I agree on the recoil issue. When the short mags came out, I remember thinking "Most guys who bring magnums here to hunt can't shoot them as is, what makes them think they'll be able to shoot a magnum in a pound lighter rifle?"
Turns out that's exactly what happened. First guy I guided who carried a 300 WSM managed to blow off various deer and antelope body parts (shooting from a steady rest) until the animals finally succumbed after a great deal of misery. Second guy = similar story. One carried a Kimber, the other a Blaser. Over ensuing years seeing other guys carrying similar rifles, my opinion on the matter hasn't changed.
The average guy who doesn't shoot hunting rifles all that often (which, quite honestly, seems to be most of us) would be MUCH better served with a rifle generating less than 20 ft lbs of recoil, and preferably more like 15.
Funny thing is, both of those guys shot sub-moa groups off the bench when sighting in.
That would seem to suggest “buck fever” then instead of a flinch or fear of recoil.
Or that they were taking shots way over 100 yards.
I can shoot sub-moa too at 100 yards rifle check, but flub 350 yards shots.
