Having hunted with (or with friends with) 870s, 500s, 1100s/11-87s, various Benelli models, a couple Berettas, Browning BPS & O/Us, some Mossbergs, several expensive boutique European guns, and more that I can't remember, my experience is that everything breaks at some point but there are some that are more reliable than others and reliability in a bird gun trumps all to me.
For non-semis, 870s and 500s are the best bet for an inexpensive shotgun. Older, used 870s are better finished than the new ones. A 500 is pretty much a 500. A good O/U gun is just as reliable but more expensive. I have seen too many of the "inexpensive" O/Us go down with broken small internal parts to want to buy one.
For semis, anything that uses the Benelli Inertia recoil operation system. You can go from Stoeger to Franchi to Benelli for price range. I would buy a used one as they just last and require little cleaning other than the barrel and wiping down/lubing the action since they are not gas operated. One of our deer lease members is a huge shotgunner who has several $25k shotguns. He hunts with a Benelli after going to Argentina and adding more than 2,000 rounds to a Benelli M2 with more than 2 Million documented rounds through it.
I currently use a Benelli M3 Super90 to hunt with and have a spare hunting barrel and chokes for a 500 (normally set up as a riot gun) in case I need a loaner gun. I will be selling the M3 (the version I have has become a somewhat desirable gun for people filling out collections as very few were imported) and replacing it with a Franchi or another Benelli (and funding something else with the remaining proceeds).
I will second the fact that 3.5" guns are not worth it unless you expect to try to hit geese and cranes at high altitude. I hunt turkey and geese with 3" shells and everything else with 2 3/4" shells.
Just my $0.02 and, as always, YMMV.