Recoil of the 9.3X62
To start, I must make the following comparison;
The model 649 is quite light; with a moderate load of 286 grains bullet, the felt recoil might be quite the same as with a heavy Remington 373H&H w/ 300 grains bullet.
Personally, I am using the rifle as is; just the plastic recoil pad, no rubber. Without a shoulder shield, you wont shoot much more than 5-10 rounds in that situation. With a good shoulder pad, you can shoot a morning long (depending of your aptitudes to handle moderate high recoil).
With a good recoil pad, it's very pleasant to shoot.
Lee,
I know what you mean about the 8X57, but I have the impression that it's because of the stock design (in my case, anyways); the barrel just kick (lift) after each shot. I got exactly the same result last week with a friend's rifle; it was a Browning Medallion in 300 WSM... funny....