I bought my standard 835 at a pawn shop, was like new except some redneck cut an inch off the stock and didn't fit the recoil pad to it, just left the edges hanging out around it. I figure his kid or his wife didn't like it or something, because other than the stock mods, it is like new, not a scratch or wear mark on it. I picked it up for $170. But, ya know, the word "tactical" always at LEAST doubles the price, whether it's a shotgun or a "tactical" sling or even CCI "tactical" .22 ammo.
I never figured out how .22 LR ammo could be tactical, but I guess it's less stupid than "Zombie max" and does run the price up just because it's got the word "tactical" on it.
Now, I thought I could use this 535 for geese with 3.5" loads. I found a choke that really does a decent job of patterning them with T steel, not as good as my H&R 10 gauge, but mid 80 percent which is real decent IMHO. BUT, MY GAWD I don't wanna put up with that sort of recoil on a goose hunt! My 10 gauge is 9 lbs of shotgun, soaks it up pretty well. I've put 21 rounds through it in a morning on a goose hunt before and just had a bit of a sore shoulder the next day, just enough to remind me of the fun.
But, even with a limbsaver on that 535, 3.5" rounds are just TOO much in it. It's too danged light. One or two rounds I can handle, but nearly a box would be damaging.
Oh, reliability is no different than my 500, great! It seems to have the 500s disdain for Winchester steel shot ammo, though. They stick occasionally and the gun has to be whacked on the butt while holding the action to unstick 'em. Irritating, but I prefer Kent fasteel anyway. Winchester really needs to do something about that, go back to brass and charge a little more or something. But, the 535 only seems to have the problem with 3.5" stuff. I ran four or five boxes of mixed Federal and Winchester low brass dove loads through it dove hunting when I first got it an nary a bobble.
