If you had one caliber of rifle....

[minky]

Good points everyone.

Oh ya my favorite is a 30 06.

[sportfish]

I have a 243 , 308 , 270 And 30-06 . I'm not a fan of the 243 but the others are great rounds that are hard to beat . But I do want a 7mm-08 for some reason

[shortfatguy]

Powerstroke hit the nail on the head. Those other calibers will do about everything a 30-06 will do and will do most things better. If you need a heavy bullet (180-220gr) you might as well have the magnum powder behind it. And the 280, 284, 270, 7mm etc are more than capable for everything in north America up to a grizzly. But I also wouldnt take a 30 caliber if I was targeting griz. 338 or bigger for those. I think a lot of reason behind the popularity of the 06 is the fact it has been around forever and everyones grandpa, uncles etc had one and killed deer with it. Has nothing to do with ballistics or the performance of the 06 cartridge.

[ClownColor]

Why would you chose a 308 over a 260, 7mm-08, 243, 280, 284? All are ballistically superior to the 308. Not ripping on you or anyone else. Just trying to understand what people look for when they buy a new rifle.

Why? Check out what the military uses and trusts for their long range shots. I beleive it was Chris Kyles' favorite caliber as well.

But to answer the OP, another 30-06 vote here!

[Boar]

Pretty much gota agree with Bear 55 on this one. But if I had to choose, I do like 25-06 or 30-06. and i thin the 30-06 would win out for me.

[leechlake]

German 8mm Mauser my uncle brought home from WW2, my dad and him "sporterized" it as they called it. Apparently, it was a little chunky before they did their work. It was my first deer rifle and my dad's first deer rifle, no scope back then but I had a gunsmith change the safety so a scope would work with it. I "deployed" the elevation sight for photo purposes.

Frankly, I don't want to know any stories behind what this gun saw and did

[MontanaMax]

I have a 30.06 I used hunting everything from antelope to elk for 25 years. I bought a .270 ten years ago and find it kills these animals just the same with 35 less grains in the bullet. Noslers are a must. The 270 shoots flatter and I feel good out to 400 yds whereas the confidence in the 30.06 waned at 300 yds. I switched because the .270 is about 4 lbs lighter which feels like 50 lbs lighter at the end of a day elk hunting. Looking back I love my 30.06 and it is a warhorse but I would pick the .270 if I could only have one.

[BobT]

The 270 shoots flatter and I feel good out to 400 yds whereas the confidence in the 30.06 waned at 300 yds.

Actually, you may not be quite accurate about this. One should compare apples to apples.

[delcecchi]

Just out of curiosity, are there similar curves only with a 180 grain slug for the 30-06?

[jjz]

Reason for 30 06 is simple. If you don't hand load you have the most factory loaded options of any do it all caliber. That means best chance to find something factory loaded that will kill what you hunt, be accurate and little fuss to get it. Next would be 308. Anything from 260 or 6.5 swede on up to biggest gun you can handle will handle anything depending on how far you want to shoot. 30.06/.308 gives the average guy the best chance to find a factory loaded round, that will work, be accurate enough and for least cost/fuss. Other rounds certainly can be more accurate, powerful, longer ranged, etc.., but usually with limited factory ammo options, higher costs, or hand loading to get what is best for what you and the gun want, that is the price. However most modern guns even if limited to three factory loads will still prove very adequate. You don't need sub moa accuracy to be very deadly at distances most hunters are comfortable at.

Good Luck