Thank goodness the old crescent shaped brass buttplate is no more, but it does snug in nice and tight and looks good while doing it.
Will the regular hard plastic buttplate cause more discomfort than a softer energy absorbing one? Absolutely. Relatively speaking.
The type of clothing can also help disperse some of the felt energy. Tee shirt in summer is one thing vs. jacket or coat over a sweater in the winter makes a difference.
Shooting vest or shirts with stiff leather shoulder facing are made for a reason as are the strap on recoil pad thingy
http://www.roc-import.com/gb/div/recoil_pads1.php
A box or two of 170 gr will be felt the morning after more than during the session I've come to find. And to this day, it still amazes me that every deer I've ever shot, I neither felt or heard the round.
Light rifle, centerfire round, no recoiling action to counteract or absorb part of that energy...like CR Sam and Jim Watson say, you'll never know till ya try.
Personally, I kinda (perversly) like the "rocking back" with each round.
Always brings a grin to the face. Should it bring a grimace, I know its time to bring out the handguns or switch to the 10/22.
Enjoy it Shane. Shoot both the 150's and the 170's. With padding and without. Comparing it to a shotgun? They tend to PUUUSH (unless its a slug) as opposed to SNAP. A light skeet load might be comparable (you ever wonder why all them shotgun shooters wear them padded vests?)
Adios