The formula for shotguns, i.e. shot wieght in ounces x 96 = minimun gun weight to handle the recoil of a couple of hundred rounds during a days driven shooting.
A heavy recoiling, large caliber rifle is normally not fired more than a few shots per day while hunting. (Unless you live down under and shoot swine with a 577!).
A 6 pound shotgun firing an 1 1/8 oz shot load at 1100 fps will have approximately 1/2 the recoil of a 12 pound rifle firing a 500 grain bullet at 2150 fps.