Gaining acceptance?, No. No more so than 20 years ago. What happened was that many more shooters discovered the merits of longer barrels. I don't like 26" and shorter barrels, even preferring at least a 28" on a .410 S x S.

IMO, it is silly to debate the merits of barrel length without considering a man's build. Simply put, because of leverage, a 30" barreled gun may handle as quick or quicker for a man with 34" sleeves as a 26" gun will for a short-armed gentleman. I have long arms, and dare say I can handle a 30", maybe even a 32" gun as fast as many can a 25 or 26". It is extremely hard for me to make a short barreled gun slow down and shoot as well as the longer one.

SRH

May God bless America and those who defend her.