I agree, it's a hard question to answer. Coming to hand gun hunting/shooting late only a few years ago, my tolerance for recoil has increased significantly and seems to be still growing. I love the push and thunder of a +p 45 colt 4" redhawk, but couldn't stand the snap of a 44 mag in a 10" contender. A good muzzle break makes a hot 45-70 encore a blast (pun intended) to shoot. I have a 454 SRH that wouldn't get much (any) range time if I didn't have a light 454 load that it likes.