Try to explain the mystique of the legendary .30-06
By JIM SLINSKY

I would bet a hefty sum more has been written extolling the virtues of the .30-06 than any other big game cartridge. This cartridge has taken more game than any other cartridge, maybe all cartridges combined. It has been called the "venerable", "the standard by which all others are judged," and affectionately, "my trusty old .30- 06. "M

y father was an "06" fan. Every time he pulled the trigger he was in awe at the power. He pontificated that he could hunt the world with his "06" and no game animal could withstand the devastation of his favorite gameslayer.

I think he was embellishing this almost 100-year old cartridge a bit, but the gleam in his eye stopped me from refuting his logic. He remained unconvinced that any hunter needed any more power than the "06." He may have read one too many Jack O'Conner stories.

I've lost track of exactly how many .30-06's I've owned and how many I've shot. I am certain I have fired in excess of 10,000 rounds through at least a dozen 06's. My first rifle was an "06." I fired it for 3 years and shot it out. I killed crows and woodchucks with 110-grain spitzers, deer with 150's and 180's. I remember saying to myself it was much too much gun when I sold it for 50 bucks.

Without a .30-06 in the cabinet I feel woefully inadequate as a hunter. Of course, every hunter should have a .30-06 in the cabinet. The classic of all classics. The quintessential big game cartridge. But why, I keep asking myself? It doesn't do anything great. A .270 shoots flatter and recoils less. A .300 Win Mag hits harder and shoots flatter. The 06 pushes 180's at the lumbering speed of 2700 fps, if you're lucky. Would I book a highpriced elk hunt and trust my success to this antiquated cartridge?

Over time I shot deer with lesser calibers. Interestingly, a dead deer is a dead deer. That poor deer doesn't know anything about velocities, ballistic coefficients or sectional densities.

Nostalgia was getting to me and I convinced myself to buy another .30-06, a Savage Ultralight. At 6-½ lbs. the recoil was savage all right. I saw stars when I squeezed the trigger. It had bone-crushing power, yea, my bones. I had to work up the nerve to take it to the range and endure the punishment. Soon, I did not have a .30-06 in the cabinet.

I remember reading the late, great Colonel Crossman's comments about the .30-06. He was hunting Africa at the time and taking 600-pound lions with one shot. He would brag that a .30-06 could shoot through a lion lengthwise and consistently exit. Someone once asked him if he felt the .30-06 was the greatest whitetail cartridge of all time. He responded by saying there are vast similarities between a Virginia whitetail and an African lion. "They both have a leg in each corner and a tail" was his famous remark. The Colonel felt the .30-06 was terribly overpowered for frail 150- pound whitetails.

I needed another .30-06 and so this time I bought a Remington 760 pump. I used it for a while, but it wasn't the ideal rifle for reloading. Their chambers are seriously oversized to help the disadvantaged cornshucker extract empties. I thought the rifle was too heavy and too long. My left arm was stretched way out to work the slide. Soon, I didn't have a .30- 06 in the cabinet.

A friend of mine had to leave town for a while. He trusted me to care for his vintage Winchester Model 70 while he was on the lam. He said it couldn't hit a sheet of plywood at 100 yards. He was right. The rifle needed a complete bedding job and a new scope. When I got done, his old Winchester shot one-hole groups. When things cooled down he came home. He wanted to kiss me after one range session. I didn't have a 06 in the cabinet, again.

I owned a Browning Medallion in .30-06 for a while. This was a pretty rifle and it shot tiny little groups. At 6lbs. 9 ozs. I refused to shoot 180's through it. I killed a few deer with it using 150 Nosler Ballistic Tips. My wife and I separated and I needed the money.

I don't have a .30-06 in the cabinet right now. What compels me to dream of owning the classic of all classics, again? Why is it the most popular cartridge in America ? I don't get it. It doesn't do anything great.

A fair number of calibers are far superior.

I can only surmise it is simply the mystique of the legendary .30-06.

Jim Slinsky is the host and producer of the "Outdoor Talk Network", a nationally syndicated, outdoor-talk radio program. For a station near you or to contact Jim, visit his website at:

www.outdoortalknetwork.com