Archeryblackdog,

heavier doubles swing better into the target and are much more steady in shooting off-hand or over African sticks. And it does cut recoil quite a lot. My own .470 is quite heavy at 11.5 pounds, but well-balanced and therefore 'feels light', shoots very steady, and recoil even with heaviest loads is not an issue (my light .404 Jeff at 9 pounds is much worse). If you get a good sling, carrying it around will not tire you - I use a Niggeloh padded leather sling which is fairly wide, nicely distributing the weight, looks good with a double, too. With this one, I can walk for miles and miles without feeling the weight.

Here is the link for the sling I use, highly recommended:

http://www.claytonfirearms.com.au/produc...18&vmcchk=1

And since you mentioned recoil: I would have a Kick-EEZ Safari recoil pad installed, it works very, very well.