Is it time to retire the .30-06 Springfield?
The “06” in .30-06 is short for 1906, the years the U.S. Army adopted the cartridge for service in its small arms. Do the math. Next year the .30-06 Springfield is 120 years old. At the rate technology progresses this makes the .30-06 not just “old,” rather it is Paleolithic.
Still, this oldster soldiers on (pun intended). It just won’t die. Despite its dogged longevity, is it time we asked the fateful question, is it time it retired? After all they make airline pilots hang up their wings at 65, so what benefit does this cartridge offer anymore? There are better ways to get things done now a days. Perhaps the Springfield should take some advice from General Douglas MacArthur and “just fade away.”
What the .30-06 is
Before we insist it ride into the sunset, we should look at just what does the .30-06 do for hunters? I say hunters because the “Ought-Six” hasn’t been hurled in anger at America’s enemies as a mainstay cartridge for over 60 years. The last soldier who did so is likely on Social Security by now.
The .30-06’s forte is dropping medium-sized game (deer) at ranges inside 500 yards. It is, however quite versatile. Able to handle bullet weights from 100 – 250 grains, it can, and has, accounted for every game species on the planet at one time or another. Yet, its day job is accomplished with bullets in the 150 – 180 grain range.
There are now, and have been for almost as long as the .30-06 has lived, viable alternatives. Not to mention cartridges which outright trounce the grey-bearded warrior. There are rounds which put the same hurt on critters but with flatter trajectories, less recoil, less powder, and more efficiency. Need charge stopping power for dangerous beasts? There are far better alternatives than the “Ought-Six.” Need to put some hurt 800 yards or more downrange? Again, better choices.
Why it is Popular
This round became ascendant for two big reasons: its military record and its economy of scale. The .30-06 stands at two wins and one tie (WW1, WW2, Korea). A record as yet unmatched by the service cartridges which replaced it. Thus, it gets the nostalgia vote. These very conflicts lead to the second reason. After both world wars, surplus rifles chambered for .30-06 flooded the civilian U.S. gun market in a tsunami. Cheap, accurate guns which used a round familiar to several generations of demobilized G.I.s vaulted the .30-06 to superstar status. So much so, the round is the most popular in the world, except in regions influenced by the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
Just because something is popular, does not mean it is inherently worthwhile. The Kardashians are a prime example. Watch the great video we put together and decide for yourself if it is time we retired the .30-06.
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