I'll start ..mine was a Benelli Nova 12 gauge shotgun loaded with 3 1/2 duck loads..i think 4 shot....that Nova is a light gun and the butt pad is a little slick so when i fired that gun it gave a slap to the face i won't soon forget...brought a little tear to my eye....i guess i ought to also mention my older brother's 300 Win Mag, its a Howa with a synthetic stock....the problem is the cheap [censored] Simmons scope he has on it with the one inch eye relief ....he doesn't understand why people are afraid to fire that rifle

664 J&W

My dad has an old eddie stone 30-06 with a synthetic stock. Its probably the hardest kicking gun I've shot.

.300 Weatherby Ultra Magnum in a 6 1/4 lb mountain rifle. Boss sent me to the range to sight it in for his hunt. 17 torturous rounds later and I hurt for a week.

870 with 3 1/2 in buckshot

I don't have any experience with the big exotic cartridges, so the hardest kicking gun I've ever shot was a friend's lightweight .300 Wby. Mag. with a crappy hard rubber butt pad.

460 Wthby Mag, 2x's

375 H&H 4x's

I had a T/C Encore pistol chambered in the 375 JDJ. It was brutal. Notice i said had. Next to that was a savage in 300 win mag.

Knight 50 cal. w/ 120 grains black powder

3" Magnum slugs in my 18" barrel 12ga, or my Ruger .44. My Mosin and my .30-06 have a little kick too though, lol.

I once had a vicious 700 Mountain Rifle in .280...I've had other rifles in .280 since then and hey were pussycats. The Mountain Rifle was a hateful beast! I've shot .300s, .375s, and other stuff. It had to have been the stock design...

Most recently was a firend's very light weight 18" barreled .308 he sent with me to check zero. I'm shocked that I remember it, since its just a .308

I've shot .300 RUM, .338 Lapua Mag and 50 BMG, all with brakes but that little .308 comes to mind for some reason.

So far the 458 Win Mag is had that was a light bolt action rifle. That had a stout kick

.375 Win Mag. Never again. My cousin has a .10 gauge single shot he said he'd pay me $100.00 to shoot.


My cousin still has a hundred bucks and I hate him.

I feel your pain! I had a Ruger Compact .308 that let you know when you touched it off. Loved that rifle in the field, hated it on the bench.

.45-70 in a NEF Handi Rifle single shot.

My shoulder bruised faster than a little girl's.

416 rigby, but it wasn't the caliber. It was custom stocked for short fellow. and designed to be shot with open sights. Felt the first shot was going to take the side of my head off. Duct taped some foam on comb and solved the problem.

Many people know this, but if you will take a levi jacket or vest and safety pin a couple of squares of carpet where the stock meets your shoulder it will help tame the worst recoil to the shoulder because it spreads the impact.

I used to have a single barreled H&R 12 guage that would rattle your skeleton when you touched it off...

I shot a single shot break action 12ga that was made for Montgomery Ward in 1912 (IIRC). It was marked full choke bore. So the entire barrel was full choke. Anyway, it weighed about as much as a Rossi youth .22LR. You would take two steps back with every shot.

870 w/ 3.5" duplex turkey load. I shot it one time and I didn't want anymore. It was funny because the owner was whining about it and I was giving him a ration so he handed it to me. I touched it off one time and said no more...y'all can have that crap.

17hmr, thing kicked like a mule

155 Howitzer it hit me in the hip, watch where your standing when firing a 155 in a hurry.

.375 H&H

This and/or a 450 marlin.

460 wby mag w/o brake, feels like an nfl linebacker hit you.
378 wby mag w/o brake feels like Mike Tyson just gave you an uppercut.