two different recoils. I find that i can shoot a 12 ga alot longer then my 30.06. the 06 is a much sharper recoil where my 12 ga is more of a push type recoil. Just get a good recoil pad, problem solved. i padded my new 30.06 with a packmyr (spelling) and now percieved recoil is less then my 7mm-08 without a pad.