Alsatian

No doubt part of the staying power of the .30-06 has been its "encumbency." Because there were lots of rifles made in .30-06 because of the military connection, a lot of people owned these rifles. Because there were a lot of these rifles, a lot of manufacturers loaded commercial cartridges for the .30-06. Because there were a lot of commercial loadings for the .30-06, every rifle manufacturer made rifles in .30-06 -- and probably every different rifle model of a manufacturer offered a chambering in .30-06. That is what I mean by "encumbency." Why do we drive on the right side of the road? Because we don't want to change to driving on the left side and because so many cars already on the roads are geared towards driving on the right side of the road.

Another part of the success is that it represents something like the maximum power that the average shooter can tolerate without developing a flinch. I'm just repeating what I have heard other say. But this is plausible. As such, it can be used to shoot a lot of animals -- from Elk and Moose down to Pronghorn Antelope and even coyotes. Do you need a .30-06 to kill pronghorn or coyotes? No, but it will get 'er done. Can you shoot these same animals with a .338 Winchester Magnum? Yes, but some people -- so I have read -- are intimidated by the recoil and report of the .338 Winchester Magnum. Also, I imagine the cost of .338 Winchester Magnum cartridges is relatively high versus the cost of a box of .30-06 cartridges. There may not be much difference between a box of Remington Core-Lokt 180 grain .30-06 shells and a box of 85 grain .243 shells.

There are a number of intersecting factors that have made and will keep the .30-06 as the most popular big game cartridge for a long time. I have shot three elk with a .30-06 Springfield rifle that my dad sporterized from a military action and barrel. It is an accurate shooting and beautiful rifle. My elk partners at elk camp all shoot .30-06. Our leader has been hunting elk for some 25 years and has taken many an elk with his .30-06. It is a very good cartridge.

Some people might feel the .30-06 lacks the stuff to reach way, way, way out there to kill an elk. That may be true. But not everyone is skilled enough to shoot accurately way, way, way out there. And you don't want to wound an elk and track it into a nasty jumbled blow down of dead trees to get it out because you merely wounded it. Where I hunt elk -- and previously where I hunted deer -- the shots are not at great distances. My shots at elk have been under 200 yards I would guess. Two of them have been at less than 100 yards. A .30-06 is entirely capably of killing elk at 250 yards.

I'm not denigrating other cartridges. You asked about the .30-06. I wouldn't mind having a .338 Winchester Magnum, but I don't feel I need it. And maybe it would kick too hard for me?