ORIGINAL: nyorange
30-06 in remington 700 is no problem off hand or while hunting. At the bench for extended range time I always use a extra shoulder mounted recoil pad for everything except 22 and 243 due to the angle of the gun when bench shooting. Also make sure you use good hearing protection. I use foam plugs under my ear muffs and together they kill almost all sound. I found that 3/4 of myrecoil problems turned out to be noise induced flinching. Once I started using both plugs and muffs my groups shrank tremendously.Hope it helps.
I certainly agree with nyorange. The 30-06 does not kick hard but the noise is what scares people. You can use a LimbSaver recoil pad (they really work) , and avoid extensive bench shooting. In bench shooting position, your shoulder is taking all the recoil. Try to use shooting stix and shoot in seated position. In that position your entire back will give a little and you will feel less recoil in the shoulder area.
Good luck.