They are bearable but not fun to shoot. Shoot something like that too much and you could develop a flinch.

I see your point, but TBH I feel more recoil from 3" turkey loads than I do from slugs. I think having an excellent recoil pad and mounting the gun properly helps a good bit. When I first started shooting slugs, I tried to mount the gun like I would a rifle. A week later I was still sore. Now I mount it like I do for any other shotgun load, and only feel soreness after a lot of shooting.

I suppose everyone is different.

The Hornady sst slug is 300gr and I shoot the 2 3/4s not the 3". the rig weighs in at 9# with scope and loaded..

I would imagine the 3" have a much harder kick.. I have owned 300 win mags, 30-06 and 7mm they kick much harder..

btw my deer caliber of choice now is a .243 win