My handload 15 pellet 00 buckshot load for 10 bore kicks less at full power in my 10.5 pound BPS 10 than a regular or even reduced recoil load in a standard R870. Add three or four pounds to that shotgun and full power loads will start to seem much milder. I remember discussing this with a guy who owns a shotgun accessory manufacturing outfit on his other message board about these things, he was saying some departments buy hundreds of dollars worth of specialized gear to reduce recoil, I stand by the idea that all one would really have to do is put some cheap weight on the gun itself. Fowlers want light shotguns, fowling shotguns get used as police guns, next thing you know you have a gun whose weight is more suited for light clays shooting being used for full house stuff.
There's always the argument of weight savings always being a good thing, maybe you like your ultra light 4.5 pound AR-15 custom. What good is it to have a lightweight combat shotgun? Home defense and police don't carry a shotgun and an 80 pound ruck 20 miles a day where saving every ounce has a big benefit. If one is to use a shotgun for such purpose heavier is better every time, reliable auto loaders (if you trust them) help, and as mentioned before fixed stocks are simply superior once the weapon must be employed. Someone outta think about balancing dead weight in a shotgun stock, or creating custom heavier barrels with correct balancing on the cheap as a solution to make them better for the purpose. Even with improved hit ratios with lighter shotgun loads, recoil reduction is always a plus.
The case for reduced recoil is very real, I won't argue against that. The case can also be made for the patrol officer who has to shoot through automobile glass to stop an armed bank robber, as an example, where every last bit of "heat" he can put behind that slug or buckshot load might help him smash through that barrier and stop the attacker. All things considered, there are strong arguments for both loads, both of which will remain on the shelves for said reasons.
