To be honest ,I own two 300ultramags,have fireda few others, have fired a couple of 338ultramags and have owned a 338x8mmremmag.I found that the felt recoil varied greatly from gun to gun even in the same chambering.My own 300ultramags have mcmillan stocks,decellerator recoil pads and heavier contour barrels and they produce noticeably less recoil than the factory remington 700s in 300ultramagthat I have fired.My 338x8mmremmagwas ballistically slightly behind the 338ultramag,but it also was noticeablyeasier to shoot than the factory 700s in338ultramag.I liked my 300ultramags so much that I sold my 338x8mmremmag.Usinga180grbullet the 300ultramag will shoot flatter than the 338ultramag and it is very effective at killing elk at longer distances.I have now killed 10 elk and 2 moose withmy 300ultramags and not one animalcovered 50 yards after being hit.My shot distances were from 80 yards to 377 yards with mostbeing 200yards to 300 yards.Using the 180gr tsx I would not hesitate to use the 300ultramag on any game in North America.