I inherited an 835... it's my first shotgun. I really don't have any plans to hunt any kind of bird, so I decided to convert it to a defensive/tactical setup. The first thing I learned was that the Accu-mag barrel couldn't shoot slugs. It wasn't really a deal killer for me, but It was something I wanted to have the option to shoot - so I called up Mossberg and they told me they make a "Defender" barrel for the 835. 18.5", bead sight, fixed cylinder bore and chambered for 3.5". I added a +2 extension from S&J hardware and took the half-blued, half-mossy-oak frankengun out to test.
The gun shoots great with Federal #1 buck with the flite control and Federal's complimentary slugs, which meet with DocGKR's approval and would cover any of my needs. So it does all that I would want it to with a quality ammo I can source fairly easily.
I don't especially care for Mossy Oak or any hunting camouflage and had an odd looking gun, so I bought a couple of cans of rattle for it and painted it a two-tone grey. I added some industrial strength velcro to the receiver and stock to attach some shell cards, which required trimming back the forend so it doesn't overlap the receiver. I have an old red dot lying around I plan to put on it at some point because my eyes aren't good enough for a bead sight anymore. Down the road I plan to put the Magpul furniture on it, which of course requires an action tube, and then I'll finish off with a white light and a decent tactical style sling.
The pic is right after the paint job and before anything else was added.
