Firstly, I have to say that I like my .470 NE and the .476 Westley Richards and although thumpers, in a properly set up rifle the recoil isn't that bad...

The only ways that you can reduce felt recoil is by redirection (stock design), mass (weight), interruption (recoil pad) or delay (porting and/or brakes)...

As Mr. Shoemaker pointed out, most guides will not allow braked rifles--which is why the are made removable--on the hunt but they are certainly nice to have when sighting in�

I have had major back surgery and am also recoil shy and as such, equipped one of my rifles with both a brake and Mag-na-porting, 2 Mercury tubes, LimbSaver recoil pad and put on a padded strap-on comb to the butt...I can now shoot my favourite .340 Weatherby all day long and have done so at various competitions...Granted that's overkill but not really...

You can add a couple of 6 oz tubes and install a LimbSaver pad for under $100 and just those will make a huge difference...

One thing that I've always noticed, that at the time of the hunt, at the moment of the kill, when you squeeze that trigger, most people didn't even realize that they just got smacked by their rifle butt...something about an adrenalin/endorphin (or maybe its testosterone) rush...

I've come back from a day of intense goose shooting--when only the air was in danger and when undressing for bed noticed that I've now got a bruise from the top of my shoulder to below my rib cage...I didn't think those 3�" magnums kicked that much when I was shooting at something edible!

In many countries in Africa the minimum allowed for dangerous game is the lovely .375 H&H and lots of them won�t allow the 9.3mm whether as a x62, x64 or x72 because they are .366 and insist on at least a 10mm of some kind�then again, others will, so check with your PH�I�d take the 9.3x64 as a direct competitor to the .375 H&H (295 gr bullet at 2,570 fps vs. 300 gr at 2,600 fps)

There are the mid-ranges of .450/400 3��, .416s by Rigby, Hoffman (Necked up .375 H&H), Taylor (necked down .458 Win) or Weatherby, .425 Westley Richards (my personal favourite) and the new/old ones put out by Hornady the .404 (10.75x73) and .400 (.450/400 3�) Jeffery and then there is the oft overlooked .405 Win which Teddy R. said was the best lion medicine out there!

For mid bores that are easy on the shoulder I'd go for the Jeffrey--.400 for a break action or the .404 for a bolt or the old .405 Win which in the Winchester 1895 lever gun wasn't that hard to endure but only with the shotgun butt not that curved monstrosity and in a safari weight bolt action was actually a pleasure to shoot!

There is a certain type of mentality that thinks
if you make certain inanimate objects illegal
their criminal misuse will disappear!