I have been an avid bird hunter and pistol shooter for years. Live in Northern NM and have elk and deer right in my back yard which is on the forest boundry. Never really had the urge to hunt larger game until recently. I plan to give it a try next year and am wondering what I should arm myself with.

Can't imagine a shot would be ever be more then 200 yards, and anticipate most from 75-150 yards

Have 30.06 dies but am open to whatever caliber would be best all around.

Thanks

There is not a better choice for what you're interested in hunting or for all N.A. big game generally (excepting maybe the largest bears) than the trusty old .30-06. If you're interested in handloading instead of off-the-shelf, ready-to-run ammo, and you already have the dies, then this decision I think is REAL easy.

Undoubtedly you'll hear and read dozens of different opinions regarding the "best all around cartridge," and most will be correct in spite of their difference!

There are just a ton of 6mm, 25 cal, 7mm, 30cal, and 8mm cartridges that are more than suitable for any and all big game species in the western states.

But, you have 30-06 dies.

The 30-06 is very common, very easy to feed in factory and reloaded ammunition and very easy to sell if you choose to discontinue using rifles.

I've used my 30-06 in Alaska, Africa and the western US. If I am lucky enough to draw a mule deer tag this winter to hunt next fall I'll bring down my 30-06.

As Ben Franklin said, or was it Geo Washington, no one ever made a mistake choosing the 30-06.
If deer is gonna be your main item, work you up a good load with a 165gr bullet and for the ocassional elk work up a good 180 or 200gr load.
If it's gonna be split between deer and elk, work up a good load for a good 180gr bullet and use it on everything.

The 30-06 continues to be the best option for a one rifle battery. I'd load or buy 165 to 180 grain bullets (I'm partial to the Hornady Interbond).

You can't go wrong with a nice 3-9 scope to top it off.

The 30/06 is a perfect rifle for the game you mention. Load up some 168 TSX and you are ready to rock moose, deer, elk, and black bear. I have shot loads of game with my '06.

30-06

I give the 06 another enthusiastic thumbs up.



I don't own one right now myself as I have had a pet 300 Win for the last 12 years.

The 300 does everything the 30 06 does, so I don't "need" another 30 caliber rifle.

HOWEVER I keep eyeballing a featherweight model 70 and a Ruger #1 in 30-06

I guess for a gun geek like me "need" has little to do with it!!

The '06 will work perfectly. I've not been hunting big game long myself and the '06 was the first rifle I ever bought. I have it loaded with 180 grain TTSXs but it is now my backup rifle as I wanted a 338 for elk. I went a bit overboard with my 338 choice in 338-378 Wby but it is a riot to shoot. It seems the popular choices for elk are the 270 Win, '06, 300 mags and 338 mags. All of them work and the '06 is a great all around cartridge.

Ken....

Sounds like the 30-06 is the way to go.

I see no reason not to get a 30-06.I have bought some bullets before,for a cart. that I didn't have.It was one of those things that came up .I looked for a rifle that I felt would use them,it took a couple of years but I got them used up.So having the dies is a good reason for a rifle.Good Luck

As the others have said, go with the '06. In our moose camp over the years, we've had several guys using them with nary a problem. The only thing I might add is that on elk, I'd make sure to use at least a 180 gr. premium bullet. I'm biased towards the Partition or, better yet, IMHO, a Northfork if you reload. In any event, go forth and slay.
Bear in Fairbanks

30-06 is a caliber, not a rifle. I agree, you should get a rifle chambered in 30-06, but which rifle?

I love 1903 sporters, the rifle designed for the cartridge.

Remington 700's are nice, as are Ruger 77's.

I really love the Remington 760 pump, very popular in PA.

Savage 110's and variants are cheap and accurate. The newest production models with center feed are a great feeding, accurate rifle, with a truly effective recoil pad.

Have fun getting a new rifle. I don't think you can go wrong with a 30-06.

THanks for the input. You are correct about the caliber/rifle clarification. Have decided on caliber with all of you help. Will have to consider the rifle now.

Thanks again

quote:

Originally posted by Scott King:
...The 30-06 is very common, very easy to feed in factory and reloaded ammunition and very easy to sell if you choose to discontinue using rifles...

And as previously stated. you already have dies.

quote:

Originally posted by bja105:
30-06 is a caliber, not a rifle.

30-'06 Springfield is a cartridge (or a chambering), not a caliber. 30 (or more exactly .308) would be the caliber.

If you are only going to have one rifle in this cartridge, make it a good one.

A new controlled round Winchester Model 70 comes to mind...

quote:

Originally posted by stillbeeman:
As Ben Franklin said, or was it Geo Washington, no one ever made a mistake choosing the 30-06.

Please, please tell me you're not a history teacher...

KG, methinks he just neglected the in his post...

I would add that Tikka, Savage, and Howa are my 3 favorite rifle brands. However, now that Remington has improved their triggers I wouldn't hesitate buying a Rem 700 with the new trigger.

I haven't pulled the trigger on the new Winchesters to know where they fit.

If you buy a rifle/scope combo, I'd toss the scope and opt for a moderately priced 3-9 or 4-12 power scope

In 30-06, I don't think the rifle type will make that much difference. Go to the shop, shoulder some and pick the one that feels the best. My personal choice would be a Browning A-Bolt (I think the new X-Bolts are ugly). If not that then a Remchesterage will be fine.

Don't let a few dollars worth of dies lock you in to a caliber. If you run across a 7mm or 300wm rifle that you like and feels good then buy it and sell the 30/06 dies to someone else.

Although the 30/06 will do it all, I think a lesser caliber would most likely work better for someone just getting in to big game hunting and most likely to use it on antelope, deer and elk. My guess is that a 270 or 7mm would be best for you.

quote:

Originally posted by jemezsam:
THanks for the input. You are correct about the caliber/rifle clarification. Have decided on caliber with all of you help. Will have to consider the rifle now.

Thanks again

Good decision on caliber! and...it sure won't limit ur options, as almost all offer the 30-06.

I would suggest a bolt action rifle, but would really like to hear your thoughts on the budget before recommending any particular one.

Not a history teacher but I did spend the night at a Holiday Inn. And I graduated from public school. Kewl huh.

I agree that you shouldn't let the fact that you have a set of dies dictate your choice of calibres. Especially when the 7-08 is the most nearly perfect deer cartridge made. And don't do bad as a elk and black bear round neither.

yeah Flippy, gotta have that control feed in case he just wounds the deer and it charges.

I'd go with the bolt gun too, mainly for accuracy. I wouldn't go with an auto-loader for the same reason. The Winchester Model 70 is a choice that's hard to knock. I have an older one and it's never let me down mechanically or in accuracy. I've also got the '06 in a Weatherby Mark V and a Belgium Browning and nothing to complain about there either.

One thing you're going to have to decide on is whether to standardize on one bullet weight for deer and elk, or to have a heavier one like the 220 for elk. Perhaps some elk hunters here can advise on that. For deer, either the 165 or 180 will be all you need. I have used the 180 for decades and will stick with it for the remainder of my hunting career.

On scopes I'd go with a 3x9 variable in frankly whatever is the best you can afford.

Btw, the .30-06 is NOT one of the unpleasant ones on the recoil if you shoulder it properly and keep a respectful distance between the scope and your eye...that's just in case you were wondering.

quote:

One thing you're going to have to decide on is whether to standardize on one bullet weight for deer and elk, or to have a heavier one like the 220 for elk. Perhaps some elk hunters here can advise on that. For deer, either the 165 or 180 will be all you need. I have used the 180 for decades and will stick with it for the remainder of my hunting career.

I did basically just hat. I loadeither the 180 gr. Sierra Pro-Hunter or he Nosler 180 gr. Partition in my 30-06 ammo. I use the Sierras for just about everything and the Noslers for closer range shots on elk. Actually, when one considers the top velocity for a 180 gr. bullet in the 30-06, I really don't think a premium bullet is all that necessary. I really stiff handload might make 2800 FPS at the muzzle and by the time it's at 100 yards or more, the bullet has slowed down enough that is should work just fine. If using a premium bullet makes tou happy, far be I from me to say thee nay. I do it at times myself, but I do not think it is necessary.
My two 180 gr. loads are loaded to hit the same point of impact at 100 yards. I'd use the Nosler for shots to maybe 150 yrds, but if my elk is farther out, It's easy enough to quietly switch to the Sierra for the shot. I wold think that if one wanted to stick with a cup and core for all hunting, the Hornady Interlock would be a good choice. I just have not been able to get them to shoot to the same POI as the Sierra and Nosler bullets, at last not yet. I haven't tried the Accubonds yet, too many choices, so little time.
BTW, it was Col. Townsend Whelen who said, "The 30-06 is never a mistake." I think he was right.
Paul B.

I have a son in MT. He would tell you the .30-06, because "you can get .30-06 ammo in any gas station in Montana."

quote:

Originally posted by Palmer:
...Although the 30/06 will do it all,...

OK here's your answer.

I always like it when someone answers the question and then muddies the water...

quote:

Originally posted by Palmer:
My guess is that a 270 or 7mm would be best for you.

Why? When you just said:

quote:

Originally posted by Palmer:
...Although the 30/06 will do it all,...

While the 7mm RemMag is a fine chambering, it is by no means a “do all cartridge” and the 270Win is darn near a carbon copy of the 30-’06 except WITHOUT all the MANY-MANY-MANY bullet options.

quote:

Originally posted by stillbeeman:
yeah Flippy, gotta have that control feed in case he just wounds the deer and it charges.

Nope. Wasn't worried about the game charging, but Winchesters hold their value as good or better than most other non custom rifles if he decides later he don't wanna big game hunt nomore and decides to sell it.

Just don't buy a Remmie. If you are going to buy a push feed, buy a Savage. Less expensive, and more accurate without fiddling and fixing.

Another reason I recommended a Winchester, never had to fiddle or fix one to make it shoot, other than one WSSM, but that is another cartridge altogether...lol

If you haven't looked at one, the new Winnies are N-I-C-E!

If I was a third my age I would pick the 300 WSM or the 300 Win Mag. I like the versatility. I bet you could afford another set of dies.

I opted for the .308 Winchester when I was a teenager because I wasn't sure I could handle more without flinching. I now know I could have. I bought a 300 forty years later. Don't wait that long. I've enjoyed shooting everything up to and including moose......next year.

It is truly comforting to this old man to read such an almost unanimous thread that the "06" is still considered a cartridge that drops big animals. (I do have to confess that I can lean to Kensco and the 308 - I found the 308 to be almost fantastically accurate (Yeah, I'm jumping overboard with the adjective but I always found the 308 to have nail driving accuracy so I have to say it - and it's only a wee bit lower than the '06 in power. I don't know how well it holds up in trajectory and also hitting power beyond 200 yards (I'm too lazy to look it up and interrupt this post and I only shot it on a range. It would seem that in NM,at 200 yards, it would do as well as the '06)

jemezsam

Forgot to add that if you have '06" dies, then you are an "06" shooter, I can assume - so you are an '06 shooter. Despite what I said about the 308 I wouldn't switch from an '06 to a 308 if I was paid to do so. I still resent that US Army Ordnance switched from the '06 to the 308 (M14)

Whew! Guess I have some more to consider! Was thinking about this over breakfast this morning while watching a medium sized bull in the back yard. Could have hit him with a stick.

Sounds like a lot of very good choices. Budget is not much of an issue. Wikll figure out what fits me best, then either buy a new one, or keep my eyes and ears peeled for a gently used one.

Thanks for all the input

If you go to the Small Bore Forum, you will find that most there recommend a 223.
But personally I would go with the -06 even if I had to buy the dies. 103 years and still going strong!

30-06 from Savage. cheap, reliable, accurate.

Flippy, I heard of buying a rifle to resell but I've never understood the concept nor the practical application???? I'm having all of mine buried with me.

Yes, I have drifted from thinking the 30.06 the best hunting cartridge.
I now beleive the .270WSM is the BEST for most of the worlds medium game.
I have two rifles in that configuration that do so much more than my old '06.
I like flat trajectory with some velocity over 3000 fps. A 150 gr. bullet at 3100 is the ticket.
An old man I am, that has taken game with everything from a .30-30 to a .45-70 and find velocity the path to a quick kill. One shot from a .257 WBY will dump a blacktail deer instanty as compared to the slower velocity ctgs.
In the '50's the .270 Win was the king of the instant kill.
Guys traded in their '71 .348's for a .270 Win. because they wanted instant kills.
It was a time when, if you had to track game someone may get it, or it was time to go to work at the mill.
The .30-06 was good, but faster was better.
Enter, P.O. Ackley who made the old '06 faster.
That was many years ago.
It was a time when everyone had a Springfield A-3 or , or Enfield that chambered the magical .30-06 to find a gunsmith to "punch" it out to .30-06 to .30-06 AI. Why? Because it killed better.
NOW, we have something that has the velocity that really kills that any can have. The .270 WSM, not the expensive .270 Weatherby, but something we all can have.
Many rifles are now chambered for this fine ctg.
My first suggestion would be the Tikka T-3
Savage is really good too. The Stevens 200 is a good one for the money.
The thing is, get a gun with a ctg. that has some velocity over 3000 fps.
Good Luck, and Good Hunting.
P.S. Just my opinion

.338 Winchester Magnum with 250 gr bullets.

If you think for one minute that you are going to end up with just one rifle you have another thing coming.

I always thought that myself, and now I have 15 of them, 7 of which are the Winchester Model 70 Classic series. They just plain work. Buy one used in 30-06 and then spend a bit of money to have the trigger tuned, and put a good lightweight fiberglass stock on it, and a good variable scope. You will be happy.

If, as you say, "budget is not much of an issue", then I would recommend you call Mark Penrod and tell him you want one of his custom jobs on a Model 70 Classic. What you will get back will look like this, and you will be really happy.



P.S. I would look for an action that has a G serial number under 300,000.