30-06 article
 

So I was doing some back issue reading of some rifle mag's just laying around the house and I hit an article killing the 30-06. He had one main point. RECOIL. That got me thinking. Why do we put up with heavy recoil? Why doesn't the average hunter have a lighter caliber? I mean a dead deer is still dead even if you kill it with a rock or a boulder right? What's wrong with a 7mm-08 or 25-06. At this point the heaviest caliber I would even consider would be a .270 and I'm getting close to totally ruling that out. Call me what you will but I'm starting to see it as pure logic. I like to shoot. I don't like the shoulder pain. What do you guys think?

RE: 30-06 article
 

Makes great sense to me. I have and love to use a 25/06 for deer. A 7mm-08 is about ideal also. You can only kill them so dead. To my way of thinking, excessive recoil can be / is detrimental to accurate shooting. IMO, when you get above a 30/06 with 180 grainers that's enough for me. I'm way past (in my life) worrying about a "macho image". Old Guys Rule!

RE: 30-06 article
 

Don't want a smaller caliber. Gotguns in .308, .30-06 and .300 Win Mag. Recoil from these guns does not bother me. Recoil from 150 grains of Pyrodex and a 300 grain sabot bullet does sometimes bother me a little. Recoil from the .375 Alaskan does bother me.

RE: 30-06 article
 

I started shooting and hunting with a 30-06 when I was 12. It ruined my shooting for a long tome due to recoil. I had a flinch. I had to muzzle break it and put a recoil pad on it to retrain myself. Now I am comfortable shooting anything. When I start my son shooting it will be with a light caliber and slowy move up.

RE: 30-06 article
 

My take on calibers, is whatever turns your crank.

RE: 30-06 article
 

I shoot a 30-06 and a 870 slug gun, that 870 with 3in, mags or Rem buckhammers are a lot worst then the 06, they'll get your attention. If you want to find out about recoil try some of the 3.5 turk loads about 75 lbs plus of recoil. Rich

RE: 30-06 article
 

If I were only hunting deer, I wouldn't ownmy .30-'06: I probably would go witha 7mm-08. I bought my .30-'06 because I wanted to include elk onmy ticket.

However, I didn't buy it before borrowing one & shooting a box of shells. It wasn't exceedingly pleasant, but I felt I could handle it. As it turns out, I got my '06 in a rifle that fits me like a dream, and it also has a Sims pad on it, so I can handle it much better than the rifle I borrowed for my "test".

Still, I need to concentrate on my breathing, and posture, and trigger control, and sight picture... quite a bit with each shot.I also bring along my .22lr to practice those basics while the barrel cools on my .30-'06. For me, a range session might include 1-ish box of '06, and 2 boxes of .22lr.

I know there are those who think a .30-'06 won't kill an elk, and that even a .375 doesn't have any recoil. Good for them. They can shoot their guns, & I'll keep mine.:D

RE: 30-06 article
 

I also feel the 30-06 gives more recoil than I wish to take, from a deer rifle.

IF I could start my gun collection all over again?
I would have a 25-06 for my deer & antelope rifle.
I wouldhave a 338-win mag or 338-ultra mag for elk & bear hunting.

RE: 30-06 article
 

"Still, I need to concentrate on my breathing, and posture, and trigger control, and sight picture... quite a bit with each shot.I also bring along my .22lr to practice those basics while the barrel cools on my .30-'06."

You are doing it the right waytaking that .22 along with you. A .22 is also comes in very handy if one gets the flinches from shooting a high power.A few shots with a .22 and the flinches are gone.

RE: 30-06 article
 

i agree completely. i can go through 2+ boxes of 30-06 for the heck of it but i can't stand patterning my turkey gun. it beats the heck out of me but my '06 doesn't bother me.

RE: 30-06 article
 

I read the same article while on the toilet. How I restrained myself from depositing it in the porcelain throne with the rest of the crap, I'll never know:D

RE: 30-06 article
 

Recoil is not a problem for me with the loads I used. As long as that's the case, the more power the better.

RE: 30-06 article
 

WOW I thought the '06 was not a hard kicking caliber. I sat down and shot 40 rounds through my '06 with bullets ranging from 150-180 off of a bench and my shoulder is fine. I think compared to the hard kicking rifles the 30-06 is a soft kicker, when compared to the 300 ultra mag and everything magnum we have out there now. Also I have a 7mm08 it is in a very trim light weight rifle so with 140 gr. bullets it kicks every bit as hard as an '06 with 150's JMO.

RE: 30-06 article
 

I'm sort of new to hunting and shooting. I just purchased a Remington 700 XCR in .30-06.The riflealone weights 7.3 lbs.. It comes with a factory limbsaver recoil pad. I shot it for the first time the other day and I felt little or no recoil at all. I'm am average size 5'-10" 170 lbs. I don't understand the posts about the .30-06 being a hard recoiling round. I'm wondering if these guys haveultra-light weight rifles and no recoil pads.

RE: 30-06 article
 

A whole bunch of things come into play with felt recoil. Things such as total weight, stock configuration, powder charge, bullet weight, etc. can affect it. The same factory loading shot in two different guns can quite often feel very different. Other things, such as the shooter's ability to handle recoil and their own physical structure play a part in this too, as well as the amount of serious shooting they have done, and the style they use off the bench. If you can't crawl into a gun comfortably, and have to be in an uncomfortable position to shoot, I'll guarantee you are gonna get belted.

RE: 30-06 article
 

Your right... recoil has to do with the gun and the bullet and grains. I have had my gun(30-06) for years now and I don't even feel the recoil anymore. Then again I stopped shooting 50 rounds at a time. If you like a round.. stick with it, don't let the recoil stop you from shooting it unless you just can't do it physically. Find the gun(30-06), then find the round that's good for you(grains), and the rest will fall into place.(0.50groups)

Good Hunting
Tom

RE: 30-06 article
 

I have no problem with the recoil of the 7mm-08 and 270 with 130 grain bullets. Much more recoil than that just takes the joy of shooting away. I shoot mostly for fun. Over the years I have seen my wife take a bunch of nice big mulies with her 250 Savage which has next to nil for recoil. Never seen one get away from her. There is no reason for a deer hunter to put up with much recoil. I would not hesitate to take on every species except grizzly and polar bears with a 270 with good 130 grain bullet or the 6.5x55 with 140 grain bullets. The big bears have also been handled by the 270 and even smaller cartridges. However I like the 45-70 for those guys.;)

RE: 30-06 article
 

Alright alright, I havent really posted in a while and i figured this is a worthy cause. To start off, my go-to rifle is a rem 700 ADL in 30-06. It gets taken out if the wyoming wind is too strong or I just dont have a good feeling with my other rifles. It is the holy grail of hunting rifles. I got it during the first year of marrige when a semi auto 270 was failing me miserably. BUT, I must give a small (very small) bit of credence to this writer for G&A. Yes, in the form it came in back then, there were NO recoil pads, only steel butt plates. So, I do agree that the recoil could have been a bit severe. In the form we see it now? The 30-06 is a supreme rifle for the big game hunter. They gotta write articles about something you know. But if you look at the development of rounds in the last 15 years, most of them are based off cartridge designs that give less recoil per performance. Just a though. EJ

RE: 30-06 article
 

I did the same thing. Really had to focus to NOT flinch with my 06. When I got my son a .243 for his 12th birthday, I liked it so much that I got myself one. And, as if by magic, no more flinch... and the deer are just as dead...

RE: 30-06 article
 

As an all purpose gun for shooting coyotes to elk, the 30/06 excels. Especially for someone who can afford only one gun. But everything has a price, and the price you pay is recoil.
If all you want is a deer rifle, a .243, 30/30, 7mm/08 or several other calibers do the job.
I put a Sims Recoil Pad on my 30/06 & it has really made a huge difference, for an old guy like me. I enjoy shooting it more & would have no problem hunting with it.

RE: 30-06 article
 

I own a number of 30-06's but don't hunt with them. But I really can't see any round being a "better" caliber for deer or most any other big game in the U.S.

RE: 30-06 article
 

My 300WSM kicks less then both my 30-06 and 270. My father could not believe it, especially out of a magnum. I would put this caliber against any other deer caliber.,,,it ballistics are better than a 06 or 270. I think a 270 is still the best whitetail choice.This is just my .02

RE: 30-06 article
 

I don't find .30-06 an exceptional hard kicker. You know the rifle is going to give you a bit of a sore shoulder the next day if you have to bench sight it in with a box of shells. But honestly, I find a shotgun with rifles slug (3") and a magnum caliber like .300 WM much heavier in the recoil dept. Again, once the initial sighting in session is done, if you don't drop the rifle or something, you should have to take a pounding again. A few groups of4 rounds every so often tokeep in practice and verify yourrifle is on in the off/pre-season isn't bad. And when you shoot that deer, Elk or whatever. The recoil is the farthest thing from your mind.
Other calibers .270, .243, etc. with less of a kick are always an option.
There are many reasons .30-06 has been the most popular caliber for over 100 years.

RE: 30-06 article
 

Theguns usedin 40 years (time flies when your having fun) of mostly deer hunting, in order
32 win. m94 - 30-30 win.m64 - 300 sav. m99f - 30-06 rem 7400 carbine
present 30-06 m77 ruger tang safety
after lots of deerI have settled on the - Ruger 30-06 and the Federal 180 grain nosler high energy load.
I know some will say way to much load for deer but my thinking is it shoots flatter the a 270 at 400 yrds and hits harder than a 300 win mag at 300 yds. Never lost one since going to the 30-06, with some quite a way out.

RE: 30-06 article
 

I don't find the 06 to be that punishing, but I do think 99% of all hunters use guns too big. It's only a whitetail, they aren't hard to kill. If your hunting includes a mixed bag then more power might be needed. I own a lot of rifles in alot of calibers, I hunt with 3, 7.62x39, 270win and 7mm08.

With the technology in today's bullets I'd scrap em all for a good 22cal to 6mm.

If the rifle hardly kicks, then you should be able to shoot alot more rounds per range session. More shooting = better shooter.

RE: 30-06 article
 

I don't own or desire a 30-06 as several cartridges are more suitable for my hunting conditions.

RE: 30-06 article
 

I have never considered the 30-06 to have horrible recoil although in some lightweight rifles it can be stout. The 30-06 is however the largest cartidge I would recommend for deer unless you are hunting deer in an area where an unexpected brown bear encounter could occur. I am amazed at the number of people who carry 7mm or 300 magnums here in Alabama despite the fact that our bucks rarely top 200 lbs and the average shot distance is less than 100 yards.I 've also seen it cause some of them to have a wicked flinch. To me a 7mm-08 is just about perfect for Alabama whitetails.

RE: 30-06 article
 

.06 hits hard? Huh. My grlfriend thought my 7 mag was a joy to shoot. Whats wrong with a 30.06?

RE: 30-06 article
 

It's not so much that there is anything wrong with the 30-06, but the fact is for deer there are much better cartridge choices. The 30-06 is hailed as a jack of all trades, but it is also a master of none. It can do almost anything, but there are other cartrides out there better for each specific task. For example, the 7mm-08 Rem and 270 Win are better for deer with flatter trajectory and less recoil.

RE: 30-06 article
 

The .30-06 has been around for over 100 years. It will still be around after many of the spiffy new super short magnums, short magnums and ultra magnums are gone. i've hunted with the .30-06off and on for over 50 years and have killed over 200deer with it. It works for me.

RE: 30-06 article
 

I’m sure other calibers are perfect for a specific sized animal, but as far as mathematics, ballistics, and common sense, the .30-06 is the most versatile and economical caliber available for hunting. In Petersons Hunting Magazine’s 2007 annual edition, there are 66 types of off the shelf ammo produced for the .30-06 ranging from 55 grain bullets to 220 grain bullets. There is low/managed recoil ammo that has the similar grain weight and energy of a .243, and also high energy/light magnums that are similar to the grain weight and energy of the .300 magnums.

I shoot Federal ‘Power Shock’ 150gr or 180 gr. ammo that cost $11.00 per box. Try to find any caliber in a short mag, 25-06,or in a 7mm-08 that is even close to that price range.

If someone were to own one caliber rifle (like myself) and wants the capability of hunting any big game animal in North America, the .30-06 is the logical way to go.

RE: 30-06 article
 

YEP. The two most popular military calibers for big game are for sure the 30.06 and the 308. The only advantage the .06 has is the ability to shoot heavier bullets well. The 220's are know for acuracy in the .06. Your just asking for trouble shooting the heavy bullets int the 308. Plus, doesnt anyone realize all the "WONDERFUL" deer round you all are talking about are 30.06 offspring. ie; 270, 25.06, ect. And if the 30.06 wasnt devolped, there wouldnt be any of these?! Plus some interinsting info. The 30.06 is a direct scale down of the 50 bmg brass

RE: 30-06 article
 

Actually its the other way around. The 30-06 was around before the 50 BMG. Not that it makes it a wonder cartridge or anything.

RE: 30-06 article
 

66 choicesof off the shelf factory ammo,that's definately awonder round fora poor slob like methat owns onlyone rifle and doesn't reload.

ORIGINAL: frizzellr

RE: 30-06 article
 

Yeah if one had to own one rifle then I suppose it would be one of the better cartridges. Glad I don't have that problem.

RE: 30-06 article
 

I own the .270 for deer. It doesnt kick quite as hard as the .06 that I had did, but it still gives quite a wallop compared to my lil .243. I cannot take heavy recoil anymore since the 2 shoulder surgeries and some bad discs in my neck, so I have to go with a lighter recoil of gun. You cannot beat a 30.06 for cost/performance though.

RE: 30-06 article
 

I love the 30-06, and I do not feel its recoil is excessive. The grand old 30-06 Spfd, if limited to only one cartridge for deer hunting, would be my pick!

You simply can't beat the 30-06 for deer hunting! I'm one of the 30-06s biggest fans; it's that good!

RE: 30-06 article
 

There are several cartridges that will kill any deer that the 30-06 will,under any condition that the 30-06 will,and will do it with less recoil,and at a lower cost if you are a handloader.

RE: 30-06 article
 

And you realize all modern aircraft owe credit to the Wright Flyer. The 30-06 is not a bad cartridge, and granted is highly versatile, but it is by no means the best cartidge for any one application. It will forever remain a jack of all trades yet master of none.

RE: 30-06 article
 

Name one "master" for deer hunting???