Saturday, February 18, 2006

Savage Model 111

I put another rifle on layaway today. A Savage Model 111, in .30-06 Springfield caliber. This rifle is my celebration of a great 100-year-old cartridge that is still going strong. Readers know my fondness of the Savage bolt action rifles. They are sturdy, practical, fairly inexensive, and surprisingly accurate. Savage put a lot of thought into those rifles and I consider the Accutrigger the best design in a factory trigger in the last fifty years.

I've never owned a .30-06, although millions of Americans before me testify to the popularity of the round. It is a great general purpose cartridge that is chambered in millions of new rifles each year. The .30-06 is parent to a number of successful cartridges, including the .270 Winchester, the .35 Whelen, and the .25-06 Remington, each of which have become fully mature in their own right. Newer cartridges today still measure themselves against the benchmark of the .30-06. Some are faster, some carry more energy, some shoot flatter, but when the gun scribes write about them, they use the old warhorse as a common denominator to measure performance.

Jeff Cooper, Jack O'Conner, and Elmer Keith, each known for other cartridges, all bowed to the general versatility and practical utility of the .30-06.

Oh, I will still maintain my love for the others. Regular readers know my fondness for the .357 magnum, the .30-30 Winchester and the .45-70. I am currently in a flirty infatuation with the .243 Winchester, which is a fond grandchild of the .30-06.

But, it is time to harness the .30-06 for myself. I'm sure it will be a useful addition to the battery.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have owned my savage m-111 30-06 for about nine years now and have taken six deer with it. I see no reason to go beyond the 150 grain winchester or remington rounds as they have all the takedown power needed. I tried the 180 grain loads once but never shot any deer with them and the recoil is more severe.

Anonymous said...

i just today bought this gun because of this info and i was wondering if i can buy any accssories for tthis gun can u give a link thnx my email is motamustang15@yahoo.com

Anonymous said...

i have a rem. model 700 in `06. i use 180 gr. rems. & 3 shots at 100 yds. a dime easily covers them. actually a tight 1 hole pyramid,gun loves 180 gr. happy hunting guys."there aint much a man cant get with 500$ & an `06."

Anonymous said...

`06-s forever. if you need more,just stay home by the fire.