At our club practice this morning, a member asked me a simple question, "Do you consider the .30-06 to be a high-powered rifle cartridge"?
Short answer, yes, I do. I consider the .30-06 to be on the low end of "high-powered". The .30-06 can do a lot of things, and if I had to list all rifle cartridges into three categories, low, medium and high, I would put the .30-06 in the high category. It can be loaded from mild to wild and your mileage might vary, but I consider the .30-06 to be a high-power cartridge.
The conspiracy theories have already started. Example here. I don't subscribe to those theories, but I do acknowledge them.
6 comments:
Agree on all counts.
Who wouldn't consider .30-06 "high powered"?
Anything that can reliably take Moose and Grizzly bear is high powered in my book.
If it's not "high powered" what is it?
Assault rifle loadings like 5.56x45, 7.62x39, 6.8spc etc are "intermediate" cartridges.
There are some "classic" (non-assault rifle) loadings that I'd also consider intermediate based on their similar ballistic profiles to more modern intermediate cartridges - .30-30 for example.
Are they creating a new classification for rifles that are higher powered than the intermediate cartridges listed above and specialized purpose built high powered cartridges like .338 Lapua and .416 Rigby?
I suppose I could see that, but what are they calling this new category? "more powerful than intermediate but not as high powered as an elephant gun or an extreme range sniper loading"? That seems a mouthful.
Maybe they should come up with a new category for big game and long range rifle calibers? "Super powered" sounds like a comic book hero. "Extra powered"? "Mega Powered"? "Extreme Powered"?
I was young and a small built kid when I shot the only round of 30-06 I ever shot. I was prone,on a blanket. It jacknifed me. I didn't ask to shoot it again..
Express!
The .30-30 is a bit of a tough call. But I would have to call it a high powered caliber. The muzzle energy and penetration ability of the caliber is just too much greater than the intermediate calibers like those used by things like the M-4 or the 7.62 x 39.
And one of the rifles that have been used to take big game in the north, like moose in Canada and even larger bears in northern areas is the .30-30. That doesn't make the good old Winchester 94 the ideal big game rifle, but it does show that it is useful for such things. And no, that is not the same thing as saying that because the .22 LR has been used to take big game and so it is also a high powered round.
Of course, this is just one more discussion that is based on mostly opinion. Mine is just one such opinion, and not any more valid than Sailorcurt's.
Yes, 30-06, .308. 7x57 Mauser, etc. are high power rifle cartridges.
Post a Comment