Ballistics of the 30-06 Rifle Cartridge

Abstract : This paper describes the internal, external, and terminal ballistics of the 30-06 rifle cartridge. With cartridge case capacity of 68-70 grains of water and operating pressures up to 60,000 psi, the 30-06 launches 110-220 grain bullets with muzzle velocities between 3400 fps and 2400 fps, respectively. Low-drag bullets are available which make the 30-06 an effective and capable choice for target and anti-personnel use out to 1000 yards, but longer range applications are challenging due to the sonic transition. With an appropriate bullet choice, the 30-06 penetrates a variety of commonly encountered barriers. It also penetrates soft body armors and can deliver significant wounding effects even when stopped by hard body armor. At shorter ranges, wounding effects in human and deer-sized living targets are impressive and yield rapid incapacitation.