I have shot a number of larger cals ( 500 and above ) some of them have had internal reducers (mercury surpressors) in the stock and although they certainly dont help in the balance department, they do take up some energy thereby making the recoil more tolerable. i have also shot larger calibers with gas springs pocketed in the stock, these work fairly well adding little weight but require stock and butt plate mods that i fear would be detrimental to many of the guns value and asthetics that are discussed and collected on this forum.

the guns i mention above are not my own and i doubt that i would consider adding the mercury to any gun i own, having said that, when i shoot, i prefer to stand using a steady rest or shooting stick for the reasons mentioned by NitroX and for a more realistic "practice" as you rarely get to sit at a bench with a padded rest whilst in the field. (unless you are Juan Carlos ripping into boozed up bears)

It's been two years since i had my rotator cuff rebuilt in my shooting shoulder and i am somewhat leary about putting a 700 up and squeezing the trigger but i would have no problem firing 458's and 375's for 10 or 15 rounds from a standing position. still gets a little ouchy for the next day but its all part of the experience.

i should mention that the final straw on my shoulder was not from firing but i am sure that shooting was a contributiing factor