Thinking about a new barrel
I've got a 12 gauge Remington 870 Wingmaster and absolutely love the gun, but with a 31" barrel, it's a bit of a beast to lug around on long walks and is a bit tough to swing through thick cover. It also doesn't have choke tubes. I use the gun mostly for grouse and duck hunting, but also use it to shoot trap and turkey.
I'm looking to get either a 26" or 28" barrel with choke tubes, but the only ones I'm finding are in the matte finish (my 870 has the polished blue finish). Besides not being the right finish, all of these barrels are $185-$250. Imho this seems a bit steep.
Do you think getting a shorter barrel will noticeably decrease the weight of the gun? I know decreasing the weight will most likely increase the recoil, but when I'm shooting I don't feel it, even when I shoot others' guns with shorter barrels. Any ideas for finding a reasonably priced barrel? I've been watching gunbroker and havent seen anything that fits the bill. Thanks for reading, happy hunting!