I picked up a 30-06 Axis for Christmas (plain one, not the XP II).

I found the recoil for this rifle to be pretty stout. It feels worse to me than any of my full power military surplus rifles (7.62x54r, 30-06, 8mm mauser, 7.7 J, 7.5 swiss, etc). I too have been underwhelmed with the groups. I've gotten a couple of 1 moa groups but not consistently.

I noticed the actions screws and the scope mount would become loose after a few shots.
The trigger pull on mine was heavy, around 6lbs.

I have also caught myself flinching a couple of times. I really think the combination of 30-06 recoil, super cheap stock, and overall light weight are all contributing factors.

I stopped shooting it and ordered a Boyds thumbhole. I paid extra for the pachmayr butt pad. Should have it in a couple of weeks. I installed a modified trigger spring which got the pull down to 3.5 lbs and ordered an EGW base.

I'm pretty confident it will shoot well enough with the new stock.