i shoot at 7mm rem mag with 165 grains and the gun does have a bit of spunk to it but it really doesn't bother me. I don't know if its just me that experiences this but when i am target shooting i will feel the recoil but when i am shooting at a deer i think you could punch me in the shoulder and i wouldn't notice.. I get so pre-occupied with what i'm doing i really don't notice recoil at all. If you are worried about the rcoil snap a break on it and put pad on the butt plate. In all honestly if the recoil is affecting your shooting you probably should try a different caliber.