The Most Overrated Deer Hunting Cartridge

Hear, I get it, okay? Calling the aught-six overrated is like calling Michael Jordan overrated. It’s the form of sizzling take that looks like it’s meant to make folks mad with out providing something useful or helpful. However that’s not my intention. I perceive, as MeatEater readers identified throughout October Insanity two years in the past, that the .30-06 is maybe the preferred deer cartridge of all time. It kills deer lifeless, it’s low-cost and straightforward to search out, and hundreds of thousands of hunters have used it efficiently since its adoption by the U.S. navy in 1906.

For those who’re a type of hunters, and you like taking pictures the 120-year-old cartridge, don’t let me cease you. Keep it up, brother. Go in peace.

However in case you’re somebody who’s by no means loved taking pictures your grandfather’s previous .30-06 however assumed that’s the worth you pay to hunt deer, hold studying. You’re not loopy or a wimp, and there are higher choices on the market.

My argument is fairly easy: the .30-06 has extra juice than you should kill a deer. It’s true that extra vitality on track is never a nasty factor. As I’ve written elsewhere, rising bullet vitality might enhance the percentages of inducing hydrostatic shock. But it surely’s additionally true that poking a gap in the correct place can kill a deer virtually as rapidly as hitting its “off” swap. Plus, you already know the place the center and lungs are in each deer you’ll ever see. We nonetheless don’t perceive what causes hydrostatic shock, and chasing it may be a idiot’s errand.

For that purpose, most hunters agree that deciding on a cartridge you possibly can shoot precisely is extra essential than chasing bullet velocity and vitality. You may have the ability to shoot your .30-06 simply high-quality, and I’m with you–I’ve no bother taking pictures mine. However in case you can step right down to one thing softer on the shoulder, why wouldn’t you? My aim is at all times to stability ballistics with recoil: I would like one thing highly effective sufficient to punch via a shoulder blade however not so highly effective that I dislike an extended follow session on the vary.

Let’s put some numbers on these bones. First, recoil. Recoil is very depending on rifle weight and powder cost, however these numbers from Chuck Hawks’ recoil desk provide you with a way of how the .30-06 compares to different widespread deer cartridges.

It’s been mentioned that the .30-30 has killed extra deer than every other cartridge. The .243 Win. is a well-known deer killer, as are the .270 Win. and the 7mm-08. I hunt deer yearly with a 6.5 Creedmoor, and I’ve by no means didn’t recuperate an animal. Given these information, it appears smart to favor cartridges that kick much less however nonetheless get the job carried out.

They usually do get the job carried out. I don’t essentially ascribe to this benchmark (principally as a result of I do know so many bowhunters who kill deer yearly), however 1,000 ft.-lbs is bandied about because the minimal bullet vitality wanted to dispatch a deer. Power imparted additionally is dependent upon bullet building, however placing that wrinkle apart for now, listed here are the distances at which these deer cartridges above dip under 1,000 ft.-lbs.

These numbers are approximate, however as you possibly can see, the lighter-recoiling cartridges preserve >1,000 ft.-lbs. of vitality at commonest looking distances. I don’t know what proportion of deer are shot inside 100 yards, however I guess it’s near a majority. On the opposite finish of the spectrum, I’d be shocked if even 1% of deer are killed past 400 yards, although your particular wants can be dictated by the place and the way you hunt.

Backside line? The .30-06 produces extra recoil than different widespread deer cartridges, however until you propose to take a shot past 500 yards, it doesn’t provide an amazing in-the-field benefit.

But it surely positive does kill these deer lifeless. Followers of the .30-06 report that deer, very like our foes in World Battle II, typically collapse when confronted with the uncooked energy of the ‘06. I get that, however I feel there are higher choices in case you’re in search of an Ubermensch deer cartridge.

Take one other have a look at the charts above. The 300 Win. Magazine. and the 7mm Rem. Magazine. each produce extra recoil than the .30-06, however you in all probability don’t care an excessive amount of about that in case you’re already a fan of the thirty-aught. Nonetheless, these two different cartridges additionally provide considerably higher downrange efficiency than the ‘06. They’re each buzzing alongside above 1,000 ft.-lbs. at practically 1,000 yards, which provides about 100-150 extra yards of vary (in case you, for some purpose, wish to shoot that far). In addition they hit with extra vitality on the nearer distances you’re extra more likely to really take a shot.

Once more, I don’t suppose you want a .30-06, 300 Win. Magazine., or a 7mm Rem. Magazine. to hunt deer. I suppose in case you plan to shoot past 600 yards, these hotter cartridges is perhaps vital. However if you’re dead-set on high-powered magnums, I feel the 300 Win. Magazine. and 7mm Rem. Magazine. are higher choices–to not point out all the fashionable, often extra correct cartridges that greatest even these tried-and-true designs.

I’m not suggesting–and by no means will–that the .30-06 is a nasty deer cartridge. For those who’re in search of a cartridge that may simply take a whitetail whereas additionally stepping as much as elk, moose, and just about every part else in North America, the .30-06 is a superb alternative. However in case you’re in search of a devoted deer spherical, there are higher choices.

The ‘06 grew to become a preferred deer cartridge as a result of deer are the preferred massive recreation animal, and as a U.S. navy spherical, the .30-06 was low-cost and straightforward to search out. The match is sensible, and it’s why 1000’s of hunters really feel nostalgic for the previous rifle spherical. These hunters in all probability have a father or grandfather who shot dozens of deer with a sporterized M1903 Springfield or a Remington or Winchester from a Sears catalog. These reminiscences and associations are comprehensible and completely human, and if that’s why you like your .30-06 deer rifle (together with the aforementioned capacity of the cartridge to kill deer lifeless), hold utilizing it!

However in case you’re a brand new hunter or somebody who doesn’t take pleasure in looking with granddad’s deer gun, you must know there are new and established cartridges that, in my humble opinion, are extra appropriate for deer than the previous ‘06.