Funny thing about recoil, if you don't care about it, it doesn't matter. When recoil matters is when it interferes with your ability to concentrate on the mechanics of making the shot, the same can be said of muzzle blast. We can mitigate muzzle blast with hearing protection, perhaps some day with suppressors, and we can mitigate recoil with a quality recoil pad, a stock that fits, adding weight to the rifle, and for those that must, a muzzle brake. IMHO, the majority of people shoot rifles that are stocked too long, and a LOP that's too long increases the amount of recoil felt by the shooter. Thus even some rifles chambered for mild cartridges get a reputation as punishing. I wish more factory rifles came with adjustable stocks.
A local gal wants to try her hand at moose hunting, but more importantly, she wants the freedom to go for walks alone, rather than having to wait until someone with a rifle or shotgun is willing to go with her. She asked me what I thought would be an appropriate rifle for her. Not only is she small, but she's left handed to boot, so while the question can be readily answered, it is not easily answered. I immediately suggested a left hand Ruger .308 scout rifle. I have since spent an inordinate amount of time on the computer looking to see if I had missed anything that might be better, but within her budget, and without waiting a year for a gunsmith to produce something, I think the Ruger is the best option. In the meantime I want to get her shooting. I initially though that my son's left handed .270 would suffice in the interim, and I loaded some ammo for it, but its far too big for her. I'll see how she reacts to the suggestion of starting out with my wife's .30/06, which while right handed, has a 12" LOP. She's had the .270 for a week now, but I'm willing to bet that short stocked .30/06 will feel much more intuitive. Once we get the little Ruger fitted to her, and a brief introduction with cast bullet loads and light recoil jacketed loads, I have no doubt that in a short time she will be able handle full power .308 handloads, and the recoil won't matter.
