I was surprised to learn how mild the recoil of a 375 h&h is in a 9 pound rifle. I was expecting some pain, but it's really not bad at all. It's like a 12 gauge shotgun with game loads. Perhaps in a lighter rifle it would be bad, and perhaps the gun I shot just fits well, but it looks like there's no reason to fear the recoil of this kind of rifle.

As a newbie to big rifles, I found the .375 H&H mild compared to my .300 Win Mag. Another benefit to shooting big rifles.

I was shooting my .375 H&H with 300 grain handloads for several years with no problem. When I purchased a Ruger 77 in 416 Rigby I got a rude awakening . Several trips to the local shooting range helped me learn to work with it, instead of trying to fight it. Getting off the shooting bench, and firing offhand help an awful lot. Anymore, I just use the bench if I change loads.It's helped make me a much better shot.

DogCat:

Your comparison of the 300 to the 375 is interesting to me because, after my range session with the 375, my opinion was that the 375 and my 270 seem about the same for recoil. I know it sounds strange, but that is my perception. The 270, by the way, is heavier than the 375 because it weighs about 10 pounds, including ammo and scope. I was shooting the 9 pound 375 with no scope.

One of the particular differences is that, although both rifles have a cheekpiece, I can feel the recoil of the 270 in my cheek. With the 375 I just see the muzzle rise and feel it in my shoulder, but there seems to be no impact to my cheek.

My friend with a 338 winchester says his hurts to fire it at the range.