Anyone that's hunted Africa's biggest knows the lighter the gun the better on Safari. Recoil is a mute point, when under the gun so to speak. Hell, there's so much adrenaline running through my veins, I can barely feel my Rigby 577NE at 12lbs. 10ozs. My 470 Purdey is 10lbs 4ozs which many consider to light, but feels perfect to me.