Originally Posted By: The Famous GrouseIf we're being honest, the main knock against the .30-06 for the OP's stated uses of deer/elk isn't really about the 06 at all.
Let's face it. The main "problem" with the .30-06 is that it's boring! Boring! Been there, done that, dad had one, grandpappy had one, uncle Bob has one, everybody and his dog has one. It's the Ford F-150 of rifle calibers. Boring, boring, boring. Nothing to see here, folks. Plain, reliable, no flash, no fuss, no muss.
Guys want new. Guys want different. We want latest/greatest. We want stuff that our buddies and fathers and grandfathers didn't have. Nothing about a cartridge that's been common as dirt for over a century satisfies these wants, so we invent stuff that does. And that's how we ended up with the .223 WSSM... Smile. You know it's true.
For a versatile North American big game cartridge, there is no "or". The 06 is king not because of theory, but because of reality. That cartridge, for a century, has done exactly what the OP wants to do. Over and over and over and over. It's over a century old because it WORKS.
Grouse
I've had members here get after me with a vengeance for calling the 06 boring. Too bad cause it fits.
It has been a winner since 1906 and still is.
If I remember correctly there is a few pounds more recoil with the 06, but most including me would have a difficult time discerning the difference.