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

[EQGuy]

When I was a kid in the 50's and 60's I remember the 300 H&H being touted as an excellent African Lion rifle. I have a couple of 06's and one 300 H&H. The 300 only has a couple 100 FPS on the old 06. When I did field work in Alaska I checked out from the warehouse a pre 64 Model 70 in 375 H&H and it was the first thing off the helicopter. Of course it was generally leaning up against a tree and that is why I also checked out a Model 29 which was always close at hand. The closest I ever came to a big bear up there was when we were flying about 100 feet off the deck and a large Brownie on the Alaska Peninsula stood up and waved at us. I think he was just inviting us to come down for lunch. The pilot looked at me and stated that he did not want to develop engine trouble anywhere around that location. That was 40 years ago. My how time fly's.

 

[David LaPell]

I had an uncle who lived up on the Canadian / NY line and every fall he would take his .30-06 rifle across the border and shoot a moose without fail. He did that for the better part of 25 years and never used anything else. He was given that gun by my grandfather who never liked the .30-06 on whitetail and went back to his .30-30 which he used for 60 plus years until he quit at age 79. I think the .30-06 is one of those calibers that is so versatile it can be used for just about whatever you want within reason with the right loads and as long as ranges are kept smart.

 

[DWalt]

Over 10 years ago, I was working on military ammunition development in conjunction with Federal Cartridge, and I got to know a number of their technical personnel. The head ballistician at Federal was firmly convinced that the .30-'06 was the ideal cartridge for use on any game found in the lower 48, and that nothing more powerful was necessary (again, considering the correct bullet and proper shot placement). We discussed such things a lot.

 

[italiansport]

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.

Ok: I've shot hundreds of Bobwhite, Grouse and Pheasants with my 12 gauge and fully realize I could have used a 20 or 28 gauge gauge to the same effect.
However; Then take your 28 out and go pass shoot geese with it out of a blind. Or take it turkey hunting. Or shoot your 1st deer with it as I did growing up in a shotgun only State. I have hunted just about anything imaginable with a shotgun over the years and own and have used examples in all gauges from 410 to 10 gauge and enjoy them all.
The 12 gauge is the MOST versatile of all and this is a statement that really can't be made about the other gauges.
Bottom line: If you can only own or afford to own one shotgun and you want to hunt everything from quail to geese it should be a 12 gauge.
Jim

 

[DWalt]

Some would say that the 16 Ga is the most versatile, but the market obviously does not agree. The 20 Ga 3" load knocked out the 16 Ga long ago.

 

[Texas Star]

Some would say that the 16 Ga is the most versatile, but the market obviously does not agree. The 20 Ga 3" load knocked out the 16 Ga long ago.

O'Connor told me in a letter that he had largely given up the 12 ga. for most game, using his 20 ga. Winchester and Beretta double guns for pheasants.

I think the 20 ga. is ideal for most upland game, where one walks a lot for most shots and ammo weight adds up. Three-inch shells help for longer shots or for larger animals, like a fox.

But overall, I agree that the 12 gauge is the best all-round item in a shotgun.

Not that this has a lot to do with the .30-06...

 

[rwsmith]

Just like light fishing tackle......

Before laws and general concerns, hunters were proud to take the biggest game they could with the lightest rifle. Some dude figured out a way to kill elephants with (I think) some kind .25 caliber rifle by getting to the side and plugging them behind the ear in a quartering shot. I think that even Cape Buffalo can be brought down in a side shot at a farther range, but if the thing charges then the game changes very rapidly. It's also not known how many big game animals were wounded and left to suffer and/or die as the result of a small caliber wound. People just weren't as concerned as the ethics of hunting back then as they are now. You could shoot anything and if you killed it and brought back a trophy, you had bragging rights.

"What time is it?"

"It's 505, Gibbs."

 

[YogiBear]

Aloha,

At long last, I have found a reason to get an AR based rifle.

The Noreen Firearms BN36

It is a 30-06 cal based on the AR system.

Down side is Not to shoot military surplus ammo in it.

That's OK, I can probably sell my GI ball ammo for a profit.

Now to save my $$ for it.

 

[cowart]

Some dude figured out a way to kill elephants with (I think) some kind .25 caliber rifle by getting to the side and plugging them behind the ear in a quartering shot.

Sounds like W. D. M. Bell, aka Karamojo Bell.

Bell was an advocate of the importance of shooting accuracy and shot placement with smaller calibre rifles, over the use of heavy large-bore rifles for big African game. He improved his shooting skills by careful dissection and study of the anatomy of the skulls of the elephants he shot. He even perfected the clean shooting of elephants from the extremely difficult position of being diagonally behind the target; this shot became known as the Bell Shot.

Bell shot 1,011 elephants during his career; all of them bulls apart from 28 cows. He was noted for using high speed, smaller calibre bullets rather than the slow speed, larger calibre bullets that were popular with other big game hunters. Around 800 of his kills were made with Rigby Mauser 98 rifles chambered in the .275 Rigby (also known as the 7×57mm Mauser) cartridge.

The most elephants he shot in one day was 19. The most bull elephant killed for their ivory in one month was 44. The largest amount of money made from ivory taken in a single day was 863 pounds sterling. He wore out 24 pairs of boots in a year and he estimated that for every bull taken he had walked an average of 73 miles.

 

[Frank46]

I've shot the 30-06 in Winchester model 70's,Springfields,1917 Enfields and the beloved M1 Garand. Never had a rifle where it was a problem developing an accurate load. For some reason IMR 4350 and the '06 were always a go to solution for accuracy. Course in the Garand it was always IMR 4895. And if I may say so my experience with the 30-06 has shown it was way easier to get an accurate and powerful load developed than it was with the 308. And I have had a bunch of those over the years. Frank