I do find it interesting how much modern steel barrel quality has apparently improved. I recently bought a 28" 12ga Charles Daly 512 st sxs to use strictly as a target gun, and found when it arrived that it only weighs 6lbs even, with thinly struck barrels, and yet it has 3" chambers. I can't even imagine touching off a 3" round in such a light gun. I'm worried enough about recoil even using normal 2.75" target loads in it (I will be shooting it for the first time this weekend).
By comparison, my 1890's damascus Lefever 12 with 30" barrels, and 2 5/8" chambers, weighs 6.5lbs, with similar thinly struck barrels. I have no qualms shooting 2.5" RST's or equivalent reloads in it, which is how it was designed, and I have hammered roosters out to 50 yds with those loads in that gun, and I intend to do so for many more years.
