I haven’t tried any 00 ‘tactical’, but simple physics tells me that less recoil (attributed solely to the ammo load, not the gun design) indicates less energy put to the target. This effect decreases as distance increases, but at typical defensive shotgun distances I want the most energy on the target.
Not necessarily. Remember that more power in a shotgun shell can also mean more muzzle flash at night, as well as the possibility of larger or *blown center* [doughnut-shaped ring] patterns with less than full coverage of an intended target. Lower recoil buckshot and slug loads may be easier on the gun as well, and the lesser recoil can allower shorter recovery time from recoil, allowing a faster shot on a second or third target, or a quicker second follow-up shot on a deserving initial target.
That's not at all to say that the lower recoil rounds are always or should often be the first choice for every shooter, in every shotgun. But they're certainly worth consideration, particularly if they happen to pattern well or better in your partiucular gun.