Mossberg 500/590 questions

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GarandMan94

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hello,
I have been looking around for a good home defense shotgun for a while now. The Mossberg 500/590 series is looking like the best option for me right now becomes of price and the ability to change configurations easily with the 500 flex. I have never owned a shotgun before (i have several rifles and pistols in various calibers) so i am going mostly off of online research and friends/family recommendations.
I am having trouble choosing the right model for my needs.

I am leaning away from the mag fed 590M because of the cost of mags however if it has the ability to feed from the tube as well as the mag ill buy one today

I am giving serious thought to the 500 Flex because of the reasons above but my concern is with the 5+1 capacity if there are multiple intruders (i have a 1911 by my bed but still)

The 500 tactical 20ga 8 shot is something i am considering because of the reduced recoil but i don't know about the lethality at short range (less than 20 yards) compared to the 12ga

The 590/590A1 is in the lead for me right now becouse of the 9 shot capacity and the intimidation factor of looking down a 12ga barrel with a bayonet fixed. My only concern is the weight of the 9 shot capacity.
Any thoughts would be welcomed
 
I personally haven’t found 20 gauges to have significantly less recoil than 12s with typical loads. Others may disagree.

I have a non-A1 590 9-shot (with a much maligned heat shield which actually comes in handy after a long 3/gun stage) and weight isn’t a problem for me. But if you want a bayo lug you’ll need the A1 to my knowledge.

intimidation factor? Bayonet? Not sure about those. I can’t imagine anyone thinking “a load of buckshot wasn’t going to deter me, but dang, I don’t want to get cut!”

I could be wrong though.
 
There's essentially no such thing as intimidation. Don't plan on that.

The 9 shot is good for reloading less. It's not that heavy. All day in class or a match, a bit grating, but not for any single gunfight. The barrel pushes out to 20" vs the 18.5" of the 6-shot, so it's hardly any longer.

12 ga reduced recoil loads are less felt recoil than 20 ga. Go 12.

Tube fed. Always. It's a shotgun.

No pistol grips, etc. Doesn't play super well with these. My last one came that way, took it off after a bit, Also, 590 top safety is brilliant in conventional stock, useless with a separate pistol grip.

Get one with sights. There are better, but the factory ghost rings are 90% of the way there for almost free.

Replace the stock with the butler creek short one. Basically the same profile, just a touch of rubber grip, and properly short.

Replace the mag tube spring and follower. Any of the plastic hi viz ones will do, but also make sure it's tactile; can you feel the difference between the follower and a shell in the dark,

If for home defense, get a light. Surefire forearms are the A answer, but pricey. There are tube mounts to stick a decent light on instead if you can live with just putting the light on.
 
The 500 / 590 is a great HD platform.

Forget the bayonet. Any long gun is difficult to maneuver indoors, the last thing you need is a long, sharp extension to get snagged in everything it can find. I'd also avoid the flex. You are going to want your HD gun in HD configuration all the time. You don't want to hear something go bump in the night and realize your HD gun has the stock off because you were fiddling with it.

The lighter recoil of a 20 ga is not as big a difference as many believe. The advantage is that 20 gauges are lighter, but that brings the recoil right back up. Go 12 gauge unless you have difficulty dealing with the weight.

If I were going to buy a new HD shotgun, I'd look at this Mossberg 590. Ghost ring sights, 8+1, standard barrel. The heavy weight barrel on the 590A1 is just more weight unless you plan to subject the gun to military level abuse.
 
If you want capacity you will gain length & weight, no cheating there.
The magazine fed mossberg/remington is a gimmick and is just for the tacticool.
Forget the bayonet, that went out of useful defense reality a long time ago.
Keep it simple, get the 5 shot 500 and just use it. If you want to change the stock and forend you can but there is no need to.
Don't over think it, the beauty of a shotgun is its a simple tool, versatile and powerful. If you run through 5 shots of 00 buck and you need to shoot more you should have used a carbine. Plain old 12 gauge pump works better than anything else at any price for having overwehlming firepower inside your home.
Good luck
 
Personally I prefer the Remington 870 over the Mossberg, but if you like the Mossberg it's a winner too. Simple is better with a shotgun. My absolute favorite has become the 6 shot mag tube version. I then swapped the factory stock for the Magpul. It does reduce recoil and makes the gun slightly shorter. Having a bayonet mounted to a HD gun will make the gun too long to manage inside a house, be of little use in the situation and likely be used against you in court in the aftermath of a shooting.
Forget that DM nonsense.
 
I have the 500 for HD.
I replaced the 5 round mag with an 8 round mag so I have 8+1.
For my personal taste I went with a pistol grip and a reflex but that is for my liking.
The main point is you can put an extended mag on it real easy.
Mossberg.png
 
I've built up a couple shotguns for what I think are good home defense general use options.

I built one on a Maverick 88 with an ATI scorpion stock and pistol grip. For a pistol grip gun the mav88 and rem870 are better options I'm because the safety is on the trigger guard, for a conventional I prefer the top thumb safety of the 500/590.

friend of mine does everything with his 590a1 from birds to Clay's, to home defense. It's a bit of a brick, but he shoot it a lot and is good with it.

my personal preference after having done a few is a what I'd consider a general purpose gun. 500, 20-24" vent rib barrel with chokes, none pistol grip shock, oversized front bead....tho if (when) I build up another one I think I'll do a xs big dot. The last one I had did everything from birds to brush hunting pigs.
A friend wanted it so it left, and was replaced by a Hipoint 9mm carbine, which my wife likes better.
 
I prefer the standard Mossberg 500 with the 9 shot capacity. Keep it simple and take a tactical shotgun class so you are more proficient at running it. I recommend a side saddle but be aware that it changes the balance of the shotgun. If you have a friend with one check that out first. I second replacing the tube follower with a high visibility plastic one. The factory follower can bind in the tube which isn't good. It happened to me once which is why I changed it out.
 
Thank you for all your responses, i freely admit to knowing nothing about shotguns. I have always been more of a rifleman. The thing about the bayonet was a half joke. My current HD Gun/open carry is a Kimber Custom Carry II 1911 in 45ACP with tritium night sights and a Light. Since moving from a shoebox apartment to a large condo I wanted to update my Home defence plan with a long gun. I really don't like the idea of a 30-06 or .223 bullet going through the wall and killing my neighbors dog (no matter how annoying it is) so a shotgun seems like the thing to do.
My comment about the bayonet was mostly a joke but making someone hesitate for half a second from either being afraid or from asking themselves “why does this idiot have a bayonet on a shotgun?” Could be vital, never turn down any possible advantage.
 
Thank you for all your responses, i freely admit to knowing nothing about shotguns. I have always been more of a rifleman. The thing about the bayonet was a half joke. My current HD Gun/open carry is a Kimber Custom Carry II 1911 in 45ACP with tritium night sights and a Light. Since moving from a shoebox apartment to a large condo I wanted to update my Home defence plan with a long gun. I really don't like the idea of a 30-06 or .223 bullet going through the wall and killing my neighbors dog (no matter how annoying it is) so a shotgun seems like the thing to do.
My comment about the bayonet was mostly a joke but making someone hesitate for half a second from either being afraid or from asking themselves “why does this idiot have a bayonet on a shotgun?” Could be vital, never turn down any possible advantage.
00 Buck will go through walls more readily than a .223 round
 
Yeah the .223 has shown to tumble amd lose a lot of energy going through drywall. Buckshot seems to plow through a bit better.

My shotgun of choice is the 590a1. I probably like my old Ithaca 37 DSPS a bit better due to weight and old school build quality. However, the Mossberg is an absolute tank. Balances like a brick and I wouldn't want to have to hump up a mountain lugging it unless I really needed a shotgun.

However, it's a gun that will last a few lifetimes. I went with the retrograde version just because it looked and felt great in my hands.

Also, most bayonets will fit a tad loose on the lug. A shim or spacer will fix it, but its really not needed. I like the look of the lug but i would never worry about fixing a bayonet.
 
I've got a barely used Mossberg 500 Cruiser in 20 gauge quite a few years ago for a pittance. I loved the 20 gauge as it has somewhat less kick, although with less weight, that is debatable. I liked the compactness of the pistol grip only but a shoulder stock is the way to go. Just better control. I outfitted mine with a Mesa Tactical adaptor so I could attach a M-4 style, five position stock to it that I had just laying around. Later, I installed a Kynex shock absorber on it and you can shoot it all day long!!!

Still, I liked the compactness of the cruiser so I outfitted the Mesa Tactical stock adaptor with an a folding adaptor behind it and I now have a HD weapon with all my wishes. It's not quite as short as the Cruiser but short enough when folded to store easily. When folded, with the M-4 style stock extended a bit, I can still operate it just fine if I choose to. It has a pressure switch activated tactical light on it with a Mesa Tactical side saddle for those handy, readily available backup shots. I just may take that off though. A backup pistol would be a better idea.

You can spend money right quick but it's my go to HD weapon. As I live in a townhome, I load it with two #8 bird shot followed by three 003 buck and 1 slug. If I choose to go with a 12 gauge later for some reason, I can put all this stuff on it and return my lil' 20 gauge to it's humble roots.
 
I bought a Mossberg ATI 500 Crusier, installed a lazer/light combo and sighted it in for 25 feet. I take it to the range every time I go. The "firearm" is a BLAST to shoot but remembering to pump it is a real challenge for me!!! IMG_20190224_111901056.jpg
 
I have an old Mossberg 500 PG which I always take to the range with me. I leave it out where people can see it; if they are curious, I ask if they want to shoot it. Almost all of them, shoot the dirt before the 25 yard berm.
Anyone else notice the same?
 
I like the 590A1 18” with 6 shot capacity myself. Just balances better and I like it better for HD. Got a Speed Feed stock if that helps for reloading.
 
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I think mag fed pump actions are one of the silliest things the firearms industry has introduced recently. Apart from looking tacticool or SBS’s needing the magazine for capacity, it throws off the balance off. The durability is also Compromised with that long plastic magazine in a short mag well , and snag-free profile is ruined of what would be a very prolific weapon.

My 590a1 has 8 in the tube, and 6 rounds in a mesa side saddle. That’s 14 rounds, and I can keep topping off as I go. It is a heavy gun, but that depends on the user preference I suppose.

I think you’d be better served by a light than a bayonet in my opinion haha.

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I purchased an older 20ga Mossberg 500 to start the kids on and tbey are liking it and I am LOVING it. The recoil IS less than similar 12ga. loads and because the gun is lighter it handles much easier for my kids who find the 12ga. unwieldy, and for me because I simply like that faster pointing 20ga. - a lot.

Mostly we shoot low-base shells in our new-to-us gun and we've erradicated the squirrels from the property (the furry little bastards) and are looking forward to starting on the hares when it gets a bit colder.

I have never cared for pistol grips and all the other hoopla that some folks embellish onto their shotguns and rifles. That is a personal matter, I know, but I find that all the crep mounted onto firearms actually makes them harder to employ when needed. (And a shotgun with a pistolgrip only is as worthless as a Geo Metro, a drug dealer's gun. You need the stock against your shoulder to control and aim the gun. Pistol grips are for pistols.

I really like the looks and feel of the 8 round capable 20ga. Mossberg the OP mentioned; I have handled one and liked it, but we have the standard and that will have to do for us.

As far as defensive ammo, I have been patterning #1 buckshot with 9, 30 caliber pellets (sportman's warehouse) and am impressed, but have heard 00 buck patterns better. Of course those cartridges in the bigger 12ga. will do even better, but eventually this 20ga. gun will go to my daughter who will find it capable in all sorts of duties, and managable at the same time.
 
Thank for more info, and pics. I think this is going to be one of those things where i go to a gun show/shop and find what’s comfortable on my shoulder, then find a better deal online ;)
 
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