Hey all. I'm shopping around for my first rifle and muzzleloader. For teh rifle I have my eyes ona Remy 30-06. My question is on the recoil. I have hunted deer for a few years with my Remington 870 12 ga. and smooth bore slug barrel. Is the 30-06 recoil similar to that ofthe 870 or should I expect more or less from the rifle. The rifle will be used mostly for varmit, deer and if i get the oppertunity to go on a hunt out west for mulies or elk. I don't have the money to buy 2 or 3 rifles so 1 is going to have to fit the bill for all my needs. I want something that has a variety of ammo choices but not something that is going to shred my shoulder after 10 shots. Thanks for the input.

FWIW, I may drop the coin for a T/C Triumph next week so any input on that is appreciated as well.

The recoil from a .30-06 is stout, but certainly not unmanageable. It is probably on the upper end of what most can tolerate before beginning to flinch. Alot of it can be tamed with a high quality recoil pad such as a Limbsaver. That being said, it is a fine all around caliber that will do most anything you need it to.

the recoil is very manageable. Quality stock and recoil pad go a long ways as well.

My Browning BAR 30-06 doesn't kick anywhere near the amount my Remington 870 12 Gauge with buckshot does. Overall, it kicks but not too bad. Not as bad as I was expecting when I got it.

Thanks for the help everyone. Much appreciated.

The recoil from the 30/06 will not be as bad as shooting a magnum load in a shotgun. The recoil will be a little different it is a little sharper and the shotgun is more of a shove.

I'll concur!

Fly I have a 12 gauge870 and a Savage 06 that are nearly identical in weight. They kick about the same. I ran a recoil calculation based on two factory loads. A 180 grain bullet at 2800 FPS and a shotgun slugweighting 385 grain at 1800. It showed the recoil velocity at 14 and the energy to be 24 for both rounds.

+1

I used to shoot a very light .30-06. The recoil even on that light rifle with 180 grain bullets was nothing near a 12 ga. shotgun with slugs. The recoil speed will be a little higher, but the kinetic energy will be much less. No worries.