FWIW good recoil management is so important if you are to shoot precisely and reduce the chance of developing a flinch < which even without hearing protection you will !
These are issues I've had to deal with to progress in the love of shooting sports and I'd like to share some of what I've learnt so that it might help others.
I only shoot sporting rifles and as such have lightweight tubes as is being best suited for carrying about the hills with disadvantages in barrel resonance (less precise accuracy) and increased recoil due to light weight.
With the many shooters I have befriended a small aging man could shoot as well as most and seemed to manage recoil far better than his frame size might suggest.
He like I wasn't chasing the near impossible 0.2 MOA groups from a hunting rifle but a very achievable 1/2 MOA that most modern sporters can achieve with handloads.
One day I asked how he manages recoil being a slight chap.
Shoot, shoot and shoot was his reply as he had suffered similar issues with recoil and didn't want to introduce any recoil management into his technique.....interesting I thought after watching many get bashed around at the bench.
For many years I had sissy bagged up at the bench to ensure I didn't redevelop the flinch I had when younger that a 223 helped me cure.
Not long after I was doing extended load development for 308 and 7mm08 and afterwards noticed recoil was becoming much more manageable even when shooting precise groups. < This was the result of becoming more physically relaxed at the bench and letting the firearm move you in a controlled way instead of resisting the recoil only to let you feel it more !
Another tip was to
always hold the forend which doing so also helps immensely to reduce recoil.
You may ask how would you hold a steady aim while holding the forend, however it's not at all difficult with some adjustment of your forend rest < and bipods aren't any part of this !
This article was used for guidance:
I've learnt and strongly advise any at the bench to at least sissy bag up even if it's only with multiple layers of toweling.
The other thing learnt from decades of field shooting is at the bench always wear earmuffs or some good form of ear protection but preferably muffs.
Why ? It's quite simple as our brains have been conditioned to get our ears belted with noise each time we discharge a rifle yet fit a set of earmuffs and instantly the brain subconsciously knows the noise is no longer an issue and believe it or not you will shoot better/more precisely !
Even with a moderator/suppressor fitted !
I challenge you all to conduct such an experiment with your most accurate firearm in good conditions.
Even just a 5 shot group can demonstrate how gun noise impacts how well we shoot.
Shoot well, safe and better.