Nice to see that /most/ of the guys are actually answering the question that was asked. Advice about good form... not so much.
And, mc... Obviously, the answer to YOUR question is "yes, you do lose velocity, energy and distance." That's kinda the point. And, why not just buy a smaller rifle? Maybe it's not in the budget... Maybe the guy wants to get a "full size" rifle for a youngster, but, doesn't want full size recoil to scare the kid off... Maybe the guy has a favorite rifle, but recently suffered an injury such that recoil bothers him... There might be a variety of reasons. So, what's with the "rolleyes" emoticon? That's, in essence, a way to say "dude, you just asked a really stupid question." Kind of uncalled for.
Back to the original post, I'm a bit recoil averse, despite knowing proper form. I inherited a buddy's 7mm Rem Mag, but, it sat in my safe because I prefer shooting my .243... A couple years ago, I discovered the Remington MR loads. So, after a decade of gathering dust, I got my buddy's 7mm out of the back of my safe, had a new R3 recoil pad installed in place of the 30 year old original recoil pad that was very nearly as hard as a brick, took a box of the MR's to the range, got it sighted in, and the rounds worked great. Not too much more kick than my .243. Didn't take much adjustment to get it zeroed, and, nailed a doe, a buck, and a pig with it that season.
Remington appears to be sticking with the loads. I think they've been adding new MR listings every year. They've even got an MR load for the relatively mild recoiling 7-08...