History of the .30-06 [Springfield] Cartridge [Happy 100th Birthday]

The .30-06 cartridge was created for the M-1903 Springfield rifle, a decade before World War I.

For the next six or seven decades, the same cartridge became the most widely used rifle and light machine gun ammunition, staying in service well into the 1970s.

Development of the .30-06 cartridge was motivated by the development of the pointed nose spritzer 7 x 57mm and 8 x 57mm Mauser cartridges by the Imperial German Army, a breakthrough in ballistic technology. When issued for the M-1903 Springfield rifle in 1906 the .30-06 was known as "Ball Cartridge, caliber .30, Model of 1906", replacing a short-lived, round-nosed ".30-03" cartridge originally intended for the Springfield rifle. The then-new spitzer technology (ie, the ability to make a pointed nose bullet) had obsoleted the ".30-03" design.

The versitile .30-06 cartridge was used during World War I not only for the M-1903 Springfield, but also for the .30 cal machine guns, the BAR, and for the .30 cal M-1917 Enfield. In 1940, when the M-1 Garand replaced the Springfield as the service rifle, the .30-06 continued to be the ammunition for the Garand as well as for the many models of light and medium machine guns. Machine gun usage included not only infantry weapons, but also models adapted for aircraft, for armored vehicles and naval vessels. Finally, in 1954 the .30-06 cartridge was officially replaced by the 7.62mm cartridge as the M-14 began to be phased in as the new service rifle. The .30-06 continued in service for machine guns and for the many .30 cal rifles that remained in use for snipers, ceremonial duties, and other uses well into the 1970s. Of course the .30-06 continues a strong presence in the civilian market.

Surplus .30-06 ammunition was plentiful in the U.S. market during the 1950s and 1960s, often packed in Garand clips still in their cloth bandoleers or even in Springfield stripper clips. Ball, armor piercing and tracer ammo was easy to find at very low prices -- some is still on the market in the 21st century. Note that ammunition loaded before 1950 or so has corrosive primers and careful cleaning of your weapon after firing is essential. U.S. military ammunition loaded after 1952 generally has non-corrosive primers except for some batches of Frankford Arsenal Match ammunition which may still use the old corrosive primers.

As issued in 1906 the rimless cartridge held a 150-grain spitzer, flat-base cupronickel jacketed bullet with 2700 fps muzzle velocity. In 1926, to improve machine gun effective range, the bullet was replaced by a 172-grain 9-degree boattail design with the same 2700 fps at the muzzle, designated the "Ball, caliber 30, M1." The velocity was reduced for a time to 2640 fps, but in 1938, as the gas-operated Garand came into service, the specs returned to the flat-base 150-grain loading, called the "Ball, caliber 30, M2" round. It was the M2 that accounted for most of the ammunition expended in World War II.

The correct name for the most common military .30-06 cartridge is the "Ball, caliber 30, M2". This is the "regular" rifle round. However, there were many loads made for various military purposes, usually identifed by colored markings on the bullet tips. Here is a partial list of some of the more common ones:

Blank rounds for launching grenades and for ceremonies were also made to chamber in the .30-06 firearms as well as gallery or dummy rounds for training purposes. The dummy rounds had fluted cases or holes or both to identify them. Blanks had crimped tops. Some of the many types of rounds were called M2, same as the Ball ammo, but others had their own model numbers.

In addition to these basic categories, there are many varieties and subtle changes within the U.S. military loads for .30-06. Consult one of the very detailed books for web sites for experienced collectors for more information.

Packaging of the .30-06 Cartridge The .30-06 cartridge was packaged to meet the requirements of the military user at the end of the supply chain. The riflemen of World War I received bandoleers with 5-round stripper clips, two in each pocket. By World War II this had changed to the 8 round block clips for the M-1 Garand, in similar cloth bandoleers but with one clip per pocket and six pockets per bandoleer. The bandoleers were, in turn, packed into ammo cans or wooden crates.

When packed into bandoleers, there was a cardboard sleeve in each bandoleer pocket that gave a little protection to the bullet tips. These have to be the right size -- the right length for the cartridge and the right width for the type of clips. The light cotton bandoleers and cardboard sleeves were thrown away after use or after the rounds were transfered to cartridge belts with sturdy canvas pockets. Bandoleers could be slung over the shoulders to carry extra ammo, more than the cartridge belt can hold.

Packaging for machine guns had the individual rounds organized into long belts, originally made of canvas cloth but later replaced by disappearing metal link belts. For infantry use, the belts were packed into ammo cans. For aircraft, as in the photo on this page, belts of thousands of rounds were prepared and carefully folded into the ammo bay where it could feed the gun continuously

For me the study of firearms and ballistics is a hobby, but its also a necessity and a duty in a Constitutional Republic. If I could carry here in California, I would probably carry the H and K or the Glock in .45 auto. I figure you take the gun that's right for the situation. The .475 Linebaugh might be a good "back up" pistol in Africa; yet, if I were going there for a big time hunt, I would rather have the .30-06 as a backup to the .375 (if going after really dangerous game). There are a few really true pistol hunters like Ross Seyfreid and John Taffin. The former has done some really dangerous hunting with large bore revolvers, something I would not be too comfortable doing. If I were limited to three guns they would be the Smith and Wesson Model 29, the Winchester Model 70 (pre '64) in .30-06, and the Model of 1911A1 in .45 auto. Today in America I am only limited by the lack of sufficient funds.

Especially with limited funds, choices should be sound. Especially in a potentially unstable area, choices should be especially sound!

Squantos and I ponder these things endlessly between each other, even though we own a lot of things, his owning just about every second thing there is, and repeats of what has proven itself. We boil our decisions down this way, and end up with well considered advice for people who ask. We both are interested in simplifying our own choices, hopefully settling on just a few, for very practical reasons.

What DO you run out of the house with, and stay out there for a long time, trying to survive?

Now if one eliminates his stellar concept of choosing something "that the dirtball who kills you will not be able to find ammunition for," (sounds like Eaker, doesn't it) something which can be resupplied gets rather important. Nothing does it all, well, so ammunition choices are a big deal too.

To my thinking, the .30'06 is as close to "all around" as any cartridge has ever gotten. The Rem. Accelerators really made it almost perfect, but lighter bullets such as 150grs. do rather well too, also pretty much closing in on the .25'06 and .270...since it hits harder than either at extreme range...kind of important. Squantos uses a Contender in 6.5 Swede as one of his "briefcase guns" for work. I'd hate to try to find those critters during a major emergency, though. He only laughed when I almost bought one last year, in .30'06! I use the round, and still want something small to hunt deer with in more populous areas, say, ski resort areas, where I may want to stop by and socialize here and there, and just put the "rifle" into my day pack. I think that a moderate load with a very heavy bullet would accomplish what I seek. Say, a 250 grain. If such a "short barrel" round could be loaded by me, the Encore would still be usable in a pinch, with standard ammunition, albeit rather nasty, I am sure. It would however shoot, which is better than not...a lot better.

About handguns, we are fascinated with the 10mm Auto, to stand in for our .44s while in the woods, and well, for everything. He just got his Glock back from Mag-na-Port, and said it's like shooting a .38 now.

Where I am, and what I do, I have to consider both self defense against tough, predatory animals, as well as dangerous humans. I would say the 10mm for me....but the area is also unstable for other reasons, and especially these days, with the "terrorist" potential. This may precipitate either a bug-out, or a struggle to return home. Will I have a .223, 12ga., .30'06....or my CCW iron? Right. How much ammo can I carry, will I need, before I may as well throw it away to save weight, when I cannot find resupply. I expect to meet 9mm along the way, one way or another. .45 is now somewhat rare too, sadly. 9mm is a flatter shooting round too, and I can carry more ammunition in a magazine than .45, so I pestered Squantos for everything he knows about the round. I was worried because my BHP pistols do not like to feed Speer 124gr. +P, and I bought Wolfe springs for them. They used to feed everything, but maybe the springs weakened over time. He put me in touch with Cylinder & Slide, who cautioned me that "no current automatic is up to a steady diet of +P ammunition without damage." Woah. Back to Professor Squantos. He said Winchester OSM. I couldn't believe it. I mean I was appalled! Then I read about it on the IWBA site, Dr. Fackler's organization. Double wow. Then the Professor related his little Taliban story about how a member of his team dropped one close on the prof's heels, with one chest shot, from a handgun. This stuff is on perpetual discount at Wal-Mart! White box 147gr. JHP. It feeds flawlessly. I never installed the springs, and never had the slightest problem. The Supreme is even better, and penetrates over 18" in tests, and only starts out at 990fps...subsonic! I have found my solution.

It backs up the .44 when in Yogi and Boo-Boo territory too, but if I really, really had to, I would not feel unarmed, but shoot for the eyes and mouth, and run away as soon and far as I could! Actually, I keep a spare magazine of flat nose OSM ball. Nothing is perfect, and unless I go back to pulling my little red wagon behind me, with all my contingency equipment.......!

A Contender as a briefcase gun. Now, there's a concept! I don't think I have ever considered the Contender to be a proper CCW gun, but in a way, I kind of like it. It depends on exactly what the need would be - what type of "game" one needs to look out for. The Encore is available in unGodly recoiling rounds. I shoot my old style TC Contender in very modest calibers - the heaviest is the .357 Max (from a ten inch barrel which was re chambered from .357 magnum by Mike Bellm) and the lightest is the .221 Rem Fireball. These things can be very accurate from a properly set up Contender shooting under ideal conditions.

I have limited my Contender calibers to these rather light rounds after I shot a friend's Contender on which he had a J.D. Jones top end in .45-70. That thing was the worst recoiling handgun I ever fired. I felt it was absolutely out of control for the 2nd shot!

Over the years I have more or less educated myself about these matters by buying a host of firearms and shooting a host of calibers, both in long guns and revolvers/pistols. I consider the money spent to be the same as if I was paying tuition at a good graduate school. I don't have any experience with the 10mm, but a few years ago I was in the process of building up a 1911A1 in .45 Super. I got sidetracked and never finished that project. I might eventually seek out a used Glock Model 20 and experiment a bit with the 10mm.

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