I have had one in 30-06 in the past. Loved the rifle, handles great and is compact. The recoil is not bad. With handloads and IMR 4895 the rifle pushed more than kicked. A friend of mine refused to shoot it, then after baggering him so long, he tried it to shut me up; He couldn't get enough of shooting it. The 20" barrel doesn't give up to much, especially with handloads.