Old but still lethal 30-06 on Elk.

[Pawnee Bill]

Age doesn't affect lethality.

 

[dakor]

Granted this was a cow and only a 277 yard shot. But I debated time and again what weapon I was going to bring for my first elk hunt. I was going to splurge and get a 7mm REM mag or a 300 WM, but I had this old girl in my safe and she once again did not let me down. One single double lung shot and she dropped in her tracks. Now that I have taken my first elk, she will always have a home.

The bullet was Hornady precision 178 ELD-X.

If the 30/06 came out today with todays bullets, powders and the Hornady marketing team it would make the Creedmoor and PRC look like childs play as far as sales.

22 inch barrel can run 165's to 3000 FPS pretty easy with todays powders and 200 grainers in that 2600 to 2700fps range.

It feeds like butter in pretty much anything, less recoil than a lot of magnums and easy to load for.

 

[JFrank]

I went back to a 30-06 this weekend , I like to hunt black bear and this gives me a bit more fire power than my trusty Marlin 30-30. In addition we now have a bit more open country here in SW. Montana vs up in the Cabinet mountains of NW Montana.
I’m currently working with box ammo like fed fusion 165 gr, I’m thinking of trying some Nosler trophy but the price is stupid for twenty rounds.
Anyone have input on a good ammo ?

 

[Idaho-Lefty]

With a Good, Sierra GK, Hornady, Nosler NBT, or Partition, in 165 grain weight, the ole' .30-06 Gets it, DONE !
Looks like, the Newer 178 gr. ELD-X, "Works",.. VERY Well, also !
I used, a $17.50, 1903 A3 Spgfld 06 that I "sporterized" when I was, 15 y/o till, Late 20's and Never Lost, an Animal.
$.50 Cent a Pound, Powder ( Bruce Hogdon's 4895 ) and 150 gr. Horn Bullets, just Flattened, Deer / Antelope !
I'd NEVER Feel, "under gunned" with, a .30-06 !

 

[JFrank]

The fed fusion listed the FPS at 2790 but my Garmin read out was 2703 average. That would definitely mess with your drop chart. Lol

 

[mmcu]

22 inch barrel can run 165's to 3000 FPS pretty easy with todays powders and 200 grainers in that 2600 to 2700fps range.

You have me curious now.

What powder(s) are you using to get the velocities you state out of a 22" barrel?

 

[jds holler]

Since I've had a few successes with the Staball 6.5 powder, Ima wanna try it in EVERYTHING!! yea, I'm one of those guys.

The Hodgdon data shows some of the highest velocity loads in -06 with it. It's double base powder, so maybe a throat burner -- but for a mainly hunting rifle that isn't shot thousands of times -- why not. jd

 

[Evan]

You have me curious now.

What powder(s) are you using to get the velocities you state out of a 22" barrel?

Don’t know about Dakor, but a case full of RL26 gets a 180gn going 2900 out of my 22” Rem 700 from the early 90s. I won’t mislead - everyone should know this is a lot of pressure but the brass holds up to it just fine for a hunting rifle.

 

[C.E.Smith043]

There ain't many things a man cant fix with a few hundred dollars and a 30-06

 

[dakor]

You have me curious now.

What powder(s) are you using to get the velocities you state out of a 22" barrel?

R-23, R-26 will get you to the promised land along with others.

 

[mmcu]

R-23, R-26 will get you to the promised land along with others.

Load data?

Alliant does not have any published data for either of these two powders for the 30-06.

You can DM me if you don't want to share in a public forum.

 

[Capt. Oblivious]

My Sako 30.06 is still my favorite and most accurate factory rifle, full case of N550 or RL26 behind a premium 180gr bullet will drop most things walking this earth

 

[Downhill]

The 30 06 may not be the youngest or prettiest in the room anymore but she still gets the job done.

 

[ISS]

About a hundred years ago Grancel Fitz was the first man to harvest all 27 species of North American game with a 30-06.

 

[nmkid]

Zack, (ODCR) built my last 30-06 with a nice 26" barrel. He was totally surprised that I was getting over 3000fps with a 165 gr. bullet. Sadly, I never got to chance to hunt with it.

 

[Infrequent Shooter]

Neighbor around the corner, old Swede from Minnesota. First and only deer I ever shot was on a trek with him.

After he passed, his daughter offered me whatever I wanted ... I picked the 'thirty oh 6' 721 Remington he carried. Along with a couple of my Dad's guns, it's a cherished possession.

Need to take it out and exercise it one of these days.

Only other '06 I have is a NM Garand. Good cartridge, but I'm mainly a target shooter, not a hunter.

FWIW, the NM '06 outshoots the 308 I had built...

NM Garands are pretty special.

 

[WesG260]

Follow up ...

*IF* I were going to go hunting ... from my rifles I'd pick the 308 M-70 ...

But there's Bob Peterson's 721 -06 ... from 50+ years ago ...

 

[sw282]

Teddy Roosevelt took his ''.30Govt'' to Africa in 1912 along with a couple other rifles. He killed virtually everything that walked with his 30-06 using military BALL ammo.

 

[1lessdog]

Congrats on the elk. It looks to be a high shoulder shot. No wonder she dropped in her tracks. By taking a high shoulder shot you preserved one of the best organs - the heart! Bon Appetit!

Sure does look like a high shoulder shot. Broke both shoulders and also the back. If it would have been just lungs it would have ran 100 to 200 yds.