I use two 7mmstw's for all of my deer,sheep and pronghorn hunting.I shoot 140gr ballistic tips at 3500fps and find this combination to be extremely flat shooting and a very quick clean killer.Recoil is dependant a lot on gun weight and style and my guns have slightly heavier than normal barrels and mcmillan stocks with decellerator pads.With the slightly heavier rifle and premium recoil pad my stw's don't feel much different than most 7mm mags.Factory sendero's that I have shot are also quite manageable.I have used many cartridges in the past but the 7mmstw has become my favorite for deer sized game.