An old topic, but still worthy of comment. I bought a .300 Wby Mark V Sporter (on sale) back in, oh, the mid ‘80s. It’s pretty much been my go to CONUS big game rifle since then. (I say CONUS, as I also have a .375 H&H and .416 Rigby for hunting on the Dark Continent.) I’ve taken everything from blacktails and antelope to moose with it. Personally I think recoil is all in the mind. If you want pain, try a 7-pound Beretta Onyx 12 gauge 3-1/2” mag O/U. After a morning in a duck blind you can go home and admire your square foot of black & blue, but while filling your limit of ducks and geese the recoil is irrelevant.

Anyway, here’s a little hunting anecdote for you. A few years back my partner and I went moose hunting in British Columbia. I brought my old .300 Wby and my partner brought a brand-spanking new Sako .300 Win Mag. I was the first to bag a moose. 330 yards, high in the lungs with a 200-grain Partition and close enough to the spine for the hydrostatic shock to temporarily paralyze him. Dropped like a sack of potatoes, kicked a couple times and was DRT. A couple days later my partner got his moose. First shot at 300 yards was a complete miss. Second gut-shot the beast and it ran off about 50 yards and stood there staring at him. Third shot was in the shoulder and brought him down. After a 300-yard hike we found the moose still alive, and my partner administered a coup de grâce. So, one shot vs. four shots. What does that mean? Absolutely nothing beyond the fact that one of us may be able to shoot a bit better than the other.

And that’s really the bottom line. Have I rifle that is a) suitable to the game and range you’ll be hunting, b) that you’re comfortable and confident with, and c) one that you will practice with… a lot. (And if you’re at all troubled with recoil maybe you should be looking at .243s.)