I have a 835 ,one of the first ones and love it . This year i tried the 3 1/2 and found it did do better.But I shot alot with the 3" shells . I did some field hunting this year and wanted that extra shot incase I needed to reach out alittle further. I still dont try to shoot over 45 yds though.The recoil is tough but you can handle it for one shot. When I pattern the gun I put a towel orpadding on my shoulder because with alot of shots you will feel it. Ialways kinda shyed away from 3 1/2 because of whatI herd but not anymore.Its like the guys that tell you when you shoot a 44 magnum handgun it will rip your arm off what a bunch of crap I own one.