James, don't feel bad about it. I had the same experience with my first rifle, a .270 WSM. The recoil seemed harsh, and the muzzle blast added to the "felt" recoil. I added a limbsaver recoil pad and the problem was solved. Now I just recently purchased a. 308 Win for a long-term project precision rifle build, and the recoil is not a factor. With the .270 experience behind me, the .308 is a walk in the park. Maybe it is the practice, maybe it actually recoils less, either way, a good recoil pad and some practice will cure that fear of recoil!
Best of luck!
Sent from my HTC One X