1) Make sure your rifle fits you ~ you can do this before you buy it.

2) If it doesn't come with a good recoil pad, get one. The Pachmayr "Decelerator" absorbs a lot of recoil.

3) I wouldn't resort to a muzzle-brake. It makes the gun loud and it's not very sportsmanlike to your hunting or shooting companions. But that's just me. If it's your cup of tea, by all means get one.

4) Don't feel sissy at the range with a good PAST recoli shield. Shooting off a bench is very artificial, and felt recoil is magnified through your unyielding body-position.

5) Shoot off "shooting positions" as much as you can. For instance, the sitting position will allow your body to "give" under recoil, thus greatly minimizing the gun's punch. Also, practice with these will make you a better field shot.

6) Mount your scope as far forward as possible. Obviously, you will have to choose a scope with adequate eye-relief. Also, never crawl the stock of a heavy rifle. There's nothing like scope-bite to give you a flinch in no time.

7) If you are recoil-sensitive but like the benefits of a heavy gun, steer clear of the lightweight models. A good 7mm Mag or 300 Win weighing 8.5lbs scoped and loaded should not be very unpleasant to shoot.

8) There's recoil and recoil as far as "felt" recoil goes. Many shooters feel a considerable difference between the short-and-fast punch of a 7mm Mag or .300 Mag and the long-and-slow shove of a .375.

9) Given adequate gun weight, good fit and proper scope-mounting, any gun giving you up to 50ft/lbs recoil should feel acceptable.

10) When you practice, go back to your .22 every time you feel like you are developing a flinch and/or every time your shoulder starts feeling raw.

Tom