As far as cartridges go, the 06 is just a generally outdated cartridge design. That doesn’t mean it’s bad and can’t kill shit, but with other stuff out there with just as plentiful factory ammo available, I don’t see why anyone still uses it, other than, “it’s what my grandpa used…” It’s inefficient, requires a long action and if your going to go with a long action, my mind says you should make use of it.
When comparing apples to apples in factory ammo offerings, you only get around 100-130 fps more out of the 06 over the 308 Win. I’ll take a 308 any day over the 06 for general target and hunting work, but if I were looking for a one size fits all cartridge for NA critters, my choice would be a big 30 all day. 300 Win is great for factory ammo but once again, not the best cartridge design. The short neck sucks, the belt is a relic of the old times and most of us abandon it and load 300WM based on the traditional Head / Shoulder datum setup for our chambers.
300 PRC is as readily available in all my local shops, big and small, when compared to 06, maybe even more so in some. I’ve had some very good shooting 300 WM’a but I’ve found the 300 PRC’s shoot factory ammo better in general and are easier to tune in for reloading. Just my experience, and despite what people may say, cartridge design does contribute to potential accuracy.
Regarding that old worry about “if I fly somewhere and lose my ammo or my ammo is destroyed, I need to find it in a gun store, etc., etc., etc….” Well, that lines right up with the rest of those useless worries we have. I fly regularly with my rifle for hunts, matches and work, most airlines allow you to pack ammo in the factory boxes in your gun case. If your rifle doesn’t show up at baggage claim, then your ammo doesn’t either so time to switch to plan B and use your partners rifle or go buy a new one to use for the trip. If you wanted to be extra prepared, pack some ammo in your gun case, and pay a few buck to pack another couple boxes in another small pelican case so they are separate. Add one more layer of protection and ship a few boxes of ammo out to the lodge, hotel or range you are shooting at. If that’s your only option, send the ammo well in advance so you know it arrived safely. Also, just in the last couple of years I’ve been to some pretty small towns on hunts with populations hovering around 1k or less in always hit the local gun shop and they always have the popular players in stock.
There’s some rambling up there but hopefully that helps.
