I shot my Gen 1 .338LM conversion for almost 3 years without a problem, often shooting from 40-100 rounds over an afternoon. Then I moved to NZ where suppressors are unregulated and switched out all of my brakes to the QD brake. Then my collar and shoulder started hurting even after 20 rounds. The old brake was way more effective at managing recoil and made the hard buttplate a non-issue, in my opinion. Jumping over to the QD brake, the felt recoil was significant, to the point where the rifle was tough to shoot for an extended period of time. One of the local guys I've competed with got an SRS and the first thing he did was DIY a rubber buttplate. Personally, I've been holding out for when the A1 buttplate is available separately and working on a new .338 suppressor.
So in a nutshell, if you have an A1 then you should be fine with shooting .338LM regardless. If you have a Gen 1, then shoot it with the old style brake if you don't have access to a suppressor. Or make your own rubber plate
So in a nutshell, if you have an A1 then you should be fine with shooting .338LM regardless. If you have a Gen 1, then shoot it with the old style brake if you don't have access to a suppressor. Or make your own rubber plate