If you want a long-recoil gun, Franchi still makes them, but again, with more user-friendly geometry, and a rib.
I have both Auto5s and 48ALs. I like both very much, but they are different beasts.
The Auto5 has features that I like, such as the post-war Speed Load capability and oversize cross-bolt safety, that the 48AL does not have. On the other hand, the 48AL is slightly easier to strip, is lighter and trimmer due to its aluminum receiver, and can be bought (at least in the smaller gauges) for far less than a comparable Auto5. The 48AL also has some features that are kinda goofy, like operating the shell release latches off the barrel and not off the bolt (meaning that you can't empty the magazine by cycling the action), and having the bolt release on the
left side of the receiver.
In the end, some folk don't like the long-recoil action - ArmedBear, you are clearly one of 'em.
I don't find the shooting experience of the long recoil action to be markedly different from that of my other autoloaders (Winchesters and Remingtons, mostly), but I do feel that the Auto5 has a far greater longevity than other gas-loaders.
It's funny how many gas-loaders I pick up these days that simply don't 'balance right' compared to a long-recoil design. Some do, but many feel overly thick and front-heavy in the off hand (not in the barrel) when compared to a Light12 with a longish non-vent rib barrel....