I've shot a lot of old single barrels that were never designed to be fired with today's high velocity loads and with stock that were designed for sooting 2 !/2 inch 410. They all hurt but none to the point that I remember it distinctly. I shot an 8 ga double rifle from a bench rest and got moved around a lot. I thought i'd been knocked out because the cloud of black powder smoke blotted out the lights in the indoor range I was shooting in. Impressive but the pain level was manageable. The one that hurt was a Westley Richards Bolt action in 425 WR. If I had another round of ammo I would not have fired it. It was fast recoil from a rifle with a beautiful old classic stock with a small sharp butt plate I think made of steel. There is a reason they don't build rifles like that any more. I think I forgot to stand up after the shot and my brother kept asking me if I was alright. I've never been hit by a hammer on the ball of the shoulder, but that would probably come close to describing it.
