Home Defense Shotgun: Mossberg 590 or Remington 870

[MattShlock]

El Toro means The Bull which is what he laid down:

"the inherent design flaw of the moss 500 is the safety when racking that slide hard it can be jarred loose into safe."

That's why and that's all.

 

[Uniquedot]

El Toro means The Bull which is what he laid down: "the inherent design flaw of the moss 500 is the safety when racking that slide hard it can be jarred loose into safe."

And he he stated this in a later post.

So maybe I got a lemon and its " not an inherent design flaw". So yes on my sample size of 1, I have an opinion.

 

[ElToro]

El Toro means The Bull which is what he laid down:

"the inherent design flaw of the moss 500 is the safety when racking that slide hard it can be jarred loose into safe."

That's why and that's all.

Friend. Take the bolt out of your 500 And you can clearly see what I'm talking about. Sorry I didn't use the word you prefered I used. I know what happened in my 500 and that's that. As I have said before I can give anybody here te phone number of a gun shop that's been in business many years and you can discuss with the manager if this happened or not as he witnessed it. Sorry I don't have the names and numbers of the random guys that saw it on the skeet field.

And shlock means cheap and inferior so I guess we're even. I have been on this website for 10+ years and never had my integrity questioned. Especially when another member clearly states what I am saying can happen. You've been here what ? 7 months.

 

[Inebriated]

OP, there have been thousands of threads on this topic. Go handle them and buy your favorite. It's that simple. If you stay on the internet too long, you'll find that every 870 is rusted out and every 500 has a weak and warped receiver. Just pick one and go shoot it.

What the heck are you talking about? Please cite your published source about this "inherent design flaw," and if it's just you or really an "I heard," let us know that too. I think that's utter nonsense...

In the post that you quoted, he said that the issue happened to him.

No ElToro, we'll ignore The Bull as you suggested.

He told you how you could verify. As emotionally-invested in this as you appear to be, why would you not follow-up on it?

 

[mgkdrgn]

tomatto --- tomahtto

which one is on sale?

 

[sappyg]

Here is a video of what ElToro has mentioned about his safety.

http://youtu.be/I6ZC-UJydvo

 

[ElToro]

That's exactly what would happen. Even the guy in the video says its known to happen. Thanks for finding video evidence of the malfunction. Obviously not a design flaw, merely a feature of the weapon. Apparently it wasn't me just making it up.

I'm sure there are 870 haters that can find a video of it failing and that's cool too. It has just never happened on my 870s.

 

[peacemaker45]

I'd suggest the Mossberg. The central safety is in a more natural position to me, and if in trying to load it in a hurry, you don't lock a shell into the magazine, it'll just fall on the floor. Remingtons, on the other hand, have the annoying habit of getting them stuck behind the carrier, thus tying the gun up.

Oh, and while there may be some more aftermarket toys for the 870, it's not like there's a shortage of options for the Mossberg, either. Do you really need 57 different choices for a forearm? Or will 43 do?

 

[Uniquedot]

Here is a video of what ElToro has mentioned about his safety.

Looks like that gentleman had more problems than just the safety and that's a relatively new model. The first thing I did to mine was upgrade the safety and have been trying to decide whether or not the trigger group is worth upgrading. I'm an 870 guy though and I understand when comparing the two that the Mossbergs were never manufactured to be as fine a gun as an 870 is. A 590 is closer to the quality of an 870 than is the 500, but still it isn't an 870 either.

 

[b.thomas]

It's a crap shoot as either gun will do just fine. See which one you can get the best deal on and fells good when you handle it.

 

[evan price]

Currently own a large number of Mossbergs. Shoot the crap out of them often. I like to buy cheap beat up ones and clean them up and shoot them. I have *never* seen that malfunction. I did point how it might happen, but it's never happened to me and I shot everything including magnum 3" 15-pellet buckshot and heavy slugs.

Let's not fight about it, mossberg vs 870 is one of those glock vs HK things. As long as you like it, shoot it well, and can afford it, buy it.

 

[ElToro]

Looks like that gentleman had more problems than just the safety and that's a relatively new model. The first thing I did to mine was upgrade the safety and have been trying to decide whether or not the trigger group is worth upgrading. I'm an 870 guy though and I understand when comparing the two that the Mossbergs were never manufactured to be as fine a gun as an 870 is. A 590 is closer to the quality of an 870 than is the 500, but still it isn't an 870 either.

Nobody should have to upgrade anything on a NIB gun. That's like the old days When people would say send your NIB colt 1911 off to a smith to make it run. Agreed, have spent too much time on this issue.

Like any gun you intend to bet your life on, Buy the one you prefer and run it a lot to make sure it's reliable with your choice of ammo.

 

[Uniquedot]

I have *never* seen that malfunction.

The reason you haven't seen it is because you haven't operated one with a broken or missing piece. The guy in that video obviously fell victim to poor QC as the only way it could have happened is if the detent ball, spring or plate were missing...or the darn thing could have just not been tightened up when it left the factory and the ball escaped as a result. Still would like to know why his trigger broke though. You say you have lots of experience with these guns? do you keep the safeties stock? I'd be interested in knowing how often the plastic safeties fail or if the failure is the result of a loose screw causing the ball to get away. I use thread locker on mine, but I also upgraded it to steel.

Nobody should have to upgrade anything on a NIB gun.

I've read a lot of threads where people say the 870 express extractors need replacing as soon as you the gun with one for a wingmaster or police model. Most folks claim the 500 safety should be replaced before relying on it So I guess if you're interest is in the 500 or the 870 express you will need to upgrade one part or the other in order to make it work.

 

[ElToro]

Agreed re: the 870 extractor. I guess I've been lucky with mine

 

[Uniquedot]

Agreed re: the 870 extractor. I guess I've been lucky with mine

I do have one express, but it probably hasn't been fired ten times so I couldn't say whether the extractor can be relied on. I like the wingmasters and I can say for sure that the extractors don't fail in those guns. I usually like to keep a few spare parts for my guns on hand, but I don't think I've ever felt the need to keep anything on hand for my Wingmasters.

 

[Inebriated]

FWIW, my 2011 Express has several thousand rounds through it, and has had no extractor problems. The only issue I had was feeding, which was solved by upgrading to the WM/P Carrier Dog spring.

 

[JShirley]

I prefer a Mossberg safety, but I have a Mossberg bolt-action that "safes" itself after a shot. Been meaning to send it in to Mossberg for repair for, oh, 9 years.

John

 

[evan price]

@ uniquedot-
Have only seen broken safety (plastic) twice. Once on a gun that was a $99 pawn shop special that also had.a broken trigger housing...not the guard, the entire housing, the mainspring would pop out the back with a chunk of housing...plus muzzle was.dented....was obviously dropped.
The second is one I broke from overtightening the screw.

 

[skypirate7]

I'm a Remington 870 owner. It's a good gun except for the finish. The finish is absolute garbage and prone to rusting. I have to wipe it down after every time I touch it, otherwise it'll get tiny spots of orange.

For this reason, I now recommend people get Mossberg 590's. The Remington 870 is reliable but unless you get a premium model (ex: stainless or Police) you'll curse the finish.

When it came time to buy a .308 rifle, I went with a Savage instead of Remington. You get more gun for your money when you buy from Remington's competitors. With Remington, you're paying a premium for the name and getting a slightly inferior product.

If you do buy Remington, it's not a disaster... just keep an oiled cloth handy. You'll need it.

 

[Uniquedot]

The second is one I broke from overtightening the screw.

Well I suppose the good thing about the steel button is that you would be able to twist the screw off before you could ever break the button. I tried three different types and I actually liked the feel of the aluminum as well as the plastic buttons better, but stayed with the steel for what I felt would be indestructible.

It's a good gun except for the finish. The finish is absolute garbage and prone to rusting.

My boy bought one of the camo express guns and the darn thing was coated in what looked and felt like that heat shrink camo stuff. I even took a knife and cut a small piece of it away before we painted it black. It holds up well as it can't rust from touching it, but if you don't like camo you have to pay for duracoat. I like the wingmasters because they are mirror polished (or at least used to be) and therefore they don't rust easily, but any blued steel gun will rust from salty sweaty hands if not kept cleaned and oiled. I have to keep my 500 well oiled as the rougher finish on the magazine tube and barrel holds sweat and/or moisture easily. I thought about duracoating it, but I like blued finishes.

 

[Uniquedot]

I prefer a Mossberg safety, but I have a Mossberg bolt-action that "safes" itself after a shot. Been meaning to send it in to Mossberg for repair for, oh, 9 years.

Depending on the model it likely uses the same safety components as the 500 does. You could probably order the parts to repair it much cheaper than you could pay postage to send the gun in.

 

[Inebriated]

My Express never had issues with rust, but I did notice a massive difference in the finish when I started using Frog Lube. When properly applied, the finish looks brand new for months. With CLP, it would dry in about two or three weeks.

If you've got rust issues, I'd suggest giving Frog Lube a try. After you call and see if Remington will replace it, of course. I have had excellent CS experiences with Remington.

 

[MattShlock]

Yes, u should replace the resin safety button on the 500's with metal.

 

[PJSprog]

I have owned one of each for many years now, and have had zero failures from either one. The Mossberg 500 is set up as an HD weapon with 18.5" bbl and pistol grips, and the Remington 870 puts meat in the freezer. I'd feel comfortable grabbing either one to remedy a HD situation.

 

[s9601694]

You might just buy an older M-870 Wingmaster and install a slug barrel or short riot barrel. I don't trust the parts and work in the current Express.

Frankly, I'm leery of all modern Remington products, inc. their ammo.

Exactly what i did. I had an old 12ga wingmaster, rough around the edges. Bought a 18.5" mossberg built (!) 870 replacement barrel (Mossberg model 90335) and dropped it in. Bought a magazine extender and done!

It looks pretty badass and it is a never failing, always reliable gun. I have never ever had a problem with it and I almost feel sorry for the idiot that decides to break into my house! I only want to add a light.

The only picture i could find is this one. The gun closet i was building at the time in my old house. The 870 is (obviously) the second from the top.