A few questions here. Was the gun you received in the trade cut down in any way? Some guys do cut their stocks to fit better, then grind the recoil pad to fit. You could have a less than adequate length of pull( should be at least 13 1/2" min).
Bring a buddy to the range and have him measure your eye relief when standing offhand and then when seated at the bench. you may unconsciously be shifting significantly when you shoot off the bench.
What scope is mounted on that 7Mag? Some scopes have eye relief that changes quite a bit when you increase or decrease magnification. Leupold's web site offers both eye relief measurements on their scope specs- low power and max power. Zeiss offers one but they acutally get closer as you mag up. Your buddy should measure with a ruler while you hold the rifle. If the measurement is 3" or under, check the scope position in the rings. If you've got room to move forward, do so, if not your only other option may be to buy a compact scope if you want to spend the money. They usually are shorter.
Many of the guys who gave you feedback have truly posted great advice.
Try it. If none of these ideas work, give yourself peace of mind and get rid of the gun. A trade is great. A sale at least gives you money towards another gun. I too, hunt NY State and only use a BLR 81 in.358 Win there. Have yet to take a long shot there(over 150 yds). I like the small, short lever for hunting in the woods and that caliber shows no mercy on the critters. Very easy on the shoulder too. Buy a BLR in .270 or .308 and you'll be able to reach out much farther than we all need to. Recoil is very moderate and the rifle shoulders very nicely, points well and comes up fast on running game. I have a Leupold VXII 2 x 7 x 33 on mine. Scope never comes close.
Good luck in your quest and do what's best for you!