Well written and interesting article. I don't handload, but the .30-06 is my go to for rifle hunting. I hunted for many years with an inherited 1950s vintage Mannlicher-Schönauer with a 70 vintage Weaker K4 in a Paul Jaeger QD mount. I retired that rifle years ago to preserve it for my son (he'll be its 3rd generation owner) and replaced it with a Ruger M77 stainless steel in a boat paddle stock. I hunted deer with that until recently when that went to my son and now I have an X-Bolt as its primary replacement. Just about everything I've ever killed with a .30-06 fell to a run of the mill Remington 150 grain Core Lokt or Federal Hi-Shok, from deep woods to bean-field deer, and Maine black bears. I've never lost an animal after being hit with a .30-06, and rarely had to make a second shot. Moreover, I've never recovered a bullet from an animal I've shot with a .30-06. They've all passed through.
If one were new to hunting, I'd recommend 3 guns to get them through a lifetime of hunting anything in North America. A scoped .22 LR, a pump 12 gauge with choke tubes, and a bolt action .30-06. That's the meat. Anything else in addition to that is just gravy.
Long live the .30-06!