In my experience gun fit and gun weight are very important to reduce felt recoil. A gun that kicks the crap out of me might be quite tolerable to others and vise versa.
This ^^^^^^^^^ .... Bought my dad a "soft recoiling" gas operated Rem 7400 in .270 Win. Same time I had a Savage 110 chambered 7 RM. I could shoot Federal Premium 160gr loads in the Savage 7 RM off the bench for as long as I could afford to feed it. However, three 3 shot groups (nine total) was my limit with the .270. Would have an all day head ache after shooting that .270.
Stayed away from .270's for a long time because of that rifle. Later picked up a .270 as a donor to rebarrel. Made the mistake of shooting the donor. Am now a .270 maven...
