I have a .25-06 and really enjoy it. Its recoil is pretty mild. I don't have anything thats horrible to shoot. My 15" Encore 500 S&W with a 385 gr bullet at 1700 fps would probably be the worst. It has as much energy at 200 yards as many .454 Casull loads have at the muzzle. My .45-70 barrels would come in second with 300 gr bullets at 1900 fps. Nothing close to what some of you guys are shooting.