I shot my first deer, an aged out Hill Country Whitetail, with a 7 mag shooting CoreLokts. I don't remember the recoil at the time but that's because I was 16 and more adrenaline than boy. What I do remember is that bullet sailing through that deer like a hot knife through butter and wrecking everything along the way. Years later, I knew more, and realized why all the old timers had said "boy that's a lot of rifle for a deer that size"
Here are some considerations for those looking at 7 mag
***Recoil***
Yes, there are the MEN among us unaffected by even the most punishing of dangerous game loads. And then there are the other 99.5% of shooters who absolutely, categorically, objectively, scientifically develop a flinch shooting 300WM and similar.
7mm Magnums absolutely recoil less while still delivering devastating downrange performance, flat drops, and great wind resistance. There is nothing the 300WM does so well in the field that makes it worth the cost to shooter performance.
***Belts***
I went to one of Gunwerks' classes in Cody years ago. At the time, their LR1000 rifles were almost exclusively done up in 7LRM which is (basically) just an unbelted 7Mag. I asked Aaron Davidson about the decision to make their own cartridge instead of just using 7Mag. He detailed most of his thoughts here.
http://site-media.net/gunwerks/7LRMarticle(1).pdf
However, two noteworthy aspects he mentioned in person and - brass life and accuracy. Their experience showed better brass life and better accuracy using non belted cases. That article details other design considerations as well. I managed to put together what I felt were acceptable loads in my personal 7 mag by bumping the shoulders .002" and moving on with my life.
***Logistics***
From a logistics standpoint, 7Mag is about the only non 30 cal that you will ALWAYS find on the shelf in every store no matter the economic or political climate.
For the hunting I do, 7 mag doesn't have a place. A 243 WIN w/ 95 gr BTs covers **** near every shooting situation I'd encounter. The only reason I have a 30-06 shooting 180 BTs is because sometimes there's a big sow or Axis "over there" and the 243 doesn't have the gas at impact to do the work. Also, I wanted it.
Were I to spend more time out west where the animals were bigger, the winds were stiffer, and the distances longer, a 7Mag shooting heavies would be the first thing I'd buy.