I shot an original steel/wood version for 10 years. Best autoloader of any 10ga by far. I shot the "light" version once, swapped a fellow mine for his for a morning goose hunt. The difference in recoil was astounding. That extra pound taken off may have been nice for carrying or coming up to point with but it definitely let you know you were shooting a 10ga where my steel/wood version was like shooting a 12 ga with standard loads. I also fully believe wood has more recoil absorbing property than plastic. That "light" version IMO was not nice to shoot.