As Yogi Berra once said, "Include me out."

I shoot my 45-70 and my 300 winmag both with pretty hot loads, but haven't ever felt "traumatized" by recoil...

Hard recoil in a pistol has made my accuracy not as good as a lighter recoil load. In a rifel I can handle more but olny to a certain extent. I have found out that the harder recoil doesn't mean it is your best load. As you get older and your reloading gets better it's more about the better accuracy than the harder kick.It will take it's toll on you after a extended period of time, but it sure feels good at the moment.

Not me. I don't like anything that degrades my accuracy. Some people seem to view it as a measure a manliness, not sure why.

If you like Recoil! you like Dentel Pain!

Recoil is that kiss against hand and shoulder that sweetly confirms projectiles are on their way...
PigHunter

I love the feel of a modest firearm. But I hate the feel of blood running down my eyebrow from a scope kiss. I have never shot a firearm that I did not appreciate one way or another. Some a little stronger than I'd have liked, but never the less enjoyed. I guess I'm just a true rifleman. Bring it on,if its safe to fire,its enjoyable to me.

If I am water fowling I prefer recoil to the alternative, but I usually only shoot 6 times, or so. My strategy is to let someone else shoot at the teal, small fast target for small amount of meat.

Guy's that like recoil are a little kinky..wear high, black leather boots, and like to get chained up and whipped. Who does the whippin is a personal thing.

Perhaps I should clarify that statement. I use some really big calibers at times while hunting 450, 470, 500 and so forth. I grit my teeth and fire a few rounds each week to keep in practice and things are tolerable, but after few rounds I begin ti hear footsteps, and take a break. Have some friends who are competitive benchrest shooters who claim if they shoot the really big stuff it adversely effects their competitive results.

I will readily admit to using a PAST recoil pad when on the bench, and to repeat and reiterate what Happy said, if I "hear footsteps", I will quit for that day, as anticipation of recoil tends to make me jerk on a .30-'06. I try to keep shots with the hard kicking rifles down to about 9 or so.

It's the price you pay for shooting but everyone has a limit. Above that limit accuracy does go to pot. It even plays a role in trap and skeet shooting succes. In those sports it's cumulative. Personally, I'm not interested in shooting Mr. Myles rifles.

I like that kiss that sweetly confirms that projectiles are on the way, as PigHunter so poetically put it.
The kiss (or kick) that "SHARPLY CONFIRMS..." is what bothers me.

I don't like the quick vicious recoil that you get from things like fast medium bore magnums. I'm more a fan of .45-70s, 12 gauge slugs, heavy 10 gauge shotguns, and other things that shove hard, not crack my skull.

A lot of people shoot 3.5 inch turkey loads (far worse than 3.5 inch waterfowl loads) yet they are afraid of elephant guns that aren't much worse. There are a few 12 gauge options that kick like a .458 Winchester.

I much prefer accuracy with a rifle above all else so I avoid recoil like the plague. I'll shoot a few hundred rounds a year out of my .375 and my .44 Mag but if I start flinching, I put them away for a while until I forget about recoil.

never bothered me till i took a .416 out to the range one day for sh#$@ and giggles, kinda hurt a little bit...

I personally do that is why a 22. will never be my favorite gun while it is fun it just feels odd to have no recoil

Actually .22LRs have recoil and I discovered that even with my heavy target rifle. It can make the difference between a 3/8 and 1/4 inch group. I guess I'm a huge wimp now because I can detect .22 recoil.

Fine, but I can probably shoot straighter than the tough guys because I don't have a hidden phantom flinch and shoot thousands of cheap rounds.

With your heavy kicking rifle that you love the recoil of, have your friend single load it five times and have him hand you the rifle one of those times. I bet money he will see your flinch when the rifle doesn't go off. Your face will be very red.

Recoil is good feedback on the load if you are familiar with that rifle / shotgun. I know a guy who's progressive press missed the powder charge on some of his 12 gauge shells. He knew immediately on the first trigger pull that something was wrong. He unloaded the shotgun and checked to make sure the wad was not still in the barrel before proceeding. I had a misfire on a .308 handload while firing at a group of pigs. I had 3 pigs down and was going for the 4th when the rifle went click instead of bang. Apparently the primer was set just deep enough on the cartridge to not ignite when hit by the firing pin.

These are the reasons I like that sweet confirmation of recoil.