I got my first deer rifle two years ago for Christmas, a Remington 700 ADL in .30-06 from Academy. My dad knows nothing about hunting or guns, so it was up to me to choose what caliber I wanted for Christmas. I didn't do very much research, but from what I gathered the .30-06 was the "do it all, all-American cartridge" that could slay anything in North America with ease, so I went with it. Now that I am a little older and know a little more about calibers, I am beginning to doubt if the .30-06 is the best round for me. I know for a fact that there are faster, flatter shooting, lighter recoiling cartridges out there, and I'm beginning to doubt the ole '06. I'm beginning to wonder why I shouldn't sell my .30-06 and get something like a 25-06, 257, 264, 22-250, or 243. I don't see myself hunting anything larger than whitetail for a good while. Also, I'm not recoil shy by any means, but I can't help thinking that my accuracy is suffering even a little bit every time my 5'10" 135lb frame gets rocked by the recoil (basically, even if I am not mentally recoil shy, I can't help thinking that my body is flinching a little bit just because it knows what's coming every time I pull the trigger).

Why is the .30-06 the most popular hunting cartridge around? Why shouldn't I ditch my '06 in favor of a faster, flatter shooting, lighter recoiling round like those mentioned above? What am I missing here?

Even though it sounds like I want to be talked out of the .30-06, I really don't. If y'all can convince me that a new caliber is the way to go, then great. If y'all can convince me to keep the .30-06, then that's great too. I'm really indifferent. I'm just looking for honest opinions and input.

I'm looking forward to what y'all have to say about this

what grain bullet you shooting out of the 06..?

180gr currently but looking to switch to 150gr after I use up my supply of 180s.

I shoot a .270 with 130 grain factory ammo. Its loud and I flinch sometimes but I dont think its the rifles fault. Buy you some light rounds for the 06 and practice. You may decide to get another rifle eventually but I wouldnt give up a Christmas present from my Dad for all the rifles in the world. It sounds like your first rifle is a dang good one, make it work for you.
In My Humble Opinion

Thanks for the input. That is one of the big reasons I don't want to sell the .30-06 is because when I'm older I don't want to look back and regret selling my first rifle. That being said if I decide it's a good choice to switch calibers I think I will be able to live with that.

In my opinion the 30-06 is boring. There is absolutly nothing wrong with that round at all I just think its boring.

Keep the 06 and get ANOTHER gun. Not to many people complain about haveing too many guns.

And of the ones you mentioned I would go with the 257 Weatherby (I assume you didnt mean Roberts).

I'd love to get another gun, problem is I'm a poor 16 year old high school student

And yes, I was talking about the 257 Weatherby. From what I have gathered it is the ULTIMATE CARTRIDGE

Kinda funny, a few years after I started hunting and handloading (many moons ago) I went thru the same thing.." the '06 is boring, I can do better with something else.." When all was said and done and many MANY different rifles/calibers came and went, I still gravitate back to the old .30-06. It's definitely one of my longtime favorites.

Why?

Well, seeing as how you're 16, within a decade, I bet you'll be going to Colorado or New Mexico for elk. You'll wish you still had your .30-06 with the 180 gr bullets then.

Also, being 16, you've got some grandmas still living. Tell them you'd like a gift card from Academy Sports. Tell ALL your relatives you'd like a gift card. Then after Christmas, go down to Academy and look at Howas or Remmy ADLs or Savages in .243, .25-06, or 7mm-08 (my fave). Some of these guns are already scoped. Buy one with your gift cards.

NOW, you own TWO rifles, and you're well on your way to gun-loonyness before you even graduate high school!

I personally would never sell a gun my dad bought for me. Just doesn't seem right.

Just save and buy another gun. Then you have 2. When you hunt alone, take what you want. If you hunt with dad, take the one he bought you. Show him that you appreciate it. It would mean the world to him.

You are on the usual road of learning about the available calibers and their various idiosyncrasies... I too have been down this road starting out with large calibers like the 30-30, 30-06, 7mag, 270, and ending up with a 243 for my whitetail deer but with that being said I would definitely keep the 30-06 and seek to acquire a smaller cal.for my everyday hunts.There are many fine ones to choose from.

yeah man keep that 06. my 2nd rifle from my dad was a remington bdl 06. Ive shot so much game with that rifle over the years, and i love it. I know there are hotter flatter shooters out there, but who cares. Your dad gave it to you. If it ain't broke...dont fix it. You can try some lighter bullets in it. My dad loaded my brother and i up with 100 gr bullets when we were younger. I took many a deer with the 100 gr sierra hollow points. I was a scrawny small kid too.

I promise you will regret one day selling your first gun your dad gave you. My first...a ruger 250 savage...is my favorite gun because it was what my dad gave me. You will feel that way about your remmy one day too.

Well, if you're poor now, you might want to go price some Wby ammo before you make any rash decisions. they don't shoot cheap.

I'm on the "keep this rifle and buy another" bandwagon. use the '06 until you get the money and find the right deal on something you want. When you put that '06 up, it won't be eating anything (costing you any money to keep). but it will always be there when you do need it. it'll also be there for you to hand it down to the next generation, and it'll have sentimental value to you and whoever you hand it down to.

For the meantime, switch to the 150gr bullets like you said. That will help a lot on recoil. Get a limbsaver recoil pad and put on it. I'm sure someone makes managed recoil ammo for the '06. You could try that. if you know someone who reloads, you could get with them and work up a 125gr load for it. it would be really tame then, but still plenty to ruin a deer's day.

I have an old Win70 (stamped Sears and Roebuck) in '06 that was the first rifle my dad ever bought. That thing has umpteen thousand rounds thru it. I kilt my first deer with it. Monetarily it's not worth a whole lot. it's beat up, the bore looks like the inside of a metal culvert, and it stomps like a mule too. But it still shoots great, and I don't think anyone could offer me enough money to part with it.

Lots I agree with already said here.

I always thought the .30-06 was somewhat pedestrian and all too common (as in boring). Over the years though, I've decided that it's the perfect case size. Too get much more velocity, you have to start really stepping up the powder charge and you start dealing with even ore recoil. In my opinion a case that holds 60 grains of powder is just about as large as is practical and needed---at least for the Lower 48 states.

I've owned an -06 or two but don't have one now. I don't really need one, but I think I want one. And I think a part of that desire comes from the way I have come to see the ol' 30-06: I think of it as a .300 Whelen. Sounds a lot sexier, doesn't it? But that's what it is, for all practical purposes.

Neck the ol' .30-06 up and down from .375" down to .257, and you get cartridges that perform very well and don't necessitate a trip to the doctor for a detached retina every time you fire them.

The other guys are right! Keep the rifle and go get yourself another when you can. If it was me, I'd skip the Weatherby and go with the .25 Neidner (aka .25-06). You'll see a reduction in recoil and it's a great performer, certainly enough rifle for anything in Texas!

There might be a caliber or two just as good as the 30-06 but in my opinion there are non better. It will take almost any thing on the North America continent.

agreed...cant think of anything it wont or hasn't already taken.

Excellent short and long range performance on any game I've hunted over the years, excellent accuracy, availabilty of factory ammo just about anywhere, one of if not the best selection of bullets by all manufacturers in the industry, YEARS of load development, chambered in just about any manufacturers rifle anywhere, low cost of factory loaded ammo, not overbearing in recoil (to me)...

I think you started out right by saying that it is the do it all gun. I was older but weighed less than you when I got my first 06. I still have it.

Think about the millions of young American soldiers that were issued the 06. Most probably were older but probably didn't weigh anymore than you.

BTW, you might want to research the 6.55x55 as your next potential caliber.

Plus, I have a couple of original military rifles in this caliber ( 1903-A3, Pattern 17, Garand ). Don't get me wrong, I don't claim the '06 to be the perfect caliber for everything, ( then again, there is no such chambering out there ) but it does a whole lot of things VERY well.

Go to Wallyworld and buy a slip on Limbsaver until you "fill out" a bit. They are around $20. Doesn't look great but hey, they work. Keep the o6'. My dad bought me a Model 700 BDL in 70 and in the 80's I traded it away, still wish I hadn't. I am in the 06 is boring crowd but it killed and killed hard for several years. Plus you can find ammo for it at roadside fruit stands. Go for the gift cards!

Another thought....If you just really want to go with something like a 25-06, you could always get the 30-06 rebarreled. That way you keep the action and other parts, but still get the caliber you want. You choices will be somewhat limited if doing this, but still lots of cases out there that can utilize that boltface.

Thanks for all the responses guys.

After taking everything into consideration, I suppose I will keep the .30-06. I know it will gain a lot of sentimental value as the years go on, and it sure would be neat to be able to pass down my first rifle to one of my kids. Plus, the fact that I will never be undergunned (at least in North America) is always good too.

Now I have to work on getting the dang thing to shoot straight (see my other topic for those of you who haven't )!

In addition to a limbsaver recoil pad, be sure you have good ear protection when shooting at the range. It is amazing how much less a rifle kicks when you don't get the muzzle blast. You won't feel a thing when shooting at game.

Good decision on keeping the 06. I have never owned one and probally never will. I like oddball cartridges so probally never will buy one.