I'm glad you make sure to use effective gear to mitigate recoil-related shooting issues. I've got a fair bit of experience with Past recoil shields, muzzle brakes, bench-mounted vises, etc, but of course the majority of hunters don't use any form of artificial recoil reducer. My previous comments about my observations were in reference to mostly average hunters that simply shoot their rifles. And without the Cabelas pad, a muzzle brake, bench vise, etc, assuming a sporter-weight rifle, I'd probably win the bet about the bruising.
But that's not the bet you made. It's $29. If someone shoots 10" groups without one like you described above and then goes hunting with that, they're as dumb as a 7-yr-old driving a Corvette at hyper speed. It's not the gun that makes someone incompetent, it's the person who is incompetent. Why argue for a weak rifle that collectively, with rifle, scope, ammo, and time costs $thousands and would be worse than a better rifle if the same person had spent $29 on a pad?
I've shot my .375 Wby and .340 Wby for hours without a single bruise with the $29 pad. Bet lost.
