.30-06 thoughts

[charlieboy-shooter]

Hi Guys,

I would be grateful or more to the point my mate would be if you could give us your thoughts and views on the .30-06 as a stalking rifle for UK deer, Fallow and Muntjac.

Currently he has a .222rem but doesn't have a UK large deer legal rifle however he has stalked a few times and has been successful with a .30-06 and is therefore thinking of putting a variation in for one. He is not a reloader so will be using factory cartridges. He says he isn't concerned by the recoil.

Having never fired one myself I can't offer him any advice other than to check availability on cartridges at local RFD's. Speak to the guys that took him stalking to find out the make of the rifle he used. (Ollie,Hungerford deer stalking I believe, so if Ollie or anyone on here knows please advise). As that's the make of rifle that has given him the confidence.
If you use one, which grain bullet do you use and what is the meat damage like ?

I have offered him to try my .308 and 6.5x55 to see what he thinks but I know he likes the .30-06. Clearly the .30-06 is more than capable but does the extra case capacity really give him much more in UK settings. I guess the cartridges may be slightly more expensive than say .308 but he probably isn't going to be shooting enough deer for that to be a factor.

Thanks

edit. Suspect mainly be used from high seat if that makes any difference.

 

[enfieldspares]

I've been in this game since 1976. I bought my first .30-06 in about 2016. I now realise that I've wasted nearly forty years with calibres either as versatile or as easy to source bullets for if handloading or if not to obtain a wide variety of factory ammunition.

 

[charlieboy-shooter]

as easy to source bullets for if handloading or if not to obtain a wide variety of factory ammunition

If my memory is correct, Chris Brookes mentioned, that with the .30-06 you could pretty much go into any gun shop around the world and buy cartridges for it. However I have never tried buying cartridges for one in the UK let alone round the world. Then again my memory might be wrong and it could have been the .308 he mentioned. Either way you don't want to find out after the event that they are not easy to obtain locally.

 

[A Guy Out West]

The 30/06 is perfect for any region of the world. Your mate can use the reduced recoil factory loads for the tiny deer and full power loads for the highland reds.

 

[NP435]

Few cartridges are so versatile, does almost any sane thing.

 

[Rob79]

I use my .30-06 mainly for boar, its a great calibre. In comparison to others calibres:

.308 is similar and rifles are more readily available in shorter 19/20 inch barrel lengths whereas .30-06 is usually up at 22inches plus barrel length.

I find .308 ammo slightly easier to find in the UK, but it really shouldn't be an issue.

Factory .30-06 ammo tends to be a wider variety than .308, I've found it from 130gr to 220gr, finding factory .308 over 180gr is more tricky, this is maybe the advantage of extra case capacity, heavier factory loadings are more readily available. Although frankly for UK deer one might not worry about needing to go over 180gr, whereas for driven boar a 220gr bullet of the correct quality could arguably give a meaningful advantage.

.30-06 has plenty of knock down for the larger species, but I've never experienced it leaving carcass damage with the 'hydrostatic shock' effect that I've experienced with .270 for example.

Shot placement on smaller deer like muntjac needs to be considered when using any larger calibre, there will be more carcass damage than with a smaller .2-something bullet but thats manageable.

 

[alberta boy]

The 06 is one of the most versatile cartridges out there . I've used one to take every species of game we have in Alberta , it's never let me down . I'm not that familiar with the variety of ammo available for it in the UK however . As Rob79 points out though , if there is a good selection to choose from , your friend won't be disappointed with his choice . Out here , a 165 gr bullet is popular for White-Tails and Mule Deer , but a 180 is the most popular choice for general purpose hunting where you can run into everything from 150 pound White Tail does to 1200 pound Moose . I've pretty much used a 180 gr on everything for about 40 years . If going lead free is in his future a 150 or 165 gr monolithic bullet would take care of anything in your part of the world . Again , as Rob79 mentions , shot placement would be critical on the smaller species of deer .

AB

 

[tusker]

As I have quoted before my 30-06 is my rifle the others are just guns.
For all UK stalking I use 165gr. Sierra Gamekings. When I go to Africa I use 180 grn. Partitions. IMHO it is the most versatile calibre in the world .
My rifle is a CZ550 have shot Muntjac to Reds in the UK and Most plains game up to Eland without any issues.
Tusker

 

[Leroux]

It is a wonderful calibre. Best not to go for a lightweight rifle. Longer barrell better than short. Recoil on my Sauer 202 is minimal.

 

[Leroux]

Federal 165g Barnes tsx or 165g Trophy copper excellent if you want or need to go lead free

 

[Acm]

I have owned my .30-06 7 years now and I’ve used it to take everything from 10kg muntjac, loads of roe, right up to a 440kg bull moose. I’ve used it on English lowland reds to very good effect too.
in my opinion buying a sporting rifle in .30-06 is a completely future proof move. Wherever your hunting may take you around the world, and whatever ammunition you need you can feed it to an 06 and it will do the job. A proper all time classic.
My own rifle is a Mauser, it was a 21st birthday present from my parents.

 

[StephenToast]

I have never been able to work out why there are any calibres other than .22lr .223 and .30-06?

They are perfect. Just perfect.

 

[alan123shooting]

My 30-06, a Tikka t3 I have had it going on five years now it’s my go to rifle. I have used it on muntjac to fallow, my .243 is hardly used now, I tend to use 123grn sako as the main round but carry a spare mag of heavier rounds if anything larger pops up, works for me

 

[alan123shooting]

My 30-06, a Tikka t3 I have had it going on five years now it’s my go to rifle. I have used it on muntjac to fallow, my .243 is hardly used now, I tend to use 123grn sako as the main round but carry a spare mag of heavier rounds if anything larger pops up, works for me

sorry double post I have not had my coffee yet

 

[pendle]

If he has decided on a 30.06 let him it's what he wants . He has had success with it and with that rifle make model and scope .

I also have a friend that wants to do something similar get a larger calibre He is going to try my 6.5x55 and .308 .


But first find out does his local gun shop stock ammunition for it .

I have a local gun shop within 5 mins from my house.
I have a friend who has a gun shop a hour away . He is always saying I can get you what you need and slightly cheaper than what you are paying . . A round trip to him is about £20.00 in fuel and 2 hrs in travel

 

[YoungGun]

I bought a 30-06 when I was 19 and still have it now (14 years later).

It is my go to rifle in the UK for roe, fallow, Muntjac and reds. I user 130gr Barnes's ttxs and these are reasonably flat out to uk stalking distances and the recoil is mild.

On the versatility bit, completly agree. For example, I used round nose 220gr sako bullets in Africa and they were pretty emphatic. Before switching to copper, I also ran the "guest load" which was a 180gr round nose at about 2500fps, very forgiving on shot placement and very little meet damage.

 

[Border]

I have owned my .30-06 7 years now and I’ve used it to take everything from 10kg muntjac, loads of roe, right up to a 440kg bull moose. I’ve used it on English lowland reds to very good effect too.
in my opinion buying a sporting rifle in .30-06 is a completely future proof move. Wherever your hunting may take you around the world, and whatever ammunition you need you can feed it to an 06 and it will do the job. A proper all time classic.
My own rifle is a Mauser, it was a 21st birthday present from my parents.

Very nice. Did it come with the red recoil pad. It looks very stylish.

 

[Acm]

Very nice. Did it come with the red recoil pad. It looks very stylish.

I added that as the stock was a little short for me. Thanks for the kind words

 

[Woodsmoke]

If if likes it, he'll get on great with it. Confidence is a big part of stalking, and most of that comes from being comfortable with your rifle

 

[enfieldspares]

The one on the right, laying on its side, is my .30-06. A Parker-Hale M81 Classic with a Zeiss Diavari 3-9x36 in Redfield turn-in mounts. The iron sighted rifle being used by my son is an old Czech ,270 WCF Mauser 98.