30-06 variants

[Gamerancher]

Wrenchman, if you want a .35 based on the '06 case get the Ackley version instead of the Whelan. Better case capacity and more distinct shoulder than the Whelan.
Also, forget about the Rem, get one built on a commercial '98 Mauser action if you want a reliable hunting gun.

[Gamerancher]

Sungazer, it comes down to efficiency. If you can get one cartridge to duplicate the attributes of another using less powder, in a more compact action, or gives better case life due to the dynamics involved, etc, then that is my preferred option. You can always get some over-bore case to push a bullet faster but it follows a law of diminishing returns.

[Daddybang]

i am a gun geeg i have wanted a 35 for years also i have read they are great bear guns and moose i have een looking for years for a rem 600 it would be a bone cruncher

another good one would be the Elmer Keith's .333 OKH

I have personally held this rifle and just love it, it's hard to find well made rifle's like this
.333 OKH made from necking up a 30-06 to take 250 and 300 grain projies used for the .333 jefferys


from his African hunt using this rifle
and by the way, that rear scope mount does not touch the scope, it is there to protect it only

I have to many favourites to list including a lust for the 25-06 (ok I'm greedy)
but my 30-06 is what I carry mainly for hunting although I could carry others

Is that a warthog in the last photo!!!?
I've always wanted to hunt warthog..it's about the only animal in Africa that I really want to hunt. Thats not to say I wouldn't hunt other critters but the warthog is top of the list for me !!!

[marksman]

Wrenchman, if you want a .35 based on the '06 case get the Ackley version instead of the Whelan. Better case capacity and more distinct shoulder than the Whelan.
Also, forget about the Rem, get one built on a commercial '98 Mauser action if you want a reliable hunting gun.

now you are talking gamerancher very good advice

[marksman]

yes that is an ugly warthog in the second animal photo daddybang, Elmer shot 30 head of game with this rifle including a leopard on this his first trip to Africa
the rifle is your typical blued fn action with a 26 inch round tapered barrel, the fiddle back is amazing

[wrenchman]

i would love to hold any of his guns i have read a few of his books i think hell i was there is his best

[wrenchman]

i would love to hold any of his guns i have read a few of his books i think hell i was there is his best

[BRNO_Bigot]

I so desperately want to give my honest opinion on .243 vs .257 but .243 owners tend to be thin skinned and "blinkered" when it comes to any criticism of their cherished round so I had better not.

go ahead, opinions are like arseholes everyone has one even me

And just like arseholes, many don't smell great ....



But if people are wanting to laud the 25-06, then they should look at the .270W. Anything the 25-06 can do, the 270 can probably do better.

[BRNO_Bigot]

i would love to hold any of his guns i have read a few of his books i think hell i was there is his best

Years ago, I was walking past a bookshop in Johannesburg that was closing down and I found a few copies of "Keith: An Autobiography" - I bought 2 for R1 each - at that time about $1.20.

Later my dad got "Hell, I was there" - same book.

I suspect, but I have no proof, that in later years (Guns & Ammo) he rambled into a tape recorder and some poor junior copy editor was responsible for turning it into golden prose, without losing the spirit (a losing proposition).

Boddington, many years later mentioned that when he was a junior at Petersen's that turning Elmer's contribution into something printable was a task given to recalcitrant juniors (ie a punishment),

Anyway - I am far off topic, I believe that the 30-06 variants I would like depend on what I want them to do.

>25-06 - goats, small deer, varmints
>270 - same, but bigger deer
>280 Rem - my perfect, all round cartridge
>30-06 - what can I say?
>338-06 - probably would replace 30-06 in my arsenal.
>35 Whelan - a big deer stomper - sambar slapping territory
>9.3x62 - Not a real descendant of the dirty-ought-six, but the case head is within 5 thou and the case length is just a bit shorter and it has taken every African game animal - not so much varmints, though

[slickncghia]

I own a 30-06 but since getting into reloading and becoming a ballistics nerd I would love to swap a 280AI tube on there.

280AI would be right up there for the best all round big deer species load out there especially for longer shots with reasonable recoil.

A 168 grain Accubond long range bullet with .652 BC at 2970 ft/sec = 2000ftlb at 475yards

80ft/sec short of a 7mm rem mag with 15-20% less powder and less recoil all from a non magnum action.

Another great option would be a fast twist 270 but bullet selection isnt great for >150s

That said the brand new 30 cal 168 grain ABLR might keep me satisfied with .598

Now to find a bloody deer

[marksman]

I went through a phase that I was going to rebarrel my favourite 30-06 into the 280AI and l have cases for it,
I just never burnt out the barrel and don't think I will unless I decide to trash it on paper, I do have a real fondness for the 30-06 though
the 280AI is a really sexy looking cartridge and it is a great 30-06 variant

I have heard a few storeys about Elmer that are negative but I like the rifle, it is very skillfully constructed and it works

[slickncghia]

Right there with you. My 06 has had less than 300 rounds through it and the barrel would cost more than the whole rifle did lol.

also most of the deer i have seen so far have been 20m away and when I'm still in the car so those 475 yard shots might not be super realistically for me at this stage.

[Oldbloke]

"also most of the deer i have seen so far have been 20m away and when I'm still in the car so those 475 yard shots might not be super realistically for me at this stage."

I assume your talking sambar. Shots up to 100yards are about 10x more common than long shots. But it changes a bit with ambush strategies. But I'm no expert.

[sungazer]

My next rifle will be the 7mm SAUM. It really seems to be the winning cartridge in a lot of disciplens http://www.accurateshooter.com/cartridge-guides/7mm/ or the new 6.5 PRC. Although I just invested in a cheap Howa 6.5 creedmoor. Already thinking of selling it to fund a new scope which probably would have been more logical to my needs but not given me more Fun sorry gun's

[straightshooter]

But if people are wanting to laud the 25-06, then they should look at the .270W. Anything the 25-06 can do, the 270 can probably do better.

Not quite.
25-06 can "shoot a little bit flatter or further" whereas the 270 can deal with a little bit bigger game.
But for either it has to be in the right circumstances.
Otherwise there is not enough difference that being the owner of one I would be dreaming of replacing it with the other.

[Oldbloke]

It's just about hedging your bets and compromise. You take out what you hope is the best option.
Your sneaking around looking for a fox with a 223 and a huge pig presents a shot, do you take it?
Or carrying a 3006 loaded with 220gr interlock looking for sambar, a dog shows up, you know it will pencil through. Do you take the shot?.

That's why 308, 270. 3006, 7*57, 7-08 are all popular. They are a good compromise, and will do the job well in most situations.

[wrenchman]

the 25-06 is real popular with mountain goat hunters and sheep hunters here in the states my knees are bad so i will never know if it is true