I have never had the opportunity to shoot a 700NE. I do have rifles that would approach it in recoil. I have a Heym 600NE I shoot and reload for. The recoil is definitely not for the average shooter. I experimented with my .460 weatherby using 600 grain Barnes bullets and IMR 7828 powder. I started with 115 grains of IMR 7828, finally settling on 100 grains. The recoil surpassed the 600NE. I have a .50 caliber Boys Anti-Tank rifle whose recoil goes off the dial. I think the coming thing in big bores for african hunting is .50 Caliber bolt rifles with muzzle brakes, shooting 750-800 grain bullets with extreme accuracy and devastating power. The 2003-2 issue of Very High Power, a magazine of the FCSA shows a deer shot at 783 yards on Kodiak Island, Alaska. To each his own, don't think me a nut, I enjoy the shooting sport and encourage others to do the same.