The .300 Savage is a great deer cartridge! It shouldn't be too bad of a thumper either!Recoil is going to dependon the type of rifle, stock type andweight, all things considered, the .300 Savage iseasy on the shoulder and hard on the deer, the draw back might be that it won't be easy to find ammo or it! BTW, what gun is it? If it is the Savage 99, you've got yourself a real keeper!