In my view, the biggest difference between the 500/590, the Winchester1200/1300, and the Remington 870 lines is the position of the safety.
For the most part, I agree, and, though the location of the safety is not a deal-breaker or a deal-maker for me, it is an important consideration. I have owned many pump shotguns in my life, including a Winchester Model 97, an Ithaca Model 37, a Mossberg Model 835, a Marlin Model 120, a Smith & Wesson Model 3000, a Remington Model 870, a Smith & Wesson Model 916 (
briefly!), a Benelli Nova, a Winchester Model 1300 and a Browning BPS and, with the exception of the Smith (aka Nobel) Model 916
barf
, I've liked them all in one way or another.
On pump shotguns, I prefer a tang-mounted safety over all other locations. If I can't have a safety located on the tang, I much prefer a cross-bolt safety mounted on the front of the trigger guard (ala Winchester Model 1300) to one mounted at the rear of the guard (as found on the Remington Model 870), the reason being
I find it much more natural to move my index finger from the front (where I stow it in preparation for the flush of a bird) to the trigger, rather than having to move my finger to the rear of the guard and then forward to the trigger. It should be noted that I have rather large hands with long fingers and I'm therefore able to easily reach a front mounted safety. People with shorter fingers might well find the rear mounted cross-bolt safety easier to access.
Accordingly, the pumps that I currently own reflect said predilections: a Browning BPS with a tang mounted safety and a Winchester Model 1300 and a Benelli Nova with front-mounted crossbolt safeties.
Deciding between a Mossberg Model 500 and a Winchester Model 1300 may well come down to nothing more than where you want your safety positioned.
