Recoil
Hi fellows,
In my humbly opinion handling recoil is simply a matter of having a proper fitting stock and lots of practice. I shoot well over a hundred rounds a year with an 81/2 pound .458WM and a Sako .375 H&H, using maximun listed handloads. I don't give recoil a thought anymore. However, when I got my first .458, a 10 pound Ruger, recoil was very much a concern. I used shoulder pads and elbow pads and dreaded pulling the trigger. Then slowly, it began to bother me less and less. The pads disappeared as did the dread. Now, as I said, I don't give it a thought.
Of course, if I lived and hunted where large caliber rifles weren't needed, I would not have gone to the trouble. However, when I hear people talk about being bothered by recoil of smaller calibers, I know they don't spend much time at the range with it and/or have a poorly designed stock (which means most factory stocks).
Physical size and strength has nothing to do with recoil tolerance. I know a lady that uses a .416 Rem Mag for all her hunting and loves it. She goes to the range regularly in order to maintain her skill level with it. Recoil tolarance isn't a measure of ones manhood. It simply requires a proper fitting rifle and practice.
Anyway, that's the experience of this skinny old man.
Marshall