Caribou Gear

30 06 for elk and the ilk

Mark K

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Nov 21, 2019
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Can anyone come up with any legitimate reason not to get a 30 06 for elk and mulies?

My friend says .308, but my research shows that the .308 is a shorter version of a 30 06. More range, a little more powder, a little more MV, maybe a little more hitting power.
 
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I’ve owned both and I prefer the 30-06 over the .308. Either will kill elk. A little more velocity and energy in the 30-06.
 
Ditto the above. I prefer the 06 as it handles the heavier .30-cal bullets better and with more oomph. We usually use the old stand-by 180-grain at 2,700 fps and it does the job.
 
Nope, besides it’s kinda boring. But, you can always ream it out to a 300 Sherman If you want something new to tinker with.
 
Can anyone come up with any legitimate reason not to get a 30 06 for elk and mulies?
My reason would be because you've killed so many with a 30 06 that you want to try it with a 308.
I personally haven't had that problem, but that could be one.
If want a 30 06 and you shoot it good use it.
 
Thanks guys. I have not shot one since the last time I shot the old man's Garrand. I have no idea where it went when he died.

I wish I had it, but I think I want a bolt action any way.
 
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Only caliber I ever thought to switch to from 30-06 is 308. But then I asked myself ,why bother?
 
.308 fits in a short action if you want a lighter rifle. Ammo, especially surplus and match ammo is maybe a bit cheaper/easier to come by, they supposedly burn powder more efficiently, but I still shoot an '06.
 
Only real knock against an 06 is that it isn't all that flat shooting. Although 150 grainers will zip along around 3000 fps. That doesn't really matter tho if you aren't shooting over 400 or so yards. 308 is slower still. I like long actions for some reason too.
 
The 06 has probably killed more game over a greater area of the globe than mountain lions, small cars, Genghis Kahn, Wolves and the Clintons combined. You can load up and down for it quite easily. Ammo is readily available. There is an absolute ton of reloading data out there for it. Is it some sexy new caliber? nope. Is it the flattest shooting around? Nope. But it kills stuff dead at good ranges at least out to what is commonly considered acceptable. It has the power when loaded correctly to have everything with fur fins and feathers in North America doing the worm wiggle at stiff stadium quick fast and in a hurry. It has also been doing all of this since before any of us or our dads or many of their dads were born. Its one of those particular calibers that you wont find many folks knocking and for good reason.
 
I shot a buck a couple days ago with my .308. While hiking out of the hills with a pack full of meat I was thinking about the cartridge and load I was using and why I always tend to gravitate back to the .308 - it seems to me there isn't any one thing the .308 does that's really exceptional, it just does everything well. Its a great balance of power and velocity. If you know what your doing with it, it can shoot a long way. And it sends a pretty big bullet out there without recoil that will dislocate a shoulder. Tons of different options too if you handload.

But yes, there are those that say similar things about the 30-06.
 
Several years ago I used the 30-06 hunting for the first time. No idea why I waited all those years just never had a big thing for the 30-06. Used the 308 many years, probably one of my favorite cartridges. Something I noticed though is the 308's I've used I liked mostly because of the rifle's they were in. I do like short action's and 22" barrels. I'm getting long in the tooth and suspect my big game days are pretty much over for this life time. I hunt alone and it bother's me I'd shoot something and not be able to get it out. There's so many cartridge's that are suitable for most game anymore, a discussion about them is mostly personal preference based.
 
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