I use a sissy sand band on my shoulder, so that does not hurt. Its the headaches, busted finger (two triggers) and thumb in the nose issues that cause me pain. I can handle the recoil standing on my shoulder without much fuss. But benching, I have to have the sissy bang or I will flinch all day long. E. Brown displays a neat recoil bag in his book that I would like to get. It flops over your shoulder and is about 6 inches wide. It looks like it grips the butt well too.