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. History of the .30-06 CartridgeDevelopment 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,...