Which recoil pad should I put on my Ruger wood/blue 30-06? Is the Decellerator better than the Simms? Do they come ready for the novice to mount, or must they be fitted by a "smith". Thanks in advance.

The Decelerator pad is nice - probably want a smith to install no matter which one you choose.

Flip-flop.

Sims limbsaver all the way. If you have a fairly standard rifle they come pre-fit.

I like both. However, the Simms seems to mitigate recoil better, but is more difficult to install. The sticky pad tends to swell and drag with heat during sanding. The soft part of the pad typically remains a little wider than the hard plastic base and the stock. Freezing before grinding helps a little with this problem, but must be repeated as the pad heats up during grinding. The Decel grinds a little easier and usually finishes with a cleaner appearance.

As fish said, it's a bit of a toss up.

Recoil pad??? on a 30-06????

Sorry, couldn't resist. My late 60s era Remington still has a metal buttplate which I don't find objectionable, but I don't shoot in just a t shirt either.

you need a metal one, it will protect the end grain from getting splintered. and it's nice & strong, last long time.

The Decelerator looks a little better, and the LimbSaver works a little better.

10-4. Harder to trim a LimbSaver too.

I have two with hard plates and I do shoot them in a T shirt. I had a third 06 that had a pad on it so I re-barreled it into a .35 Wehlen. Seemed like a good excuse . Bear

I have a Decelerator pad on my 700 LSS 338 RUM and it took the sting out of the recoil. No problem shooting, even from prone.

JD338

thanks men.....

I have and like both, the SIMM's is not solvent tolerant though. If you manage to get a couple of drops of Hoppe's on it while cleaning, it's gonna get soft and tacky, and as near as I can tell, never dries out.

LImbsaver installation drives me nuts..They are hard to grind clean...I'd go with a Decelerator..I don't see much difference in them and the 06 has very littlel recoil anyway...

I agree with Atkinson, the Limbsaver is sticky..heard it said to freeze it, but the grinding heat gets it stickey again. I have ground Decelerators and they are fine IMO. They also look better.

You know I got to thinking about this whole recoil pad thing. As I know, and I'll bet most of you know, when you shoot at game you don't feel the recoil at all. I don't know that I recall the gun going off! So, I'm begining to think, forget the expensive add on's..when you go to sight in or just spend time at the bench, just use a slip-on, a Past, a sandbag, or any combination, and you can tame the beast..even a STEEL buttplate if that is your thing. Your rifle will look better, mount better, and you'll save a wad of $. When you move to field positions, a slip on works fine, but even without it your recoil will be much less because your body moves with the recoil. Remember, a lot of you older guys like me might be on asprin or blood thinners, and you will be predisposed to bruising. A slip on will increase your LOP about 1"...so deal with it..IMHO

art

Flip-flop. Plenty of cushion for an '06. Ultralight, and easy to trim and sand to shape.

All 16 of my rifles and shotguns have Decelerator pads on them,I wouldn't use anything else.

The simms prefit is about as easy as anything. Freezing helps a bit but I find going to a heavier grit worked even better, removes material faster and avoids the heat buildup. Where you will go nuts is trying to get a nice smooth pretty finish.

Also I would only use the Simms on a synthetic stock, looks out of place on walnut.

thanks again men.