I didn't look at recoil numbers when I bought a .375 H&H (we didn't have the internet then, so I couldn't readily develop a sense of paranoia about it). I just knew that I wanted something heavier than a .30-06 for my moose hunts in Alaska. Ya know what I found? It kicks. In fact, it kicks pretty hard. But I knew it was going to, and it wasn't my intent to launch 60 rounds through it from the bench each Saturday.

This preoccupation with recoil just creates more drama than it solves. If he wants to know if he can "handle it" - he needs to go shoot it, not rely on internet opinions. I lob bullets at distant targets too - but with a .308. With the rifle at 16 pounds, it kicks less than a .223. There's way more to recoil than just the chambering.