Hey Beefstick, I shoot a lot, both in competition and hunting so learning how to absorb recoil is not the issue. The question was about Muzzle brakes and porting and there advantages. Overall for most shooters proper gun fit is problem for excessive recoil. Anyway the only time you notice it is shooting at the bench, when i am shooting at game I don't even notice the recoil. And i will tell you the brake on my 300 mag changed the way that gun shoots. The gun was fitted correctly, but still kicked on the bench. After the brake was installed it shoots like a different gun, really reduced recoil. So there you have it, proper gun fit and a brake or porting will reduce recoil.