I hate to argue with ARt, but physics predict a measurable amount of recoil.
The issues there are not arguable, but FELT recoil is totally different.
If you calculate speed of recoil thats a huge factor. I can take a healthy belt as long as its not super sharp... Super sharp IE fast hurts me.
Heavier folks feel more recoil than lighter ones.
Stock shape and fit and recoil pads make HUGE factors of difference.
I had one 06 that I hated to shoot, it was my buddies, it wasn't overly light but not heavy, I'd have shot my 338 any day next to it and I'd have told you all day long the recoil between the two was identical basically.
Personally if you are in the realm of 300 mag recoil and can handle that, then the same setup in 338 win mag won't be much if any different in recoil IMHO.
As to Luiss comments, the 300 mag is not the only round that will go through a mooses shoulders... some folks simply like other rounds. How many moose are killed with 6.5x55 and you don't ever NEED to break both shoulders or even one to kill...
Point being you can use what you want to.
Sorry, but I missed the argument??? The most memorably onboxious rifles I have shot have been plastic-stocked 338s. The gentlest big rifles have been wood stocks with a touch of cast. Come to think about it, a Savage bolt rifle in 30-06 was memorable... A proper pad, tuned trigger, and it felt like an entirely different rifle.
So many things can increase felt recoil without changing anything real, like noise, to begin to guess what someone else is feeling.
art
