Okay, i just purchased my first rifle after years of hunting with a shotgun (12 gauge). It's a 30.06 Winchester Black Shadow with 3x9 scope. Question is, what is the recoil like on a 30.06? i know this is hard to describe (please try), but i have been reading alot of posts here in the last few days and alot of people seem to have an issue with the recoil of this caliber. Is it really that bad? i plan to be as accurate as possible with this gun and have 2 shoulders with tendonitis so recoil is kind of a concern to me but i doubt it can be that much to injure me. However, can it really be more than a 12 gauge shotting 2 3/4 slugs or 3" magnum slugs? Is it more or less than this.. I have yet to shoot the gun, just purchased so i guess i am looking for advice.

My goal was to have an all around rifle to hunt whatever with and i like the bullet seletion you can get with the trusty 30.06. I go around 6 foot, 200 lbs so i doubt this thing can knock me down.

I have a screwed up shoulder and can't shoot a 30-06 or a 12 guage anymore. I would suggest sticking with the 150 grain loads and recoil shouldn't be that bad. Personally I would have went with a 7mm-08 Rem or 270 Win.

Hi semi,

The .30-06 recoils less than a 12 gauge shooting slugs. Where you will notice the recoil most is when shooting sitting from a bench. As in sighting in the rifle. Your body is much less able to rock with the recoil.....and you absorb it instead. But if you have sighted in a 12 gauge with slugs from a bench...you will find the .30-06...not as bad!

Good luck!

I shoot 165's out of my 06, like the others have said stay with 150 gr loads and recoil won't be a problem.

I have a bad shoulder as well. The 30-06 hurts it but if I can zero it with five or 6 shots from the bench then just use it for hunting It isn't bad at all. The 280 is less painfull and the 260 is almost pleasant. The 250-3000 if perfect.

I use 165 grain loads in my 06 and recoil not that bad, try the 150s and see how that goes. Still plenty of knockdown power.

Semi I have'nt shot a Super Shadow (but boy the WSM shadows we have feel GREAT!) but I know when I replaced the old wood stock on a 30/06 Rem 700 ADL of mine with the light plastic Rem stock, the gun kicked like a mule! But you are big enough and it should be no problem. As for bullets, I honestly guess that I have killed appx 35-40 deer with that ole ADL of mine before she got retired (was my first rifle, got it when I was 13). The vast majority of those deer fell to the 165 Sierra GameKing (165 Boat-tail Federal Premium load). The bullets typically stacked holes at 100yds and I killed several over 300yds with that lil gun. It's been sitting up in my gunsafe for probably a decade without much use, but thats not because it is'nt capable!

Damn, just typin this makes me wanna grab up "ole reliable" and go make sumpin leak...
RA

If you can handle the 12 Ga slugs, you can handle the .30-06.

Just a tip, while you're sighting it in from the bench take along one more sandbag than you need. Put it between the gun and your shoulder. That really helps.

I do this even with a .270 and with a .375 H&H I use a special bag with very heavy foam.

It will recoil alot less than your shotgun shooting slugs, especially if the rifle fits you well. The only '06s I've shot where the rcoil quickly becomes almost intolerable are straight-stocked 03 springfields because they fit most people including me poorly.

As others have mentioned, the 30-06 will recoil less than your 12 guage shooting slugs. There's been a few times shooting trap where I haven't held the shotgun snug and it slapped my shoulder worse than the 30-06 ever did.

I have a Sako 30-06, a little heavier than Winchester, and find the recoil tolerable even shooting 180 grain ammo. To prevent the risk of developing a flinch I wear a PAST shooting pad at the range. It also helps simulate the extra clothing I'm likely to wear in the field. Range trips in Southern California are usually a t-shirt event.