30-06 Springfield
Ventures With The Remington Model 700 DM "Mountain" Rifle
What the 44-40 once was, and what it became, had a lot to do with the advent of smokeless powder...and the smokeless powder brought on the 30-40 Krag in 1892. The 30-40 Krag was replaced by the 1903 "30-03", and the 1903 30-03 was replaced by the 1906 "30-06" (cartridge called the 30' Gov't '06 by Winchester). However, on the civilian side (along with the quicky advancing smokeless powder options), the 30-30 and the .303 Savage surpassed the 44-40 like it was standing still. The higher power 30-06 was soon offered to the civilian world for large-game hunters in 1908 with the 1895 Winchester lever-action rifle...which has been said to have became the first commercially-produced sporting rifle chambered for the .30-06 Springfield cartridge. Below is a generic timeline up to the introduction of the Winchester Model 70 and the Remington Model 700 rifles.
Skipping a tremendous amount of information, The Winchester Model 70, considered the "Rifleman's Rifle" was introduced in 1935. It has been said that this rifle was used "unofficially" as a sniper rifle, chambered for the 30-06, during Guadalcanal (WWII) and the Korean War. Used side-by-side with the pre-64 Model 70 (some equipped with a standard 8×43 Unertl scope) in the Korean War, the Remington 700 was also used. The USMC M40 sniper rifle was introduced in 1966. Basically a Remington Model 700, was topped with a basic Redfield 3x9x40 hunting scope. Although the M40 was chambered for the 7.62×51mm NATO, the .308 was probably a better cartridge for hunting...and the 30-06 a tad better than the .308. The .308 is typically loaded to a higher pressures than the 7.62.
The 150gr bullet is still a very popular hunting weight offered for the 30-06, and is what I use...made by Remington ammunition as well as several other manufactures.
The M40 .308/7.62x51mm Sniper Rifle with the Redfield 3-9×40 scope used by Sgt. Charles “Chuck” Mawhinney. He recorded 103 confirmed kills and 216 probable kills while serving in the Vietnam War, and the rifle can be found in the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Triangle, Virginia...
...as compared to the Remington Model 700 DM "Mountain" Rifle, 30-06 and Hi-Lux's replica Redfield scope
Remington Model 700 "Mountain" Rifle
With all the hype nowadays about those metric cartridges and weekend sniper wannabes', I thought I would share a bit about my love affair with the Remington 30-06 rifles.
I was first introduced to the 30-06 cartridge in the mid 1970's when my mom's step dad and my uncle purchased a couple Remington 742's. One had the rounded forearm while the other had the squared off forearm. It was rumored that my uncle was left handed and had a lefthanded rifle. While I do indeed remember him shooting lefthanded, I can not remember if the rifle was left handed or just the stock.
A few years later, around 1982 while in high school, I finally got a 742 for myself. I never had any troubles with it and regret selling it in the early 2000's. Missing the cartridge, I ended up buying a 2005 Remington Model 700 DM "Mountain". The mountain rifle has the thin barrel and is really light weight. The barrel heats up really fast so consecutive shots can be interesting during the summer's heat.
I never have, nor do I ever plan on handloading for this cartridge for any type of precision shooting. It is a hunting rifle and I tend to keep it that way. My go-to factory ammo has been the tired and true Remington 150gr SP/PSP as-well-as the "newer" Core-Lokt SP. This brand has always worked out fine for my 100 yards or less hunting ventures. My adventures with the 44-40 was to prove the long range capability that it once was, the 30-06 needs no introduction...and of course, there is no comparison!
Now that I am 57 years old, at the time of this writing, I decided to put the 30-06 cartridge to work in the woods and on the range, and just have fun with it. Thus, I will document my progress...
2-26-2024
The target scope has been replaced with the Hi-Lux 3x9x40 M40 Tactical Hunter scope. I used original vintage Redfield Rem 700 mount and rings. Now to see how it works out at the range. Continue scrolling down to check on updated targets.
.308 vs 30-06
100 Yards Zero:, 200 Yards: .308 - 3.68", 30-06 - 3.33", 250 Yards: .308 - 7.79", 30-06 - 7.09" 300 Yards: .308 - 13.59", 30-06 - 12.43"