The .30-06Springfield would be an outstanding choice for what you seem to be in search-of. There is a reason the "06" has been around for so long...it WORKS, and it works-well. You don't have to have the vast experience and knowledge offered in the numerous threads to figure this out....just do your homework and read up on the FACTS. I was introduced to the 06 by my Grandfather, but I didn't fully embrace it until after I was introduced to the .308Win while in the USMC. Prior to the Marine Corps I hunted primarily with a .243Win for small-game...all the time lusting for the day I would hunt the hill-country with a "real-rifle" in .270Winchester. Then I moved to Arizona, where I had an affair for a few years with both the high-desert and a 7MM-Mauser...Then I met Colonel Jeff Cooper[USMC-ret.] He "reintroduced" me to the .30-06 and it's "little-brother" the .308Win, in both conventional and Scout-formats...[anyway...] - It all made sense after that.
The main advantage most often overlooked in the .30-06 vs .308 issue, is the ability of the .30-06 to take full advantage of the excellent projectiles offered in the 200-220grn offering. The .308Win does not work well with these bullet-weights, due to its smaller-[yet very efficient]-case capacity and length. I prefer launching projectiles in the 165[8]grn-class out of a medium-weight rifle with a fixed power optic...so I have a considerable amount of trigger-time, and experience with the .308Win at known-distance, and unknown-distance ranges. I have .308cal-rifle in both conventional and Scout-Rifle formats, and they all kill quarry deader-than-wood if I do my job as a marksman.
WGM made a few interesting points you might want to consider...Also - I prefer my .308's with 20-inch tubes and since I have no use for long, unweilding barrells...I like my .30-06 tubes in the 22-inch range. You will notice a considerable difference in the "handiness" of the two rifles when you start comparing them side-by-side due to their differences in action and barrel set-up. Either way you can't go wrong, The .30-06 is the "Jack-of-All-Trades" in .30's...and the .308Win can do 90% of what the Springfield can do...in a smaller, trimmer package. Do your homework-first, reading is knowledge...and the knowledge is out there - merc.
[BTW: Col Cooper has written more than a few outstanding books with this subject matter in content: [1]To Ride, Shoot-Straight, and Speak the Truth, and [2] The Art of the Rifle. Both available through Gunsite-Press.]
The main advantage most often overlooked in the .30-06 vs .308 issue, is the ability of the .30-06 to take full advantage of the excellent projectiles offered in the 200-220grn offering. The .308Win does not work well with these bullet-weights, due to its smaller-[yet very efficient]-case capacity and length. I prefer launching projectiles in the 165[8]grn-class out of a medium-weight rifle with a fixed power optic...so I have a considerable amount of trigger-time, and experience with the .308Win at known-distance, and unknown-distance ranges. I have .308cal-rifle
WGM made a few interesting points you might want to consider...Also - I prefer my .308's with 20-inch tubes and since I have no use for long, unweilding barrells...I like my .30-06 tubes in the 22-inch range. You will notice a considerable difference in the "handiness" of the two rifles when you start comparing them side-by-side due to their differences in action and barrel set-up. Either way you can't go wrong, The .30-06 is the "Jack-of-All-Trades" in .30's...and the .308Win can do 90% of what the Springfield can do...in a smaller, trimmer package. Do your homework-first, reading is knowledge...and the knowledge is out there - merc.
[BTW: Col Cooper has written more than a few outstanding books with this subject matter in content: [1]To Ride, Shoot-Straight, and Speak the Truth, and [2] The Art of the Rifle. Both available through Gunsite-Press.]
