30-06 kicking my butt

[dans4420]

Before i start i will warn you i deffinetly am not a rifle guy i don't have barley any knowledge on ammunition for rifles. I purchased this rifle because i want to start doing some target shooting at around 200 yards for fun every once and awhile, i understand i didn't need a 30 06 for this but it was on clearance at bass pro and figured why not. im not concerned to much about ammo prices unfortunately i don't get out a whole lot with my work schedule

I purchased a savage rifle last year in 30-06 from bass proshops the guy at the counter said he was gonna do me a favor and give me a deal on some ammo scince i bought the rifle he sold me 2 boxs of Remington corelokt 220 grain.(i feel maybe he had to much of an odd load and pawned it off on me)

I am 5'9 240lbs i am fairly sturdy person but when i shot these things i thought i was going cry(a little exaggeration) but really it hurt. i deff only shot maybe 10 and went to shooting my handguns.

I know people are gonna say why a big caliber gun for shooting or get a 22 but i just want to find a bullet that will let me shoot it fairly comfortably does the smaller grain bring the recoil down? i noticed that that seems to be on the higher number for grain when looking up that caliber. not sure if that is necessarily the deciding factor on recoil.

i know this is long winded for a simple question but ive been at work 18 hours a day for the past week and feel like ive been released back into the wild lol so i have diarrhea of the mouth.

Thanks for your help
Dan

 

[downzero]

I'm 5'5" and 150 pounds and I have no problem shooting shotguns all day or a box or two out of a 30-06 or 300 win mag. I actually remember a day a few years ago in which I shot almost 200 rounds out of a bolt action 30-06 with a steel butt plate in a single day.

I suspect that you need to work on your technique and make sure that you're holding the gun correctly.

 

[THard6]

i'd second downzero, maybe try a few different ways to hold your gun tightly to your shoulder and get it comfortable for you to be able to shoot. i have a .300 win mag that i absolutely love to shoot!

 

[Cerberus]

I'm 5'10" and 220lbs and the .30-06 in a bolt rifle hurts me too, in fact I can somewhat handle 150 grain loads, but most everything else causes a sharp pain. I shoot .308 regularily, no pain. 12 guage slugs, no pain. Own several foreign milsurp rifles in manly cartridges, no problem. .30-06 thru an M1 Garand, no problem. Just the bolt rifle issue.

 

[dans4420]

Could deff be the prob

Thanks for that input about the technique this could be the problem since i don't have to much experience also i may have an unrealistic idea of the amount of recoil this round has my previous rifles have been 223 and sks 762 just feels diff to me work is slowing down hope to get out and get some rounds through it.


Thanks
Dan

 

[Jarhead1775]

The recoil is going to be much sharper than a .223 or a 7.62 SKS round.. period. It is a larger case with more powder. I would suggest holding it real tight against your shoulder and getting in some trigger time with it. Holding a rifle loose will hurt 90% of the time.

 

[smokingman]

Try a real recoil pad.PAST Super Mag Plus Recoil Pad Shield Ambidextrous

PAST pads are what we use when shooting larger caliber rifles,and they work well down to 10 degrees or so.

Make sure you are pulling your rifle in.It sounds like you may be anticipating the recoil and not holding it firmly into your shoulder.That would actually make the felt recoil much worse.

 

[indykid]

I would definitely try some 150 grain ammo before writing anything off. That 220 grains stuff is a bit too much for someone just getting into rifle shooting.

Practice your technique with a lighter load before trying the heavy stuff.

Not many 30-06 rifles even like the 220 grain ammo, most do better with 150.

 

[Redskinsfan]

The 220 grain bullets are the heaviest available for the .30-06 and will give the most recoil. You may have a better time shooting a 150 grain bullet and there are many different commercial loads in the weight range available. I suggest you try that.

 

[mac45]

I'd guess that technique is part of it, but those 220 gr rounds aren't helping either.
Get some 150's to play with, or even some of these.
Remington Managed-Recoil Ammo 30-06 Springfield 125 Grain Core-Lokt

 

[Leo]

Lighter bullet weight loads help. Reloading softer loads helps also. If you are shooting from a bench, stand up and shoot offhand. A rifle is supposed to be a portable weapon. When shooting offhand (or kneeling, sitting, prone) your body rocks a little with the recoil using up energy, rather than letting the rifle hammer your shoulder.

We have to remember our soldiers in WWI. They were mostly 5'5" and 140 lb. They shot those bolt action Springfield 03's in combat. Those were pretty light rifles and they had steel butt plates. Kind of makes the M14 seem luxurious and the m16 like a toy. Bunch of tough boys in those days.

 

[dans4420]

Thanks for all the info im going to work on the technique i know ill eventually get it but i will also look into some smaller grain see if that helps to, ill just have to man up and get to the range.

Thanks
Dan

 

[rhino]

In addition to technique, having a rifle that fits you helps quite a bit. Length of pull too long or too short can make you miserable.

Also, if you're shooting from a bench, it's probably going to be the most painful way too shoot since your body can't move with the recoil impulse of the gun. Try shooting offhand from standing and see if it makes a difference.

 

[netsecurity]

30-06 packs a punch, it is a high powered rifle. I have a rubber butt pad on mine, and I still thrown a hand towel over my shoulder when shooting it. If I shoot more than ten times my shoulder will be bruised, but I am not overly concerned about a little bruise. It is best to shoot in the winter with a big coat on for me.

Anyways, this is a one shot one kill gun. If you ask the snipers who shoot the Barret .50 caliber rifles they will tell you they get soar, and it really isn't fun to shoot, but it is often the right weapon for the job. Same with a 30-06. If you want a rifle that is all fun and no recoil, get an AR15.

Oh yea, lighter grain bullets make a huge difference. Find some 115gr loads and it won't be nearly as bad as 150gr or 170gr.

 

[halfmileharry]

Lighter bullet weight loads help. Reloading softer loads helps also. If you are shooting from a bench, stand up and shoot offhand. A rifle is supposed to be a portable weapon. When shooting offhand (or kneeling, sitting, prone) your body rocks a little with the recoil using up energy, rather than letting the rifle hammer your shoulder.

We have to remember our soldiers in WWI. They were mostly 5'5" and 140 lb. They shot those bolt action Springfield 03's in combat. Those were pretty light rifles and they had steel butt plates. Kind of makes the M14 seem luxurious and the m16 like a toy. Bunch of tough boys in those days.

We carried the '03 into WW2 also. They're Not a light rifle by todays standards. I have thousands of rounds through mine.
the '06 can pack a bit of bite running heavy bullets.
Mine likes the Federal Premium 165gr HPBT but i usually shoot ball surplus for cost purposes.

 

[sloughfoot]

Now matter what, those 220's will bring tears to my eyes. Even 190's produce a lot of recoil. Shame on that clerk that sold you that ammo.

As the others have said, getting off the bench to a field position and, I will add, the proper use of a shooting sling will greatly reduce the felt recoil. A sling puts half the recoil into your hand.

A jacket and/or sweatshirt is a must as well.

You might find something here that might be helpful.....http://www.odcmp.org/1107/default.asp?page=USAMU_STRAPPINGIN

 

[Hammer]

Also the weight of the gun makes a difference, wood stocks have a little more weight than Synthetic stocks and absorb the recoil some, but not much.

I started hunting with a 30-06 at 14 years old in Louisiana, never used anything over 180gr. Mostly used 150gr bullets. And just for reference, I had a Weatherby 270 Magnum and it was all I could do to sight it in with the recoil. It was brutal.

 

[sloughfoot]

Hammer brings up a good point. The more you flinch, the more it will hurt to shoot the rifle.

I wouldn't be surprised if you are flinching like crazy. It is not easy to train yourself out of a flinch.

You might need a pro to help you one-on-one.

 

[Classic]

220 gran bullets in a 30-06 bolt gun is pretty stout without a decent butt pad. Made all the difference in the world on my Kimber. 150 grain bullets are a lot less abusive.

 

[karl77]

for a new shooter with a .30-06, i would recommend the federal m1 garand loading. not overly expensive (runs about $22 box here), mild recoil. buddy likes shooting them in his m1917.