Bocajnala

I'm not trying to discourage you here. But rather give you an idea of what you're looking at and the knowledge you'll need to get ahold of to do it successfully.

You're asking pretty vague questions, which is fine in the beginning. But understand that at 1,000 yards a .30-06 is dropping nearly 400 inches. Yes, I said 400 inches. 30+ feet of drop. This type of shooting requires more than a little kentucky windage. A crosswind could give you 100" of drift. Or more.

You may not be considering that distance. Long range means different things. In my limited experience with the two, out to 400 yards it really doesn't matter. The .300WM starts having a noticeable advantage as you go beyond 400 yards.

So if 400 is your goal the '06 might be a great choice. 600, you'll gain some with the .300wm. Either way you will need to be able to know the distance your shooting (a quality range finder) and be able to dial your scope properly. Neither round will magically get you there. It'll take allot of learning and allot of practice. Allot of rounds down range.

It will be a fun process.

-Jake

mrbb

when I started shooting 1,000 yards I was close friend with some custom long range rifle builders (Still am) back in the late 80's, scope were not what they are today, nor were rifles , for that matter when playing long distance game!
so, the first thing I had to do was have a custom base made to allow for all that drop, as scopes, even many today just don;'t have that much adjustment in them, so you need a base that adds some!
so for me that was maybe the first mod done to my rem 700 rifle I was using!
and then before even shooting at 1,000 yards it was learning a lot about bullet drop and learning how things on paper turn into the real world!
I was kinda of lucky, that the folks I shot with were also extremely experienced shooters and rifle builders, they took me in under there wing so to speak,
My friends also went on to win many shooting matches and even broke a few records along the yrs!
and also keep in mind that back then, my rifle was set up for a 1,000 yards and wasn't meant to be adjusted for all other ranges, it was a dedicated 1,000 yard rifle
as again scopes back then just didn;t last long when making a LOT of changes to work at different yardages, like many of the scopes today !
I have also worked with rifles in all sorts of calibers from .50 BMG down, and from custom hunting like rifles, to rail guns to some very exotic looking and builds

IMO< the hardest part of shooting far is learning to read wind, and that means winds between you and the target and how many times they can change in between the two things, as wind at where your at, and 500 yards out and then at 800-900 yrds can be different, causing a LOT of issues to a bullets flight!

this is also one of the reasons I stopped hunting with LONG ranges in mind(was part of a long range hunting video series a while back)

just too many things can go wrong to even the best of the best with the best of the best gear!
I also, came to feel shooting animals past say 400 yards or so, is not as much hunting as it is shooting, as most animals never have a clue there being hunted at distance, this is a personal choice and NO bash from me on those that do
But again, I know countless long range folks, seen what happens OFF camera, or is edited out of shows and videos! in the PUSH to sell products/marketing!

But for hunting with the 30-06, IMO, I would also stick to shots under 500 yards for sure, and at this, most all modern rifles can be made to work, with the right optic's and a load/bullet that the gun shoots very well and holds that at distance and not just up close!
there are also better bullets on the market today than ever, but still ain't no magic bullet that bucks wind ! or shoots great in any rifle!

Nomercy448

This isn’t 1,000, but it’s as close as I have already in my photo album online. Here, I’m dialed, so holding on my horizontal stadia, but this is 875 yards on a 24” round gong beside two 66% IPSC targets (12” x20” total with 4”x4” heads, so roughly 12”x16” rectangle -ish).

1000yrds with the 300win mag load I hunted the last two years is 7.9 mils elevation and 1.9 mils in a 10mph wind. Visually, that would be placed just above and just inside of the tip of the line marked “8” on my reticle (which is only 286” of drop and 68” of wind drift). For reference, the hashes are 1/2 Mil marks, so a mature buck would stand about 2 hashes tall and be around 3 1/2 hashes long - roughly half of the size of that target rack, height and width.

With this rifle and load, I consider myself ready and able to take a deer/elk/black bear at 600-750 yards without much concern. I’m shooting a couple hundred rounds from this rifle every year, most past 500, and shooting a few thousand rounds with other rifles every year out to 1600 - it’s a perishable skill, but it’s also an attainable skill. ToF does become a factor for 1,000yrd shooting, and frankly, that particular rifle just doesn’t shoot small enough with that load for me to be comfortable taking it past 750 on game, although I HAVE taken it to 1600 yards on that 24” gong and also used this rifle to score on target at 955yards on a 9”x12” head shaped target during a field match last year. Not all wind conditions favor long range shooting, and we never have a shortage of wind in Kansas (sometimes my wind calls are wider than my elevation corrections!), but there do remain to be a lot of days where a skilled shooter can send a bullet over 700 yards after a deer without any moral or ethical dilemma.



Shooting long range is challenging, but I can’t say I find it to be “hard.” If I can do it, anyone can. My son has shot 1-1.5moa targets at 600-800 yards reliably (meaning missing only rarely when dad’s wind call sucked or when he slaps the trigger) since he was 5yrs old. Just a matter of putting the right rifle, scope, and load in front of him. I’ve taken dozens of new shooters out to 800-1,200 yards, several on their first day ever shooting a rifle, always using that 24” gong and 12”x20” 66% IPSC.

It’s not an innate instinct, but it’s not witchcraft or quantum physics either. Buy the rifle, burn a bunch of ammo in practice (or better still, find a class and THEN practice), and live happy.

elkman30

Carlos Hathcock was a famous Marine sniper during the Vietnam war and he used a 30-06 in a Winchester model 70. I think you should be able to get a good scope for your 30-06, practice a lot and maybe even handload a little to get something that works well up to 600 yards. Since most of your shots will likely be under 400 yards, you should be good to go.

DJfan

You all are great. I really appreciate the time and input. I just want to harvest an elk. This will be year seven trying for me, and still nothing. Most of the time I see them, they are far away. I have watched others shoot far at them and succeed. I hope to join that crowd.

I am OK with limiting the distance to around 600 yards or so. It is a lot better than my 300 yard limit now. Even that distance is hard for me on my 30-.06, so I usually pass on those shots. I would like to not pass on them anymore.

Bocajnala

Let's start with the basics.

What is your current .30-06 set up. What rifle, what scope? Let's see if it's something we can "work with". And how does it shoot. Is it moa? Less? More?

Most hunters would probably say 600 yards is the limit for the .30-06. or maybe even too far for the 06 on elk. 400 is certainly doable without much trouble. I'm talking about energy and performance here.

With either of the two you will have to "learn" to shoot 600 yards. You will have to be able to consistently range your target, and dial your scope.

At 400 I've had good luck using bdc type reticles. With practice, 400 yards was easily doable. I was not able to get consistent hits beyond 400 with it though. So at 600 you'll need to have adjustable turrets or more advanced reticles that I don't have any experience with.

-Jake

mrbb

again shooting far is a skill and small details matter
but take this without any offence meant, if your struggling at 300 yards with your 30/06, ask yourself this,a d be honest, is it the rifle or the shooter, as the 3006 is more than capable of small groups well past 300 yards

if its the rifle, WHAT is wrong with it it, as MOST things can be fixed to make it shoot better, from having an accuracy job done to it(re crown, true bolt fact, and like wise things to rifle)
as at 300 yards if your sighting in at ONE range and using scope that has different reticles,.for different yardage and NO constantly making scope adjustments once sighted in!
then odds are its NOT the scope that is an issue
which then leaves it being the shooter?,
ALL again can be corrected with what you already have!
which leaves you needing more range time to further develop your shooting skills
and then remember, that shooting off a bench is fine for finding details out on rifle and load, but to shoot well in the field you have to practice in ways you would be hunting and taking shots a field!

as for shooting far NOT being hard or a skill, I say YES and NO<
I can agree I have seen folks that never fired a rifle before shoot things FAR away(we did this with a person on a FIST time hunt FIRST time shooting a high power rifle (she had shot 22's before) on long range hunting Video , at just under 800 yards, she made a one shot kill, dropping deer at this distance)
BUT the rifle was set up by a experienced shooter , the experienced shooter made all needed corrections, for distance, wind and so on, and then , the SHOOTER only had to aim pull the trigger
that DOESN"T make the shooter good at shooting FAR
its what the experienced shooter did that MADE things happen!

and as for if shooting at game far off , is moral or ethical dilemma, based on skills of shooter, again this is a personal thing, as at what range is it hunting and or is it SHOOTING that is the skill being applied here?
NO bash meant, just saying
that for ME< distance does change how I view hunting and shooting and there both different things at times!
we can all miss a animal up close OR far away, but the SMALL details of misses start to get more critical IMO as distance gets out there!!
spend enough time at shooting ranges and you wills see a LOT of BAD shooters(and some great ones)
to maybe make one wonder HOW far some should be considering talking a shot, with right gear or not!

Valorius

I foresee many trips to the local gun stores looking for that sweet deal on a used 300 mag with a good optic on it in your future.

CalHunter

JMHO but I think you should figure out how to get your 30-06 dialed in enough to shoot out to 400 yards. It's doable. If you need more, then yes, consider upgrading to a 300WM. Since you live in elk country, what distances are you able to get shooting opportunities at?

elkman30

Perhaps the question should be do you need more than 400 yards.