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Good article but, I gotta tell you, this quote is absolutely absurd!!!!

"Does the sub eight pound Hawkeye kick behind the big .416 Ruger cartridge? You betcha, but it is not severe, not bone jarring and less than I have experienced with my own heavy .375 H&H express guns".

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Hey! I write lots of absurd things, but this doesn't happen to be one of those times. I handload for, and shoot, four .375 H&H guns. There is a big difference between felt recoil and generated recoil. The .416 Ruger produces approx 74 ft/lbs of recoil, the .375 H&H guns approx 54. The effects of recoil are exponential, so the .416 Ruger is clearly the heavy theoretical kicker in the bunch.

Of the .375s, a CZ handles recoil well as does a Mauser custom I've had for some time. Much older M700 Remington and M70 Winchester rifles leave me with leave me with a deeply bruised rotator cuff and a sore cheekbone after extended range sessions. Probably a function of pull length and the drop of thee heel from stock centerline and barrels that rise sharply under recoil. The Ruger stock pull is a little linger and as straight under the bore as a 2x6. It comes straight back. The Hogue stock does not have an integral aluminum frame, just fiberglass reinforced polymer which probably absorbs shock in accordion fashion, plus the recoil pad is made of very absorbent Sorbothane blend. The Haweye just doesn't feel like much when it kicks. Sharp, short and over.

I would say the same about the larger Weatherby guns. A .416 with or without brake is pretty much a pussy cat to shoot, as is the .338-378 with heavy loads. A marlin Guide Gun loaded with Buffalo Bore loads is severe and last year I ended up with a fracture shooting a .500 Jeffery from the bench during load development. The Ruger really is an enjoyable gun to shoot. You won't doze under recoil, but it just doesn't feel that bad.

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