I will shoot against them for money. We can play rifle range HORSE.

And I will shoot a .30-06

Said I didn't have much use for one. Never said I didn't know how to use it.

I've tracked Ballinger/Winters TX whitetail shot by a .30-06 at 100 yards.

The man shooting it wanted to give up before the two of us blood trailing his deer. We found it anyway.

I've shot a pile of harder recoiling rifles than the .30-06

Your "tough" is out the window.

I don’t believe this discussion is at all about target guns or target shooting. I understand this thread to be about the contrast between respect for the kind of men that made the 30-06 iconic and pansies.

J.G. is a fireman, not exactly a profession for pansies, pretty far from it actually.

fwiw - .30-06 M2 ball ammo in WW2 was a 152 grain bullet running 2800 fps, which is well below today's .308 performance with the same weight bullet.

What made the 06 iconic was the surplus of military firearms and ammunition.

I have two 30'06 rifles, 1965 Winchester Model 70 and a 1965 Sears Ted Williams model 53.

Uncle bought the Model 70 the year I was born from Leonard Brother's in downtown Fort Worth and I found the Ted Williams for sale in Ogden, Utah along with a NIB Model 70 stainless 243 18" Winlite XTR. Bought both in the late 80s, and I don't think I paid more than $500 for the pair.

Now, no self respecting wingshooter's arsenal isn't complete without an Auto-5 and no waterfowl hunter should find himself without a Mag 12 Stalker or 3.

You know, today's hunting rifles weigh about half as much as yesterday's hunting rifles.

And I shoot other people's hunting rifles on a weekly basis.

And today's .308 Win, was 40+ years ago .30-06

Live in the past if you like. Call people pansies if you like. But you're off base on pretty much everything.

I am old enough to remember that. Some of the older guys that I still hunt with were the ones that always carried a 30-06. Ironically, most of them have switched to softer shooting guns.

The ones I grew up around have all died. 9 of them were family that carried 30-06’s in WW2. All served under Patton. They were part of defeating Rommel in North Africa, taking Sicily. Then fighting their way through Italy and into the mountains of Austria before being shipped to Normandy for D-day. They took partin invading and eventually liberating France. Pushed into Germany and were, according to them, a little over 100 miles from Berlin when the Russians cornered Hitler. There is a Nazi flag in the Smithsonian with the names of a lot GI’s from Patton’s 3rd Armored they all signed. 7 of the 9 had at least one Purple Heart but they all made it back home. They all thought Patton hung the moon. After Patton made the statement “the m-1 Garand chambered in 30-06 was the greatest battle implement devised”, a 30-06 is all any of them wanted. I still have a 30-06 but seldom take it out now days. I still like to shoot it. When I do, it is mostly for nostalgia now days. So yeah, to me the 30-06 is the most iconic of rifle calibers.

I have a .30-06 and have owned several. I keep it as a general purpose backup/loaner gun. I will likely never hunt with one, not because there is anything wrong with it, but just because there is a better caliber for any job the .30-06 can do. For whitetail,other calibers are just as good with less recoil. For elk or moose, true magnums deliver better performance. At long range, there are many better options. That being said, it is still a great, general purpose round, so I keep one around.

I've owned several in the past and may own one again in the future if I see one that I take a liking to. My most recent 30-06 underwent "the change" and now identifies as a 25-06. I figured that having a 300 WM, a 7 Rem Mag and several 308's left the 30-06 standing on the outside looking in. I didn't own any quarter bores so that's why I went with the 25-06.

Oh boy, looky here, a bunch of guys pounding their chests and making a ruckus while some others point out facts the chest pounders aren't open minded to.

I neither have a love or hate affair with the 30-06. But like its reputation it will do damn near everything pretty well. I seem to see many talk of it’s bad recoil, but never really thought it kicked to bad. Some claim the 270 shoots flatter and recoils less I fail to see the big difference on both fronts. Similarly I have shot very few 300 win mags but my very similar 300 wby is a significant step up in recoil and muzzle blast from the old ‘06. I have enjoyed hunting with mine, even my wife has taken several deer with it without issue. In the past year I’ve seen it take from javalina to nilgai with one shot.

It’s like the Dallas Cowboys, it’s had some great glory days, can still kick butt every now and then, and is the number one franchise in the world…but has lost a lot of luster.

I gotta disagree the 06 still has it, the cowboys suck azz.

Lol. My generation, and the one before it, and the one before that, all the way back to WW1 disagree with you. Per the OP, this thread is not about the cartridge best suited to shoot for money. Or the best hunting cartridge. The OP asked for the cartridge that best represents mankind. He indicated it is 30-06. I agree with the OP, based on its battlefield history. Others chimed in the .45acp for the same reasons. I stated that I get a chuckle out of the recoil being judged as excessive by some good shooters. That is a recent development that I deem soft. I stand by that comment. None of the calibers you mentioned have a history even close to the 30-06 sir. I believe you to be a skilled long range shooter. I admire the work that goes into that. The big guns you have recently built to push the range envelope are cool as heck. But then when I come back to the caliber that most represents mankind, it brings me back to the caliber American GI’s carried and used to great effect in the two world wars that shaped the world as we know it, which I believe comes closest to what the OP asked about. Call that living in the past if you like but I don’t think you are following what is being discussed. If it is not the 30-06, then what is it?

30-06 is the cartridge of the Greatest Generation! Used through the First and Second World Wars plus Korea. It is an old war horse that also works well in the game fields around the world. Every game animal in the US and most around the world has been cleanly taken with it effectively. At 117 years old it has stood the test of time quite well and will continue to be used for many years to come. I have heard things to the effect of this; 'tough times make for tough men, easy times make for less tough men". I think we can see that generally speaking today we have been in easy times for a long time when you look at the general population.

As i stated earlier in this thread I have never owned a 30-06 but have hunted and killed deer with the old war horse and it does very well for that. The first centerfire rifle i ever shot was a Remington semi auto 30-06 to I think an 11 year old skinny boy that was fun, recoil didn't seem as bad as my old ivory Johnson single shot 20ga that I was hunting deer, squirrels and rabbits with in those days.

My first center fire was dads rem 700 mountain rifle I. 280 rem… it had a boat load more bite at sub 7 lbs than any of the 30-06’s I’ve shot.

Maybe the biggest plus I noticed about the ‘06 was during rona etc .308 were among the most available hunting bullets in stock anywhere by a decent margin.

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The ones I grew up around have all died. 9 of them were family that carried 30-06’s in WW2. All served under Patton. They were part of defeating Rommel in North Africa, taking Sicily. Then fighting their way through Italy and into the mountains of Austria before being shipped to Normandy for D-day. They took partin invading and eventually liberating France. Pushed into Germany and were, according to them, a little over 100 miles from Berlin when the Russians cornered Hitler. There is a Nazi flag in the Smithsonian with the names of a lot GI’s from Patton’s 3rd Armored they all signed. 7 of the 9 had at least one Purple Heart but they all made it back home. They all thought Patton hung the moon. After Patton made the statement “the m-1 Garand chambered in 30-06 was the greatest battle implement devised”, a 30-06 is all any of them wanted. I still have a 30-06 but seldom take it out now days. I still like to shoot it. When I do, it is mostly for nostalgia now days. So yeah, to me the 30-06 is the most iconic of rifle calibers.
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Big Patton fan here. “Lead me, follow me, or get the hell outta my way”

If someone tells me he shot a deer with his .30-06, at least I know he’s not ghey.

Leave that to the 6.5 Gaymoors

Ha! Must admit I also shoot a 260 ackley which is dangerously close in size to the man bun gaymoore.

Joking aside, it’s a great round for targets, shot a couple deer with it but never owned one.

Dad always shot a 3006. He shot this buck in 71 with a M70 3006. He died in 72. He was a man.
I inherited that rifle in 72 and it’s the only rifle I’ve ever killed a deer with.
I hope I’m half the man he was.

Great photo freerange

700 BDL 30.06 very good and accurate, that is why I like it. Could say the same for the 243 but for some reason the 30.06 is my go-to.

Love this. Good stuff.