Development of the .30-06 cartridge was motivated by the development of the pointed nose spritzer 7 x 57mm and 8 x 57mm Mauser cartridges by the Imperial German Army, a breakthrough in ballistic technology. When issued for the M-1903 Springfield rifle in 1906 the .30-06 was known as "Ball Cartridge, caliber .30, Model of 1906", replacing a short-lived, round-nosed ".30-03" cartridge originally intended for the Springfield rifle. The then-new spitzer technology (ie, the ability to make a pointed nose bullet) had obsoleted the ".30-03" design.

The versitile .30-06 cartridge was used during World War I not only for the M-1903 Springfield, but also for the .30 cal machine guns, the BAR, and for the .30 cal M-1917 Enfield. In 1940, when the M-1 Garand replaced the Springfield as the service rifle, the .30-06 continued to be the ammunition for the Garand as well as for the many models of light and medium machine guns. Machine gun usage included not only infantry weapons, but also models adapted for aircraft, for armored vehicles and naval vessels. Finally, in 1954 the .30-06 cartridge was officially replaced by the 7.62mm cartridge as the M-14 began to be phased in as the new service rifle. The .30-06 continued in service for machine guns and for the many .30 cal rifles that remained in use for snipers, ceremonial duties, and other uses well into the 1970s. Of course the .30-06 continues a strong presence in the civilian market.

Surplus .30-06 ammunition was plentiful in the U.S. market during the 1950s and 1960s, often packed in Garand clips still in their cloth bandoleers or even in Springfield stripper clips. Ball, armor piercing and tracer ammo was easy to find at very low prices -- some is still on the market in the 21st century. Note that ammunition loaded before 1950 or so has corrosive primers and careful cleaning of your weapon after firing is essential. U.S. military ammunition loaded after 1952 generally has non-corrosive primers except for some batches of Frankford Arsenal Match ammunition which may still use the old corrosive primers.