I wonder if I should be considering a semi-auto instead of a pump shotgun as a matter of recoil reduction. ??? I'm apprehensive about recoil, having never fired a shotgun. Shot Winchester Model 94 30-30 as a kid and didnt mind recoil. Tried one again decades later, and found the recoil too unpleasant. I dont mind recoil of my .44 mags, but mine are heavy, not light guns, and they just move my arms, not punch me in the shoulder. Only occurred to me later, though, that as a kid, I was wearing a heavy padded shooting jacket when firing the Model 94,, but as an adult, ordinary outdoor clothes. And the gun had no recoil pad. However, I suspect it behooves me to do all I can to mitigate recoil. The suggestion of a Limbsaver recoil pad was really useful.
Do you get a serious reduction in recoil from a semi-auto vs a pump shotgun?
And apparently some here prefer 20 gauge shotguns. Is that because of recoil? Is it just a little harder to hit with a 20 gauge as a 12 gauge, or a lot harder?
20 is IMO under rated by some. They are really good for lots of things, and they do have noticeably less recoil. As far as semi vs pump, I've "read" that they have less but to me they feel the same.