Oh come one, it's not that bad . It can be a little stout, especially during a long bench session, but it's not on my list of painful calibers. The 300 WM is a good all around cartridge, but I believe it's best suited for longer range shooting/hunting when whitetail deer are concerned. If most of your hunting is in areas where shots will seldom be over 250 yards, a standard long action caliber will serve you just as well without the added recoil and muzzle blast.