doe dumper - I thought so too. But its not really that bad. The recoil pad is quite a bit softer than the one on my 7-08 Micro Hunter. I'm sure that helps. And being that it is still hot out I am wearing my sporting clays vest with a recoil reducer pad on the shoulder over my T shirt. That helps too. At a bit over 7 lbs though, it does get your attention. But even after shooting 40 rounds through it yesterday, I have no bruising or soreness.
Honestly, I think my Ruger 77 in 300 Win Mag delivers more felt recoil with 180 gr loads.
We'll see what happens when I juice up the loads more. At present there are no signs of excessive pressure.
I am still going to be working with the 200 gr Nosler and Barnes bullets but I am not going to rule out the Sierra 220 grainers. These shot real good during the initial shooting. but I like the ballistics of the 200 gr bullets. I'm also going to be trying Hornady 195 gr bullets once my gun shop gets them in for me.