If you like theabolt and it feels good...buy it. It'll serve your immediate and future needs nicely. Yes it will recoil more then 06' across the board with the increased & case capacity but managable by most. Your plans to add a good pad will also help when punching paper..in the field you won't notice the tap! I have worked with a number of 300wsm's they shoot the 150 to 180gr bullets well, allowing you to drop grain size to lessen the recoil some as well. I load for a recoil shy shooter who has a tikka lite in a 300wsm,in his rifle we started and ended with the150gr barnes tsx which he shoots comfortably &accuratley.So far it'sharvested deer, bear and moose with no problems.

Also JMO but I find wood transmitts recoildifferently(less) then synthetic, talking off the shelf rifle/stocks.