I went on my first hunt last weekend. We were looking for hogs, but saw nothing. Afterward, we did some target practice and I got to fire a .30-06 for the first time. It was later explained to me that a .30-06 is most helpful when hunting bull elk in Colorado or bigger game than Texas deer.

If you are just going to hunt Texas deer, why would you get anything bigger than a .270 or 30-30?

I'd stay away from a 30-30 unless you just plan to thick brush and limited ranges where if your lucky you will get a 100-150 yard shot. Its not known for its accuracy. Cheap ammo and you can find it anywhere.

A .270 or 30-06 are what I would call legendary. These will always be popular. The 30-06 is the parent catridge to many different calibers out there. A .270 is basically the same as the 30-06, just a different diameter bullet, neck size and overall length. The 30-06 has a much larger range of grain weights for you to shoot. The .270 is limited but its very effective with all of the factory loads you will ever find. Both are known for their flat trajectory.

In my opinion, if all you were going to shoot was in Texas for the rest of your life, a .257 Roberts would be all that you would ever need.

It all boils down to preference. My rifle of choice during deer season is a 300 Win Mag. Yes, it is overkill for Texas white tails, but it is the rifle that I feel most comfortable shooting. I know that when I climb up in that box blind every time I can make the shot necessary for a quick clean kill.

Plus if we all shot the same caliber of rifle there would be a lot less to talk about sitting around the campfire.

It comes down to personal preferences. I prefer big rifles, simply because I like them. Not to piss anyone off, the only OVERKILL I have ever saw on a whitetail anywhere, is one that is totallt demolished by an 18 wheeler. You need to keep in mind, that a lot of different things are involved as to how people decided on what type of rifles they prefer to use. We have the freedom to pick and choose, and sometimes it is a long drwan out process. You have to consider whether you are only going to ever hunt in Texas, the ease of finding ammunition or components, the list is endless. For every person out there that will say a 30=06 is too big for Texas deer, there will be someone else that will say that it is the smallest thing you should every try to shoot nearly anything with. This is one of those areas, where you need to try and shoot as many different calibers as you are able, and find something YOU are comfortable with, then work with it and build some confidense in that gun. Listen to everyones advice, but remember that what works for them may not work for you.

THE 06 IS SO VERSITILE. 125 GRAIN TO OVER 200 GRAIN BULLET. YOU CAN HUNT ANYTHING ON THE NORTH AMERICAN CONTINENT WITH IT. IF YOU CHOOSE YOUR BULLET GRAIN AND POWDER LOAD WISELY IT ISNT OVER KILL AT ALL. I HAVE SEVERAL CALIBERS BUT IF I AM LUCKY ENOUGHT TO GO AFTER THE WALL HANGER? HE WILL BE BROUGHT DOWN WITH A 06. JMHO LIKE HT SAID USE WHAT YOU ARE COMFORTABLE WITH. I FEEL THIS WAY BECAUSE ITS WHAT MY UNCLE TAUGHT ME 38 YEARS AGO AS A YOUNG BOY.

So really it comes down to being comfortable & being prepared. You might want to use a .30-06 for the following two scenarios-

1) it's the gun you got used to hunting with. maybe it was passed down to you by a father or brother & you just feel comfortable with it

2) you want to be ready in case you go elk hunting out of state or see a wall-hanger here in Texas

That makes sense. I just know that the opinion of what is needed varies so much around here. I am considering buying some firearms and want to buy smart. I shot a 150-grain bullet in a .30-06 last weekend & it kicked, but not so bad that I couldn't handle it.

I just didn't want to carry a giant rifle like those guys that ride giant motorcycles just to show the world that they are he-men.

MPC, that 150 gr. bullet that you shot out of the '06 is basically the same bullet that you would be shooting out of the 30-30. The difference is that the 30-30's have tubular magazines and shoot round nosed or flat nosed bullets and the '06's usually shoot a pointed bullet in most factory loads. But they are still just 150 gr. .30 caliber bullets. The real difference is the case and the powder quantity. The '06 has a larger case and greater powder capacity and shoots much faster, flatter and harder. If recoil is an issue, you might want to look at a different caliber than the '06. But, you will have a hard time finding any caliber that has more options than tha 30-06.

You can kill anything with a 223 ranch rifle with the proper shot. Listen to Skeeter 22 ,he is a self taught gunsmith and has a wealth of knowledge. Mediocre shot though

That's interesting. I have heard from numerous people that on the kill shot, there is very little "kick" because you are so into firing away & taking your game. I will choose wisely based on economic choices. I want to be able to use the same rifle for a long time.

To answer your original question-no you don't need a 30-06 to hunt deer in Texas. Yes it is a great hunting caliber especially if your going to hunt elk later. The beauty of the '06 is all of the different bullets that are made for it. You could also get by with a .270 for both elk and deer. IF you are only going to hunt deer a 30-30 is fine just know the guns range limitations. Most deer are not shot from extremely long ranges and the 30-30 has shot a lot of deer. Guns are tools. Become familiar with them and know their capabilities. There are many great calibers. Find the one that is right for you, and the conditions in which you will or may face hunting.
I use a 270 because I harbor fantasies of someday going to New Mexico for an Elk. I also own a 30-30 that I carry in the truck as a backup gun on hunts. If knew that I were going to just hunt deer in Texas, I think I would probably use a 25-06 or maybe just the 30-30...Hmm I do like my .270 though...guess its just whatever floats your boat.

Question: Would a 150-grain bullet have the same kick from a 30-30 as it would from a .30-06?

Depending on the weight of the rifle you are firing it from they can be pretty close but generally a 30-06 has more kick. There is more powder in the 30-06. If you have more weight you won't get as much recoil as you would from a lighter rifle. Being that a 30-30 is generally lighter because its a lever action rifle most of the time, you may feel the same recoil.

Today we have advanced technology in recoil pads and the felt recoil can easily be fixed. I suggest you get a gunsmith to put a good pad on the stock for you. You can get some recoil pads that are easy to do yourself or a gunsmith can saw off the end of the rifle stock you have and glue a new one on at the right dimension to fit your feel for how you are acustomed to holding and firing your weapon. Take a look at www.midwayusa.com and you can find lots of recoil pads to choose from and possibly get cheaper than what your gunsmith will charge you.


The 30-06 will have a much flatter trajectory.

A 30-30 shoots a 150 grain about 2300 fps in a 20" barrel.
A 30-06 shoots a 150 grain about 3000 fps in a 24" barrel.

For a 30-30 shooting a 150 round nose bullet, your ft-lbs of energy at the muzzle and traveling 2300 fps will be 1762 ft-lbs of energy. By the time it gets to 200 yards its dropped roughly 8.5" with a 100 yard zero and has 762 ft-lbs of energy.

For a 30-06 shooting a 150 grain boat tail spire point bullet your getting 2997 ft-lbs of energy at the muzzle. By the time you get to 200 yards with a 100 yard zero, you have 2041 ft-lbs of energy in that bullet. It will drop 3.2" at 200 yards.

Even at 500 yards the same grain weight of bullet from a 30-06 will still be going faster and have more energy than the 30-30. The 30-06 has 1073 ft-lbs of energy at 500 yards with that 150 gr. bullet.

Generally a 30-30 rifle that you buy today is a lever action rifle. They are the most popular. Because of the tubular magazine its best to shoot flat nose or round nose bullets. This is what you find in the commercial ammunition. The reason being that the point of the bullet will not contact the primer and cause an accidental firing in the tubular magazine when you fire the weapon.

If you put the same bullet in the 30-06 you get:
1417 ft-lbs. of energy at 200 yards with a 4.1" drop, being zero at 100 yards.



8.5" versus 3.2" at 200 yards....That is a LOT of room for error and plenty of room to miss the vitals on a whitetail.

NO

30-06 seams to kick a lot harder than a 30-30

You can shoot anything with a bow!

8.5" versus 3.2" at 200 yards....That is a LOT of room for error and plenty of room to miss the vitals on a whitetail.

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That's a great point, Curtis. So you are saying that using a .30-06 might not make much difference at 75 yards, but at 175, it could be the difference between a clean kill shot in the vitals or a gut shot where the deer gets away?

If that's the case, then I would use the .30-06 and just learn to compensate for the kick by practicing more for accuracy.

YOU CAN ALSO BUY THE '06 IN A 55 GRAIN. TEFLON SABOT WHICH MEANS NO GROOVE MARKS!!!

Yes, that is sort of what I am saying. I'm also concerned with just simply missing the animal all together. If you put 8.2" drop along with "BUCK FEVER" you can really have a recipe for failure. I don't like the idea of having to compensate for that much drop. I think its ridiculous to have to settle for that when there is so much better calibers out there to choose from, with a flat trajectory, than a 30-30.

Generally a hunter try's to compensate for bullet drop t by simply holding high and putting the crosshairs high enough over where they want the bullet to hit. They can also sight in a few inches higher at 100 yards and that extends the range a bit. But at closer ranges from where they zero in(less than 100 yards), the bullet is much higher and the hunter has to drop his aim a bit. This is why its very important to get a rifle that has a flat trajectory or less drop.

If you gut shoot a deer, its going to die. It's going to take longer, and leave some tracking to do, but it will die.

There is a little bit that a good gunsmith can do with a factory rifle to compensate for recoil. Honestly, I don't think the 30-06 recoil is that bad. If you ever shoot a big magnum like 7mm Rem Mag, 300 win mag, 300 weatherby mag, or especially a 338 win mag, some of those have a REAL kick. The 30-06 has the reputation for being the LEAST kick that most people are willing to tolerate.

If you seriously think about this too much and worry about it, then don't go so heavy of a caliber. Go down to a 7mm-08, .270, .257 Roberts, 25-06 or even a 308. Any of those guns will handle any animal in Texas including a lot of the exotics. Don't start worrying about a dream hunt that may or may not ever happen, and if the gun you buy today will work for that. Your dream hunt may change into something bigger and you still find you need a bigger gun or you may never even go at all. Just get a slightly smaller caliber like I mentioned and you will be fine for just about everything in North America, excluding bear and Elk(depending on range).

For a heavy recoil, the easiest is to get a recoil pad added to the end of the stock. It's very simple to do. The reason you need a gunsmith to do it is because when you add the thickness of the pad it changes how the distance of you eye to the scope and how your arms reach to hold the rifle while in the firing position. It's best to get a gunsmith to put one on for you and measure it to get it done properly. You won't regret having that on there and it will improve your accuracy.

So Curtis, you are not saying that anything smaller than the .30-06 is inaccurate, you're just saying that the 30-30 lacks a flat trajectory and thus, makes it more difficult to make some 150+ yard shots?

Not trying to piss anyone off, bit it all comes down to what rifle and caliber, preform the best for you. I have taken the same caliber of rifle out with some friends of mine out to shoot. I'm talking like 7 mags., mine was a Remington and kicked like a mule, and I truly hated it. Buddy of mine had a Sako in 7 mag., and he let me try it with my ammo that I was shooting. It was a signifance diffrence in recoil. Recoil in diffrent rifles will be diffrent with the same caliber and bullet. It all depends on how much you want to spend to make it comfortable to shoot. My son's friend had a Ruger M77, 7 mag. that was ported, and I tell you it was a pure pleasure to shoot, very little recoil at all.

People call me crazy for shooting a .264 win. mag., when I have a .270 also. Both rifles a basically the same on paper. Ammunition if you can find it for the .264 is double what you going to pay for a box of .270 shells. I have owned my .264 for about 15 yrs, took some deer quite a long way out with it. The point is I feel comfortable with the .264 rather than the .270, I have shot it more, taken more deer with it, and all around in my OPINION is all I need.
Do your self a favor shoot as many diffrent rifles and calibers and decided for your self what you like and works best for you. If I tell you what works for me, it might not work for you or anyone else. It's all trial and error.JMO

HunterTed,

Didn't you get the memo? The one that came on that rolled up, bright neon pink paper with a ribbon sent out to every hunter in Texas? Its said if your shooting anything less than a 30-378 for cottontail rabbits, that you must change to a heavier caliber.



All this stuff makes me want to go out and shoot my bow!

You know, I think I missed that same damn memo.