Need a new shotgun. Multi hunting applications, turkey, crow, deer, squirrel, rabbit, waterfowl...limited, but some need for 3.5 shells. Which one & why?
I have the 835. 3.5's are nice for turkey but overkill for all else IMO. I also have the cantilevered slug barrel but every time I swap barrels I have to re zero the scope. Wish I would have bought a seperate gun. The 835 is heavy with the 28 inch barrel..
It has two barrels that I swap out. Both have cantilever barrels. The turkey barrel is 26" with a Rhino extended choke. It has a Simmons 2X Pro Diamond scope on it. I shoot 3" 4X5X7 Nitros out of it. It is a 60 yard gun.
The deer barrel is rifled and scoped with a Nikon 2 - 7.
3.5" in reg steel is usable for geese.
I like 3" bismuth ($$$).
Maybe the newer Blindside or Black Cloud steel pellets (cutters or other than round shaped) do a better job of bringing down honkers.
IMHO 3.5" steel (reg round pellet) sucks.
And for turkeys, 3" seems to do well enough (I run 3" in an 870 Supermag 3.5" chamber).
Mossbergs rattle the forend.
They have a thick wrist on the buttstock.............which I dislike for wingshooting.
Had an 835 way back, killed stuff with it, sold it and went to 3" 1100 Magnum.
For possible steel usage (haven't experiemented with newer shells yet)...............I did get a 3.5" chambered 870.
The ONLY consideration I'd have for the 835................is if using reg steel and being a lefty (or having lefties who may borrow it).
Top mounted safety makes it usable for those afflicted (my brother is a lefty and runs a M500).
I run my 870 3.5" chambered 23" VR rig on doves (too short IMHO) and get 50%.
Kills turkeys dead.
Would be OK for rabbit, if one thought a 12 gauge for bunnies OK (I don't).
23" bbl also works for home defense, and being Remchoke, I could screw in an Imp Cyl or rifled choketube, go with some saddle mount and maybe end up with a deer rig (but IMHo a scoped gun should have a high comb buttstock).
Cantilever barrels are way too high for me.
Preference if for a drilled and tapped receiver, but then that'd be a pain every year to take stuff off and on.
IMHO, if trying to do all on low coin..............an 870 Express Supermag with 26" bbl..............and an H&R or CVA .44 mag rifle.