Dave,
From my point of view, it had nothing to do with recoil, just a steadier hold for long range. I even added weight to the stock of my .223, just to help steady it more. It weighs a bit over ten pounds now. The added weight of the rifle would help to cut recoil quite a bit, and that was my aim with adding weight to my Buffalo Classic, but for the .223 or .243, the recoil isn't a big factor to begin with. The only advantage, recoil wise that I could see, is to help keep your scope on the target after you fire, to see if you had a good hit.
Don