Hurricanespg

I would go with the 30-06, best all around caliber that I know of.

Jeff; When is the .308 more powerful than the 30-06?

G2 Shooter

For over-all use, I would say the 30-06. You can take a variety of game with it. It is more powerful and has a longer range than the 30-30. But a lever-action is downright cool. Probably why I have one!

Frank in the Laurels

I would not want to be hit with either... I recall a few years ago some young bucks were harassing an ole' timer at the local sportsmens club about his underpowered 30/30... he'd had enough and off the bar stole he jumped.. "OK, grab them big magnums, you stand at the 100 yard mark and you get the second shot at me back"...NO ONE moved, end of arguement... I guess that sums it all up..any hit from a .30 caliber anything in the boiler room and it's lights out...nuff said

hammer06

I hunt in central Virginia with a pump .30-06. My father and I have taken over 200 deer with our .30-06s and around 20 with a .30-30. I hunt with people that use .243s, .270s, and .308s. When it comes down to it, they all kill deer when a good shot is made. Fact of the matter is, a good shot is not always made. A .30-06 can result in more dead and recovered game than a .30-30 due to the greater power. I don't advocate marginal hits, but they do happen.

CamoCop

this got me thinking. the .30-30 gained it's populartity in the west before the 1900's. i'm not knocking the caliber just thinking that this caliber would not be no where near as excepted in todays shooting world if other calibers had been "born" during the same time period. if i was on a prairie and having to shoot indians, i would be MUCH happier with the .30-06 or .308 (flatter shooting and longer range). do you think the almighty .30-30 would have faded away like so many other cartridges if there were choices like todays more popular calibers?

just a question, not trying to start a fight.

Jeff Ovington

first off I used powerful just as a terminoligy..
But it is defined as put forth energy in action..
Energy in action is kinectic energy..
Formula for kinetic energy (a moving Object)equals, one half ,times the massof the object times the velocity of the object squared. EK = (1/2)mv2.
I have a 3006 and we use the same bullet (165gr.)primer and powder.Ifirstdid it for economic reasons, (she's a teacher and considers herself underpaid) it was easier this way..
The powder primer bullet comboboth shoot very accurate out of our rifle and they gave a velocity pretty good velocity of what I was going to consider to be about 2800 ft/sec
before I chronographed it.
The differences being the gun, caliber and powder charge we gave it a shot.
My sisters.308 chronographs at close to 40ft/sec faster than my 30-06 with less powder.She was getting 2830
to my 2790.
Even though the load denisity volume may exceed 100% in the .308 she's shooting , the bottem line is she is still kicking my @$$ when the numbers appear.[:@]
You got the Nosler 6 reloading manual?
With some powders you can excede 30-06 velocities
with the .308. using certain bullet weights and charges.
For Example..
Take for instance Big game (we use this)and their 165gr bullets.
With their loading data they claim to get a velocity of 2725-2859 ft/sec at the muzzle from a 30-06 using 51.5-55.5gr. respectivley using a 165 gr. bullet.
Those same bullets flying outta their .308 test barrel, are getting a muzzle velocity of 2720 -2910 ft/sec using 48.5 gr -52.5 gr respectively.
In another manual its even mentioned that they have tested and retested these trials cause shooters aren't believing this.
I never woulda believed it had I not chronographed it myself.
No, I'm not saing this is always the case, but in the case such as mine, some powder bullet combo poduce some great results in the .308 that I feel exceed the 30-06.
Once I did some changes I got up to 2850 but thats pretty much on par with that powder bullet combo of my sisters .308.
That little cartridgeis quite capable of a pretty good punch, I shoot out to 550yrds consistantly with my 06, my farthest on a buck was about 470 yrds.
I wouldn't hestitate to pull on a big buck at a range of 450-475 yrds, with a .308.
Knowing what its capable of in both accuracy and velocity
this is a very good cartridge.
And although I am a30-06 fan (its all I use) the .308 has got my respect.Not as much respect as I got for the 6.5x.284 though......

Hurricanespg

jeff; I don't have any reloading manuals...don't reload, so I am afraid that a lot of that went over my head. Basically what you are saying though is with a particular powder charge and bullet weight in both calibers the .308 out chrono'd the 30-06 right? Have you tried using the same powder equivilant in both calibers? Or is that not something that can be done? Is this something that is accomplished with factory ammo, or is it strictly reloading? To be quite honest I find it astonishing, what accounts for the increased speed? Thanks for the info.
Sorry for the hijack of the thread.

Edcyclopedia

Well Mr. CamoCop that is a good question / thought!
As you well know, technology seems to take over the nostalgic aspect.
The American nature is faster, bigger, etc...
So I guess that I would have to say that it probably would have faded away. Like I said "my guess", no fight taken.
As someone mentioned lever actions are just cool ("MAJESTIC")!
I grew up watching Gene Autry / Roy Roger reruns along with my all time favorite "The Rifleman".
Nostalgic baby!
But keep in mind that i still watch the Three Stooges, so what do I know

Jack Ryan

I don't know why a question like this ever even comes up.

From the first post it appears economy of cash is an issue.

Just from that concern alone it would be silly to consider about any thing other than the '06. One gun does it all from ground hogs to moose.

If you want to shoot less than this or less than that or more than what ever... all that is a waste of breath. Why would you want to ever figure you want to LIMIT your self to what you THINK today will be your longest shot tomorrow, a week from now or a year from now?

It may not have occured to some but it is a plain fact, a gun that will kill a deer, a bear, what ever at 300/ 400 / 500 yards will also kill them, may be deader/ at 200/ 100/ or 50. The same can't be said of a 150/200 yard gun.

It's silly to even think about it.

gregrn43

06 all the way