Sam1911
Moderator Emeritus
A whole lot of good responses here.
1) Yup, that's a danged light gun. 6.5 lbs is VERY light for a .30-'06 rifle that you might shoot much. If you're carrying that rifle for miles a day, you care more about not hoisting a few extra lbs. than you do about being thumped a bit on those couple shots a year at your deer. If you're going to shoot it off a bench (or you aren't carrying it farther than from the truck to the deer stand), you want weight. That rifle would be a lot nicer to you at 9 lbs. or more than it is at 6.5. You can add weight as others have suggested. You can also use lead sleds, sandbags, etc,. to help tame it if you're just worried about a few shots to sight in at the bench each year.
2) Recoil pad. Truth is, that Axis II pad looks pretty good. You might get better results with a better one, but I doubt you'll notice an appreciable difference.
3) Stock fit. Most hunting rifles have a stock designed primarily around the idea that you probably won't shoot it much.
There's not a whole lot that can easily be done to adjust that stock, but talking to a real professional stock guy could get you a stock that fits you much better than any low-budget off-the-shelf stock is likely to, and good stock fit makes a great deal of difference in how you perceive recoil. 'Course, lots of folks will tell you an inexpensive rifle isn't "worth" putting a custom or customized stock on. That's up to you and how much you like this rifle.
4) But a BIG one is how are you shooting it? If your primary experience with this rifle is sitting leaned into it at a shooting bench, you're just about maximizing the impact (literally) of it's recoil on you. If you shoot it from a standing position (or any more flexible, upright position), using good technique, you won't get thumped nearly as hard. If this is a rifle you'll shoot from the prone position a lot, or your hunting situation looks a lot like benchrest shooting, it's going to be rough. If you'll be still hunting or stalking and you'll probably take either a snap shot offhand or shoot rested against a tree, maybe kneeling or standing, that will be much gentler on you and that's where these very light rifles make the most sense.
The .30-'06 is still way more horsepower than you really need for most North American game, but it's very popular and it's what you have. You can make this work.
1) Yup, that's a danged light gun. 6.5 lbs is VERY light for a .30-'06 rifle that you might shoot much. If you're carrying that rifle for miles a day, you care more about not hoisting a few extra lbs. than you do about being thumped a bit on those couple shots a year at your deer. If you're going to shoot it off a bench (or you aren't carrying it farther than from the truck to the deer stand), you want weight. That rifle would be a lot nicer to you at 9 lbs. or more than it is at 6.5. You can add weight as others have suggested. You can also use lead sleds, sandbags, etc,. to help tame it if you're just worried about a few shots to sight in at the bench each year.
2) Recoil pad. Truth is, that Axis II pad looks pretty good. You might get better results with a better one, but I doubt you'll notice an appreciable difference.
3) Stock fit. Most hunting rifles have a stock designed primarily around the idea that you probably won't shoot it much.
There's not a whole lot that can easily be done to adjust that stock, but talking to a real professional stock guy could get you a stock that fits you much better than any low-budget off-the-shelf stock is likely to, and good stock fit makes a great deal of difference in how you perceive recoil. 'Course, lots of folks will tell you an inexpensive rifle isn't "worth" putting a custom or customized stock on. That's up to you and how much you like this rifle.4) But a BIG one is how are you shooting it? If your primary experience with this rifle is sitting leaned into it at a shooting bench, you're just about maximizing the impact (literally) of it's recoil on you. If you shoot it from a standing position (or any more flexible, upright position), using good technique, you won't get thumped nearly as hard. If this is a rifle you'll shoot from the prone position a lot, or your hunting situation looks a lot like benchrest shooting, it's going to be rough. If you'll be still hunting or stalking and you'll probably take either a snap shot offhand or shoot rested against a tree, maybe kneeling or standing, that will be much gentler on you and that's where these very light rifles make the most sense.
The .30-'06 is still way more horsepower than you really need for most North American game, but it's very popular and it's what you have. You can make this work.
