Thanks for the input guys. The gun can definitely handle 3" shells, it's a Magnum receiver and the barrel says 3" on it, and I've been shooting 3" duck and turkey loads out of it for years with no problems. I'm going to look into having the barrel cut down, but I'm afraid they won't be able to tap it for choke tubes as the barrel seems to have a smaller diameter compared to my buddy's mossberg 500. I've seen plenty of barrels for the 870 express, I'm just not sure I want a matte finish barrel with a polished receiver. You all brought up some good points and gave me plenty to think about.