Well,I survived the recoil. I boughta 270 a couple of years agoinstead of a magnumriflebecause I don't want to get beat up by recoil. Ihad nevershot a mag, but I knew I could handle the 270. My brother-in-law is looking at two Number 1's, one in 300 and the other in 338. He wanted me to shoot them too. So, I put on my shoulder pad, put in ear plugs and slipped on my ear muffs to protect my already bad ears. I shot the 300 first and couldn't believe the recoil wasn't really that bad. I even had a little fun! Then I shot the 338 (it does have a ported barrel) and I didn't think itkickedany worse. It was a fun day shooting 20 or so rounds. No brusies, no real pain, but Idid know when to quit. I nowwonder if I should have bought a 7mm mag or a 300. Oh, well.......Jim

Many people like to blow things way out of proportion where recoil is concerned.In reality magnums such as the 7mmremmag produce recoil very similar to that of the 270 or 30-06.The magnums do burn more powder and propel the bullets at greater velocities but they are usually chambered in heavier rifles and are equipped with recoil pads so the felt recoil is not a great deal more.Actually one rifle that I found to produce more recoil than most 7mmremmags was a ruger ultralight in 270win.The combination of very light weight and no proper recoil pad really increased felt recoil.

The first time I shot my buddy's .300 Rem. Ultra Mag., I was amazed at how little the recoil seemed to be. I guess it all depends on how the stock is shaped! His .300 Dakota was also easy on the shoulder.

well theres your deal it was ported i have a 7mm and its not ported and wen i shoot 10 or 15 rounds through it without a shooting vest my arm is blue butt i love the feel of power of the caliber it tells me its a real gun not a toy.

My brother has a Ruger in a 338 and it’s a nice rifle but that sucker kick and the barrel isn’t ported. It’s ok when hunting but not at the range, for me any ways. I had a Remington 7 mm Rem. mag and I enjoyed shooting that rifle, but that 338 is in another league compared to the 7 mm. I sure would like to get my brother 338 and practice with it. It’s probably not that bad once you get used to it.

I just posted a very similar reply under the Big Game forum. After shooting over a 100 rounds through a Rem 700 SPS in 300 Win, I am very suprised how little recoil there is. I am fairly large at 6'3" and 240 but a buddy of mine shoots better groups than I do at 5'8" and 160. He thinks there no more recoil in my 300 Win than his 308 or his 270 and I haven't noticed much of a difference. What gives with all of the negatives about the magnums??

I shoot Ruger No 1's and they have weight and straight stocks. Which tames alot of the recoil versus other rifle with alot of drop in the stock. No.1's push back not buck. I don't like rifles that buck up in the air they tend to hurt. I have a No.1 in a 375 h&h and its bareable to shoot compared to the custom remington 700 375 h&h I used to have that kicked something awful.

Heres my stiry on recoil on magnums;

At the time, I owned a fairly tame 270 that had the usual easy but sharp kick to it.
Went out with my friend to test out his Sako Finnbear 7mm mag.
That gun had a serious SHARP boot to it-to the point it made you not look forward to pulling the trigger. Not to be outdone, I went out and purchased a 300 Win Mag model 70 with Boss. Now that gun was a serious (best ive ever seen) tack driver. But Lord have mercy she barked. One time I forgot to put in ear plugs and I believe I did physical and permanent damge to ears. But of course the kick was very manageable. In fact it was way more gentle than the Sako. So, I traded it in for a win model 70 in 338 mag. Interestingly, the 338 was more pleasurable to shoot than that sako 7mm. Why? because the kick on the 338 was a slower velvety push. Whereas the 7mm had a very sharp recoil as mentioned above, where the barrel jumped sharply. And, the sako finnbear is not a light rifle either.
My theory is twofold: 1. Winchester Model 70's in classic sporter models are well designed to manage recoil. 2. Different caliber magnums produce different type of recoil-some sharp and fast, others long and smooth. If I didnt need one gun to handle everything, I would definitely have a 338 in reserve for big stuff. But, I had to sell it and get a 270 WSM which I have found effective for both deer and elk. Now I am in pursuit of a new (or used) pre-64 Win model 70 30-06 or, possibly a 300WSM though I'm a bit concerned about meat damage on deer with the 300wsm. Problem is: I like the 270WSM but the ammo choices are slim as well as hard to find in out of the way places. The 30-06, or even the 308 has so many bullet choices and are so easy to find almost anywhere. For a one gun man that is important.

You got it!!! many people DO exagerrate the recoil of the magnums, especially in light of the recoil most 12gauges have.

Very true NVMIKE. I own several "big guns", a .300 WSM, .338 Win Mag and a .45-70. I can shoot these guns all day long. The last time at the range with my .45-70, I went through 60 rounds of 300 grain ammo. I was trying to find out what brand it liked.
On the other hand, my Encore with the slug barrel kicks like a mule. I don't like to shoot more than 20 rounds through that at a time. Since it is zeroed in now, I don't have to shoot more than 3-6 slugs to check it out before season opens.
I think what people think is a heavy recoiling rifle it all depends on a few things:

- How much do you shoot? You do get used to it like anything else that is repetitive.
- What form are you using at the bench? Is everything tight into your shoulder? Good cheek weld?
- What are you wearing? A T-Shirt aint gonna cut it. Buy a shooting pad or jacket and you will be amazed how much recoil they absorb. Even wearing just a sweat shirt helps.

Granted, if you are going to shoot a .416 Rigby, be ready for some recoil but I think most calibers that people use for hunting popular game, .243 - .45-70, are very manageable, expecially when the adrenaline is high while hunting.

I would suggest not hunting with a ported rifle. As stated above, you can suffer permament hearing loss. I don't know too many people that hunt with ear protection.