The .30-06 Springfield cartridge (pronounced "Thirty ought six") is a .30 caliber rifle cartridge, also known as the 7.62 x 63 mm, that was introduced as the standard cartridge of the United States Army in 1906. It replaced the .30-03 cartridge that had been introduced only three years prior but did not use the modern Spitzer bullet. The Springfield 1903 rifle, introduced alongside the earlier cartridge, was quickly modified to accept the .30-06. The .30-06 remained the US Army's main cartridge for nearly 50 years before it was finally replaced by the shorter 7.62 x 51 mm NATO (.308 Win) round with the official adoption of the M14 and its round in 1954. However, the first M14s were not fielded until 1957, and the .30-06 remained in service into the 1970s, mainly as a machine gun cartridge.
It was notable for its long and diverse service life, being used in the bolt-action M1903 Springfield, the semi-automatic M1 Garand and the Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR), among others. It served the United States in both World Wars and in Korea, remaining the standard as firearms evolved around it. In the end, though, its full-power design became obsolete as military technology turned to assault rifles that fired weaker cartridges but allowed for controlled automatic fire. The .30-06's power, combined with the ready availability of surplus firearms chambered for it, has made it a popular hunting cartridge, since it is well suited to kill large mammals such as deer and moose.
Weapons Using the .30-06 Round
- M1903 Springfield and variants, loading from stripper clips
- M1917 Enfield , also loading from stripper clips
- M1917 water-cooled and M1919 air-cooled machine guns, feeding from belts
- M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle, loading fom detachable magazines
- M1 Garand, loading in an en bloc clip
- M1941 Johnson , feeding from an internal rotary magazine
Performance
The 30-06 is a powerful round designed in an age when 1000 yard shots could be expected. The former standard issue M2 Ball ammunition, issued in the US and any other country that used US weapons, fired a 150 grain lead core bullet with a cupronickel jacket between 2800 and 2900 feet per second (fps). Modern loadings exceed 200 grains, but velocity naturally goes down as a result, and can go as low as 120 grains. Owners and users of US issue semi-automatic weapons are advised to keep as close to the M2 standard as possible, and to not exceed 175-180 grain bullets; otherwise there is a chance of damaging the operating rod and other parts.
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