Dave--don't be bashing the H&R Toppers!
That was my first shotgun--a 12g given to me by my dad. I never did develop a flinch, but boy I was sore after 100 rounds of informal clays. What was the best was seeing someone with a sub $100 gun outshoot the high dollar weapons. As for its weight, sometimes that was a nice thing when I used to trek through the woods. Maybe someday I'll have a shotgun that I'll hate, but not today...