You are right about the 30-06. I am sure there are many hunters who have hunted every species in NA with the 30-06. And when it comes down to it, they were pretty well armed. The same could be said for the 300 Win Mag which ups everything a little but that includes recoil. Many have rightly stated that the 30-06 is about the upper limit that almost all hunters can tolerate for recoil. The 300 Win Mag pushs that to the just beyond catagory for many. While a few shots in the field won't make or break the recoil thing, many are just not comfortable at the range with the 300 M. When I was twenty years younger and had been kicked a lot less, the 300 Was not a problem. Had I found the Shooters Friend recoil pad then, I would still be shooting my 700 Classic 300 Win Mag.

When people get tired of getting hammered at the range, they to will buy a Shooters Friend recoil pad and forget recoil from then on. Its the worlds best invention for the kick weary shooter.. I would go to the range without my pants before I would go without my Shooters Friend. NO!! I don't sell them or own any stock in their company. Check it out at cabelas site. They claim 70 percent reduction in felt recoil, thats a conservative estimate IMO.