Editing .30-06 Springfield (section)

==Firearms==
[[File:Batesgarand2.jpg|thumb|[[M1 Garand]] 30-06. Note the ammunition clip at 12 o'clock. It is ejected from the rifle after all eight rounds have been fired.]]
[[File:Super2012.jpg|thumb|A [[Winchester Model 70]] Super Grade hunting rifle in .30-06 with [[Leupold & Stevens|Leupold]] 6×42 scope]]

In military service, the .30-06 was used in the [[bolt-action]] [[M1903 Springfield]] rifle, the bolt-action [[M1917 Enfield]] rifle, the [[semi-automatic firearm|semi-automatic]] [[M1 Garand]] rifle, the semi-automatic [[M1941 Johnson rifle]], the Famage Mauser, the [[M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle|Browning Automatic Rifle]] (BAR), and numerous machine guns, including the [[M1917 Browning machine gun|M1917]] and [[M1919 Browning machine gun|M1919]] series. It served the United States in both World Wars and in the [[Korean War]], and its last major use was during the [[Vietnam War]].{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

The Belgian army (ABL) bought the [[FN Model 1949]] rifle in .30-06 caliber (both as a sniper version with telescopic sights and as a general service weapon). The Belgian armed forces used the round widely in the Korean war, where the .30-06 caliber FN-49 proved to be a superior weapon in terms of both accuracy and reliability to the American [[M1 Garand]]. The .30-06 FN-49 saw widespread use in the various wars in and around the [[Belgian Congo]]. The 30-06 FN-49 was also sold to the armies of Luxembourg, Indonesia, and Colombia. Another customer was Brazil where it served the navy.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

Large volumes of surplus [[firearm brass|brass]] made it the basis for dozens of commercial and [[.30-06 Springfield Wildcat Cartridges|wildcat]] cartridges, as well as being extensively used for [[handloading|reloading]]. In 1908 the [[Winchester Model 1895|Model 1895 Winchester]] lever-action rifle became the first commercially-produced sporting rifle chambered in .30-06 Springfield. It is still a very common round for hunting and is suitable for large game such as bison, [[Sambar deer]], and bear, when used at close to medium ranges.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

In 1903, the Army converted its M1900 [[Gatling gun]]s in [[.30 Army]] to fit the new [[.30-03]] cartridge as the M1903. The later M1903-'06 was an M1903 converted to .30-06. This conversion was principally carried out at the Army's Springfield Armory arsenal repair shops. All models of Gatling guns were declared obsolete by the U.S. Army in 1911, after 45 years of service.<ref>Paul Wahl and Don Toppel, ''The Gatling Gun'', Arco Publishing, 1971, p. 155.</ref>

With "hot" [[handloading|handloads]] and a [[rifle]] capable of handling them, the .30-06 is capable of performance rivaling many magnum cartridges. However, when loaded more closely to the original government specs, .30-06 remains within the upper limit of felt recoil most shooters consider tolerable over multiple rounds, unlike the magnums, and is not unnecessarily destructive of meat on game such as deer. With appropriate loads, it is suitable for any small or large heavy game found in [[North America]]. The .30-06's power and versatility (combined with the availability of surplus [[firearms]] chambered for it and demand for commercial [[ammunition]]) have kept the round as one of the most popular for hunting in North America.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}