Most (if not all) of "Silver's) type pads get slick very quickly. It's not so much that the pad gets hard but the surface of the pad oxidizes & gets slick sort of like a pencil eraser does.
As some others have suggested, a small piece of tape like skateboard tape with a rough surface or something slightly tacky works well for me. I just put the tape on when I want to use the gun & remove it when I put the gun away. You only need a 1 1/2" piece in the center of the pad to make it stay securely in the shoulder pocket & it won't catch & interfere with your gun mount that way
If I'm going to have a pad I prefer the looks of the traditional Silver's type pad & tape is the best solution I've found unless you want to cover the pad or the face in leather.
I don't favor leather covered pads on hunting guns because they quickly become worn & nasty looking if you hunt around any brier patches.
