30-06????

[Jason Melo]

Hey guys i just have a quick question. Im going on an elk/moose hunt in october and was wondering if my 30-06 is a large enough caliber for that time of game?


thanx: Jason Melo

[Lone Ranger]

Search around, there's a TON of posts on this. There will be a ton of squabbling and opinionated posts only for it to finally come down to personal ability and bullet placement. Of course it's big enough to drop an elk if you know what you're doing. Just thought I'd make it simple for everyone ;) LR

[beastman]

NO..............you must buy a magnum

[dutchie]

Yes it is a great caliber. you have nothing to worry about

dutchie

[todbartell]

anybody who tells you a 30-06 is not a good cartridge for hunting elk/moose is simply an idiot when it comes to firearms/ammo/shooting. Stay away from them

[husky30-06]

obviously I hunt with a 30-06..... and i have taken a few moose no problems.... elk I have not yet hunted, but the 30-06 is a great gun. Make sure you load it correctly(hand loads) and practice. I will only be buying a bigger gun to keep up with my dad:smile:..........

[Jason Melo]

what grain of a bullet should i go with since i dont know how to hand load the only grain ive shot out of it is 180 should i go heavier or lighter?

[Singleshotneeded]

:smile: Jason, a premium bonded bullet in 180 grain will do an excellent job on moose or elk out to 300 yards...no problem whatsoever! Just make sure
you get some time in at the range for practice, so you can confidently put the bullet in the vitals...

[knighthunter]

Just an ordinary 180 grain right off the shelf at CT or WM will do the job just fine.

[Fisher-Dude]

A 30/06 bullet will just bounce off a moose or an elk.

[BCBRAD]

I use the 06 on moose and bear, works well bigger calibers work better but not so much so that one would trade a short ,light mild recoiling rifle for one. I have used 168gr and 180gr TSX on moose and bear, both worked well. The 200gr accubond is what I will try on spring bear, just something differant to play with. You have a better chance being a good shot with the 06 due to its low recoil and cheap cartridges for practice.

[chris]

I took a bull moose with my 30-06 this last season. 165 grain federal vital shock. 300 yds.

[bowhunterbruce]

i have owned a 06 pretty much all of my life and have taken 10 of 13 moose with it.yes its all about placement of your shot.180 grain bullets have been my norm and those being factory.when you know your weapon and its capabilities you have nothing to worry about.

[huntwriter]

Hey guys i just have a quick question. Im going on an elk/moose hunt in october and was wondering if my 30-06 is a large enough caliber for that time of game?


thanx: Jason Melo

For more than hundred years the 30-06 is the favorite caliber for many hunters. This caliber has taken more game in North America than any other, including bison and grizzly. I think you will do just fine with it too.

[tomahawk]

anybody who tells you a 30-06 is not a good cartridge for hunting elk/moose is simply an idiot when it comes to firearms/ammo/shooting. Stay away from them

X 2, heed these words. Anyone who thinks not, does not know what they are talking about!

[hunter1947]

For an all around gun the 30-06 is one of the tops in my books :wink:.

[steelheadSABO]

30 06 is the best for that stuff

[jml11]

I've dropped mature bull moose and elk with my .30-06 often with one shot kills using 180 grain cheapo factory bullets even. To much hype about make/type of bullets, velocities, proper calibers...etc on this site...A kill all comes down to ethical shooting and shot placement IMO and has very little do with all that technical stuff...I've used many differenent calibers and many different bullet types, cheapo to premium and they all did the same thing...killed the animal...

[moosinaround]

Yup!! 180 grain bullets, will get it done! Just friggin practice!! Practice!!! Practice!!!! Then Practice some more!! Moosin

[elkdom]

anybody who tells you a 30-06 is not a good cartridge for hunting elk/moose is simply an idiot when it comes to firearms/ammo/shooting. Stay away from them


x2,x3,x4 etc, fact is amongst all the "HOOPLAH" about magnums, new and supposed to be "better" .30 caliber magnums, numbers show the 30-06 still is the top selling big game rifle in North America !, the number 1 go to gun for millions of hunters world wide! the biggest selection of FACTORY loaded ammunition of all big game cartridges, and ammo is available in the most remote and out if the way spots!, over a hundred years of proof ,dropping everything you can imagine , Alaska Big bears included! take a 30-06 and go kill whatever you have to!, with confidence! :wink:

I personally have killed several G Bears, many moose and many big bull elk and scores of deer and black bear with the old 30-06, gets er done! every time!:D

[gerrygoat]

I've killed moose too with the '06 the only thing the magnums buy you is extra range. In the hands of a good shot the 30-06 cartridge would be capable of killing well even at 350-400 yards but in my experience you can almost always get closer. Don't be like the slobs last year who took 17 shots at a big bull moose beyond 400 yards and then didn't even bother to check if it was hit. These are the types of guys who think that a magnum makes them invincible. There are a few guys that are deadly at long ranges but they are quite rare IMO.

[deerstocker]

i have been shooting a 30-06 from 12 years old and im now 40 and there has never been a time i needed more gun and that gos for all our animals here and i no alot of guides that loose more game from using magnum guns then all other guns together its the US that thinks the bigger the gun the better

[huntwriter]

i have been shooting a 30-06 from 12 years old and im now 40 and there has never been a time i needed more gun and that gos for all our animals here and i no alot of guides that loose more game from using magnum guns then all other guns together its the US that thinks the bigger the gun the better


You’re right there is actually a statistic from America that says that hunters loose or miss more game animals with magnum calibers then with normal calibers. I guess that comes from the magnum shooters flinching so much in anticipation of the beating they get when the trigger is pulled.

Nothing wrong with a magnum if the person shooting the gun can handle it, but most can't they just don't admit to it for fear to be called a "sissy". I have seen that time and again when guide in America.

[one-shot-wonder]

anybody who tells you a 30-06 is not a good cartridge for hunting elk/moose is simply an idiot when it comes to firearms/ammo/shooting. Stay away from them


A 30/06 bullet will just bounce off a moose or an elk.

:oops::redface:

[d6dan]

NO..............you must buy a magnum


Heres a good example of wanta no it all. Ignore him!. You have a '06, plenty enough fire power for big game.

[Jason Melo]

thanks for all the info guys forget the magnum and im sticking with the 06 thanks alo t

[MichelD]

God No!

You absolutely NEED a 375/416 Rigby Turbo Challenger Ultra Short GeeWhiz Magnum.






Just kidding. Shoot accurately and you'll kill your moose with your 30-06.

[papaken]

Used the same 30-06 Remington pump for 30+ years. Taken coyotes, deer, black bear, and moose anywhere from 40yds to 300yds. Hit 'em right and they don't go far as a matter of fact most dropped right where they were hit. I have always used factory ammo and sighted in 3inches high at a 100 yds. Used to pack some 220's in case of a big bear but mostly used 165 for deer and 180 for moose.

[Salty]

The 30-06 is a fine varmint round. :cool:

[brotherjack]

If you shoot a moose with a 30-06 with pretty much any "big game" type of bullet (premium or otherwise), and that moose don't die real quick like -- it'll be your shooting skills and not your choice of caliber that your buddies will be mocking once the story gets out. ;)

[MOWITCH SLAYER]

X 2, heed these words. Anyone who thinks not, does not know what they are talking about!
Well put!!

[Phreddy]

There's a reason why 30:06 is the most common "stand by" gun in most gun safes. It has killed more moose , elk, griz., and other big game than any other two calibres combined. Don't get sucked in by folks who don't know sh-t from Shinola.

[Singleshotneeded]

:) The 30.06 is excellent, of course you'll always hear from some yahoos that you absolutely must have a laser guided, fin stabilized, surface to surface missile, with a depleted uranium armour piercing warhead...if you want to kill a grizzly or a moose! My dad and uncle got two moose every
year from 1954 to 1974, and they both used old .303 British Lee Enfield ex-army rifles, with open sights. They used to give some friendly ribbing to a cop that hunted with them now and then, about his buying a "big" 30.06 for moose instead of picking up a .303 for $25. The man behind the rifle is the key, and always will be...

[danfloris]

over the years 5 moose 1 shot each 180 grain federal hi shock no problem 30-06 is more then enough gun!

[porcupine]

I might argue that the 30-30 has shot as much game as the 30-06, but the answer to the question is that it will do the job.
________
vapir no2 (http://vaporizer.org/reviews/no2/)

[longleader]

The guys who are saying you must have a magnum are just having fun, they know that some will bite. Nothing wrong with humour.

As was stated in a reloading book, the success of the 30-06 over more than a hundred years is no accident. It is such a well balanced cartridge, with adequate power for most of our hunting needs, and at the same time delivering recoil that is about as much as the average shooter can handle without undue discomfort in your average sporting arm. It has been shown that the higher the recoil is above a certain (30-06) threshold, the fewer are the people who can consistently shoot well. And shooting well is paramount, given that the calibre is adequate.

Of course there is also nothing wrong with the developement and introduction of new calibres, including magnums. It helps to keep the industry healthy, and fulfills certain needs. And wants......

[deer nut]

:smile: Jason, a premium bonded bullet in 180 grain will do an excellent job on moose or elk out to 300 yards...no problem whatsoever! Just make sure
you get some time in at the range for practice, so you can confidently put the bullet in the vitals...

I agree - spend the $$ on premium 180 gr. bullets and be sure of your shooting ability. My 30-06 has taken moose, elk and deer out to 250 yards. Makes me wonder why I ever bothered buying a 300 WSM.....

[Slickfork]

I would just like to add my 2 cts. worth. Over the years 20+ moose have fallin to my 06. None of them with a 180 gr. bullet. the same for Deer hunting.I used 150 gr.
When I was a young feller,oil can accurecy was suffient. You know? where you go to the dump and set up a oil can, take 100 paces from it and turn around and shoot a hole in it.
Now adays 165gr. bullets are my bullet of choice also I hand load. I also spend time at the range.

[Gateholio]

I'd rather have a 7-08 than a 30-06.:smile:

[ve7iuq]

You guys seem to be forgetting. There was a time when a 30-30 class calibre shot the elk and moose, dead, dead. Then the elk and moose grew much tougher! It took a 30-06 class to have a chance with them.
That worked for a while, but again, the elk and moose grew much tougher, to where anything less than a 338 just bounced off of them.
Sorry, but no use hunting the modern elk and moose with a 30-06.

[born2hunt]

30-06 is more than enough for moose

[870]

anybody who tells you a 30-06 is not a good cartridge for hunting elk/moose is simply an idiot when it comes to firearms/ammo/shooting. Stay away from them

yep.
don't listen to any of the 30-06 slander.

[JeremyCarrano302]

theres alot of ppl that talk outta there asses dont listen to them
its not the size of the dog in the fight its the size of the fight in the dog :)

[Akula]

It's more than enough cartridge for what you're going after. After all, Carlos Hathcock could do no wrong with it. And he was hunting the most dangerous predators in the world.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_Hathcock

[BEARSLAYER]

do not use a 30-06. this is the gun of the ones who do not know!!!! A375 HH mag is the min. for mice on up. After you get to the hard core game like rabbits move up to a458 win mag.

[xcaribooer]

I would say that the 303brit and 30-30 have combined for a great percentage of moose in canada going back a 100 years.
The 30-06 is a good step up from both those cartriges in MV and energy.
I say hell ya the 06 is more than sufficient for moose/elk.
Magnums are for guys who are too fat and noisy to stalk an animal and need to shoot em at half a mile.:eek: hehehe

[Mr. Friendly]

as it was told to me once...the only reliable big game cartridge & caliber is the .50BMG. :rolleyes: