.22 caliber to be obviously clear...
I'll gladly let the idiots who use those terms shoot my .223 -- and then shoot my old British SMLE (.303) carbine -- with steel buttplate. That should give them some perspective... '-)
I had an old WWI era Smellie myself many years ago when they were sold at Sears for $9.95. The full length rifle didn't kick too bad, but the WWII era so-called Jungle Carbine that my friend bought kicked like a mule. It must have been the odd shaped buttstock that magnified the felt recoil because I have fired many modern rifles since then that are quite a bit more powerful but don't kick as much. Or at least you don't feel the recoil as much as you do with the old Smellies and 03 Springfields.