People talk about the light recoil of a .270, but every one I've shot has quite a snap to it. We rebarrelled my brother's .270 to .280AI and he was amazed at how "soft" it shoots now. The few 6.5x55s I've shot have had a gentler shove than any .270, and kill critters just as dead.
I had a 6.5 Model 70 Featherweight (comes with a thin solid rubber pad) and it really hurt to shoot it! Once I put on a thick pad it was okay. OTOH, I had a standard-weight .270 that came standard with a thick pad and it was a pussy-cat.
