Well metal usually doesn't absorb much energy. When you put the weight on the rest, the rest now cannot move to absorb energy, an inch of movement is not much. For a little more money, you could get the HySkore rest, that has springs built in to absorb the recoil. Easy example of the Lead-Sled- stand up and let someone hit you in the shoulder, you will move backward and it won't hurt much. Now standaganist a wall and let someone hit you, you now have no where to move, and all the energy will be transferred into your shoulder and it will hurt.