The '06 is 100 years old and according to many here is a do-it-all cartridge. My parents gave me a 270 20 years ago which has served me very well over the year, so I have never owned an '06 but have shot several of my friends. Ballistically, the 30 06 is a great caliber and will take down anything in North America as well as much around the world. That being said, over the last 100 years to the present, what has led to the developement of so many new whiz bang calibers? All I can come up with is marketing both in gun sales and ammo, does anyone have any other ideas?

Marketing/greed in guns & ammo...which is pretty much what is needed to have a company survive the competition...is by far the biggest reason. However, I think a minor factor would be the better communication and travel since the early 1900's. What I mean is, there are european work-horses (6.5 Swede) and american work-horses (30-06). Anytime you increase the interaction between two pools of products you'll start to see a blending. Example the 7mm-08. Also, better manufacturing methods have made higher chamber pressures safer...which I think may be to blame for the magnumitis. That, and human nature: "oohh, its bigger? It's faster? WELL it MUST be BETTER!!!"

While the 30-06 does do many things quite well,there are many cartridges that do offer advantages in manysituations.For instance the 25-06 will kill any deer that the 30-06 will with a flatter trajectory and less recoil.The 300 wsm and 300wm do shoot flatter and can be an advantage for hunting larger game.The 338win mag is certainly a better choice for grizzly and brown bear.

Youirs is not to question why. Yours is to sit back and take advantage of so much of a good thing. What could anyone want that is not currently available? Not much, but more new stuff will still be coming.

My current favorite of the "whiz bangs" is 300 WSM. I have a "custom" Encore and a Blaser in it and absolutely love themboth. I fully intend to take advantage of the new technology as it comes along.

It sure is nice to have a choice, but there sure are a lot out there.

I'd agree that comms helped spread each individual caliber's area of acceptance greatly. There are so many that are close to each other in performance/comfort/action weight, and so forth that you could just about skip 3 out of every 4 cartridgeson your way downthe balistics table and still have way more than you need for any type of hunting.

Specialization has influenced quite a bit too. "A little better this" or "a new that" has been the mantra for a long time. As long as there is variety, there will be those who swear by each of the choices.

Some of it has been asked for. Like a beltless 300mag but while your at it outperform the weatherby. Or beltlessshort action with the performance of the 300win mag. These are thing that people have been asking for for a while. No other reason other than we are Americans and love choice andalot of em. I sure wouldn't say marketing greed and stuff. We have the choice ane real americans like that. These poeple just recongnized this trait in us and acted on it.

I love the choices.

To be sure, the mags have advantages over the venerable '06. The .300 Win Mag is probably the King of the Elk camp. The new WSM mags and the Remington Short mags (RUSM) have impressive performance. And Weatherby's rep was made on his flat shooting thumpers. But did you ever notice that all of these new cartridges market themselves by comparing thier ballistic performance with the tried and true '06? Seems the 100 year old cartridge is still the standard by whcih all others are judged.
I usually feel fine in the deer woods using the same caliber that Teddy Roosevelt used in Africa (He also used a 405 winchest I believe).
If I had to have one rifle caliber (Perish the thought!!), it would be the 30'06 Sprinfield.

In fact a properly (and safely) handloaded .30-06 is only 100-200 '/sec behind the 300 Win Mag depending on whose loading data you're looking at.

Bear in mind a major league baseball player can throw a baseball 150'/sec.

My 300 mags have been sold and the 30-06 is now reigning king of the 30 cals here......100 years old and still in charge.....at least in this house.

I do get a laugh when I hear all this 100 year old stuff.One would think that being old actually improved the ballistics or made it kill game better.