Fellas, I very seldom add any thoughts on the forum, but I do browse the posts often. Recently I went into a gunshop looking to see what they had in the way of 24" barrel 30-06's. When I asked the salesman, his reply was " we don't stock any new 30-06's because it's a dead cartridge and we can't sell 'em". Trying to maintain my composure and seeing that the kid was probably in his early twenties and had alot to learn, I stated that the 30-06 will outlast him. Am curious what others think about this...

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Am curious what others think about this...

LOL is what I think!

Dan-
You're right, they're wrong. In about 3 years when they won't be able to move any of the new wonder mags the ol -06 will still be selling. That kid will learn too, providing he's smart enough to read when restocking the shelvs.

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" we don't stock any new 30-06's because it's a dead cartridge and we can't sell 'em"

Did the store have ammunition for the .30-06?????

You're in South Dakota.....may I ask what town?

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Originally posted by Dan G:
...his reply was " we don't stock any new 30-06's because it's a dead cartridge and we can't sell 'em". ...

Seriously, with all of the hype in the guns mags, etc., I'm sure the WSMs (and some other new cartridges) are grabbing the majority of the new rifle sales right now. This, plus the fact(?) that the gun manufacturers are probably pushing the new chamberings more than the old ones. Supply of new rifles in traditional calibers may be a little lean in the supply chain right now. (Just pure speculation on my part.) These trends come and go in cycles. Rest assured that such cartridges as the .30-06 are not going to fade away any time soon.

-Bob F.

The 30-06 is to cartridges what the Nosler Partition is to bullets... not the newest or the flashiest but certainly the standard by which others are judged.

BFaucet, now that just says it all.....love it.

Well, when I was in my twenties, I probably felt the same way about the '06.

With its Centennial year coming up just a few months away, I doubt that the .30-06 has ever commanded more respect and appreciation than it does today. While there may be a cartridge that can do any specific job better than the '06 (at least theoretically), there are few that can do so many jobs well. From coyotes to moose, and from ranges close in to far away, the .30-06 is tough to beat as an all-around rifle.

As an example of an unspoiled user opinion, I bought my son, who is now 30, a very nice '06 when he was a teenager. Despite my having a safe full of specialized long range rifles, heavy rifles, light rifles, brush rifles, ad infinitum available to him, he insists on using his '06 for everything from coyotes to antelope to deer to elk.

Last year, he shot a buck "out from under" another hunter in our party (who he was unaware was glassing the same buck from another vantage point and trying to decide if it was too far away at 250 yards and waiting for the light to get better). My son was 400 yards from the buck and killed it with a single shot from his good old .30-06. Next month we'll go for elk, and he could use my .300 Winchester, .338, or 7mm STW -- but no, he'll use his '06, thank you very much.

The great, illustrious 30-06 will NEVER be dead, not in my lifetime, and probably not in your grandkids' lifetime, either! It's STILL the best all-around cartridge for greatest number of hunters, and I still can't think of anything else that combines greater shootability with fine inherent accuracy, substantial power, superb feeding, and wide-availability world-wide.

It feeds and extracts a whole lot better than these new WSMs do, with greater magazine capacity, and it's less fussy than most other cartridges as well. The belted 300s offer even greater versatility if you can shoot 'em, but a lot of guys can't and would be better-off with the '06.

Personally, I wouldn't go into that gunstore anymore, or at least tell the guy to give you a call next time a good, mint, used 30-06 comes in, and that you're not interested in anything else.

At least out here, the 30-06 is still a common new rifle chambering in just about all gunshops. I was just looking over a new Weatherby with a light 24" bbl. in '06......

AD

the 30-06 is like levi jeans...saums are bell bottoms

Dan G, you were right. I shot my first buck with a 30-06. These guys carry what's new and popular at this moment. The 30-06 will outlast him.

It is for sure they won't sell any 30-06s if they don't stock any. What do they have?

Boom Stick, I like your analogy but am going to have to disagree because Denim is a French invention!

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Originally posted by Brad:
Boom Stick, I like your analogy but am going to have to disagree because Denim is a French invention!

Really?....I didn't know the French ever invented anything!!!

Wow, I don't think I've ever heard such a biased reply from a salesperson. Look at the two calibers that lead the pack for sales-I would be willing to bet that they are the grand old 30'06 Springfield and its offspring the 270 Winchester.

I agree with Brads second post...the one about Nosler and 30/06's.
Not that I am biased or anything...don't let the fact that I have five 30/06's leave you with that impression.
I owe calibers from 17 HRM to at 12 bore Westley Richards Super Magnum Explora double rifle but the only thing I come close to owning more of caliber wise is 22 Long Rifle and 222 Magnum.
Like Stonecreek I gave my now 41 year old son a 30/06 when he was age 10. He has many fine toys but like Stonecreek's son..he drags this old '06 everywhere he goes and just kills stuff with it.
A hunter fixed with '06 and 180 grn. bullets is a hunter fixed for about any and everything...some critters might get a tad dicey if the shot placement isn't right but for 99% of the stuff you are in fine shape.
That young man in the shop needs to go back and be just a stock boy for awhile.

First off I would avoid that gunstore in the future. As I get older I really appreciate the "Old Soldier" even more and now own one and hopefully a few more before I'm done. Been thru the short mag craze and not going back.

I dont' own one but I bought a .30-06 for my son. I figure it will do for any hunting he wants to do in NA & later he can sell it or rebarrel if he wants something else. It's a very good one rifle for everything & ammo is available anywhere in the world. If you aren't a handloader, that's important.

Wouldn't you know it, just when I get ready to build a nice 30-06 they go and kill it. I guess I'll just have to grab up all the brass I can and reload till I wear all of them out. DANG Next thing you know is they will stop making 30 cal bullets and I'll have to start making my own.

Just a guess on my part as I don't have a crystal ball.

My guess is in the end the 30-06 will end up pissing on the the SAUM and WSM cartridges graves.

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Originally posted by schromf:
Just a guess on my part as I don't have a crystal ball.

My guess is in the end the 30-06 will end up pissing on the the SAUM and WSM cartridges graves.

I agree the .30-06 isn't dead, but with these Wizbang short magnum's selling at probably 10 to 1 over the .30-06 I'm not sure I'd stock any .30-06 rifles either if I owned a gun shop. I would educate my sells force to the fact the .30-06 isn't dead and mention very politely that we'd be more than happy to order you one.

Terry

I wouldn't penalize the gunstore but I might find the owner and lecture him a little about training his sales guys. They are supposed to reinforce the customer's urge to spend, not discourage it.

That said, I think Wally World has captured the market on the 30-06 and 270 buying public. Small stores tend to stock whatever you can'tfind at the Wally/Academy/et al.

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Originally posted by tiggertate:
I wouldn't penalize the gunstore but I might find the owner and lecture him a little about training his sales guys. They are supposed to reinforce the customer's urge to spend, not discourage it.

That said, I think Wally World has captured the market on the 30-06 and 270 buying public. Small stores tend to stock whatever you can'tfind at the Wally/Academy/et al.

good point, well put

Interesting post. Here in Australia, the local importer of Kimber Rifles has been advertising the full range and I noticed that ommitted calibers were the 270win and the 3006. Plenty of short mags though. Took a look at the factory web site and guess what? Could not find either on there! The 308 is available though. (If I am wrong,someone please enlighten me!)

Now if an American manufacturer like Kimber is starting to omit those calibers then one wonders.... what are they thinking?

Just had look that Kimber America site again and from what I can see one cannot purchase a Kimber 8400 or 84m in a 3006 or 270 Win!!!

Thats a good one. If any of you have any DEAD 06's just send them my way. I will give them a good funeral.

As long as there are guys who hunt, the 30-06 will be alive. Only gunshop intellectuals think it's dead.

MLG, the Kimber is a short action -- the 30-06 and 270 are too long for it.


Okie John

The 06 is to guns what Audrey Hepburn was to the silver screen. Others will come and go but nothing will ever equal.

My first game (bigger than varmint) was taken with an 06 as well. Now that I have listened to stinkin' Allen so much and am trying to thin my herd to finance "fewer better" the one I just can't part with is that old springfield 06.

Red

Kimber has announced Long Actions (lengthened 8400s) shipping for this fall. Some 30'06s will be in stores at the end of the month! 270s will soon follow.

I'm not sure about the number but I'd bet there's more than 30 million of them in the US alone.

DEAD?????....gimme a break!!!!!

Tell that fool that maybe he should check out the number of manufacturers who chamber the 30-06 vs ANY OTHER CHAMBERING including makers of pre chambered custom barrels... Apparently someone is selling those dead 30-06 es.



What a moron.

Natchez recently offered RWS brass in many different calibers - the 30-06 brass sold out first and fast. The 30-06 must be among the most popular high-powered, hunting-rifle cartridges in the World - at least in the top two or three. Nonetheless, my brother bought the last left-handed 30-06 offering in Win M70 at his local WalMart. He got it on sale and was told the caliber was going to be fazed out for the "more modern" stubby short mags, etc.

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Originally posted by Gran Cazador Blanco:
Kimber has announced Long Actions (lengthened 8400s) shipping for this fall. Some 30'06s will be in stores at the end of the month! 270s will soon follow.

Were did you hear this? I just went to the Kimber site and couldn't find anything about it. A .270 Montana would be nice.

Terry

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Originally posted by TC1:

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Originally posted by Gran Cazador Blanco:
Kimber has announced Long Actions (lengthened 8400s) shipping for this fall. Some 30'06s will be in stores at the end of the month! 270s will soon follow.

Were did you hear this? I just went to the Kimber site and couldn't find anything about it. A .270 Montana would be nice.

Terry

Me too!! Me too!! Me too!! Pleeease

The 30-06 died of boredom. But at least it wasn't stillborn like the recent rash of Remchesters.

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Originally posted by TC1:

quote:

Originally posted by Gran Cazador Blanco:
Kimber has announced Long Actions (lengthened 8400s) shipping for this fall. Some 30'06s will be in stores at the end of the month! 270s will soon follow.

Were did you hear this? I just went to the Kimber site and couldn't find anything about it. A .270 Montana would be nice.

Terry

My experience with a lot of companies is that their website is the last place they update. Never could figure why.

At least he was talking about sales of the '06. A couple of years back I heard a clerk at one of the big chain outdoor stores tell a potential customer that if he had a possibility of shooting deer at long ranges he should get the 44 Mag handgun instead of the '06 rifle because it was a bigger caliber. I waited for the punch line but it never came, the guy was serious. I rudely butted in and started to say something about ballistic coefficients, kinetic energy and trajectory, when he knowingly stated “44 is a lot bigger then 30 isn’t itâ€. It left me speechless, I had to leave and go look at boots.

When people say rifle without the word “lever†in the United States I assume they are talking about an ’06 unless they specify. Probably the only rifle caliber in less danger of disappearing is the 22 LR.

I believe more factory ammo for the 30-06 is sold than any other caliber (except 22LR), and the reloading equipment companies still sell more dies for the 30-06 than any other caliber.

The 30-06 will never be a dead cartridges! Like the .22 rimfire, the 30-30, and the 375 H&H, the 30-06 will be around as long as firearms exist, and are allowed in civilian hands!