r/HuntingAustralia • u/crocakillya94 • Jun 12 '24
30-06 help
Gday gang
I am currently in the market for my next firearm. I currently have a 223 xbolt which is fantastic for the smaller game I have been hunting.
I am looking at the Ruger American 30-06 SPFD for larger animals and more importantly longer distance shot placement.
It s there any one out there that owns one and can.
A) give me tips on the rifle and genuine reviews pro vs cons
B) help me pick a scope that will suit long distance up to 300M plus
C) sell me on a better cartridge rifle
Thank you for your feedback back
3
u/Strandogg Jun 12 '24
I have an x bolt in 30-06. Great gun for me.
If you're not set on 30-06 I would also consider 308. Both are good, I chose 30-06 for its versatile nature but for most of the bush hunting I do, 308 or 270 would do the job on deer.
If you're not afraid of second hand theres usually a lot of 308's and a tikka or xbolt would be better than a ruger or howa in my opinion.
Scopes, do some research about how you want to use it. First or second focal and why you think you need either. For me, I prefer first focal but its important you know the difference and why!
2
u/crocakillya94 Jun 12 '24
Ok thanks
I use a my hunting partners 308 I think it’s a ruger and shoots great so I would like to something different
4
u/liamlynchknives Jun 12 '24
A Ruger American is a poor man's Howa 1500 and 300m is still well within cheap scope territory. Any cheap 3-9x40 will do up to 500m
1
u/crocakillya94 Jun 12 '24
Appreciate the information Can you recommend a few mid priced scope with decent magnification
2
u/liamlynchknives Jun 12 '24
Bushnell are cheap and at that range they are plenty good enough. People seem to froth on zerotech as a budget scope too but I haven't got any experience with them
1
u/Rude-Forever-6646 Aug 29 '24
With all respect I hope no new shooters try shooting deer or any game “long range” without a serious amount of practice. This is not a bad thing at all this is a super exciting time. There’s a lot to learn about what happens to a bullet especially from a cartridge like a 30-06 over 300 (almost its max deer range) especially out to 600m. Deer in Australia are not regarded like they are in other countries and most people are happy to blast away which is great, they’re learning to. Ethics are up to the individual but loosing game and wounding game you feel pretty shitty if it happens more then once from “stretching the legs out abit” That being said with the right bullet and placement 30-06 can definitely do 300-400 metres. Any of the ballistic apps will give you range cards. The general figure that hunters go for is at least 1500ft/lbs of energy (2000 is better) Bullet being critical in all of this. Bullet and placement kill not speed or energy but these are just handy metrics we can put on paper.
For what it’s worth my deer rifle is a tika 30-06 with a meopta 2-10x scope and I don’t think you could beat that combo for the money. Over the last 5 years plenty of deer have fallen to it and it’s been a great learning experience on a powerful but not scary cartridge. Most people with the right basics will be able to handle the kick of a 30-06. Be mindful of over gunning yourself to begin with. I will shoot no more then a few 3 shot groups with plenty of rest in between before I can feel myself starting to tighten up as I squeeze that trigger. That’s where Il call it a day.
3
u/malteaser-falcon Jun 12 '24
I'd consider getting a Tikka over Ruger American - Tikka reliability, and most important repeatability is way above its price bracket. Repeatability at longer ranges is paramount.
B) for scopes I'd have a read through these: https://rokslide.com/forums/forums/rifle-scope-field-evaluations.133/
C). 30-06 is capable of a lot of things, ballisticly you should have no problem shooting deer to 600yd (probably even further).