Ditto on the Limb Saver recoil pad

Many different factors will cause recoil to be greater.

A 30-06 kicks pretty good so there isn' t much you can do to soften the recoil EXCEPT;

Good recoil pad

Lighter weight bullets

Reduced power handloads

padded shoulder

Some say a wood stock verses synthetic, but I don' t notice the difference personally. I also agree with whoever said that shooting from a rest is different. When leaning over a shooting bench , your body doesn' t have much " give" to it. So the more " upright" your torso is, the more your body will flex with the recoil.

Above all, keep this in mind. When shooting at a deer, you will most likely never even hear the report of the rifle, let alone feel the recoil!

Wow! Thanks for all the replies. Here are the specs.

Weatherby Vanguard - Synthetic stock, 30.06
Hornady 150gr SST Light Magnum

No sandbags. I was just shooting off a concrete rest with a rolled up sleeping back under the stock of the rifle.

This was the first time I shot my rifle and is the first time I have shot anything over a .22 in about 10-12 years. I only shot 40 rounds because the guy that bore-sighted my scope did such a bad job that I wasn' t even on the paper at 100 yards. I had to move up to 50 yards and work my way back.

I am sure that my accuracy will improve with practice. I did ok for not having shot a rifle in so long, but I know I can do better. As I said in the above post, my goal is 1moa accuracy. If I can achieve that or maybe a bit better, I will be very happy.

Again, thanks for all the suggestions. I will check into " Limb-Savers" and into the " Decellerator" .

I shoot 25-30 rounds out of my 45/70 sometimes, and my dad owns a .450 Marlin that he likes to run alot of rounds through also. What we do when we go shooting is take a couple of towels, fold them to fit nicely on your shoulder, and throw them over your shoulder. Works really well, and they aren' t that expensive. If you want a recoil reducer just for the range, this is the way to go.

What I use to do when I went to the range and shot my Mossberg 500 shooting slugs, I would put a dry sponge under my jacket. I would use a bigger sponge, like the one you use to wash your car with. The sponge helped reduce the affect on the shoulder and I would not feel uncomfortable at the range.

Tomster

40 shots with a 30.06 is a lot in one session. I' m pretty sure your shoulder will be very sore on Thursday, which might make your getting 1MOA tough to do, if not impossible. Here is my very cheap cure, and one that I still do often as for some reason I HATE recoil. Find a big old fat padded leather glove or mitten, stick it in your shirt or even tape it (duct tape) to your rifle stock. I sounds stupid but it will work wonders and probably you have one lying around the house. No need to buy a new recoil pad, at least not right away. Once you are out hunting you won' t notice the recoil, but you will know that you are able to hit your target without flinching.

You said that you were using " light magnum" cartridges. These shells will create more recoil. Use standard 150 grain 30-06, you should feel a difference.
Also, you mentioned shooting off of a concrete block. Your rifle will " bounce" to some effect from any hard surface. The sleeping bag isn' t the best either, a little too soft in my opinion.
Considering what you are using for rests, I' m impressed with your groups. Fill several old socks with dry sand and tie the ends shut. These work great. The sand is hard enough to get a solid rest from, but will GIVE when the gun fires and not cause the rifle to bounce.
Good luck, let us know how things work out for you.

I use to have a tendancy when shooting at the range to place the gun on the bone of my shoulder vs the crock, which makes for a painful experience after very few shots. I found a padded mitt or glove greatly reduce the effects and after effects, as was suggested previously, i would try this before buying a new recoil pad. If possible wear a jacket when shooting for added protection. Also sand bags are one of the best and cheapest rifle rest you can use, I use old coveralls legs and sleeves filled with play sand(can be found at any hardware/building store) and tie them off at each end. As stated this will keep your gun from bouncing and still offer a solid rest.

BTW your groups are good and considering your first rifle/year I would lean more to say they are exceptional. It takes time to get used to a rifle and also in time you' ll be become more accurate...don' t expect it on the first trip, keep practicing and results will be sure to follow.

Good luck on the range and in the field[8D]

Reacher, this is only my opinion .......I think as a novice shooter, one can only do harm when firing 40 rounds in a session. It' s neither good for you or the rifle if the shots are taken without letting the barrel cool down. When you start getting beat up by recoil it will infact cause flinching and degrade your shooting ability.

People percieve recoil differently, I for one consider 06 recoil as insignificent while others find in painfull, it' s really a personal thing. You might even consider a smaller caliber such as a 243 Win.

Adding a good recoil pad, weight in the butt or forearm and installing a muzzle break all do their part in reducing felt recoil. Again, it' s a personal thing as to what you want to do.

This is all easy for me to say, but I have 35 years of shooting under my belt



double A



Reading the other post' s..........I have decided to try Handles suggestion. I pulled the recoil pad off of a single shot 300 WBY and attacted a welding glove to the butt stock with good ol duct tape. I think it gives that rifle the " LK" . Notice how the stainless steel blends with the tape( maybe I should have went with black electrical tape?[&:])....... kind of classy dont ya think? That oughta do the trick on soaking up the recoil! I dont know how my friends are going to take it though[]

what about just getting out and shooting it about once a month or more often ? just shoot about 10 rounds or so to get your shoulder used to it. i think adding a pad to it might make the rifle alittle bit longer now depending apon the shooter.

now i did read a post about you shooting SST light mags. maybe you should stay away from the light mags and go with a NON-LIGHT MAG ?