Recoil is an interesting thing. When I was 22 or so, a friend of my dad handed me a shotgun to shoot. Damnable thing was a 20 guage 3 1/2 magnum. Liked to knock me om my butt. Never have U shot anything with as much sheer kick. BUT, recoil can be controlled very well. For starters (and this is no advertisement) there is a specially designed shirt called an evoshield and the bloody thing really works and takes about 70-80% of recoil away. Sucker is expensive(about 80 dollars) but is designed to fit to you specifically. Easy to find reference to it on the internet. Secondly, i fyou do not have a properly designed rifle you will always have a bloody nose because of stock issues. Likewise, get scopes with adequate eye relief or you can get black eyes. I am a weatherby man and am well aware of getiing knocked around if you do not know how to handle the weapon. I have been known to shoot the 338-378 at distance (1200 yards) and with reasonable accuracy. If you think the sucker does not kick a bit, shoot it without the accubrake and without an evoshield shirt. Be prepared to run to the dentist to have your fillings replaced. BUT as you get used to the recoil, it becomes more of a shove than a painful event. Friends of mine shoot the weatherby 460 and say it is just a serious push. They have been shooting the rifle for years. At issue is preparation. If recoil is obnoxious to you, shoot a rifle that is tolerable. As stated earlier, doing so does not make you a wimp, it makes you a realist. I have one advantage, I am 6 foot 3 and weigh about 230, If I were 5 foot 6 and weighed 120, I would easily max out with a 243. Just give me a 22-250 and a 240 weatherby and I will shoot all day.

bob chronister