Reloading The Versatile .30-06 Springfield ~ Unlock its potential with handloads!

You've heard me describe the 30-06 as being unnecessarily powerful and hard recoiling for the deer hunter, but the handloader with the 30-06 can turn this formidable round into a wonderfully gentle, accurate and hard hitting deer round that makes the 30-06 unparalleled in efficiency.

[@stevew1851]

Many of us hunters cannot afford several different rifles for hunting or reloading. I started and still continue use to use the 30-06 for all my hunting. I found the factory grain my rifle preferred and have used it to take deer, elk and antelope from ranges of 50 to 500 yards. One shot, one kill. The skill of the hunter is also very important.

[@patmancrowley8509]

I like the .30-06. I was introduced to it as a young teenager. My brother was handloading some really hot rounds so I never got to shoot that one. Many years later I was blessed with an M1-Garand in .30-06. I appreciate it as the great tool that it was made to be. Peace, Love and Happiness to you and the family.

[@rdaniels8681]

I recently found your channel. Love the honest accurate info. Keep it up

[@awiedevilliers1288]

I grew up with my father using the 30-06 saw him take some incredible shots shooting springbuck at 300 meter a feral dog at 600 meters kudu in the bushveld at 70 meters and its true you have to reload to get the full potential out of the 30-06 Barnes X 180 gr between 2400 fps to 2600 fps excellent for short range under 100 meter in thick bush and 150 grein GS high velocity bullets at 3200 fps very accurate and good for long range I grew up with the 30-06 and have shot some blue wildebeest warthogs kudu and impala with it, use a good strongly constructed bullet for short range at a modest velocity and your 30-06 will not fail you standard 150 greiners will blow up and disappoint you, in my heart 30-06 for ever. Greetings Awie de Villiers South Africa

[@CanoeKayakFishingAdventures]

I have a 80 year old uncle that will not hunt with anything other than his old 3006 savage. The max range in the woods is 60 yards. I made some light loads for him using 170 nossler partitions. They are made for a 3030. I simply loaded down and found the velocity to be about 2450 to 2500 FPS. He loves that load less recoil and will still drop deer.

[@trumpie5399]

I have used the 30-06 for 50 years. Here in Alaska after moose this year with my 1979 Win 70 XTR that I bought new after high school in North Carolina . My load for years IMR 4895 @ 47.2 with the Barnes LRX 175gr . Love the 30-06 ! I have harvested big game coast to coast with this rifle.

[@jeffreymccright3542]

I'm a 30'06 deer hunter here in Missouri. My go to load includes the Sierra 2125 150gr bullet propelled to a muzzle velocity of 2700 fps. My self imposed range is 150 yards which is far shorter than this loads maximum effective range. In my opinion, there are very few cartridges as versatile as the 30'06 especially if you load your own. The real trick is to use well constructed bullets with proper expansion and of course, shot placement is always crucial for a humane kill and maximum meat conservation. As is always the case, YMMV.

[@GunBlue490]

That's the perfect deer load that virtually replicates the 300 Savage.

[@themchangesband]

What's your powder load for that velocity?

[@RickNethery]

I am so happy that you made this video sir, I was one of the critics of your original video. I have eaten many a piece of feral hog pan sausage and whitetail deer venison steak provided by a well aimed shot from a 30 06. 😊 God bless.

[@havnofear2764]

Thank you for the video , God Bless and Keep 'em coming !

[@leonardjanda6181]

Love the 300 savage and 30-06 great video. M1 GARAND 150 gr hornady SST 4064 great 👍 load

[@johnoswald68]

I've done just what you explained. Down loaded my 06 to 300 Savage velocities, which allowed my daughter to shoot it and hunt whitetails.

[@chrismills4213]

Another wonderful video....don’t have a 3006, but have been keeping my eye on one for a why now. God bless

[@mikedee6173]

Thank you for all the info. packed videos you share with us. God Bless!

[@classicgunstoday1972]

The first centerfire gun of any kind I got was a Remington 700 in .30-06 Springfield when I was 18 for Christmas from my dad. Iron sights and synthetic stock. Winchester Super X 185 gr.. About knocked my shoulder off first time I fired it. Over the past 20 years, I have upgraded that rifle to have a thicker wooden stock and a 9x40 Nikon scope to go with the iron sights. I typically shoot 150 gr rounds from the factory through it. Under those conditions, I handed the rifle hit and ready to my 5.6 ft little wife one day as she came our back to see me practice. She took a few shots with it and loved it. Felt good, didn’t hurt and was fun to shoot. In the past year I started hand loading my rounds using a low to mid end charge from my manuals and a 150 gr bullet reusing a lot of that old Winchester brass. Fun to shoot and have no problem with that setup hunting deer in the Sportsman’s Paradise of North Louisiana. If I ever want to go hunt mule deer on the west Texas Plains I’ll jack up my loads a good bit and make the necessary adjustments. (Probably need to upgrade to a better scope) btw, I’d love to have a 1903 Springfield with iron sights. I love the .30-06.

[@Shamilt3]

My brother in law has a 300 savage, lever action hes had since he was a kid. He has slayed many deer in Southern Maine with that rifle. It's a great rifle

[@mikecollins8241]

I was looking for a Savage 99 in 300 Savage for years, after foolishly selling my first one... I found one a few years ago, in really nice shape, from 1937 I believe... and it is a Take Down model with a peep sight :)

[@johnzuggster6718]

You are a lucky son of a gun.

[@stephanematis]

@whelen hunter Call me lucky as well then, I found the same setup, not in pristine condition though. Love the cartridge counter, a detail I never expected to bring a smile to my face.

[@airbornesoldieramerica7125]

My Godfather used to hunt with a Savage 99 in the 308 Win. Now one of his sons and grandsons use it. Real nice gun. Now they motivated me to hunt with a 308 Win, but my 308 is not in the Savage 99. It is in the H&R single shot handi-rifle.

[@scottemmert5727]

I have the same model, from the late 20s. Was my grandfather's and still shoots beautifully. Such a great rifle.

[@rickfernald3452]

I recently found a 1923 model 99 takedown 300 savage with the fold down lyman dual aperture peep sight, the small aperture folds down to larger hole for dim light, this gun is amazingly accurate shooting off hand, hundred yard bullseye with 6" dirty duck target, I feel very lucky to have found a savage 99 in the 3rd year of 300 savage production, God Bless

[@charlesperry1051]

I have a Savage Model 99 Takedown from the late 1930s in 300 Savage. Great gun. I am also a fan of the 30-06 because I reload. You can do a lot with the 30-06 if you reload.

[@RG-ru3ux]

Hey, another very good video. I am ready for your follow up video on loading the optimum 30-06 cartridge(s) for whitetail deer. Again, I appreciate your direct, practical shooting advice...many thanks.

[@GunBlue490]

I will be doing one very shortly. Thanks.

[@martinscharf3902]

Great Video and nicely explained! Greetings also to Benny!

[@SaposJoint]

I'm surprised that you don't have more subscribers. It's always a pleasure to hear from you, and thanks!

[@uralbob1]

I'm from Mi., and several guys I knew had them. one of my friends dad had a glass gun cabinet in his home, and there were of at least three of them in there.All the family used the same gun when they went out. I remember feeling sad for my friend 'cause he had to use that gun with those old fashioned cartridges!

[@iammrsnesbit6014]

God bless ya mate. That's the information I was looking for.

[@Robert-xk5pm]

Thanks for another informative video.

[@Wasserspaniel]

I shoot my 3006 with a silencer and factory ammunition. The silencer reduces the recoil very much, so this is no problem for me. Handloading is in Germany very expensive and you need a special license for doing it. So the silencer is the perfect solution for me. Thanks for the great videos.

[@funkingitup1805]

Such silly laws. While you guys need special permission to create cartridges, we need special permission to protect our hearing. I've never utilized a suppressor outside of air rifles. If it's reducing recoil so much, I suppose it is reducing muzzle energy also?

[@Wasserspaniel]

@@funkingitup1805You will have more Muzzle velocity by up to 3%, thats not much, but everything counts and the precision is much better. Other "Pro's" are that you also protect the hearing of your hunting dog. And you are not blinded by a muzzle Flash in the dark and if you are shooting on a running target the front weight will help you with the following trace when you pull the trigger. The 3006 is not the best calibre for silencer, but the recoil is 30 to 40% lower, if you want the perfect calibre for silencer than i would prefer the 308. With the 308 you can shorten your barrel very much, so that an overbarrel silencer will not making the weapon very much longer and the recoil and sound is getting much lower. The "Neg's" on the silencers are the price (up to 1000 bucks for a good one with utilities), after every shooting you have to take care of him with drying, more weight (224 g in my case) and it makes the weapon longer. Dont shoot too much with the silencer in shooting cinemas, because he is getting very hot and will be damaged, i shoot only 10 times after that i will wait for the cooling. I use the Hausken JD224 XTRM MKII it has steel mesh in it, that is better for sound reducing and the first shoot is accurate without steel mesh the second shoot is accurate I tested it on 20 different silencers. So if you are a hunter the first shoot is very important, most hunters dont know about the steel mesh difference.

[@k-9thecat765]

Took your advice on the flannel and laxative oil. (No, that's not a joke... ) Save soo much learning from you... Thanks Again, GOD bless.

[@jasonford6317]

Im addicted to this channel.

[@chaddickerson1887]

SOOO practical! You're the greatest

[@mlud3484]

loyal 30.06 user.. have a 1903 rifle and have killed a few deer with it

[@markhansen3111]

My first centerfire big game rifle was a 30-06 rifle. I looked through all the calibersand chose 30-06 for a few reasons.... 1} it was super versatile. 2) I could find ammo just about anywhere I might go. 3) It was a proven performer. I wound up getting a Ruger M77 All Weather 30-06. I still have it and use it. It is a tremendously reliable and fairly accurate rifle. I agree that reloading really opens the 30-06 to its' full potential. Tailoring your loads to your needs is ideal. The 30-06 certainly has many options and I like having options. lol

[@BigO4185]

You do a great job! Many thanks!

[@TheBamayaker]

Great info! I shot a 30-06 for 25 years putting up with the harsh recoil . Then I sold it and bought a .308 compact that I reload for. My 165 gr Sierra Gamekings chrony at 2590 . Drops deer in their tracks without tons of recoil. Here in the deep woods in Alabama my shots are always less than 100 yards!

[@easttexan2933]

And this video is precisely why my "go to" deer cartridge is the 6.5x55 Swede at 2650fps. Sure I have a 30-06. Who doesn't or hasn't have or had one in their lifetime. Mine is the pre64 Win Mod 70 with a 1948 serial number. Action slick as snot and still shoots excellent three shot groups. It doesn't come out of the safe very often. Great video GB. Thanks for posting it.

[@wayne3340]

My uncle Dave is the best Hunter I've ever known. He's almost 90 now, so slowed down a lot. He grew up shooting ducks in the prairies with a 6.5x54 as a kid because ammo was cheaper than shotgun. He took many moose and deer with that little cartridge, but one year a moose got away. His wife was so upset she went and bought him a 30-06. That was his gun for many years. He taught his son, all his nephews and grandsons to hunt with it.

[@laughingdog185]

God bless you, I love the thirty aught six.

[@Jeff_Seely]

The 30-06 was the beloved platform of my father. He loved that old 54 Winchester and now I have it. Noticing that he was getting older and slowing down, I bought him a nice, light .270 Remington 700 for is Southern California desert mountain hunts. He still wouldn't part with that Old 54. You are right that it is a highly respected round. God bless...

[@ThePNWRiderWA]

My favorite for deer was the 270 with a 130 grain nosler. For elk I used the 35 whelen. Both just variations of the 30-06. It’s a great cartridge.

[@DEEPNNN]

I agree with everything said. I'm running factory 180 grain to slow the bullets down and have to deal with punishing recoil. After 20 rounds on the range, I've been punched silly. The first 5 are fun. But, I like my choice and regular range trips are not my thing. After this year I'll probably shoot maybe 5 rounds a year not counting 1 or 2 at Deer. I bought my 30-06 in remembrance of my late Uncle. I hunt in remembrance of my Dad and all of my Uncles. I'll keep hunting with my brothers and cousins until it becomes impossible. Maybe someday, someone will remember me through my Lefty 06. Wouldn't that be great.

[@mikedee6173]

DEEPNNN after 5 rounds shot in succession, mine is unbearable to shoot until it cools down.

[@Shamilt3]

A friend of mine has an 06 pump action, and it's kinda a small sized rifle overall (hes a small guy) and I have never been hurt by a rifle until that one. I grew up shooting my dads 06 Remington semi auto, and was fine. Granted, he may have turned the loads. I've fired big weatherby's and nothing hurt like that little 06

[@96cr]

Try the 125 grains low recoil

[@DEEPNNN]

@@96cr It surely would. Still, I'm not a range type person and my rifle is for hunting only. True to my words above, I fired one round hunting last year. It successfully killed a 650lb Moose. The 180 bullet went all the way through the chest to stop short of piercing the hide. I may upgrade to 220 grain if we hunt Moose again this year.

[@zayacz123]

I’m looking forward to the unveiling of your new 30-06.

[@danielmaine45]

I use the 30-06 in the open grass lands of the Midwest. 150grain Hornady interlock (3031 if I recall correctly) with 52grains of IMR 4064, WLR primer, mixed brass. It's just over 2900 fps....this gives me a very flat trajectory and delivers wonderful performance between 200-300 yards which is a typical range where I live. I can use this same rifle for anything on this earth. When I become a bit more "vintage" I'll likely drop to 49 grains or so. As you stated, handloading really unlocks the potential of the cartridge!

[@unbalancedredneck5778]

I worked up a great deer load for the 30-06. 150 gr rn bullet at 2650 FPS. I’m not going to give load data but I will say I found the lynman lead cast loading manual invaluable when cooking up some reduced loads. Great video

[@dukeman7595]

30/06 indeed. I agree very potent round especially if you reload. God bless

[@Ranger-vv2jv]

My auto 06 kicks lightly,and is very accurate with 150 grain bullet, perfect your shot placements, its hard to beat.I love it.And a straight on shot is all you have,the power is there.

[@SA-lr1sf]

I love the reasoning. You made my pull out my M1 Garand and look at it.

[@johngadd2532]

Love your channel, have hunted with 30-06 ,loaded with nosler accubond 165gr. On Deer,whitetail, and muley, pronghorns, and elk. In North America, and kudu, and 10 other plains game spices ,in Africa. Most with one shot. Thanks to Ruger m77. Still going strong. God Bless.

[@thewhiskyscout1238]

I live and hunt on the plains and have reloaded and used many calibers 30-06 included over the years. What I have noticed is meat destruction tends to have more to do with shot placement , bullet weight/design than actual caliber. That is my opinion based on my experience for what ever it’s worth.

[@francissullivan6400]

I LOVE YOUR Channel God bless you and your family sir

[@GunBlue490]

Thank you and blessings to you and your family 🙏.

[@juanherrera2672]

Still my go to caliber. Love my 0h6.

[@christinamoneyhan5688]

GunBlue 390. I totally agree with you on a 30-06 Remington being too much for deer ( in some areas ) I have carried a Remington 760 Pump action rifle for 50 odd years in the Pennsylvania woods ( Tioga County ) and have my own reloads of 56 gr. IMR 4350 at 2700 + - and using 165 gr Sierra round nose bullets and my hunting camp friends (10 of us ) with great success. All carried the same load in the exact make firearm and all shot minuet of deer ( 2" @ 100 yards in woods and across 3-400 yard fields. As you know you can take any animal in range with caliber suitably chosen. Yes reload for the total shooting experience hunting or just punching holes in paper. First shot counts.

[@64samsky]

I got a beautiful stainless steel Weatherby Vanguard that I got for a song, from my mentor whom I mentioned in a comment on another video. I hand load, and I love that 30-06!

[@andylee5863]

The 30-06 is an excellent do it all cartridge. With the right load it will handle everything from little cous whitetail and antelope to brown bear and everything in between. Even with full power loads recoil is mild compared to the various 300 magnums.

[@TheChiropracticTable]

I own a 300 savage from my grandfather. Beautiful gun!

[@apoint5film743]

I run a moderator on my Mauser 96 American straight pull in 30-06. It tames the beast in the barrel as far as recoil. Can't hand load here in Ireland unless under licence and strict control so I'll have to stick with factory 150gr. Great gun and round.

[@jadonmiller4176]

Best factory load for

[@sixtofive]

This is the reason I've come to love 45 Colt reloading with rifle length barrels in mind. There is a huge range of flexibility between speed and bullet weights that can work really well for a wide variety of applications.

[@Ade4fish]

Oooh. I must have missed this. ( Posted 21 hours ago) Mea Culpa! Never wish to miss a few words from the wise one. Many thanks GunBlue 490 :)

[@mattdirks7896]

As luck would have it, I recently bought a sporterized M1917 Enfield in .30-06! I don't handload currently, but I will keep on eye on this!

[@LUVDOGS1954]

I once read an article in Handloader Magazine by a very accomplished and regarded hanloading author that the .300 Savage is the most efficient cartridge ever in efficiency, that is, fps per garin of powder. I have a 1922 takedown, a fabulous rifle. Thank you again for an informative video. Anmd Benny please?

[@JohnnyReb2000]

I've loaded 165 grain Hornady BTSP at about 2700 fps for 30-06. Pretty good accuracy in my Remington 700. Will be putting it to the test when I hunt this year.

[@GunBlue490]

Very nice 👍.

[@chucklott6403]

@@GunBlue490 When working up 165gr BTSP loads for my 30-06 I came to a sweet spot (0.7MOA) at just a tad over 2700 FPS. I stopped there thinking I'd much prefer the accuracy potential to any extra ft-lbs. Over the past 40 years, using several brands of SPBT, I have shot any good many whitetail (25+)with this loading, between 10 and 200 yards (open woodlands, some crop fields) with very few (2) passthrough shots. The two through and through shots both ran, maybe 20 to 30 yards with jellied hearts.. All the rest went down, with heart and both lungs jellied and/or cut in half, where they were when they were hit. Think your advice is totally sound, and wish I'd had it back in the sixties, but now ask myself "should I switch to a 165 gr partition this late in my hunting ?". BTW: I went with 30-06 because that's what's on the shelves at most backroads gas stations where we hunt (along with 30-30, 35Rem, 308Win and 12GA . Thanks again.

[@20alphabet]

You're right regarding the recoil and accuracy, according to my wife. She likes her 7mm Mauser.

[@GunBlue490]

Great caliber, too.

[@steveg1667]

I reload my 30/06 using 170 grain nosler partition round nose that is made for 30/30. At 2500FPS out of my CZ 550 FS I shot my first deer last year and had two blood trails from the entrance an exit. Deer went about 40 yards even with heart shot in half. Looked like a 20 gauge slug had hit the deer try using 30/30 bullets which open at slower speeds in a 30/06 but load them down a little, a round nose bullet opens up the entrance more so you have easier tracking if you need to. It will be a shorter range gun though don't try 300 yard shots.

[@NCWoodlandRoamer]

I was thinking about trying the same thing. Would you mind, if you see this comment, sharing some information on what powder you use and how deep you seat the bullets?

[@ditto1958]

I’m not a deer hunter, but I love to load for the 30-06 to shoot my in my Ruger Hawkeye at the range. Here in Wisconsin 30-06 is a very popular deer cartridge, probably due in a large measure to its versatility. Although northern Wisconsin has lots of heavy pine woods, here in the lower part of the state, the land is varied and tends to alternate between rolling farmland (America’s Dairyland) and smallish stands of timber. Whitetails in the lower half tend to be well fed, and also get relatively large (I lived in Louisiana for a few years and the deer were tiny there). Other popular deer hunting calibers here include .270, 30-30, .243, 7mm-08, .308, as well as 12 gauge slugs. All seem to work well here.

[@RickNethery]

Ruger Hawkeye in 30 06 to me is the perfect rifle.

[@craigmcmullen231]

If I'm not mistaken, Savage is doing a run of 110's chambered not only in the 300 Savage, but also the 250-3000 Savage. Sure wish I had a couple extra thousand greenbacks laying around. I'd certainly have one of each.

[@hardball107]

Very good points. As an old National Match shooter I load my M1 Garand for deer hunting, 42gr of H4895 gives me around 2400fps with a 125gr Nosler BT in that rifle. It will cycle the action and recoil is negligible. Most shooting is within 150 yards and that load provides DRT performance. If you go to Hodgdons website they publish their 60% rule for H4895 and only H4895. You can take your selected max load for your combination and reduce it by as much as 40% for lighter loads. As a reloader this makes a great cartridge even better allowing you to tailor your loads for everything from pests to Elk in a bolt gun.

[@robinj.9329]

Hand loading adds so much versatility to any rifle/cartridge combo! I'm surprised more hunters don't take advantage of these facts.

[@madmullets]

I love my Rem 760 in 300 savage its old and a pain to handload but kills a PA woods deer every year for me. I would love to retire it but I won't give up the 300 savage. I wish I had the money to have a custom rifle built. I know I could go to the .308 but it has semantial value to me. When I started hunting my Grandfather told me that the only rifle I needed was a 300 savage, and he was right its the best for Pennsylvania white tale and Black bear. I never liked the recoil for the 30-06. I love content and Thanks

[@doncatchpole7370]

Good stuff. Enjoyed

[@russellkeeling4387]

A wonderful thing about the 30-06 for a reloader is that every powder I have can be used to load a very good load for a 30-06. For instance to load a 165 grain bullet there are at least 15 or more different powders that will produce very good fast cartridges.

[@matthewvassoff5736]

Powder burn characteristics are different for varying weight bullets. Hvy bullet = slo-burn Lt bullet = quik-burn Pumping up a matrix of loads and running them through a chrono. Setting up an accuracy chart... Thats how to accurize. Load it for the task at hand otherwise go in knowing you have a half dozen factory loads that you can choose the most accurate from.

[@untermench3502]

There is another advantage of reduced loads: The barrels last a lot longer with the reduced pressures. I started getting fond of reduced loads when I experimented with my 1963 vintage 742 Remington in 30-06. I found that it functioned normally. It never did like heavy loads, and it seems others have had the same problem. As in the M1 Garand, a tuned load is a happy load. It's in great condition and I want to keep it that way.

[@555Trout]

Spot on. I even download my .308. And the monolithic bullets can be one or even two wts lower than cup and core. So very mild recoil 300 yard big game rounds.

[@stevenkennedy4130]

I just picked up an '03 Springfield, that had been Sporterized in the 50's. Never owned a '06 before. Sad that they did that, to such a collectable rifle. But at the least, they did a nice job of it. Thanks for sharing!

[@gunwrites6222]

Have one too, beautifully sporterized on a Bishop stock w/Redfield peep sight. Dad got it after the war when Uncle Sam was selling them to NRA members for $5.00 through the CMP(Civilian Marksman Program) and reworked it into his elk rifle. I've added scores of guns into my collection since but that walnut beauty is still one of the most accurate rifles I own. But alas, it is mostly retired for other pieces that are lighter and have optics since my aging eyes favor a little gathered light and magnification. Thankfully that '03 is not the only .30-06 in the collection. Enjoy yours, and thanks for sharing!

[@GeorgiaBoy1961]

Steven, there are outfits around who will restore that sporterized M1903 for you to its original condition. There are plenty of old surplus stocks around, as well as period-correct new ones. The CMP - Civilian Marksmanship Program - armorers down in Alabama will do the work, to name one place. Fulton Armory out east can also do it for it. Good luck if you decide to go ahead...

[@nicolegaylor3672]

Hi, Love your channel and have learned quite a lot from you, Thanks! are you still planing on making a video on loading down the 30-06? Im vary interest in learning more about this. thanks agian

[@nakedshorts6784]

I greatly appreciate your work and comprehensive study. The wildcat that seems amazing to me is 338-06, Hornady says their 185 grain GMX flies at 3000ft/s with a 23.5" barrel and 10 gr. That's only 50ft/s slower than a 338 Winmag with a 24" barrel. And it does this with 10gn. less powder.

[@nakedshorts6784]

Sorry for the typo, Thinking of larger game, but it can also be loaded down to 2500ft/s.

[@wayne3340]

Great channel sir, I appreciate it. I recently got back into hunting, and purchased a 1938 sporterized Mauser in 8mm-06. I picked up some loading gear and I'm now loading 200 grain Accubond with 56 grains of 4350. I'd like to get a chronograph and see what kind of velocities I'm getting but it shoots pretty flat to 200 yards. Where I'll be hunting is a mix of bush and open country so I think it'll be a good compromise. I don't like magnums, but I think this load will be good for moose, caribou or deer. Hopefully it's moving around 2700 fps.

[@jasonrhodes7047]

I grew up having to hunt deer with shotgun slugs or muzzleloader. The 30-06 that I'm now allowed to use where i hunt is a breath of fresh light recoil.

[@survivingchicago5797]

And also helps with the life of the barrel👍

[@mefirst5427]

In "Green Hills of Africa" Ernest Hemingway wrote about hunting lions with his 30-06 springfield, very interesting read.

[@smartacus88]

I handload Hornady 150gr flat base spire points to replicate the old M2 ball loading in 30/06. Around 2,700FPS out of a 22 inch barrel. Great load for shooting over cornfields here in North Central N.C out to a Max of 300 yards (personally imposed limit) and it drops deer with that Hornady bullet as good as any centerfire rifle without destroying too much meat. The trajectory is plenty flat enough for those kinda shots and recoil is quite manageable. I handload a Hardcast and gas-checked 170gr lead flat point to about 2,100FPS in the 30/06 to replicate the performance of 30-30 Winchester for hunting in thick brush also, which is the most common hunting environment here. I own it for it's versatility, but I don't load it to its full potential like I would if I lived out west. If you're not shooting past 300 yards or so and you're not shooting bears or moose there's no sense in loading it full throttle. Of course if you want to though then more power to ya! Edit: These milder loads lengthen the life of your brass and your barrel as well.

[@armedrealtorakasheepdog6914]

As a lifelong 30-06 fan and based upon your previous comments on the caliber, I was hoping you were going to give us your magic potion for the perfect deer hunting round. What projectiles do you use? What type of and how much powder do you use? What kind of primer do you use? I have relied upon and value your information because you have forgotten more about Firearms than I will ever know. I do have a side question, in one of your videos you talked about glass bedding a wooden stock but you never mentioned anything about a polymer stock. I have a Ruger M77 Mark II “All Weather” with “boat paddle” polymer stock. I want to glass bed it to increase the accuracy but wanted your opinion before I started working on the stock only to find out I shouldn’t of done it :-). Thanks for all the great content and keep up the good work

[@Jerry-dk8se]

Most of my adult life I hunted with 30.06, and have taken mule deer at 300 yards, but most less. I love the cartridge, and the versatility of it. But I decided to move to lower recoil, and I'm now hunting with the .243, and 6.5 Grendel. But I still love the 30.06

[@forestwolf60]

I also "grew up" on the '06, using almost every factory load available & even a plethora of hand loads. I just moved to the Grendel this year. So far completely satisfied, waiting for hunting season to see its performance on animals.

[@Jerry-dk8se]

@@forestwolf60 if you look at the Grendel performance, it compares to the 30-30, in power. I developed a hand load with 129gr. Hornady SSTs, and they hit harder than the 30-30 and .243! My only problem with my Grendel is the complete rifle weighs 10+#! Too heavy for hiking mountains, but I'm taking it with me, anyway

[@Jerry-dk8se]

@@forestwolf60 I did a complete series of videos on my Grendel, by the way

[@forestwolf60]

@@Jerry-dk8se I'll check into it. MY Remingto 700 '06 has been shooting factory Hornady 150gr SST for a few years now & I'm dialed into 1/2" groups @ 200 yards. My Grendel is a Radical Firearms w/20" 1:9 twist barrel shooting the 123gr SST.

[@michaelgibson9820]

I picked up a savage 99 in 300 savage as my 1st deer rifle when I was a teenager in the '80's I sold it for 2 reasons Ammo was hard to find and expensive for a 16 year old. And I wanted bolt action .270 Well I ended up with a model 70 lightweight carbine 30-06 and it was not pleasant to shoot.But being young and dumb .I loved carrying it in woods but hated practicing and confirming zero. I didn't know at the time( 16 year olds know everything) the the 99's were and would become harder to find and collectible. .......Funny how our older self's want to kick our younger self right in the rear Thanks for all the information you are sharing in your videos

[@Goatpimp]

Thanks for breaking it down.

[@Johnny-jr2lq]

I sure do remember that video Mr GunBlue490 and holy moly did you get some push back in the comments section. Also I think maybe you should take a second look at the 300 black out. You were awfully tuff on that great round too Sir respect fully

[@brandonhamilton3416]

You said it's not long range enough for the prairie, although Carlos Hathcock, the most decorated and best Marine Sniper in the history of the world, used the .30-06 for long range and had his rifle zero'd at 700 yards. The .30-06 was designed by the U.S. Military to kill a 200 pound man up to 1000 yards, and not enough to kill any deer on the prairie? The .30-06 is the baseline to what all other cartridges are compared to. I'd put my .30-06 with 180 grain PSP up against about anything in the world against any animal at any range. The .30-06 is the goat if all hunting rifles. The perfectly designed and widely used weapon against any game or human targets. Simply gets the job done. One and done. Every time, without fail.

[@GeorgiaBoy1961]

Brandon, I share your view of the 30-06. I consider it the finest and most-versatile centerfire high-power rifle cartridge ever invented. Having said that, I think GB means that it is not as flat-shooting as something like a 270, for those longer shots in the mountains, plains or the like out West. The 30-06 versus 270 debate is endless; we certainly won't settle it here - but if you had to pick one rifle cartridge suitable for as many different uses as possible, you'd be hard-pressed to beat the 30-06. It does everything well - hunting, military use, competition, you name it. The late Colonel Jeff Cooper (USMC ret.), who was a big fan of the cartridge, once said "If you can't do it with 180 at 2800, you probably can't do it." He was talking about a 180-grain 30-06 load at 2800 fps.

[@brandonhamilton3416]

@@GeorgiaBoy1961 Absolutely! Yeah up in Alaska, the fish and game guide says it's a law you can't hunt certain game animals with anything less than a .30-06. It's a world class cartridge that is the baseline of what all other cartridges are compared to. 180 grain PSP in a .30-06 will take down any animal in the world, cleanly, even though it was designed and invented by the U.S. Military to take down human targets with one shot up to 1000 yards, even though it's capable beyond that. Anything inside 400 yards is as good as dead anytime I see fit.

[@nightwave3782]

30-06 makes a good round for hunting deer and elk out west

[@keithjones-tb2uw]

I like my 308 i dont have a 30-06 yet but the header to the vid is exactly what my grandfather says about 30-06 (versatile)

[@GeorgiaBoy1961]

The .308 - the short-action "little brother" to the long-action '06 - mimics the larger, longer cartridge pretty well up to about 175-180-grains, when the additional case capacity of the 30-06 takes over and separates it from its smaller counterpart. Although technically it can be done, running projectiles heavier than 180-grains in the .308 case isn't ideal in terms of efficiency; whereas the 30-06 handles projectiles up to 220-grains with ease, and could probably be pushed to 230-grains if necessary. That's almost magnum country in terms of performance. 110-grains to 220-grains - that covers a lot of ground, which is probably why your grandfather says what he does.

[@liadelascarrerasbruttig8805]

Thank you for all of your informative videos. Could you comment on 30-06 reduced recoil factory loaded ammo? I purchased a box of Hornady 30-06 lite, loaded with 125 gr sst bullets. On the box, it reports fps 2700. +2.3 at 100 yards when sited in at 200 yrds. The rifle was used primarily for Mule deer, Elk and bear out in the west. I will be hunting white tails this fall from a stand in Texas, with shots, less than 150 yrds. As they say, you dance with the girl you took to the party.

[@jmcclure55]

Thank you for another excellent video. Each one is a treasure. I have a favor to ask: do you remember in which video you describe hunting out west with guides who will have the novice take one shot at a target to determine his proficiency with the rifle he brought? I'd like to show it to my son. Thank you, sir.

[@tbjtbj4786]

As fare as the 30-06 goes I have had one but so did everyone else. So it didn't take me long to go with other rounds. But the best use I saw of the 06 was my grate uncle. He had a German 3 barrel gun brought back from ww2 2 16 ga shot guns over a rifle he had it rebored\ recamberd to the 30-06. He uses Peterson. 220 gr round nose bullet one pumpkin ball slug and buckshot in the shotgun barrel's. It was his flowing the dogs in on bear ,and hogs. Really took killer up close. That's from the best of my rembrance. It was long year's ago and I was a little kid. Some where there a pick of him it and 2 bear in the back of a 56 Ford pick up. Thinking about it I wonder what happened to that old gun.............

[@kamilklein2880]

Hello Sir! I am waiting impatiently for the presentation of your new rifle, that you announced in one of your recent videos. Please don't let your audience wait no longer!🙂 Best regards! K. Klein

[@GunBlue490]

I understand, and hope to get that done very shortly. I've been doing some outside construction before the weather gets too cold.

[@kamilklein2880]

@@GunBlue490 Of course Sir! I am an huge fan and follower of your channel for quite some time now. Your channel is a wealth of knowledge and experience. Thank you very much for sharing it! God bless!

[@tunnelrabbit4293]

In Montana, and Alaska, .30-06 is just barely enough to deal with Griz and I would not leave home without it....

[@eltongreen8030]

I regularly shoot the -06 at distances out to 600 yards at steel using 180 grain bullets, and I have no trouble with the -06. I load for around 2700fps with 180 grain bullets, and I do reload all my ammunition. I don't have a problem killing deer and antelope at 400 to 500 yards with these loads, and I've found it to be a fine plains rifle. I've been using the -06 off and on for about 50 years. Needless to say, I disagree with the idea that the -06 isn't a great deer round.

[@boomerrangerron]

I think you bring out some good points, with factory ammo velocities but I've killed a number of deer with the 30-06 with max handholds or cases literally full to the limit with powder. They die quickly and if you're careful about bullet placement the meat damage is minimum. I've also hit a couple of deer with the .300 Weatherby high, and it was destructive for sure in terms of meat damage. I shoot a Winchester Model 70 with Mannlicher barrel, so I'm sure my velocities are lower than factory ammo with a full length barrels. Reduced loads make sense for target plinking and I've done that with my .375 H & H. By the way I once shot a Vermont deer with that gun and it had no visible meat damage, but due to bullet placement errors, I had no blood, but he died a 100 yards away!

[@RAkers-tu1ey]

Great video. I believe I have tried 70% on the loads in Mr. Lee's book (s) over the years... even the cast lead practice loads. An amazing round for everything if one can hand load. I even have 2 favorites which can be done in the Lee Loader... just like rolling your own.

[@charlesperry1051]

I have hunted with the same Ruger M77 MkII All Weather in 30-06 for 24 years. I had the action bedded, barrel free floated and trigger tuned before I fired the first round. I then shot about a dozen different factory loads to see what worked. It liked Federal Classic 150 grain. I bought a case. I am still shooting that case of ammo because it is my hunting, not plinking, rifle. I have killed a deer (sometimes 2) almost every year. Only once did I tear up more meat than I like. It was a short (30 yard) shot through both front shoulders. If I had to chose only one rifle to keep it would be this one.

[@charlesperry1051]

I will add I have a 1920s Savage 99 in 300 savage. I haven't hunted with it yet but it is a fine rifle.

[@Deerpoo22]

Excellent video. Even the 30-06 is too much gun for a lotta people. I have a cousin who is a big guy and for a number of seasons wounded a number of deer. He kept using it as it was his ol mans gun and was passed to him. He lost all his confidence and was so disgusted with himself he wanted to give up hunting. I lent him my .243 and ever since he hasn't missed a deer.

[@jamesrivera4604]

I really enjoy your informative videos. Thank you so much for providing this service. I'm a first timer with a 30-06 planning a wild pig hunt in California. I plan on hand loading as well. Does the same hold true as far as velocity (2660) and grain (150 -165) as in dear hunting? Thank you and God Bless you.

[@lucasj323]

It would be great to see you do an entire video about the 300 savage or even all of the Savage rounds

[@GunBlue490]

I've done that. See my Savage 99 video.

[@steveobee3488]

Im a reloader ive found some hidden gems in the 3006 that my rem semiauto likes . Ive shot factory and mil ball ammo my recoil is not to bad the old mil ball is way hotter vs factory and my handloads on the other hand my browning bolt action crazy recoil with mil ball and factory ammo but my handloads reduced recoil but still books out to 200 yds like my fighter in full burners droped many deer and a few elk with it love the 3006 i also use the 3040 kraig for hunting ive been reloading for over 30 years

[@brianlee6849]

This is why I like the 308. It's like a toned-down 3006. Inherently accurate. A big plus for me is it cheap to shoot and it has a tolerable recoil as long as it's not a featherweight. I would still love to have a Winchester model 70 pre 64 3006 just to have a classic rifle with a classic cartridge. 3006 is excellent for moose and elk too. Thank you

[@funkingitup1805]

And not toned down that much. There is only a 70-90 fps difference for most bullet weights. The biggest advantage of 30-06 is it's ability to lob 200+ grain bullets. The biggest advantage of the .308 is a more efficient cartridge, shorter case, and that it has lighter recoil and weight.

[@brianlee6849]

@@funkingitup1805 Yes definitely true. 3006 with 200 grain Nosler partitions are perfect for moose. They're both very accurate great long-range Target shooters also. Thanks

[@joztunes69]

I own the might 30-06 and other calibers and there's no beating the mighty 06, there's just no going around it, I started shooting the mighty 30-06 when I was about 11 or 12 and haven't stopped shooting it. I own other calibers and still can't beat the mighty 06

[@Eggomania86]

I had family use 30-06 exclusively, we hunt in thick stuff at times. I was told the logic of using 220gr core lokts for whitetails. Their velocities are 2300-2500 fps. I guess that makes sense, blunt bullet low velocities less damage to meat, I guess the draw back would be substantial recoil, with a 220 you are in magnum class recoil territory.

[@GunBlue490]

I'd try 180 grain round nose, which are far lighter, but have more reasonable velocity. Of course, handloading is the way to go if you want maximum flexibility.