With full power factory loads mine kicks like an angry mule. That plastic butt plate needs to be a nice thick recoil pad! But I stayed with plastic and loaded up some 125 gr bullets that about replicate a 243 Win round. Nice!
Like you, I replace the plastic trigger guard with an aluminum one. The maker sells them in the Classifieds I believe.
I bedded the lug and action on mine and now get 3 bullets touching at 50 yards. Sighted in 1-inch high at 100 yds gives me a nice little rifle for the scrawny whitetails around here. It has dropped more than a few hogs, too!
