RE: recoil 7mm08 vs .243
Jerry d,
I own a 243 and have shot several rounds out of an 08. If i had to put a number to it i would say the 08 felt about 30% more than the 243.
For comparison the 08 was only slightly more than my 30-30 (not sure if you've shot one but since it's so common i thought i would throw that in there)