Some people do like them but not me. I like the pistol grip but it also has to have a butt stock.
I think this has more to do with a persons size and how it is handled. At 6' and around 265 I shoot my pistol gripped Mossberg 500 with one hand just like a pistol with just about any load. Recoil is not a problem for me but I do see it with smaller framed folks I know.
Recoil seems to be very subjective. I am 6’3” and weigh 295. I taught skeet at a major Southern University for two years. Some shotguns really kick me, for instance the Benelli M1 Super 90 and Browning A5 both kick me really hard.
Years ago I had a good friend who I did a lot of shooting with. He was about 5’7” and probably weighed around 150. I remember he bought a new model 94 commemorative with a curved brass butt plate.
One day we were out at the range our gun club owned. I brought a Sharps 54 caliber black powder rifle. He thought the model 94 hardly kicked at all but the sharps kicked him brutally.
I had just the opposite reaction. The model 94 hurt my shoulder but the sharps seemed to just give me a gentle shove.
Another odd one is my Daddy’s old Essex single barrel 12 gauge. It is light and should really kick but for some reason it doesn’t bother me.