I've played with a lot of hard recoiling rifles. The 340W I had was built on a Match Grade Arms Mod 700, 24" barrel with a godawful "holes all around" brake. The problem was not so much the reoil as to what it did to scopes! Since it was so light ( right at 5.5 pounds) when the brake "arrested" the backward motion of recoil, it mimicked what happens with an air rifle piston. Scopes are really made and "tested" ( if you think about it) with recoil one way. I killed a Leupold 2.5x8 10 days before my SA hunt. I put on a Zeiss Conquest (3x9 I think) and it went out after those few animals. I had the rifle rebarreled to 338WM, Magnaported and only shot the 185xlc after my return. I gave it away to a friend later. The 338 RUM was built on a Howa action, Boyd laminate and a different 3 hole style brake. It was heavier, and a sweet shooter, but again, I only loaded the Nosler 180 AB. My outfitter friend offered me big bucks for it so I sold it to him. It was one of the ugliest rifles I ever had (it had been given to me) and I can't abide ugly ( not in my dog/cat/woman or rifles! ha) No, it doesn't matter if the world thinks "I'm" ugly either!!!!
