It's not a "sharp" recoil; more of a big push, and that makes all the difference in the world IMHO. I find .338 to be a very shootable caliber and in fact my .338 is one of my favorite rifles to shoot, to the point that I have to force myself to leave it home many times, to keep from wearing that barrel out too soon <g>.
300 Win Mag is much "sharper", at least to me, and in the rifles I've shot. I've only shot (3) .338's and one 300 WM, so...
