Are the 30.06/270/280 Becoming Irrelevant? Not at all. I think the 30.06 and .270 will continue on for many years to come.

I've never really heard of the .280 prior to this thread. But growing up it seemed the caliber I heard most for deer hunting is 30.06 And with the many offerings in bullet choices, its just a great round.

The .270, which is what I'm shooting, is a great flat shooting round with probably just as many ammo choices, and I think has less recoil.

Shouldn’t care about. Most agonize over details that are largely irrelevant.

I honestly expected even more pushback than I’ve seen so far.

Yes, I own what most people consider long range capable rifles but I was not advocating them over more traditional calibers. They are just what I chose to build or buy based on what I wanted to do.

Everything I stated is just my opinion. For me the 30.06 family fall into the gap and slightly overlaps the top end of the short actions and the lower end of magnums in performance. That’s why I posed the question/observation.

First thing I thought of after reading that statement was the 30-06 family sure is versatile, especially for the one rifle hunter. During the 2.5 years I sold rifles, most purchasers I sold to only had one bolt action centerfire that they used for everything. So I don’t believe the 30-06 family is already or is becoming irrelevant.

I went on a draw hunt with my Son and SIL early Dec. We each have a 308 and carried them, but I carried my old trusty 270 as a back up incase some one had a problem. Well my SIL had a problem with his rifle during the hunt. Nothing major with the rifle, but an issue that had us all questioning if he was still zeroed. We opted to put his up and I gave him my 308 to use. I felt just as ready to take on anything with my old 270 as I always had. I have always checked my zero on my hunting rifles each year. The old 270 was one of my first rifles I bought as when old enough. I had a 30/30 until thieves borrowed and did not return. I will keep the 270 for my son who loves it. I would give it to him now except I'm not through with it yet.

By the way you need another rifle because in the picture you have a scope that is looking for a good rifle. Good post though.

One of the reasons I seem to be spending less and less time on here, at least to me it seems like we're losing direction. It used to be a hunting forum.

So because people have goals and questions, and other people have answers to those questions it means we are losing direction? People are wanting to keep up with changes in equipment, and want to learn how to use it, it means we are losing direction?

The equipment, rifles/ammo/scopes, is far more capable than it was 30 years ago. "They don't build em like they ised to" That's right, it is all better now, with a few exceptions.

It doesn't take away from the fact "ya can't kill em from the couch". You still have t get out, and hunt. And many of these 2 percenters, and new thinkers are migrating away from the sit in a box blind 100 yards from a feeder, and wait for the timer, and then the animals show up right on que. I don't care if that's what some want to do. So someone else doesn't need to care if not everyone wants to operate that way.

I think where we are loosing direction is that FFP, 7mm08 or 7mag, berger-amax-eld, mil-mil turret scopes, tikka, and long range are not always the answer no matter what the question.

Ill be shooting deer with my 270 until the day I die

This is so true. Shooting deer under feeders is to hunting what McDonalds is to fine dining.
In all honesty, it's very hard for me to get excited about hunting whitetail for this exact reason. I'd rather do one spot and stalk hunt than ten box blind hunts.

I like all the calibers. Well except the 300 ultra mag I bought in high school. That thing was evil.

I'd rather hunt from a box blind then not hunt at all. The reality is Texas has almost no public land to hunt. Most of the hunting lease are small ( a few hundred acres) and set up to maximize the amount of hunters (box blinds & feeders).

This year I hunted from a box blind. I still had fun. Last two hunts were spot and stalk and I shot off sticks. I hunted low fenced Axis on 4,000 acres in Kerrville where I was the only hunter in camp. Last year, I hunted mule deer on 100,000 acres by Fort Stockton. Those spot and stalk hunts were awesome and I loved them but they were also expensive. Not everybody has the means to get access to thousands of acres to hunt.

You're exactly right. But when certain questions are posed, those are often the answers.

edit: I think much of this disdain comes from seeing the same question come up repeatedly, and those posters get the same answers from the same people.

I told my stepson last week, that if the task we're quietly stalking the creek bottoms looking for hogs, the .30-30 with irons still is, and always will be one of my favorite tools for the job.

No doubt about it. And as I said, if that's how someone wants (or has to) hunt, then good for them.

There will come a day when I'm too old to walk miles, carrying a rifle. And I'll probably be sitting in a blind with a heater and a book.

I had a Marlin 357 spitting 158s at 2050.....handy, mild blast and recoil.

A 6.5x54 MS would be another neat stalking rifle.....endless options, but not time for all.

As expected, a dedicated hunting forum will have protagonists for each of the subspecialties including rifles, optics, long range, bullets, seating depth, concentricity, etc... while the vast majority of hunters have no interest in such matters. They want to be outside, spend time with their family, put some meat in the freezer and get away from rat race of life.

I guide whitetail,elk and aoudad hunts on the looked down upon "high fenced" ranches in West Texas. The ranches stay booked up for a couple of years in advance. This year my hunters were:

30-06 elk
30-06 elk
30-06 aoudad
.308 deer
.308 deer

.270 deer
25-06 deer
300 win mag deer
30-06 deer

All of them shot factory loads and the were equally dispersed between Corelokts, Power Points and Federal blue box. The 300 win mag hunter did use factory Accubonds. We did have one rodeo with a poorly placed bullet on an elk which resulted in an all day recovery effort, but otherwise, everyone went home with a cooler of meat and a smile on their face.

I use the 30-06 exclusively. I cull deer and elk with it here in the states, and take it to Africa to shoot lots of game. I have shot the largest plains game there with no difficulty and even a buffalo(who had not read that it takes a 500 grain, 2700 fps, double rifle of English heritage to kill it). I have used it in Patagonia to make some really long shots on cull stags. It does everything needed to kill game effectively.

If you go into a gunshop in Africa or South America, they all have 30-06, .308 Win, 7 x 57, 7.62 x 39, .243, .223, 9.3 x 62 and 375 H&H. They also might have .300 Win, but not much else.

I don't think the '06 class of ammunition is going away. The '06 case is a great incinerator of powder and from .25 to .386 there are sizes for everyone.

That’s why I stated this in the original post....


If you want a truly versatile rifle then how about a 35 Whelen paired up with either a 200 grain Accubond or 225 grain Partition?

Jason, I didn't have an issue with anything you said. I was responding to the fast food analogy which I don't necessarily disagree with. I was just making the point that sometimes all you can afford or have access to is McDonalds.

Some of us are aware of how to hunt outside of sitting in a box blind 100 yards from a feeder. We are also aware that an actual hunting rifle doesn’t require a semi-custom LR rig, handloaded ammo, dialing, a 2lb scope, and a muzzle brake.

In 45+ years of hunting from Mexico to the Yukon, my longest shot has been 316 yards on a New Mexico pronghorn. I’ve been tempted to take one shot at over 400 yards in an actual hunting situation - 520 at a desert ram. I elected to stalk some more and get closer. Would I have killed the ram at 520? IDK. Would you? IDK.

What I do know: I kept stalking, got within just over 200, and am looking at him as I type this.

Killed a Dall ram this past year at 100 yards. Of course, it took a 1500’ vertical climb to get above him and put me in that position. Some couch.

Hunters who actually “get off the couch” and “don’t sit in box blinds 100 yards away from a feeder” know better than anyone that all the discussions about any and every new rifle, caliber, and scope to come down the pike may be fun, but are pretty much useless for 98% of us. And for those that buy into it and tote 12-13lb rifles around when not in their “100 yard feeder blinds”, it’s worse than useless. It’s a handicap.

Every time I read about or see on TV someone shooting at a game animal at 500 yards plus, all that comes to mind is that they need to work on their stalking - in other words, learn how to hunt.

I didn't think you took issue with anything. And I agreed with what you said.

25/06 30/06 35 whelen these will do it all its funny that there is still any argument. These guys match up still today !!

We'll have to agree to agree.

Some of these recent posts are getting heated. This is turning in to an entertaining thread.

NP,

I usually ignore you, but.

This section of the forum is titled "Rifles Shotguns & Handguns" and you're butt hurt over people talking about Rifles, Shotguns & Handguns. Well change the channel! I'll try and make this as organized as possible for you, evidently you need it.

•Of course someone does not need a custom rifle. As I said today, the equipment is better than ever. Plenty of mass produced rifles get the job done extremely well. When a guy is asking questions on what to BUILD they get answered. FAIL!

•Of course someone does not need handloaded ammo. As I said today, the equipment is better than ever. Plenty of ammo boxes off the shelf will get the job done extremely well. When a guy is asking about twist rates, bullet weights, powder charges, they get answered. FAIL!

•I've said more times than I remember, you don't have to dial a turret, learn and practice how to hold. FAIL!

•When someone wants to reduce recoil, one of the answers is in fact a muzzle brake. FAIL!

•520 on a ram? Depends on what the wind is doing. I brainstemmed a cow elk in September, so the distance is not a problem.

•Again, talking about the latest and greatest is what this place is partially for. If you do not want to change anything, fine, no one is trying to force you to do so. FAIL!

•A 12 to 13 pound rifle is not that heavy for some people. Look up what a Barrett .50 BMG weighs. Some of our best tote those in the mountains of Afghanistan. And you have even said you don't like to shoot the ultralite rifles, but today that is not your agenda, so you are flip-flopping, yet again. FAIL!

•Assuming someone that makes a clean kill from 500 yards can't stalk is just silly. I've killed a coyote at 10 yards as well as 600. Closed in on hogs at 20 yards 3 weeks ago. I'll repeat myseld yet again, having the ability to make shots that far is nothing more than a tool in the toolbox, in case it is needed. But you won't, or can't, accept that.

And I'm sure I just wasted several minutes addressing all this, one more time, because all you are going to do is dig in your heels, no matter how wrong you are. Nothing new under the sun.

The fact that the 30-06 is still a "standard" for comparison after 110+ years and the 270 has been holding it's own 90+ years says it all.

That said, I don't own either but grew up in a house full of 30-06s.
I don't need that much gun due to my limited shooting range available.
The closet I could get would be my "270 Lite" 6.8 pig gun.

I think it comes from people being stuck in their ways and closed minded. Its okay to do things that weren't don't by your dad, grampa, great grampa and on and on.