So I recently went to the range with my new Marlin XL7 (.30-06). It weighs in at about 6 3/4 + a 3-9x40 Bushnell scope... It was actually my first time shooting a .30-06 and my first time shooting something "big" in quite a few years. The only other "high recoil" gun I had shot was a 12ga semi-auto Remington shotgun. thinking back, after about 15 rounds, that thing started to hurt quite a bit. I remember having a bruised shoulder for a couple days.
Enter the .30-06. I kind of knew what to expect, but of course it was going to be a little different from way back. So I was shooting some of that cheap Federal 150gr soft point. The first shot was surprising, but wasn't so, so bad. The thing is, the recoil was enough to make me flinch. Hard.
about 6 rounds later, I had a huge group at 33 yards (yeah, flinching that bad) and my shoulder was starting to get fairly sore. The XL7 has a really soft recoil pad, it feels really nice, but it didnt seem to help all that much. I know I can get myself to not flinch if I just relax and take it slow, but the recoil wasnt very easy to deal with. I was wearing only a t-shirt and I know if I had been wearing a sweatshirt or jacket I could handle more. Even still... I went about 6 more rounds until I kinda gave up. I could've kept going, but I had so much range time left and I figured I'd shoot my .22 before I completely destroyed the session for myself.
I was doing some research and found that people love 165gr for .30-06 and that is was probably the most well balanced bullet weight for flat shooting/knockdown available. I picked up some Rem Core-Lokt 165 to screw around with... Yes, I realized this would increase recoil a little. It had actually come to my attention that semi's "take longer" to recoil because the action has to come back, which during the travel will dampen recoil. Is that right? It might explain why I was able to shoot the 12ga more than the '06.
How many times can you fire a .30-06 with light clothing? Where do you shoulder your rifle? Is there any way I can dampen recoil?
I've always shouldered my guns about about 3 inches give or take to the side of the shoulder joint. The place where it feels "slightly indented"?
I also know that if someone's muscles are tight, more damage will be done. Since you tense up when you flinch, could that explain it a little?
sorry for this to be such a long post, it's just I can't wait to go back and shoot and I really want to get some tips from people who are far more experienced than myself. Thanks!
