The 35 Remington and 30-06 are two very popular calibers often used for similar tasks. But which one is better? Why is one better? In this article, I will compare both cartridges to see which one is better.

Here is the short answer:

The 30-06 has more energy, less drop, less wind drift, and more velocity than the 35 Remington. But the 35 Remington is a better close-range deer hunting cartridge. However, if you were to pick a cartridge to use, you would want to go with the 30-06.

With the short answer out of the way, we can take a closer look at each cartridge, why one cartridge is better, and when you would want one over the other.

30-06

The 30-06 is a widespread cartridge that has been in use since 1906. It was first adopted by the US military in 1906 to be used in the m1903 Springfield and m1 Grand rifles. However, not long after the world wars, the Springfield rifles were being used to hunt big game. This is how the 30-06 got its reputation as an effective big game hunting cartridge. 

The 30-06 became popular and widespread because of its effectiveness at killing big game animals. The 30-06 is widely excepted as the bare minimum to hunt all big game animals in America. So, if you are going to hunt big game animals such as deer, elk, or caribou, then the 30-06 is a good choice. 

This cartridge has 1100 foot-pounds of energy at 500 yards and 64 inches of drop with a 180-grain bullet and a 200-yard zero. The 30-06 can kill an elk as far as 400 yards and a deer at 550 yards, so the 30-06 can kill animals well past the capabilities of most shooters. If you are a western big game hunter, the 30-06 is a cartridge you would want to consider using because of its high energy and good ballistics.

The 30-06 has a wide array of bullets weight that it can be used with, which means that it can be used to hunt a wide variety of animals. The 30-06 can be used with bullet weights from 110 grains to 220 grains. You can use 110-grain bullets as a light recoiling alternative to train with or to hunt varmints with, or you could buy a 220-grain bullet and hunt animals as big as moose or elk.  

35 Remington 

The 35 Remington is a medium-power cartridge that was designed to compete with the 30-30 Winchester. The 35 Remington is primarily a deer hunting cartridge that is used in a lever action platform. The 35 Remington is right in the middle of the 30-30 and 45-70, it has more energy than the 30-30, but not as much as the 45-70.

This cartridge is used almost exclusively for hunting deer. The 35 Remington does not have outstanding ballistics and isn’t super powerful so it is pretty limited in use. However, it is an exceptional close-range deer hunting cartridge because of its high energy at close range. 

Ballistics-wise, the 35 Remington is not a cartridge that stands out too much. It can kill a deer out to about 150 yards, and then it loses most of its power. With a 100 yards zero, the 35 Remington drops just under 190 inches at 500 yards so you are extremely limited in range. If you do buy this cartridge you will have to keep in mind that it is almost exclusively for close range.

Which cartridge is better

Now that we have taken an in-depth look at each cartridge, we can compare the two to see which one is better. 

When you compare the ballistics of the two cartridges, you will find that the 30-06 is a better cartridge. The 30-06 has more power and less drop making it better ballistically. Even though the 35 Remington has a lot of close-range energy, the 30-06 is still a better choice because has more range. 

Availability-wise, the 30-06 is a better cartridge. The 30-06 is a cartridge that has been in production for a long time and is available in almost every bolt action rifle model out there. The 35 Remington is limited in availability mainly because it is almost exclusively found in lever action rifle platforms. 

Versatility is an important quality in a cartridge, and the 30-06 is an extremely versatile cartridge. The 30-06 is considered to be one of the most versatile cartridges out there, as it is not too big to be used on animals like deer, but it is also big enough to where you could use it on moose. Not to mention that you can hand load bullets from 110-220 grain for almost any kind of game or varmint you could hunt.

Conclusion 

Overall both cartridges have their place, but the 30-06 is a better choice. The 30-06 has better ballistics, and better versatility, and is a more popular/available cartridge. If you were to pick a cartridge you would want the 30-06.