How widely used was the .30-06 as a big/dangerous game round?

[GatorFarmer]

Years ago there was a huge Kodiak grizzly head mounted and on display at the Midland Sportsman Club. The plaque underneath mentioned it was taken with a .30-06.

I remember up through the 1980s that the .30-06 usually won the magazine debates of "if you could only have one rifle caliber". I also remember Hemingway mentioning it in some writings on Africa. Meanwhile in India the .30-06 is pretty much the only caliber for sale commercially from IOF other than an odd .315 bore.

Obviously a .41 caliber and up rule exists in some countries.

That said, how much truly large game has the .30-06 felled over the years? And how much "dangerous" game?

My assumption is that in these tasks heavy for caliber solids were favored? I recall mention of 250grain Woodleighs. But locally the heaviest I see is 180 grain and maybe an occaisional 200 grain. Are the heavy bullet solids still loaded and sold commercially, or have they become a handload only proposition?

 

[Bkreutz]

Personally, I don't think it's a matter of caliber. Man was hunting (and killing) dangerous game with a sharpened stick long before the invention of gunpowder. (little more dangerous, but it must have been "invigorating") I've also seen "hunters" shoot a grizz multiple times with a 458 Win Mag and it's still charging. I think a '06 would bring down anything I'd care to hunt. 375HH mag is the minimum dangerous game caliber in most places in Africa but that's not something I'd want to be shooting on a frequent basis. (I wince every time I remember the few times I've shot one)

 

[cowart]

Are the heavy bullet solids still loaded and sold commercially, or have they become a handload only proposition?

Midway sells both Federal and Remington 220gr loads. They say they actually have the Federal in stock. "Ships today".

 

[Onomea]

Interesting article on the 30.06 here, with some history:

Selecting a Deer Rifle ? The .30-06 Still America?s Best! ? Boddington

 

[alwslate]

The 30-06 has been a very popular choice for an all around big game
rifle for many years and will no doubt remain so for many more years.
The reasons are many and for most hunters it works out because few
hunters actually ever hunt anything bigger than mule deer or elk. For
really big and or dangerous game the old 06 is far from ideal and no
rational hunter would deliberately choose it over something bigger. A
250 gr bullet would not turn the 06 into a magnum and velocity
would surely be low. The 338 Winchester magnum is the most popular
caliber in Alaska I think and there are many rifles chambered for it at
no real cost over standard cartridges. It fits a standard length action
and is a far better heavy game round than the 06 and can be used
on deer just like any standard cartridge.

 

[williamlayton]

Growing up--if I ever did--a 12ga and a 30-06 was stock in trade.
Blessings

 

[walnutred]

The 303 British might provide a creditable challenge to the 3006 for the claim of universal big game cartridge. For close to a century the 303 was a native son in areas where large and dangerous game abound.

 

[LoboGunLeather]

In North America the .30-06 was the most popular rifle caliber for decades, based upon rifle production, ammo production, and reloading dies sold. From 1906 (when the round was standardized) through the 1960's generations of Americans served in the armed forces and used the .30-06 rifles, so familiarity and confidence have been high. Surplus rifles (Springfields and Enfields) were plentiful and inexpensive, allowing former servicemen to do their hunting at modest cost. Surplus ammo and powders were available at very little expense.

Several European and African writers have commented on the .30-06, generally in positive terms for its reputation on non-dangerous game species. The 220-grain solids were specifically mentioned.

One of the virtues of the .30-06, particularly for handloaders, is its versatility. Bullets from 110 to 250 grains have been generally available for many years. This caliber can be loaded for use on anything from coyotes to moose and perform very well. Personally, I have loaded thousands of rounds with cast bullets and modest charges, pretty much duplicating .30-30 performance, which are useful for training younger shooters as well as hunting game animals to the size of Colorado mule deer. For most deer hunting I have settled on the 165-grain Sierra boat-tail, and for elk I have used the 200-grain Speer Hot-Cor for years.

If I were ever to consider hunting the big bears, or perhaps a buffalo, I would not feel unarmed with the .30-06 and 220-grain Remington Cor-Lokt, which has an excellent reputation for deep penetration and remaining in one piece. There are other selections from some of the "premium" bullet companies such as the Nosler Partition series and others that would merit consideration.

Probably not the ideal choice for really large or dangerous critters, but the .30-06 is not to be dismissed. Famous professional hunter Karamojo Bell was reported to have taken hundreds of African elephants with the 7X57mm Mauser using 175-grain solids and the brain shot at modest ranges. The .30-06 with 220-grain solids would more than equal that combination.

 

[30-30remchester]

I have admired this round for a long time. Scads of loads were available at different times. The 220 grain bullets were quite popular in the past. There was a 220 grain fmj loading through the 40's from both Remington and Winchester. A-Square used to build an 180 grain flat nose fmj a few years ago. Barnes built a 250 grain bullet that I used to take an elk. There was even a company that made a 300 grain bullet for reloader's, This a quite popular round for people who do not read gun magazines or visit forums. They just us it with great results if good shooting is done.

 

[BigBoy99]

Very Versatile Caliber

When I was a kid back in the 50's, my friend and I would go the the dump at night and shoot rats with a .30-'06. My friend's father made a load for the .30-'06 cartridge with a .30 cal. lead ball as the projectile and few grains of powder and this was our "rat load" we would use to kill rats. Being young, I really wasn't interested in the load of the cartridge so I can't tell you anything more about it, except we did have lots of fun using them to shoot rats!

 

[BearBio]

For years, the 30-06 was the issue rifle for Forest Service, Fish and Wildlife, and other Federal employees, in the North Country.

 

[Texas Star]

Gun writer Jack O'Connor's wife Eleanor shot at least one big tiger with her .30-06 in the 1950's.

Jack took his tiger with a .375 H&H.

I think he was prudent to use the .375, but it is true that Jim Corbett and no doubt many others killed tigers with 7X57mm/.275 Rigby rifles.

John Hunter began his career in East Africa with a 7mm Mauser that a relative brought back from the Boer War. Less potent than a .30-06....He shot lions for the hides. Dangerous work!

 

[italiansport]

Growing up--if I ever did--a 12ga and a 30-06 was stock in trade.
Blessings

And they still are all around stock in trade choices. There is virtually nothing a sub gauge shotgun can do that the 12 won't do as well and the same goes for the 30-06. I would be comfortable in using this caliber for everything in North America except large bear.
Jim

 

[hittman77]

My guess would be that the 30-30 has, over time, taken just as much (or even more) big game than any other rifle round.

 

[wbraswell]

Our venerable .30-06 has probably killed everything that walks the earth at some time. It can take down dangerous game with one shot, but the question is, do you want it against dangerous game at dangerous ranges? Your rifle may become a self defense weapon instead of a hunting rifle. This is where you ask yourself, "Do I have enough gun?" It's really not the caliber that kills, it's the nerve and eye of the hunter.

 

[redlevel]

There is virtually nothing a sub gauge shotgun can do that the 12 won't do as well

It may exist, but I don't know of a 12 gauge SXS that carries and balances as well as a O or OO frame sized Parker in either 28 gauge or 20 gauge when carried on an all-day quail hunt. The 28 or 20 gauge is more than sufficient power-wise for Bobwhite.

 

[DWalt]

The .30-'06 is adequate for killing any game found on earth given the correct bullet and proper bullet placement. There are many other medium calibers which could make the same claim, such as the .308 Winchester and the .270 Winchester. But one would have questionable sanity if he used it on large dangerous game if another choice were available.

 

[427mach1]

I recall a story about Inuits hunting caribou using a 223. The hunters were asked what they would use to hunt polar bear. They replied that if they were hunting polar bear, they would definitely break out the big gun - a 257 Roberts!

 

[Blackhand49]

In the 50,s & 60,s the 30-06 was by far the most popular caliber in my part of Alaska. It may have been overtaken by the .338 but the 30-06 is still very popular.

 

[ACP230]

When the '06 was new Theodore Roosevelt shot a whole lot of critters, some pretty large, with it.
He also had larger rifles on his African safari.
The local library may have, or might be able to interlibrary loan, a
copy of "African Game Trails."