RE: Mossberg 500 or 835 vs Remington 870
I'm partial to the 870 and here's why: take apart the 500. Lots of pieces parts. Take apart the 870. You have a bolt, a bolt plate (prob'ly not the technical term), and a trigger group (which you're probably not going to disassemble). Simplicity. Not only is it easier to take apart for maintenance, but fewer parts means fewer things to break or go wrong. That's my rationale.