.30-06 Springfield vs .45-70 Government Ammo Comparison - Ballistics Info & Chart
- Caliber Ballistics Comparison
- 07 Dec, 2018
The following ammunition cartridge ballistics information and chart can be used to approximately compare .30-06 Springfield vs .45-70 Government ammo rounds. Please note, the following information reflects the estimated average ballistics for each caliber and does not pertain to a particular manufacturer, bullet weight, or jacketing type. As such, the following is for comparative information purposes only and should not be used to make precise predictions of the trajectory, performance, or true ballistics of any particular .30-06 Springfield or .45-70 Government rounds for hunting, target shooting, plinking, or any other usage. The decision for which round is better for a given application should be made with complete information, and this article simply serves as a comparative guide, not the final say.
For more detailed ballistics information please refer to the exact round in question or contact the manufacturer for the pertinent information. True .30-06 Springfield and .45-70 Government ballistics information can vary widely from the displayed information, and it is important to understand that the particular characteristics of a given round can make a substantive difference in its true performance.
| Caliber | Type | Velocity (fps) |
Energy (ft-lb) |
|---|---|---|---|
| .30-06 Springfield | Rifle | 2820 | 2920 |
| .45-70 Government | Rifle | 1680 | 2270 |
Velocity
As illustrated in the chart, .30-06 Springfield rounds - on average - achieve a velocity of about 2820 feet per second (fps) while .45-70 Government rounds travel at a velocity of 1680 fps. To put this into perspective, a Boeing 737 commercial airliner travels at a cruising speed of 600 mph, or 880 fps. That is to say, .30-06 Springfield bullets travel 3.2 times the speed of a 737 airplane at cruising speed, while .45-70 Government bullets travel 1.9 times that same speed.
Various calibers
Energy
Furthermore, the muzzle energy of a .30-06 Springfield round averages out to 2920 ft-lb, while a .45-70 Government round averages out to about 2270 ft-lb. One way to think about this is as such: a foot-pound is a unit of energy equal to the amount of energy required to raise a weight of one pound a distance of one foot. So a .30-06 Springfield round exits the barrel with kinetic energy equal to the energy required for linear vertical displacement of 2920 pounds through a one foot distance, while a .45-70 Government round exiting the barrel has energy equal to the amount required to displace 2270 pounds over the same one foot distance. As a rule of thumb, when it comes to hunting, muzzle energy is what many hunters look at when deciding on what caliber of firearm / ammunition to select. Generally speaking, the higher the muzzle energy, the higher the stopping power.
Again, the above is for comparative information purposes only, and you should consult the exact ballistics for the particular .30-06 Springfield or .45-70 Government cartridge you're looking at purchasing.
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3 Comments
Thank you very much for this data and for your concise and appropriate use of this general comparative data. Great job explains it and warning on how to use this info. It is exactly what I was looking for. I just had a curiosity and was looking for a quick but trustworthy comparison so I would have to look up the info for myself.
Thank you again, great job.
God protect, heal and bless you and your family.
Both are good choices, but depends on what you want to hunt and at what distance. If you own a new manufactured rifle in 45/70 and want to load your own you can get much higher energy than a 30-06. 45/70 is better for short distance in brush with a heavy bullet.
.30-06 Springfield, 170 grain at 2850 fps = 20.8 Taylor Knock-Out Factor (TKOF)
500 grain X (1,628 FPS in 22" barrel)) X .45" cal. or .452" = 367,928 /7000 =TKOF of 52.56
.45-70 Buffalo Bore’s 430-grain hard-cast bullet, at roughly 2000 fps and 3,600 ft.-lbs. from the muzzle.
(look up how TKOF is calculated)
.45-70 IS much MORE POTENT than 30.06 in close ranges. (see also trajectory and engery loss in balistics for correct comparison because 30.06 runs longer distances and shoots flatter than rainbow .45-70 hard hitter.
A hotgun slug has 70 to 80 TKOF!!!! BUT loses half its energy at 100 yards to get an idea when comparing rounds.