Looking for a Shotgun

Either will do the job, and well. I like the Mossberg's safety placement better, but both are good guns.

I agree with the above. I have an 870, but I like the safety placement on the Mossberg shotguns better.

I like them both but have a preference for the Mossberg 500; perhaps because that's what I started with. They're cheap, dependable, shoot well, extra barrels are readily available and pretty inexpensive and there are many parts available with which you can make your shotgun as you like it.

Both the Remington 870 and the Mossberg 500 are great shotguns and would
do well for home defense. I own the Mossberg 500 and I love it! If you get
the Mossberg 500, you may want to consider a recoil pad, especially if you
are going to be shooting high powered self defense loads because it is lighter
than the Remington 870.

I prefer the 870 but

I also like the Mossberg 590, 590A1. These are both much more robust than the 500. I agree with what the others have said about where the safety is on the Mossberg but I still like the 870 best.

The 590 and 590A1 are both great shotguns, however the OP wants to use his new shotgun Clay shooting/hunting and HD. The 590 and 590A1 aren't exactly the preferred tool for either type of sport. While the 590 and 590A1 series may be better reenforced in certain areas (like the heavy walled barrel) that doesn't mean the 500 series is made of pot metal.

All of the shotguns that we used while deployed was the standard Mossberg 500 with a plain 18.5" barrel and parkerized finish. They literaly took a beating as we were getting in and out of vehicles constantly. Some users just out right abused them like the proverbial Red Headed Step Child. Never did I hear of one or see one failing in any way.

To the OP get whatever your most comfortable with. Either the Rem or the Mossberg are great shotguns and will serve you well for what you want. I could be wrong but IIRC Rem only ships one choke tube with their barrels, where as you get IC, Modified, and Full with the Mossberg.

There is another one to consider should you decide you do not like the Mossberg or Remington - that would be the Ithaca

there are tons of good pumps out there.i have 2 smith and wesson model 916 pumps.a riot gun with rifle sights and a long barrelled model.both very nice built guns with steel recievers.savage made some nice pumps also.i really like the model 97 winchester as well.just got a nice one of those cheap.

if yu may want to add stuff to your shotty then mossy and rems are your best bet.the benelli nova is also something to look at.

Ithaca, Remington and Mossberg all make excellent pump guns. Whatever you decide to buy get a bunch of shells and learn to run the gun until it becomes second nature. Don't bolt accessories all over it. The only problems with the shotgun are lugging ammo for it and always being picked to be the first guy through the door. But the advantage is that when you hit a bad guy they don't get up again.

Either one will be fine for your needs. I am right handed so i prefer the safety location on the 870 as I can take it off safety with the middle joint of the trigger finger while the first joint of the finger is touching the trigger and it doesn't require messing up your grip like the Mossberg safety does. Mossberg also has the maverick 88 and it has the same safety location of the Winchesters which is ideal for the right handed shooter. The 88 will also accept 500 series barrels and is less expensive to boot.

This is like the classic Ford vs Chevy debate, you will find something around a 50/50 split given big enough pooling sample. Neither the 870 or the 500 / 590 are the best of choices for the clay sports, both can work for hunting, as to how well it depends on the type of hunting. On the barrel topic, barrels can be changed out in less than a minute, and cost about half the price of a cheap shotgun model. Also keep in mind there are 2 quality ranges on the 870, the cheaper 870 Express that was introduced in the 90's and the higher end 870 Wingmaster that has been around since the 1950's or 60's.

Ike

p.s. the Police model 870's are the same as the Wingmaster, but usually with a dull finish, this should not be confused with the new "Tactical" model which is an 870 Express

I personally think the mossberg has a design flaw in where the safety is. One more than one I have seen the safety become engaged during shooting and slamming of the pump action back. An inconvenience while hunting or shooting skeet. Could make for a very bad day if it happens in a bona fide defensive situation. The price difference is negligible . Get the 870

870

I would get a 590 before a 500 so you can clean the magazine tube.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

I would get a 590 before a 500 so you can clean the magazine tube.

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Only takes about a minute to unscrew the magazine tube on the 500.

336A said:

While the 590 and 590A1 series may be better reenforced in certain areas (like the heavy walled barrel) that doesn't mean the 500 series is made of pot metal.

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Bingo. Save the heavy barrel, which end of the mag tube you open things from, and parkerizing, the 500 and 590s are the same. Innards, to all my research, are identical.

OP: Both are terrific platforms. Palm them and see if one suits you better. Look at configurations new and used and see which you can get decked out the way you want at the better price and snag that. You really can't go wrong either way.

Go with the 870, I have both but if I had to choose one it would be the 870. I took the whole thing apart to clean and then put another 1000 shells through it.