Savage221, I had the same problem. I wanted a mag I could use for everything from dear to brown bear so I got the M77 in a 338 all weather which is stainless and had that Ruger zytel crap stock. I thought I just wasn't used to the recoil so I practiced over and over I even got the light may ammo in 180 gr balistic tips but it was still killing me! I even took a couple of well seasonedrifle men out to shoot it and everytime someone pulled the trigger I laughed (it kind of looked like someone gettingpunched by a prize fighter) All of them said dump the gun and get something else. I did some research and for 100 bucks I got a 3/4 finishedBoyds laminated stock and bedded and finished it myself. Then I spent 175.00 on an Answer muzzle break and had them do a trigger job for another50.00
It now shoots 225-300 grain ammo and it feels like a 243 (no lie) The laminant woodreally soaks up the recoil as far as the muzzle break before thestock it felt like a 270 (just as they advertised. Ididn't read enough post to see if you said it had a synthetis stock or not but if it does dump the stock and get a wood or fiberglass\epoxt type. I would stay away from full kevlar because it isn't muck of a recoil reducer. Included is a pic of my rifle. Oh yeah it will shootwithin2 1/2 3" at 200yrds and I can pop 1/2 gallon milk jugs at 400yrds. I honestly couldn't hit a pie plate at 100yrds beforemods.