Recoil is made up of 4 things that all are important.
Weight of the projectile
Weight of the powder charge
Weight of the firearm
Velocity of the projectile
If the weight of the projectile goes up and the powder charge and velocity remain the same you get more recoil
BUT.... When you go up in bullet weight in the same cartridge the powder charge will be less and velocity will be less.
It is a complicated issue with no easy answer.
You also have to consider recoil velocity. If 2 guns have exactly the same recoil in ft lbs, it is very common for one of them to recoil FASTER. That will make recoil SEEM like it is hitting you harder than another gun that spreads the same exact recoil out over a longer period of time. Generally heavier bullets recoil slower than lighter, faster bullets.
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Of course it has a simple answer.
Heavier.
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A 35 Whelen with a 250 gr bullet has almost exactly the same recoil as a 300 WM shooting 180 gr bullets. The 300 uses about 50% more powder and is shooting a lighter bullet about 600 fps faster.
But because of recoil velocity most people find a 35 Whelen more comfortable to shoot.
Plug in the numbers here and stop guessing
http://www.handloads.com/calc/recoil.asp