Someone mentioned a Limbsaver recoil pad above. I've used about 12 of them now and have never had a recoil pad come anywhere close to reducing felt recoil the way the Limbsaver pads do. You should also use one of the "sissy" pads (either just strapped on or mounted in a shooting vest/jacket) for benchrest shooting at the range. When bench shooting, you are in a bad position for absorbing recoil so it's better to keep it out of your mind with padding. If you shoot in benchrest position with big recoiling guns enough, it will make you flinch. This screws up any testing you might be doing at the range and can also make you flinch in the field, possibly ruining a shot of a lifetime. I bet with a Limbsaver recoil pad on the gun and a pad on your shoulder, you won't even think about recoil anymore, which is how it should be.