Remembering my recently deceased friend John Taffin I was reminded how over the years, he shot the hell out of super-powerful handguns like the .500 Linebaugh and hot-loaded .44 Magnum, and wound up with injured hands and wrists. In his writing, he warned the rest of us about it, and set an example by publicly admitting he was shooting lighter loads these days.
In his age group and mine (read: “Old Guys”) that’s a common syndrome. A lot of my colleagues have gone from .357 Magnum and .38 Special +P in their lightweight pocket revolvers to the humble, mild 148 grain .38 Special mid-range wadcutter target load. It still punches a full diameter wound track, and doesn’t tear up arthritic hands. Before John, I saw other aging gun experts – Walt Rauch and Pat Rogers, who are sadly no longer with us either – power down from .45s to 9mm for similar reasons.
The same is true of long guns. My elephant rifles have been consigned to the safe for some time, and in a shotgun I tend toward the 20 gauge. When the opthalmologist told me I had a tear beginning in one retina, he said it was time for me to stop rapid-firing 12 gauge shotguns with full power loads. I took his advice.
I wrote about the advantages of the 20 gauge shotgun for various sporting and defense purposes a while ago, in Backwoods Home magazine, here: https://www.backwoodshome.com/consider-the-20-gauge-shotgun/ .
Sorry to hear that Walt Rauch has passed. I moved largely to the 9 back in the 1980s. I shot it faster and more accurately than a .45 and they hold more rounds. What’s not to love? Not being a masochist, I have to confess I’ve never understood the desire for featherweight defensive guns.
I have history myself with short barreled 12 gauges. Quite some time ago the head of training of a major LE agency near DC advised that the sound of an AR bolt running home has the same deterrent affect as a pump gun chambering a round. And, there’s a slew of advantages beside the lesser (near nonexistent) recoil.
The 20 gauge bore is pretty darn close to that of the infantry weapons used in the Civil War. A 20 gauge semi loaded with slugs is a formidable defensive tool. SFAIK, #3 buckshot is the only widely available choice. I don’t have any experience with it, but at 15-20 yards should work OK.