Re: 30-06AI
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: ArcticLight</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Gawd, a 142 SMK in a 6.5x06 - Whew...
My buddy has a 6.5x something - think it may be an 06 - he said about 750 rds barrel life but flattest shooting round I've ever seen!!! (I was previously thinking it was 6.5x308 - not so)..
750rds tho...? </div></div>
I had a 6.5-06 I like the fact that I could load 5 rounds in the magazine compared to 3 with the 6.5-283. Pulled the barrel at 1600 rounds. It was shooting about 1 1/4 groups, still plenty good for hunting bet marginal for long range shooting.
The barrel may have lasted longer, as I was never happy with the chamber area the gunsmith cut. If I knew then what I know now I would have sent it to one of the gunsmiths here to do the rebarrel.
But compared to something like 308 or 30-06 any of the hot-rod cartridges are not going to get the same barrel life. You just have to ask how competitive you want to be with your rig. In field matches the flatness of the 6.5-06 or 6.5-284 allow for more ranging error than a 308 or 30-06, and still hit the plate. YMMV
Good luck
Jerry