You seem to be pretty impressed with the bluing on the Mossberg 500. Look for a real fine blued 870 Wingmaster or 870 Police. You'll forget all about that 500.
Seriously though, I'm a Mossberg guy, and even those 500's and Maverick's offer a tremendous amount of value out of the box. Fine guns indeed. I'd recommend a Mav or 500 to anyone as a first shotgun as well as a dependable utility shotgun. Far and away the best value off the shelf.