Ruger PCC can be bought for <$600. Add a Primary Arms red dot for $150 more. Buy 5 Glock magazines in your preferred or legal capacity ($100). The remaining $150 can be used to purchase a sufficient supply of Federal HST, Gold Dot, or Barnes JHPs.
I wouldn't consider anything else in your position.
I have to watch the recoil of firearms for different age/health related reasons, and the shotgun has been the toughest nut for me to crack. I have gone the route of reduced recoil loads, better recoil pads and re-configuring my 870P to ADD weight, as well as taking the push-pull technique seriously; it has all added up and works... at least to a point. I suppose some sort of brake or porting will be the next expenditure, but I know that there is going to come a time where I will have to abandon the shotgun and embrace the carbine.
(My wife is already more recoil averse than I am becoming, so the shotgun is a non-starter for her. To prevent massive thread drift, I will keep carbine observations to myself.)
Some flavor of Beretta 1301 seems to be the default answer for a great number of people at present, but I have sampled a bunch of them and am not feeling it (!) with regard to softer recoil. I would suggest finding some kind soul who has one you can try before you make the leap, or renting one if there is an enlightened range near you.
gn
"On the internet, nobody knows if you are a dog... or even a cat."
Edge of my lane.
I shot in a tactical shotgun festival for a number of years where much time, talent and treasure was spent on mitigating recoil within a 12 gauge platform- 25 slug/50 buckshot , 4 or bigger. 6 course of fire IIRC.
When we had the occasional female shooter, an exception to the rule was made and let them shoot 20 gauge if they so chose. It was not recommended for the reasons cited above regarding lightness of weapon and a lack of quality tactically oriented ammo.
The few female competitors we had were heavier than your wife, had been to class and still were getting moved about quite a bit.
Bruises and soreness were common place across the board. While I am sure those stronger and/or with good technique had less bruising/soreness.
From the outside looking in, I do not think that the juice remotely worth the squeeze and would recommend a carbine being set up for my wife, daughter, son and myself if I had your reconstruction challenges.
A Confidently welded carbine is going to be far more effective than a tentatively welded shotgun in the vast majority of circumstances.
By way of extrapolation-I am already starting to see this as agencies with whom I have trained are pivoting to back toward 9 mm away from 40 caliber. Tentative 80% shooters are picking up 5 to 10% easily. Because they are freeing their minds and bodies from having to “run” the gun, they have more bandwidth to solve the accuracy/tactical challenge.
If you are dead set on the shotgun despite all the input above, you will bust your budget- buy a 1301 knowing that the training up is going to leave some likely permanent marks on the body for both of you.
I am not your attorney. I am not giving legal advice. Any and all opinions expressed are personal and my own and are not those of any employer-past, present or future.
I am the owner of Agile/Training and Consulting
www.agiletactical.com
NH Shooter uses a normal vent rib barrel, cut down if needed, so you actually gain ability to use low recoil loads, at least the slugs and 9 pellet OO Federal low recoil loads worked reliably in his gun. But still can use full power loads.
He played around to get 8 pellet low recoil load to work but the 9 pellet loaded worked fine with the Vent rib barrel.
I've shot low recoil buck in my normal slug barrel 11-87 and it always worked with few I fired in it but was noticeably sluggish in cycling.
I know you said semi auto, but have you thought about one of those mossberg pump guns set up to run mini-shells? I think Chris Baker recently did a video on revisiting the mini shells and it was thought provoking.
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Y'all gave me a lot to consider, and I appreciate the knowledge.
Fortunately, if I do decide on a PCC, I'm very familiar with carbine usage.
I was originally considering shotgun because I live in an apartment and dont want my neighbors dodging 77grn hot shit.
Going to look into a PCC. Thanks again.
Good luck!
I hear you with apartment, we are stuck in apartment for at least another year or two, AFAIK there really aren't any shotgun loads anyone would really want to trust for self defense that won't penetrate as much if not more than a carefully chosen 223/5.56 load.
IDK if PCC loads would perform significantly different than same load in pistol length barrel?
I don't like going below No.1 Buckshot in 12 gauge or Federal No.2 Buckshot https://www.federalpremium.com/shots...1-P258+2B.html in the 20 gauge. As far as recoil in gf's 20 gauge Rem 11-87 Youth gun nether of us can tell difference between 2.75" & 3" buckshot even if other person loads gun with a mix so it can be fired for perceived recoil without knowing which shot is which shell.
Think there might be a sticky or two here on one of the subforums that might cover 5.56 ammo selection for different missions, my single AR doesn't have fast twist barrel so don't any experience with 77 grain loads.
Personally for that niche, apartments & such, I tend to favor Hornady TAP Urban https://www.hornadyle.com/ or similar Federal load https://le.vistaoutdoor.com/ammunition/default.aspx though there are certainly good arguments for different loads in that niche.
In the Zanesville Ohio Incident they handled Lions, Tigers, and Bears with TAP ammo, so while I doubt anyone would claim TAP is ideal Bear ammo it worked repeatedly in that incident.
Massad Ayoob and Keith Jones interviewed the police that dealt with that incident in a podcast, Keith has relative that is a member of that department podcast link https://chartable.com/podcasts/proar...nd-bears-oh-my
The 1301 Comp is available 21" and is less than the Tactical, typically just a little over the $1k budget, and probably only ~3" longer.
Not necessarily saying a shotgun would be the best thing, but that might be the best shotgun.