RE: I am having to give up my...
I bought an 835 from my brother (he was moving), and have had no problems with it.
Like was said before the barrel is overbored to allow for the extra shot load from 3-1/2" shells, so slugs tend to tumble a little inside the barrel and will cause a problem if they do it at the wrong time.
A new slug barrel costs around the $200 mark (if I remember right).
It is not the prettiest gun, but I also don't fret much about scratching it.