My approach to heavy recoil is to avoid it in the first place.
...And yes, the 30-06 is one of my favorite cartridges. I use it in a heavier gun for prone (M1 Garand, which also has a semi action that can mitigate some of the recoil), or from a non-prone field position for hunting (M70 Featherweight and Axis II, both relatively lighter weight firearms).
My strategy in both instances is being certain to have the rifle supported firmly against the shoulder, so it can't free recoil and get a run at my shoulder before fully contacting it. Essentially, you snug up to it and Ride 'Em, Cowboy.
Bullet weights for each are limited to 168 Match and 165 Hunting loads, and training is done with reduced loads (150gr at somewhat reduced velocity for the Garand - 48gr of powder instead if 50gr, this is my normal 168gr charge - and 125gr commercial reduced recoil loads for the hunters). Practicing at shorter distances (75-100yd) somewhat limits the POI deviations from the heavier loads (I do not fiddle with the sights to do the practice).
Unless you're committed to significantly longer shots, these reduced recoil loads can actually harvest deer at the shorter distances, say 150yd and under; which is pretty much most of the shots in the Northeastern Woods.
A good recoil pad, IMHO does not have a lot of give; that allows it to have a higher probability of whacking you with the scope. Instead it has a broader contact area with the shoulder, distributing the recoil load better, and causing less physical trauma from heavier recoiling loads.
Recoil
Shields have worked for newbs I've advised on the subject.
I just found a
listing for a nylon shooting jacket. It seems to duplicate the older cotton USMC shooting jacket I have that no longer appears to be available. Mine's padded at the forearms, right shoulder, and left bicep (to reduce circulation constriction caused by a tight sling). I also see the nylon one has the straps and buckles added almost identical to the way I modified my own. The nylon one appears to have rubber in the shoulder area, but does not clearly depict whether there is any substantial padding. the rubber would appear to be there to provide friction and prevent the rifle butt from siding around. If you're like me and have a sternum that has been compromised by repeated open chest surgeries, padding would be necessary in that shoulder contact area.
I greatly prefer the cotton construction of mine over the nylon. On a hot day, I could wet it down with my spray bottle, and it worked like an evaporative cooler.
Combining both shields and recoil pads can transform your shooting experiences, but keep the compressibility to a limit.
I also use a chambering that gets more out of a smaller diameter bore, like the .260 Rem and the .280 Rem. They tend to retain energy better further out, weight for weight, than their parent cartridges, the .308 and 30-06. I consider them to be
semi mags; mostly magnum performance on a smaller scale.
Despite ludicrously inadequate promotion by Remington, they are, in fact very adequate and efficient rounds.
Greg
