Posted by on 11/5/2021 to
We’ve all heard of the thirty aught six, but what is it, and why the odd name? Its full name is 30 Govt ‘06 by Winchester or the 30-06 Springfield, we can break this down further.
It is .3 inches or .30 inches, it is not .3006 inches. So the size of the bullet is described by the 30, and that’s it. In metric, the cartridge is 7.62×63mm.
The 30.06 is a cartridge that has been around for awhile, since 1906 exactly. That is what the aught six refers to. Aught is another way to say zero like saying ‘oh six.’ This cartridge had an illustrious career in the U.S. Military from 1906 into the 70’s.
Springfield refers to Springfield Armory which was a primary armory for the U.S. Military and is the original maker of the cartridge. Winchester is pretty well known as a producer of firearms and munitions.
So what is it good for? Well, it was used as a rifle and machine gun round for all those years it was used in the military. This was the military round that the 5.56 sought to replace in the late 50’s, and in the ‘70s it was replaced by the 7.62x51mm. Today it is still a great hunting round with its size and effective range. With great range and size, it is often used specifically for deer hunting. It is said Ernest Hemingway both stopped a lion and made a one shot kill of a rhino at 300 yards with this cartridge. Though it is still used as a hunting round, other ammunition, like the 308, is said to have all the positives and less of the drawbacks. That said the 30.06 continues to be a well known, often used cartridge.