It's all subjective. A .454 has more felt recoil than, say, a .44 special, but for some either is just fine. I've had some shoot my .44 special and have decided that's too much when I consider the .44 special a very mild round.
Want a wild ride? Buy a .460 or .500 magnum.
Ruger has stopped making the .460 from what I understand.
454 Casull (Ruger Alaskan) is the biggest handgun I've fired without doing the jerk right/duck left thing to dodge the recoil and it took some practice to get comfortable with the .454. The short barrel on the Alaskan helps me too - less metal coming back at you.