30/06 Springfield Compare And Contrast

The times that I spent shooting with my dad are some of my fondest memories. From an early age, he taught me how to properly respect firearms, operate them with emphasis on safety, and how to hunt efficiently with them. He taught me these things by letting me shoot and hunt with two very diverse cartridges: the .22lr and the .30/06 Springfield. Although, these cartridges may be the some of the most popular rounds in the country, they differ distinctly in their hunting applications, long-range ability, and produced recoil. Perhaps the biggest difference between these two cartridges is in their hunting applications. The .22lr fires a small, slow-moving projectile that leaves a tiny exit wound. Theses attributes make the round better utilized for hunting small game, such as squirrels, rabbits, foxes, raccoons, beavers, and opossums. At the opposite end of the spectrum, the .30/06 spits out a large, high-velocity round that leaves large entry and exit wounds. These traits are sought after in the pursuit of big game, such as …show more content…
Two factors primarily contribute to a cartridge’s long-range ability: ballistic coefficient, which is the projectile's ability to resist being tossed around by the wind, and velocity, the actual speed of the bullet. The .22lr has a ballistic coefficient of around .14 and a velocity of 1,260 fps, which makes it very susceptible to wind drift and the force of gravity. At this rate, a .22lr bullet will drop about 38 feet between the muzzle and a target 500 yards away. Additionally, a 10mph wind will cause the bullet to drift about 94 inches, making it very difficult to hit anything at any great distances. The .30/06 has a ballistic coefficient of .447 and a velocity of 2,800 fps. At 500 yards, this round will only drop about 5 feet, and will drift about 21 inches in a 10mph wind. This type of bullet is much more suited to shooting paper targets or deer from a long