Rem 870 VS Moss 590

[ScottG1911]

this ought to stir up some high emotions haha. I need to decide whether to DuraCoat my 870, add a mag extension, speed feed stock, barrel clamps, and maybe a heat sheild. OR! just buy a new 590 with all of the above + a bayo lug and extra pistol grip. my remington is currently my hunting gun so I'm not sure if I want to mess with it to much so I'm leaning towards a 590 though I do like the steel receiver of my 870. any thoughts? P.S. which gun do you think is better lol.

 

[dasanii19]

The 870 is better but I own a mossberg 500 as well.

 

[forrestd]

You will be very well served by either. I slightly prefer the thumb safety of the 500/590 series though.

 

[throdgrain]

God how many more times ?

 

[jmr40]

Keep your 870 as is and buy another gun, probably for less money than modifying your current gun. I prefer the 870, especially as a hunting gun but the Mossberg isn't bad at all. If it were me, I would have one 870 for hunting and another set up for self defense. That way I would not have to worry about 2 different systems.

 

[MAX100]

The Remington 870 Police is comparable to the Moss 590A1 but not the Express. Keep the 870 the way it is and buy a 590A1.


GC

 

[ScottG1911]

thats the way I figured it

 

[Dave McCracken]

Instead of creating or buying The Ultimate Shotgun. become The Ultimate Shotgunner..

Contrary to Net myth, a stock 870 in trained hands is a fearsome weapon of terrific effect.

Go train your hands. When the pile of empty hulls reaches your knees, note just how effective your shotgun has become.

At that point, you can add any accessory you want to. I shan't object.

 

[Ash]

Sage, sage advice. There's a reason why for the longest time, police shotguns were the most plane-jane around. Adding additional stuff to one can make it more versatile, but a well-practiced man with a Wingmaster will defeat a novice with a Trench gun every time. But then, the same can be said for fancy-engraving and expensive walnut that some skeet shooters feel is absolutely mandatory for an over/under.

Learn to shoot, learn to shoot well, and you can find that the extra tactical features are not needed at all.

Ash

 

[birdbustr]

870 is better for hunting. To clarify, the 870 will hold up to more use in a practical sense. Easier to clean and will hold up better if used and abused. Not to mention resale value. Mossberg is horrible for resale.

Since you are not talking practical, but tactical, then I would go the Mossberg route and keep my 870 for actual shotgun work (clays, hunting, anything past 25 yards). A tactical shotgun isn't going to be any good past 25 yards unless you have a rifled slug barrel. I wouldn't tactical out a Remington if that was my only shotgun. But if you already have a hunting shotgun, then go for it. If you just want something to sit under the bed for home defense or for blowing up old TVs and such at the local dump YOU may want to go the Mossberg route.

In weighing pros and cons the Remington is the best choice for me every time. But then again, I have plenty of shotguns too. Many people lean toward Mossberg or Remington due to the "that's all they know factor". I have in fact used both extensively and know that while both are reliable, the Mossberg is just "acceptable" to me. No matter how many of these Mossberg vs. Remington wars come about I will never find a need for a Mossberg. A few dollars just doesn't mean that much to me.

 

[Ash]

1st shotgun I bought was an 870 express. I shot many, many ducks and geese with it. Second was a 500. I'll take the 500 against any 870 any day in any weather condition. The 870 is certainly a fine, rugged shotgun. But it is absurd to say the 870 will hold up better, given that the 500 and its derivatives are the most distributed combat shotgun in the world.

Mine are used for sporting and nothing else. And why worry about resale if you plan on using it? That "horrible resale" is a gem when you go to buy the Mossy. Great performance at an even better price!

Ash

 

[birdbustr]

I did say in my opinion. Which is mine and I'll keep it. I have used the Mossbergs for combat training, and the frequently used Mossbergs are "rattle traps". In saying that I mean the slides rattle, which in turn makes the action feel like crap. I've also seen 20 year old skeet guns that were 870s that were obviously "tired" from being abused by sailors on ships that had at least the 5000 rounds through them that still had good actions. Yes, they both will keep shooting, but 870 will shoot smoother longer. Also, the internals of the 870 are much more simplistic than the Mossbergs. I would love to be able to be proven right or wrong, but this is largely personal preference.

 

[proud2deviate]

this ought to stir up some high emotions haha. I need to decide whether to DuraCoat my 870, add a mag extension, speed feed stock, barrel clamps, and maybe a heat sheild. OR! just buy a new 590 with all of the above + a bayo lug and extra pistol grip. my remington is currently my hunting gun so I'm not sure if I want to mess with it to much so I'm leaning towards a 590 though I do like the steel receiver of my 870. any thoughts? P.S. which gun do you think is better lol.

The answer is obvious. Buy another 870

____________

 

[goon]

I disagree - my shotgun with its bead sight (front sight only) and cylinder bore will shoot slugs within a few inches pretty reliably out to 70 yards. I would not stick my head up at 100 yards if someone was shooting at me with it - it is just about that accurate. You can't actually hit a clay pigeon or a can with it very often at that range but the misses are so close that they'd still take your head off.
And that is just a plain bead, no rear sight, and bulk pack Remington slugs.

I plan to get another shotgun someday only with an IC bore and rifle sights. But I also don't know whether it will be another mossberg or a Remington.

Ash - I have nothing against the Mossbergs. They are great shotguns in my experience (I'm on my second) and I have never owned a Remington. But I don't think it is much a matter of performance as it is other issues. Mossbergs are usually cheaper and if bought in bulk (like with police or military) that would make a difference.
To them it probably makes more sense to buy the cheapest tool that will do the job well enough. So if the mossy is cheaper...

 

[Ash]

Fair enough, bird, eveybody's entitled to an opinion and opinions are what the OP asked for! As to the bulk-buying, goon is right. Mossbergs won the lowest bidder race I'm sure. However, you have to finish the race in order to have that lowest bid accepted. Mossbergs hold up just fine. Mine is an old one bar Mossy that is still going strong. I replaced the barrel with an accu-choke version (the original was fixed modified). It still busts clay and birds with a vengeance.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not slavish to the Mossy over the Remington. After all, when given the choice new, I picked the Remmy first, even though it was more expensive. The Mossberg I purchased used was in excellent shape, though. After using both, I have found I really prefer the layout and the feel of the Mossberg. There are several things I like much better with the Mossberg. For instance, the lifter remains in the up-position until you cycle the action. Therefore, when you load the magazine, you don't get pinched - and getting pinched on a cold, cold morning after firing at some ducks isn't nice. Worse is when you don't shove that last round all the way and it backs out above the lifter after you remove your pinched thumb and jams things up with a live round in the pipe. I also like the safety as it is identical to my Savage 333. Both shotguns shoot the same, so I'm not trying to transition between them. No slapping the trigger guard on the Savage. Back when I regularly used my Savage 720 based on the Browning Auto 5, the Remington was a natural because both shotguns have the safety in the same place. No transition there. If I were still rabbit hunting with that 720, then the Remmy would be ideal to continue to use. Should I decide to return to that old 720 for rabbit, then I might find myself using that 870 for ducks (yeah, I can use the 870 for rabbit, too, but the 720 is set up for lighter-kicking loads, has a shorter barrel, and is already choked ideally for rabbits).

In any case, sticking with an 870 and getting proficient with it is the best course of action. It would make an excellent home-defense shotgun. Of course, so would a Mossberg, which as bird has pointed out, can be had in excellent condition cheaply on the secondary market!

Ash

 

[10-Ring]

Keep your 870!