I am the first to admit that I am not petite little thing, but, weight is not the determining factor alone with a 375 or any other rifle, stock design and dimensions come into play.

I have had a few rifles that I killed a fair amount of game with, some were enjoyable to shoot, some weren't.

I still have 3 of them, the rest, over time went to other homes.

My 300 Weatherby Mark V Deluxe is a great killing gun, but I am not fond of it on the bench, and I believe it weighs in at around 8 or 8.5 loaded and with the scope, about 10 rounds of my handloads off the bench, and I am thru messing with it, and I do not load upper end loadings.

It was the same with my 340 Weatherby that I no longer have and it was slightly heavier.

I also had a Ruger No.1 in 338 Win Mag that was not all that pleasant off the bench.

My 35 Whelen, while not a magnum, is still a big rifle, weighs in about the same as the 300 Weatherby and I am shooting 225 grain and 250 grain Barnes "X" out of it, but it is fairly pleasureable off the bench.

My 375 H&H is really nice off the bench and I have sat thru a 30 round session with it trying different powder charges, as I stated earlier it weighs 9.5 loaded.

I have had two 458's, the first was a Ruger 77 that loaded with scope went about 12 pounds, and it was not fun to shoot.

The second was a CZ 550 with the Euro Style stock.

Loaded and with out a scope it came in at 9.5 maybe 10 pounds and while not in the same class as the Whelen or 375, it was more fun than the Ruger 458.

While weight of rifle plays a big part in felt recoil, I feel that stock dimensions and the way a person mounts and holds the rifle during firing also play a role, as does the difference between shooting paper and shooting hair. JMO.

I agree with you Crazyhorse. The CZ has a good deal of weight out the front and a pretty good recoil pad. I never feel it on my shoulder, just every once in a while in the forehead. The Tikka (338WM) is another matter. I had to have two mercury recoil reducers installed, one in the forearm and the other in the butt. I believe it now weighs around 9&1/2 lbs. I'll have to weigh it again to be accurate. It is now managable with a slow burning powder and 225 gr. bullets. I still have it graze my forehead once in a while when I let my guard down. Granted this is off a bench and not off of sticks. I may be in for a surprise when I load up some 250's.