The recoil is not bad at all. I bought a CZ 375 H&H, and was a little worried about the recoil. It was not a problem at all. My 300 utra mag had a ton more recoil until a put a break on it. I am very recoil sensitive and I was amazed how little the felt recoil is on the 375H&H. I have only shot it at a 100 yards so far but I'm shooting groups as good or better than my .270,.243, or any other rifle I own. I haven't hunted with it yet and the only other thing I'm worried about is the extra weight carrying it around in the mountains. I'm sure the extra weight is why it doesn't kick that bad. Mine weighs around 11 lbs with scope and all. You might want to check into the weight of the Ruger, I think the weight iscloser to the 7 1/2 lbs mark, which could in crease the recoil.Good luck and post up a pick of what you choose.