year old to handle. Offers some good versatility in capabilities depending on shooters needs, especially with modern bullets.
 
I’ve got an LRI ‘06 that hammers. 8# scoped, fluted Bartlein 3, manners eh3, TT special, and <0.5”MOA with an accubond. LRI’s std 700 action runs smoother than my deviants, and their customer service is top-notch. Great caliber, fantastic gunsmith and I love your component choice. Not for the weak-shouldered, but it flat hunts.

Any pictures? Good to hear that LRI can make a good 3006. Hoping mine will be a little milder, at around 11 pounds. Im pretty set on doing a brake and thread protector for times I’m hunting alone and want to spot my shots.
 
Any pictures? Good to hear that LRI can make a good 3006. Hoping mine will be a little milder, at around 11 pounds. Im pretty set on doing a brake and thread protector for times I’m hunting alone and want to spot my shots.
 

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9mm Luger - 1902
.45 ACP - 1904

no longer relevant...

I came here to say this.

I always chuckle at the guys who think they have to have the latest, greatest laser beam of a cartridge to do anything past 200y. Sure, the hot 6mm and 6.5mm cartridges these days will shoot flatter with less wind drift than many of the oldies, but rounds like the .30-06, 6.5x55, and 7x57 still kill things deader than dead every year in droves.

Here's what it boils down to, IMO. If you absolutely need to squeeze every advantage you can out of a rifle for competition and have the money to burn barrels out all the time, one of the new .22 or 6mm rounds is great, have at it. BUT, just because YOU can't utilize a .30-06, .308, or some other "outdated" classic to good effect doesn't mean others can't. Are there better choices today? Sure, but if you can get a good deal on the rifle, and can load for it to make it shine, have at it. And if you're not competing, then I think a .30-06 is a fine do-it-all rifle to have in the safe. Heck, at some point I'll inherit a vintage Husqvarna in .30-06 with a fixed 4x Weaver on it that my great Grandfather used to great effect for years and years, and I don't imagine it'll give me any trouble either out on a hunt.

Long live the classics. We are where we are because of them. And in case you're some kind of troglodyte or something:

"There ain't many problems you can't fix, with $700 and a .30-06!"
 
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First ten rds off bipod after a heavy cleaning at about 120ish yards:
1 - 2” low
2 - 1”low
3-10 in cluster
165AB @ 2857 FPS, std dev 8.7 or so..she didn’t care for the 150’s but the 165’s were money over IMR4350. Reamer is short throat 0.020”..would not go that route if shooting factory. Most factory 180s seated too long for this rifle. LRI has several reamer options depending on the bullet you prefer
 

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It was developed in 1906, still being used by the US Army into the late 1970's. It was relevant in 2006 and it will still be relevant in 2106, 2206, 2306...
If we're being honest, I have a hard time believing any cased cartridge is going to be relevant in 200-300 years.
 
Lawnboi - I suspect you will be close to your desired weight (10+ at least) if you save money on the fluting, add the brake, use a beefier scope mount and go with a long-range or tactical optic of choice. The Z3 on mine is only 14.5oz..not my favorite scope in the arsenal but it has the most pelts.
 
Lawnboi - I suspect you will be close to your desired weight (10+ at least) if you save money on the fluting, add the brake, use a beefier scope mount and go with a long-range or tactical optic of choice. The Z3 on mine is only 14.5oz..not my favorite scope in the arsenal but it has the most pelts.

I’m unsure on where I’m going to start with loading, or if I even will right off the bat. I’d like to end up shooting 180 Berger’s but don’t know what the plan is prior to getting there. Guess I may have to make some decisions prior to chambering.

As far as optics the plan is a more tactical scope for dialing. I’m up in the air with what I want to spend, and if I want to go nuts on it or not. In a perfect world I’d like to get a kahles or nightforce in the 50mm objective size. I have a nightforce shv f1 that may go on it as well. Looking hard at the nx8 as well.

But we will have to see what the wife lets me spend when this is all said and done.
 
Quentin at LRI was very helpful when I had reamer questions. I’m no ballastician or gunsmith, but from what I gathered when I decided on the ‘06 the original chamber specs were quite generous to allow reliable semi-auto feeding in the M1 Garand (and maybe looser tolerances in general of the 1906 era?). A well chosen reamer and quality gunsmith will close (most if not all of) any accuracy gap between the ‘06 and the 308 plus 200fps or so..
 
And why does everybody think you have to shoot 200 grain bullets out of a 30-06? I shoot 150's threw mine with a 10 twist barrel.

That's the beauty of a 3006. You get to load big and heavy if you need to thump hard or shoot long range, or you get to make reduced loads for small game or for a new youth shooter.
 
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If we're being honest, I have a hard time believing any cased cartridge is going to be relevant in 200-300 years.

We’ll never know for sure (since we’ll be dead) but there’s still people shooting muskets...
 
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I love my 30-06... what i love even more is when i go to the range and i pull it out of the case and then i screw my suppressor on and set it down on the mat. I can tell people are kinda watching and usually about the time i lay down behind the rifle open up my data log and then open up the ammo box to load the mag is when they ask “you shooting 300wm?”.... the look on there face when i tell them its a 30-06 is usually a look of intrigue and confusion. Its almost like they want to say “i didn't know a 30-06 could do that”. It usually causes a few minutes of conversation. Then i proceed to hit the same targets out to 1000 yards and swing them about twice as hard as the 308’s, 6.5’s, and 6mm’s and do so while holding less windage..

sure the 30-06 might be a little harder to tune a load than the short fat powder columns and kick more but as already stated, it’s still very relevant and will be for years to come.. 30 cal projectiles are usually easy to find and appropriate powders for the cartridge are too. Mine is loaded a litle conservative for the sake of primer pockets but still easily pushes a 200.20x at 2750fps with h4831sc.. everybody has their preferences but for me it’s just something different, i enjoy it and it always gets the jon done..
11F1D02E-3B2C-4629-ABC4-EBE703464C24.jpeg
 
It has since been outfitted with a gen 2 razor... here is a little better pic. I have posted in the 30-06 still relevant thread as well. The group is 6 shots at 100 yards of course pulled one, thats a 3/4” dot. I believe i shot that group when i had just had it rebarreled with only 10-15 rounds down the barrel.
 

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My current project.....

1573213928072.png


Barrel is messed up and it is back at the builder having him install a new Douglas.

Even with the sub par barrel it shot pretty well.....

1573214066699.png


Expecting great things when I get it back and it is 100 percent.
 
Ammo Deal if anyone is interested......

I have been buying factory fresh cases of Fed Gold Medal Match 168 SMK, 30-06 ammo at $185/case. Includes shipping.

Two cases so far and Im intending on a at least three more.

I usually shoot reloads in my 30-06 but I want to take my project rifle to a class or two at Sig Sauer and when doing so I like to use factory ammo to take the ammo question out of my mind.

I havent shot any of the 30-06 FGMM yet but I am assuming it will do for me similar to FGMM .308.

I have yet to have my 175 .308 reloads shoot as consistently as FGMM .308.

If any of you manly men think a case of 30-06 FGMM is a good deal for you send me a PM and I will provide you the sellers email so you can make your own deal.

Less than $20 a box for match 30-06.
 
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During the gun grab/ammo grab years people in the gun store were freaking out about not getting .22LR. I brought one guy over to the 30-06 and 300 WM shelf....FULL of boxes of ammo. I told him....when this stuff is non-existent to buy...we got problems.
 
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I came here to say this.

I always chuckle at the guys who think they have to have the latest, greatest laser beam of a cartridge to do anything past 200y. Sure, the hot 6mm and 6.5mm cartridges these days will shoot flatter with less wind drift than many of the oldies, but rounds like the .30-06, 6.5x55, and 7x57 still kill things deader than dead every year in droves.

Here's what it boils down to, IMO. If you absolutely need to squeeze every advantage you can out of a rifle for competition and have the money to burn barrels out all the time, one of the new .22 or 6mm rounds is great, have at it. BUT, just because YOU can't utilize a .30-06, .308, or some other "outdated" classic to good effect doesn't mean others can't. Are there better choices today? Sure, but if you can get a good deal on the rifle, and can load for it to make it shine, have at it. And if you're not competing, then I think a .30-06 is a fine do-it-all rifle to have in the safe. Heck, at some point I'll inherit a vintage Husqvarna in .30-06 with a fixed 4x Weaver on it that my great Grandfather used to great effect for years and years, and I don't imagine it'll give me any trouble either out on a hunt.

Long live the classics. We are where we are because of them. And in case you're some kind of troglodyte or something:

"There ain't many problems you can't fix, with $700 and a .30-06!"
Well said
 
Here are my three 30-06's. left one is the shooter 30-06 IMP 5 shot group , if someone other than me was shooting,
20191109_113629.jpg
shot_1569688333620.jpg
shot_1569688333620.jpg
it would probably get a one hole group.
 
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Can anyone tell me about 06' barrel life compared to .308 ? Is it hard on barrels?
It’s obviously not going to be better than the 308 but it’s not at all bad. I’d expect 3k or so at minimum.

My 3006 feasted on three pigs this morning. People that say smaller calibers do just as well, they are wrong. They may do well enough but the carnage the 3006 makes is unreal. Now to try for some 500 yard coyotes with the pic carcasses. The 3006 can do it all and well.

65F14B09-2755-4A01-AE15-80ACFBFA72A2.jpeg
 
Personally I'd leave the old 06 for dead and if it wasn't for cheap steel cased blasting ammo 308 along with it. If I was looking for a cartridge with the that sized of powder charge it wouldn't be an 06. Even 6.5CM runs the old gluehorse 06 down by the midrange and leaves in it's dust but 6.5PRC just roasts it's ass.


TOP TO BOTTOM
6.5 CREEDMOOR
30.06
6.5 PRC
ALL FACTORY HORNADY LOADS


20191109_140530.png

20191109_140600.png
20191109_140623.png
 
Lol! Great use of facts to throw the argument your way. I’ve seen this tactic so often as to find it humorous. Use a hand loaded heavy for caliber high BC bullet for your fave and compare to the middle of the ground bullet at factory box speeds for the opponent. oh, yeah. Use the eld-m 147 and the eld-x 178. Look at that! The numbers don’t lie!

Now compare the bare numbers of the 208g ELD-M, heavy for caliber .30-06 to your 147g ELD-M 6.5s:

2750 FPS muzzle velocity - look it up. It’s the go to load. There are some loading to 2800-2850, but let’s not skew the numbers, shall we?

At 1550y, 1128 FPS , 587 ft-lbs

And...the best 6.5, 147g, using you muzzle velocities of 2700 FPS and 2910 FPS.

At 2700 FPS muzzle: 1400y, 1163 FPS, 442 ft-lbs

At 2910 FPS muzzle: 1600y, 1125 FPS, 413 ft-lbs.

First off, 2910 FPS 147s? Out of what round and barrel? Consistent sd? A usable load?

And please understand that I happen to love 6.5 caliber rounds. I shoot more of them than any other rifle caliber. Good thing that I realize you are just trolling or I would go through the trouble of pulling up data to show through your argument.:cool:
 
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Personally I'd leave the old 06 for dead and if it wasn't for cheap steel cased blasting ammo 308 along with it. If I was looking for a cartridge with the that sized of powder charge it wouldn't be an 06. Even 6.5CM runs the old gluehorse 06 down by the midrange and leaves in it's dust but 6.5PRC just roasts it's ass.


TOP TO BOTTOM
6.5 CREEDMOOR
30.06
6.5 PRC
ALL FACTORY HORNADY LOADS


View attachment 7180311
View attachment 7180313View attachment 7180315
Sure trajectory wise but that’s ignoring the effect of that energy and diameter on the target which can’t be overcome by simple aerodynamics and calculations. Steel doesn’t care how hard it gets hit but the 3006 sure a hell swings them more violently. There’s a reason I cut my picture off below head level, it’s something that small calibers just don’t seem to do the same.
 
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Pssst.

Go with a 1:9 or 1:8 twist. Then load up the heavies with some slow powder and a long tube.
 
The same guy craping on a 30-06 will praise the .308 Win and the 300 win mag. They all push the same pill just at different velocity’s and of course different recoil and action size/ weight of gear. Are there better long range precision rounds ? Yes , some are much better. 30-06 sits between the .308 win and 300 win mag in velocity and recoil. I hear very few wanting to retire either of these fine cartridge chooses. I shoot 30 cal 1906 at whatever I don’t want to blood trail, it’s a killer! The best? Time will tell... or has it already.
 
My 100 lb 14 year hunts with a 30-06 and a 458 socom and it’s not because it’s the only deer rifle we have he has at least 20 to choose for he just likes it.
 
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How can you bash a cartridge that has been killing all of North American mammals with ease except for the brown, grizz and polar bears? Then when you recall that Patton said "M1 Garand Is the Gun That Won World War II" and it was chambered in 30-06, possibly without the Garand French would have died out as a language replaced with German. Granted it has been a while since I killed anything with one of 4 30-06 I always have one loaded for and sighted in as a backup for my 375 Ruger when bear hunting. Should I drop my 375 out of a tree some season I will probably put two holes in a bear with a 30-06, until then I will put two larger holes in the bears with my 375. I am talking about black bears, if I was talking the big bears I would probably have my 375 and my 416 Taylor, the Taylor would be my backup and that Mother really kicks, but would put two bog-assed holes in a bear and that is a good thing if you are part of the animal's diet.
There is a reason why the 30-06 has been around for so many years, it just works kind of like the 6.5 x 55, maybe neither goes well with man-purses or -buns but they do do the job.


I wouldn't be afraid to take any bear with a 30-06 and appropriate bullet. Hell, I'd say you're going overkill with the 375. (For what it's worth, the single 115 .257 partition dropped the last black bear I shot with zero drama).


My one and only problem with the 30-06 comes from the M1. It has been loaded at so many different pressure levels over the years you really need to watch what you're buying so you don't end up totalling your M1. And of course performance suffers with M1 level loadings in a modern bolt gun.
 
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