Not to get a major Hookah going, but physics is physics and recoil is recoil...no matter what you call it.
Recoil begins the instant the bullet/slug begins to move and builds over time as the propellent burns, producers gas and increases the velocity of the projectile. The amount of propellent is also considered in the equation...no matter what the bullet weighs, if the powder charge in one load is lighter than the powder charge in another load, the lighter charged load will have less recoil. One may have a quicker recoil velocity and is perceived to hit harder, but that has to do with a persons subjectivity not physical actuality...the "perceived" recoil is more in one than in the other...that has to do with the "recoil velocity in f/s" as against the "ft/lbs of recoil". Any good recoil calculating program will give you both numbers.
Whether you call it "felt recoil" or something else doesn't really matter...it is still recoil and acts differently depending on many factors such as barrel length(added weight to the gun), weight and velocity of the projectile, burning rate of the powder, fire arm weight, shape and drop of the stock (straight, pistol grip, thumbhole etc) how the rifle is fired (sitting on a bench, offhand, sitting etc), the recoil sensitivity and perception of the person, and previous conditioning, just to name a few. You can't just generalize "this against that"...you get into comparing apples and eggplant.
The problem is in the understanding of all the parameters and the verb-ology used to describe the actual phenomenon. Most people understand recoil is getting slapped around...the bigger the cartridge, the bigger the bullet, the "hotter" the load means more recoil. Not understanding the minutiae is where all the arguments get started...that and having to be "right" and defend your "position" at all costs or being unwilling to take another look under different circumstances.
I shoot lots of different light and heavy calibers including pistol, shotguns and rifles of all shapes and sizes including an NEF BC I re chambered to 45-100, and I have a USH arriving in the next few days. I've shot most of the several brands of factory slugs plus 12GA slugs from 1 oz to almost 3 oz (437 gr to 1400 gr)...my own 12 GAFH loads, in several shotguns of different barrel length, rifled and smoothbore. I guarantee each one shoots identical loads to different points of impact, different velocities and different levels of recoil.
If you go about testing the different loads under controlled conditions with some semblance of order, you can see first hand what happens by how the slugs impact the targets...there is no "by guess and by golly".
Otherwise discussions get all screwed up with extraneous BS and turns into nothing more than a school yard tussle...doesn't answer any questions and more likely confuses the H*** out of everyone.
One other thing to consider...my BC at 32" is only 1" longer than my 24" 416 Taylor with MB and my 26" 338-06 without a MB...the BC weights 11# and the other two weigh 10# each...I don't have any problem hauling them around...of course my 5.5# 7mm-06 is much easier to haul around and has much less recoil...the 416 at 2400 fs with 350 gr bullet is around 41 ft/lbs, 16 f/s velocity and the 7mm with a 140 gr has half the ft/lbs of recoil but has 15 f/s recoil velocity. If I considered the recoil velocity only there wouldn't be much difference in the two and I could argue like **** to make a good case that there wasn't much difference in the two, but I think we both agree that argument is total BS...apples and eggplants, don't you agree.
