...would love to hear an honest review.

For the money it is a fine gun. It's no Cadillac, but it's not a Pinto either.

My truck getting stolen really took the wind out of my duck hunting sails for the remainder of the season, so I've been putting quite a few rounds through my M3500 shooting clays.

Here's my honest review:

Pros:
-Price point
-Shoulders great and fits me well
-Swings great (I got the 28" barrel), maybe a little heavy on the front, but not enough to cause problems
-Has cycled 1 1/8 oz loads and up flawlessly without a single issue (probably ~1200 rounds down the tube since October)
-With the weight added in the stock the recoil on 3 1/2" loads is extremely light IMO
-Doesn't feel or look cheap like a lot of other lower-end price range guns do
-Good selections of factory chokes; patterned well multiple loads with the factory mod, but for giggles I tossed on a kicks and it shoots like a dream
-Haven't cleaned it a single time (I'm going to push her to the point where she's too dirty to run, want to see just how much abuse she can handle)

Cons:
-A little on the heavy side IMO
-Will not cycle 1 oz loads even with the weight in the stock taken out
-Camo finish is wearing off in a couple spots; very disappointed in that
-Trigger is a little on the heavy side
-Safety is very heavy, but I guess that is a good thing
-Can't baby the action, got to get used to letting it slam shut..other wise you'll be on here like a silly idiot asking questions

Dont believe anybody who tells you it isn't any good because the price is not inflated.

The way I look at it a shotgun is one hunting item that you will use more than any other so you might as well buy a good one. If you can't afford a good one shoot a pump for a few years and save up.

None of the cons are deal breakers. The only one that is slightly concerning is the camo finish is coming off prematurely. I'd have to shoot it to know what you mean on the trigger.

I looked at the Stoeger 2000 in a local pawn shop this week, it is camo covered and the finish is worn off above the trigger guard. I thought they were a little high on the price. They were asking $450.