CC, the increased recoil is directly due to the lighter weight, a good tradeoff for an upland gun and not so great for one used more with heavy loads. If I were setting up a pump for strictly upland work,carried lots, shot little to some, an Ithaca would be a top contender.
OTOH, if I were going to pick a launcher for 3" waterfowl/turkey loads,I'd go with a heavier pumpgun, like the 870 or BPS.
Any single pumpgun that's used for everything is a bit of a compromise, and like all compromises, isn't as good at any one thing that a more specialized piece would be.