A friend of mine managed to blow out the side of the barrel on his 870. It's an 870 Express, 3 1/2" Special Purpose. It was originally his Father's gun and it was probably purchased in the early 90s. The barrel isn't the typical blued finish it's a textured grayish finish. Any ideas?

Anyone?

He took it in to a local shop to order a new one but they ordered a blued barrel.

Do you know the barrel length? What type of sights did it have?