H, you just learned one hard lesson. The softer pad gives the gun a running start especially when you pre-compress it. Whereas with the hard pad, it resists the backwards movement and keeps the gun from coming back at you as fast. I think of shock absorbers. The softer, the more give; the harder, less give. I personally prefer hard red pads as they contrast with good wood better and just keeps me from getting beat-up with so much fun.