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Compared to modern-day shotguns, the recoil of a black-powder shotgun even a 10-gauge, is more of a push than a punch, because black powder does not burn as efficiently or as quickly as modern-day smokeless powders.  Because of the fearsome cloud of smoke and thundering boom, smokepole shotguns seem intimidating to the uninitiated.  There is recoil, but it is easily manageable.  If you find it bothersome, simply do what modern shotgunners do: add a recoil pad, like the slip-on versions offered by Michael's of Oregon.

And don't bother trying to start over-powder and over-shot cards flat in the barrel; slip them in sideways.  When the tip of the ramrod, which is close to the size of the bore, pushes against the card, it will flatten out.  Same goes for felt wads.  Thick fiber-cushion wads may have to be started flat or they can rep, tear and generally become a mess.

Effective range, similar to modern shotguns, is dependent on what you honestly feel you and your shotgun can do.  Twenty yards is generally consdered well within the effective range of a muzzleloader.  Thirty?  Maybe.  Let your range work tell you.

Once you find the magic combination that centers the shot pattern with a high percentage of pellets in the danger zone at a range you are confident in, you are going to have a friend - and turkey-hunting partner - for life in that smoke-belching shotgun.