The average UK punter will likely splash for one rifle to do a heap of deer hunting, the occasional foreign stag/moose/elk and a once in a lifetime trip to Africa for plains game.

Should he be comfortable for his home hunting and plump for a smaller calibre that can just about legaly do what he requires abroad or should he plump for something more powerful for the very few occasions he might actualy 'need' it.

Put simply what does he gain (species/shot angles etc) by choosing a 30-06 instead of a 6.5x55 or 7x57.

If those are your choices, get the smaller rifle. You're not going to gain a lot by going to the O6. You need to step up to something like the 338, 338/06 or 35 Whelan to be going up a full class.

1894,

The source with the most data on this point is Mike LaGrange's most excellent work Ballistics in Perspective. Therein Mike documents his assertion based on field observation of thousands of shootings that the .300 bore size is a noticeably better killer than the smaller bores.

I use a .308 Win for most of this work, but I have used the .30'-06 too. The "Ought Six" is so popular that you can find numerous factory loads from too light to too heavy. For the smaller animals you choose the bullet specification and weight to match your quarry. The lighter bullets also lower recoil.

This is not to say a 6.5 won't work, but the '06 gives you more killing "margin" -- with proper bullets and shot placement of course.

I have a flock of those smaller bores too, and I do use them for some applications. Moreso for the rifle they come in than the particular cartridge.

jim dodd

I�ve sold off all of my small bores, smaller than .30 cal (not counting a rimfire .22WM workhorse) as the right bullet in the 30-06 will do all that is needed of a rifle in Europe. This said I find myself doing most of my hunting with the .375 H&H, here also using 235, 270 and 300grain bullets. The Speer 235 gr is excellent for deer etc. Yes I have a .416 Rigby on order but that will be reserved for DG hunting -something I have yet still to do.

IMO when you step into 30 caliber bullets you have stepped into a range of bullets that will pretty much do anything needing done anywhere. In choosing the 30.06 you have picked a rifle caliber that has been used in a number of wars and the ammo is common all over the world. I am sure that is the case with 308 but I must be biased as I own five 30.06 rifles and zero in 308 (but two in 7/08). The 30.06 length action can be the platform for so many other calibers if need be for larger game.
As a gun shop owner and the owner of several Texas ranches I must disagree with the statement that 180 grain bullets are too hard opening on small game. I have taken many a whitetail deer with a 180 grain bullet along with elk, jackrabbit, kudu, gemsbok, impalla, springbok, steinbok etc. Maybe it is bullet construction of the bullets you are using causing you to hold this opinion.
I might add that we also enjoy hunting the ranches with 243, 260 Rem and 7/08's and just for fun we sneak in our 9.3 x 62's just to keep the cobwebs out of the bbls.
My favorite rifle (named American Express..as in: Never leave home without it! ) is an elder Sako 222 Mag. I would not want to admit to what all I have taken with it for fear of starting some p------ contest among the shooters here. Most often it is the rifle at hand and one must do what one must with the tool at hand.
Not saying the other calibers you listed are not good calibers...just saying that the 30.06 is the choice of many. Look at the sales history of any company offering it and see how many sell year after year. If the .06 did not get the job done then it would be gone the way of other good cartridges like 264 Mag, 284 Win, 8 Rem Mag and many others that did the job but had no staying power after the first years of introduction.

There's a reason I picked the handle I did and Harry just said why.

When looking to build a rifle for use in the lower 48 (my horizons were more limited then) I chose the venerable -06 simply because as a handloader, the bullet selection in 308 is unmatched. Squirrels to elk with some hi-power and plinking thrown in for fun

As popular as the 30 caliber is, I think I would still pop for the smaller rifle. If you read the original question, it was whether to buy a 6.5-7 class for hunting in England (which I assume will be deer stalking of relatively small deer) or buy a larger bore that can be used for elk/moose/african plains game. That second group is composed of some pretty large herbivores, and if I really wanted something suited to them, it would be larger than a 30 caliber. If most of the hunting is going to be English, I would get the smallbore and then rent or borrow (or buy a medium) when and if the foreign opportunity arose.

I really like some of the small bores like the 7x57 but when you discard the chafe, the 308 and 06 should be the minimum for big game hunting. The 30 cal leaves a real good blood trail every time, it will cleanly take most animals, even the big bad stuff in a pinch..It is simply the best all around cartridge...bullets from 150 to 220 gr. at very acceptable velocities.

It took me 60 years to figure that out, so I'm handing it down to do with as you please...

I said it and so did Ray.
Kinda like there are other material for pants but denim in the color blue is still what most of the world wears!
You get an '06 and get the job done. Some calibers maybe more fun etc. but when push comes to shove...reach for Coca Cola ...ooops...excuse me....30/06.

Interesting but I would be greatful if people would be more specific (BTW this is theory I have gone the multiple route )

What animals is your PH going to allow you to shoot with a 30-06 that he would not allow you to shoot with a 6.5x55 or 7x57?

[ 11-26-2003, 15:36: Message edited by: 1894 ]

1894,

You may very well have heard this on one of your moose trips to Sweden. But here it comes anyway:

A swedish forest company collected data on what calibers were used, number of shots fired and distance the moose traveled after being shot. Many thousand (about 10 000) moose are included in this material so I think it gives a fair idea of how things work. I don�t think anyone with deeper statistical knowledge analysed the material so their maybe another twist to it but there seems to be no significant difference between the 6,5, 308 and 30-06. Calibres from 338 and up showed somewhat better numbers.

I don�t think they included moose which were shot at and "missed" or wounded and disappeared without being found. So you can probably only say that good hits with these calibres are equally effective, but bad hits...??

I think most moose hunters agree there is a small but significant difference between the 6,5 and the .30 cals.

Now, if this applies to african game at all I don�t know.

PCH

I've seen a marked difference in killing power over such cartridges the .270 Win., .30-06, the various 7mms, etc. when you move up to the .300s, .338s, and .375s. That's as plain as I can put it.

AD

1894,
The PH won't say a thing about your choice of calibers, they will work fine...

As to my answering post that is just my opine for what its worth based solely on my experience and I sure wouldn't hesitate to hunt most game with a 7x57, I have one..but I still feel to answer your question the 30-06 and 308 and up do a better job on most animals..they are more dependable, leave more blood on the ground...but is argueable and thats for sure.

Ray
Don't you think that for a one gun hunter, especially one who reloads, a 300 magnum is a better choice than a 30-06?