.30-06 caliber in mm, its characteristics. Reviews of .30-06 caliber weapons

Would you use a .30-06 caliber cartridge for hunting, for example? Let's look at the capabilities of this ammunition. Tradition says that he was very popular during the Korean battle. The First and Second World Wars also did not happen without his participation.

In general, 7.62X63 mm (.30-06 Springfield) is a typical machine gun or rifle unitary American cartridge of the twentieth century. It was manufactured from 1906 to 1952. This model is still used today during hunting and sport shooting.

Chronicle

Interestingly, the .30-06 caliber warhead appeared among American soldiers in 1906 (hence its name). It replaced the .30-03 cartridge released in 1903.

After the end of the First World War, new types of ammunition were designed. Thus, cartridges with 11.3-gram bullets appeared - .30 M1 Ball (created in 1926) and with 9.7-gram bullets - .30 M2 Ball (created in 1938).

In 1936, the American army armed itself with the latest M1 Garand self-loading rifle, and then work began on the manufacture of weapons chambered for .30-06 caliber. And in 1944, America developed a prototype of the T20 rifle (M1 Garand with a removable magazine that holds twenty rounds from the Browning DAR M1918 assault rifle and fires in bursts).

In the end, the war in the United States ended, and experts began manufacturing a new cartridge, which, with small overall dimensions, could retain the ballistic data of the .30-06 ammunition (7.62X63 mm). In the 1950s, the T65 charge was created, which entered the army under the name NATO 7.62X51 mm. Of course, it was the same .30-06 caliber product, but now it had a case shortened by 12 mm. Its charge was made from a more powerful and improved gunpowder, providing the same ballistics. By the way, since 2000, all manufacturers have equipped this caliber with the same gunpowder, as a result of which it has a power greater than .308 by 20%.

It should be noted that since 2000, this warhead has been manufactured in Russia at the Barnaul Machine Tool Plant OJSC as a sporting and hunting cartridge.

"Springfield"

The .30-06 Springfield is a 7.62 mm format ammunition. US Army soldiers armed themselves with it in 1906 for shooting from the Springfield rifle, and in 1936 they began to use it in the Garand rifle.

In general, the numbers .30-06 mean the 0.30-inch caliber of the 1906 model. The warhead was in operation for more than fifty years. It was later replaced by NATO products 7.62X51 and 5.56X45 mm.

By the way, the .30-06 format is respected by hunters in both South and North America.

"The Uncrowned King"

Did you know that the .30-06 caliber is called the “uncrowned king of all kings”? By the way, these “kings” were created by the army: they were needed at a certain point in history to destroy the enemy. The obsolete ones were replaced by new ones in the American troops, until the small and playful 223 Rem appeared.

And since these ammunition have not been subjected to research for a long time, experts only have to adapt them to the needs of the civilian market, that is, for hunting purposes. Indeed, the .30-06 caliber turned out to be amazingly balanced (all the elements of charges of this type were impeccably combined). And the .308, among other things, was also a sniper cartridge.

Interestingly, the German military 8X57 also had to go through this path, later increased in diameter to 8.2 mm. Its models intended for hunting are designated: 8Х57 IS, 8Х57 JS, and cartridge cases with rims 8Х57IRS. In terms of power, the cartridge is comparable to 30-06 Spr.

Everyone knows that you can improve endlessly. As a result, today the .30 caliber has acquired a huge range of bullets of various modifications and weights. It should be noted that almost all the largest manufacturers of cartridges are engaged in their production.

Areas of application of the cartridge

Now let's talk in more detail about the applications of the .30-06 cartridge. You can simply say that they can be very different, but this would not half describe how versatile the caliber is. Here are some interesting examples of where the ammunition is most often used:

• boar hunting - the cartridge has good penetrating power and stopping effect, thanks to which it quickly sneaks under the thick skin of the animal without leaving a through hole;
• buffalo hunting - in the USA the .30-06 caliber is considered national - it is actively used by the indigenous peoples of America in order to shoot particularly large game;
• shooting wolves and coyotes - due to the fact that the 7.62x63 mm cartridge reveals its potential at long distances, it is often used for hunting wild animals;
• bear hunting - some types of bullets in the .30-06 cartridge are also suitable for hunting particularly large animals (the most important thing is to shoot at a vulnerable spot);
• catching medium-sized game - lightweight .30-06 caliber bullets are suitable for hunting deer, roe deer and other small animals, because such a projectile does not leave bruises;
• competitive shooting - the 7.62x63mm cartridge is considered highly accurate, so it is often used in many competitive shooting events at distances up to 300 m;
• Target Practice - Considering how accurate the Springfield can be, it is difficult to find a caliber that is also effective for beginner training.

The .30-06 Sprg cartridge is used by both athletes and when hunting medium and large animals.
And these are just the main areas of application that are most often preferred by owners of .30-06 caliber rifles. If desired, you can also hunt fur-bearing animals with such a cartridge, however, the trophy value of the skin in this case will not be the best.

Universal .30-06

Have readers already guessed that the .30-06 caliber has amazing characteristics? A cartridge of this type was very famous in the USA in the 20-30s of the last century. At that time he was lucky enough to cross American borders. It impeccably combines all the elements of a cartridge - the required chamber capacity of the cartridge case, its slope angle, barrel length, bullet diameter. In the modern world, this product is a kind of standard.

Cartridges that have a caliber of .30-06 can boast amazing photographs! In general, this ammunition is deservedly called the most famous and widespread hunting product used for shooting rifles.

What features does the .30-06 have? Thanks to the capacious powder chamber, the 64 cartridge case is successfully combined with the entire line of 7.82 mm bullets weighing from 6.5 g to 14.3 g (with manual equipment up to 16 g): this nuance provides the shooter with a “tool” for the widest range of hunting.

Cartridges of this caliber are produced by a huge number of companies throughout the world. They are inexpensive and very common in America, where they are used to hunt a wide variety of game. Of course, the .30-06 caliber bullet has an impressive number of versions, and that's impressive. In general, only the 308 Win can compare with this cartridge. By the way, different bullets for .30-06 have muzzle velocity and energy in the range of 734-942 m/s and 3270-4120 J. The diameter of the bullet reaches 7.85 mm, its rifling pitch corresponds to ten inches.

In recent years, this warhead has become widely known in the Russian Federation, taking second place after the .308 Win. A couple of years ago, our factories began producing weapons of .30-06 caliber. Therefore, many hunters are thinking about which cartridge to choose. Moreover, these two warheads have won equal recognition in the world. But, it should be noted that each of them has its own beneficial and useless qualities.

So, for Russian hunting, the .30-06 warhead is more preferable than the 7.62X54R and .308 Win, with which it is practically on par in terms of ballistic characteristics. Don't you think that the .30-06 caliber in mm wins over the named rivals? The cartridge has a case with a larger internal volume, a longer barrel and a shallower bullet seat. It is perfectly equipped with massive and long bullets, the volume of which is too small to accommodate the required amount of gunpowder.

It is interesting that, using bullets of 13.0 and 14.3 g, you can get a difference in initial speed, which will correspond to 80 m/s, and in energy - 650 J. And this is a very important nuance.

In general, with .30-06 ammunition they hunt a wide variety of game. Its handload puts it at distance from the .308 Win, bringing its performance closer to that of commercial .300 Win Mag loads. The maximum bullet weight for the .30-06 is 13 g, and for the .308 it is 11.7 g. In fact, with a .30-06 caliber and massive 13-14 g bullets, feel free to go after a large animal.

In general, the .30-06 is called a universal product: with a light bullet weighing 8 g, you can shoot a fox, a wolf, and even ducks. And if it has a mass of 9.7-10.7 g, mountain goats, sheep, small ungulates at a distance of three hundred meters will turn into shooter trophies without any problems.

But what about large deer (deer, wapiti)? To boast of such loot, you need to use ammunition with lead balls weighing 11.66 g, which are considered lethal at a distance of 250 m.

Experts advise using bullets from 2.96 g to 14.25 g, 16.2 g, Vulkan, Teilmantel and others specified for the .308 cartridge for elk and large wild boars. The great thing about the .30-06 is its compatibility with all of the latest bolt action systems. Very popular hunting carbines of .30-06 caliber with a longitudinally moving bolt, semi-automatic carbines, improved rifles equipped with a movable Colt forend or a Henry brace. On the market you can even find single-shot rifles that have a vertically moving bolt of the Ruger system.

It is interesting that the .30-06, without a rim, but with moderate working pressure, was able to join the ranks of the combined weapons popular in Europe. In the countries of this region, the .30-06 caliber receives only positive reviews. Many hunters who own Steyr-Mannlicher and CZ-550 weapons praise it every minute. And no one speaks badly of this cartridge; everyone notes its excellent lethality. Many people say that they usually use 13 and 11.7 g bullets.

Those shooters who rarely hunt or do not have large sums of money can purchase a “Moose” carbine. Many people buy carbines (Vyatsko-Polyansk). From foreign weapons, you can safely purchase CZ-550 carbines. Well, from the machine guns, of course, “Tiger” or “Vepr”.

A universal caliber for athletes and hunters

Why is the .30-06 considered a universal cartridge, equally effective for both recreational hunters and professional athletes? The reason for this can also be found in history. After the end of World War II, both social groups were in dire need of new ammunition. For sports enthusiasts, it was important to find a projectile that would ensure accuracy of combat, while hunters needed ammunition with good penetrating ability. It so happened that both of these characteristics were present in the 7.62x63 mm cartridge, so that fishermen and athletes paid attention to it almost simultaneously.

Although the .30-06 Sprg is considered only the third most popular rifle caliber in the American civilian market (after .308 Win and .223 Rem), many gun owners prefer it because it can be used for both hunting large game, and for training target shooting. At the same time, the cost of ammunition remains at a quite acceptable level, and the popularity of the cartridge among the civilian population is only increasing every day.

Thirties carbines

Agree, .30-06 caliber weapons are amazing! It is this company that is slowly but surely expanding its niche in the hunting market of the Russian Federation. Many foreign companies engaged in the manufacture of carbines for hunting offer models for this caliber, so the range of this product in gun stores is huge.

For example, the Arsenal gun salon (St. Petersburg) offers its customers hunting carbines of .30-06 caliber in huge quantities: Browning samples BAR 2, Sauer 202, Asera, Blaser R93, SBS 96 Steyr Mannlicher, Swiss SHR970.

Here, every hunter can choose products taking into account his individual preferences. Have you decided to purchase a self-loading carbine? Feel free to purchase BAR 2! But if you prefer a strict model with a rotating bolt, you will have to pay attention to SHR, SBS, Eurobolt or Sauer.

Do you need a good rifle? Any shooter would recommend the .30-06 caliber! You might consider purchasing a Mannlicher carbine with an advanced safety system or a reliable Browning, or you could simply rely on a well-known brand.

Some hunters revere the Swiss precision of the SHR and the unusual aesthetics of the 202 from Sauer, which is known for its custom stock and barrel mounts.

The Asera and Blaser R93 are very interesting. If a hunter pays attention to the listed carbines and purchases one of them, he will receive a high-quality and reliable weapon suitable for Russian hunting caliber. Moreover, both the cartridge and the .30-06 caliber bullet are not in short supply at the moment. After all, on the market you can purchase warheads from the RWS (Dynamit Nobel) company, which can be equipped in four options. By the way, very often arms companies use RWS as a standard when testing the accuracy of fire of rifled products.

Strengths of the .30-06 Springfield

To understand whether it is worth buying a unitary cartridge for hunting and sports, or whether it is better to give preference to the .308 Win caliber, it is recommended to study the list of positive qualities that the .30-06 Sprg boasts:

1. Prevalence. Many arms companies make self-loading carbines and bolt-action rifles chambered specifically for the .30-06 cartridge (or at least make modifications for this projectile). Fans of outdated rifles should definitely choose this caliber, since it is used more often than other cartridges on old weapons.

Golden Bear Ammo Box, .30-06 Springfield

1. Versatility. The .30-06 cartridge is equally effective for both target practice and wild boar hunting. The secret to this is simple - excellent penetrating ability combined with high accuracy. At the same time, the buyer will have a choice between light ammunition, sharpened for shooting at long distances, as well as heavy ammunition, which has better combat sharpness.
2. Excellent combat characteristics. The reason for this lies in the rather large size of the cartridge case, which holds more powder charge, which means that the bullet will not only fly faster, but also impact harder. At a distance of up to 300 m, the old Springfield completely outperforms the .308 Win, having a much higher muzzle velocity and muzzle energy.
3. Wide range of models. The RWS company offers customers a whole range of rifle cartridges with different powder weights, as well as different tips. For example, there are H-jacket bullets or Superformance ballistic projectiles (solid bullets). The choice will please not only hunters, but also athletes, who will be able to purchase a lightweight version of the .30-06 cartridge, which has greater accuracy at medium distances.
4. Rich story. If you want to use the ammunition your ancestors shot, or you're just curious about what the soldiers fought with during World War I, the .30-06 is a great choice. This cartridge is 50 years older than the famous .308 Winchester, so it will be much more interesting for a history buff to use. Especially if you use a projectile for shooting from an old nozzle.

And these are just the main positive aspects that the .30-06 caliber can boast of. Why, in this case, has it not yet overtaken the .308 Win in popularity? For the Russian hunter, the reason lies in the cost of the shell, which averages 167 rubles per piece. And although this price is considered quite acceptable for a hunting cartridge, many do not want to overpay, because 7.62×51 can be purchased for only 50 rubles.

Recommendations

Nobody wants to buy foreign cartridges at crazy prices! It is so? Therefore, owners of .30-06 carbines imported from other countries can pay attention to the products of Novosibirsk factory workers:

• .30-06 Spr. FMJ. The accuracy of the combat is overestimated, the bullet weighs 13 g, the tombak shell. The bullet is made of brass. This model is designed for firing from three hundred meters.
• .30-06 Spr. FMJ. The bullet of this warhead has a tombak shell and a mass of 9.4 g. Here the cartridge case is made of brass, the initial speed of the product is 855/s. The ammunition is intended for amateur and commercial hunting of four-legged animals weighing up to 150 kg at a distance of up to three hundred meters.
• .30-06 SPR. SP has a brass sleeve. Bullet weight - 9.4, primary speed - 865 m/s. The product has a Copper SP tombac shell. The ammunition is used for amateur and commercial hunting of animals weighing up to 400 kg at a distance of up to 400 meters.

Characteristics of the cartridge

Let's move on to the most delicious part - the technical characteristics of the .30-06 cartridge. Here is a small table taken from the website of one of the manufacturers:

Specifications may vary depending on the weapon, as well as the distance to the target. The above measurement was carried out using a rifle with a barrel length of 600 mm, as well as a distance of 200 meters to the target.

Discussion

There is not a single shooter in the world who has not discussed and compared .308 and .30-06 ammunition at least once in his life. Of course, the Springfield product appeared thanks to the Spanish-American conflict that flared up in 1898 (the countries fought for possession of Cuba). The Spanish soldiers were then armed with Mauser M-1893 rifles, and the US soldiers had only .30-40 caliber Krag-Jorgensen (US troops learned a good lesson).

Further, in 1903, US military personnel were armed with new Springfield M-1903 rifles. They were very similar to Mauser, so the States had to pay in court for the use of the German design.

Interestingly, the original .30-06 caliber was not superior to its competitors in mm, had a heavy bullet weighing 14 g with a blunt end. In 1906, a new sharpened lead charge weighing 9.7 g was created, the product turned into the most powerful cartridge at the dawn of the 20th century. The US soldiers fell in love with him very quickly.

What information do the creators of .308 and .30-06 provide us with? They argue that, in principle, hunters have always been interested in conserving energy while shooting. But this parameter directly depends on speed and weight. Here we observe that at the muzzle the discrepancy in this parameter is 291 J, at a distance of 200 m it is reduced to 122 J and reaches 66 J at 300 m.

In terms of speed, the priority of 9 m/s at a distance of 300 m is not particularly impressive, as is the touted firing range. After all, few people can notice the difference of nine meters by eye. Reproaches of excessively picky calculations are not taken into account here. It is clear that these are averaged data, but they were obtained using equipment, and not by eye.

The best Russian-made hunting rifles

"Boar"

pros

• good accuracy at 100 m

Minuses

• a little heavy, but not critical

The Vepr series includes smoothbore and rifled carbines. The series is designed for hunting large and medium game. Its prototype is a Kalashnikov manual assault rifle, the components and parts of which are also used in the modern version. The carbine is automatically reloaded, there is a “Dragunov type” orthopedic butt, and a long forend. Allows targeted shooting up to 350 m. An optical sight is additionally installed.

Simonov self-loading carbine (SKS)

pros

• comfortable
• low price
• reliability
• easy trigger
• the return is weaker compared to others

Minuses

• clumsy appearance

A legendary carbine from the Great Patriotic War, which is still used in military parades. A good option for rifled weapons for hunters. Suitable for hunting birds, hares, roe deer, moose, bears, wild boars. The design is reliable and simple. High accuracy. Inexpensive cartridges. Despite all the undoubted advantages, buyers note the unpresentable appearance.

"Saiga"

pros

• simplicity of design
• rate of fire
• reliable

Minuses

• non-reloading with low-power cartridges

There is a lot to choose from in the Saiga series. This civilian version of the Kalashnikov assault rifle has quite a few modifications; they differ in barrel length, butt and carbine design, and configuration (can be supplemented or replaced). Buyers note soft recoil when shooting, modern design, but complain about insufficient accuracy.

"Tiger"

pros

• easy
• value for money
• excellent shooting accuracy from 300-400 meters

Minuses

• plastic rattles in the cold
• noisy shutter and fire switch

The famous Dragunov sniper rifle with minimal modifications for civilian use. Barrel length, dimensions and weight depend on the model. Powerful and reliable rifled carbine for hunting medium and large game. Demonstrates good accuracy. Thanks to its light weight, it is convenient to carry and move around the forest with it.