Rem. 870 VS. Mossberg 500 (pump)

[coloradokevin]

I've used both...

Grew up on a Mossberg 500... It was my primary duty deer gun (Grew up in Ohio which is shotgun only for deer), general purpose hunting shotgun, and clay breaker. When I bought it I got a 28" barrel with screw-in chokes, and a 24" fully rifled slug barrel, at a price that was more reasonable than the Rem 870.

I now have a department issued Remington 870. It isn't the "police" model, as my department is too cheap to buy those! Just the standard 18" barrel 870 "express magnum" with black furniture.

Both firearms function fine. Surprisingly, I like my Mossberg better. To me, it is more ergronomic... I like the location of the safety on the Mossberg, as well as the slide release.

Admittedly, part of my bias could have come from years of familiarity with the Mossberg before carrying an 870.

 

[okiewita40]

I like the lighter weight of the mossberg.

 

[poe]

Well.....the United States Military chose the Mossberg.

 

[Sergeant Sabre]

Well.....the United States Military chose the Mossberg.

There are Remingtons floating around, too. The ambidextrous safety of the Mossberg probably has a lot to do with it being the "official" choice.

 

[jmr40]

The military got the Mossberg by default. No other company submitted any guns to be tested. The military does not test guns and give the contract to the best gun. They set a minimum standard that the gun must perform and any gun that passes can bid. Low bid gets the contract. While no one knows for sure why no one else submitted any guns the best guess is that the military set the bar pretty low and any gun would pass. All of the other companies knew Mossberg would under bid them.

 

[KillerDemon]

I like the Mossberg 500 better.

 

[1557]

I"ve been on a fighting shotgun kick myself recently.I cut my teeth on quail with a 16 ga. 870 as a boy. Used an 870 in my police career,so it's the gun I'm most familiar with.I've yet to find any fault with them for my purposes.
I have a 12 and 20 in fighting configuration and recently just picked up a new Mossberg maverick (new,unfired ) in a trade. I'm now after a 930 SPX Mossy. To be honest I like the little Maverick althiough it's an inexpensive gun. I've run a lot of 00B thru it and it patterns the 12 pellet loads just great.
It's light with a five round tube and easy to swing and handle at speed.
It's really about all I'd ever need ,but it's nice to have others.As someone else mentioned it's real easy to reload on the fly due to the elevator being in the up position and out of the way of the mag tube. I'm still planning on the 930SPX,tho just for the fun of it.
I like the standard 2 3/4 in. 12 pellet 00 loads.

 

[RIATAC45]

My first gun was a New Haven 600ab 12ga witch is a Mossberg 500 (still have it). It was given to me by my Grandfather when I was 10 or so. I have put 2500rds+ through it. It has never let me down, if I do my part.

I have never owned a Remington shotgun, so i can comment on the 870.

 

[Defensory]

Posted by jmr40
The military got the Mossberg by default. No other company submitted any guns to be tested. The military does not test guns and give the contract to the best gun. They set a minimum standard that the gun must perform and any gun that passes can bid. Low bid gets the contract. While no one knows for sure why no one else submitted any guns the best guess is that the military set the bar pretty low and any gun would pass. All of the other companies knew Mossberg would under bid them.

The U.S. military most certainly does test all the weapons they select. The Mossberg beat out all other competitors in actual testing, thus was selected to be the primary combat shotgun in 1987.

All weapons were torture tested, including a brutal drop test. Remington knew their weapon wouldn't perform too well in a torture test, nor in an extended military combat field environment for that matter. The Remmies are far better suited for riding around in air-conditioned police cruisers.

A Mossberg can withstand harsher treatment than a Remmy. The folks at Remmy understood that, so they didn't want to risk losing high-dollar law enforcement contracts and civilian sales, by losing a head-to-head matchup with Mossberg in an extensive military torture test. So they wisely declined to submit an 870 for testing.

 

[jmr40]

This is the first I have heard of this. From everything I have read Mossberg was the only company to submit a gun to be tested and that it met the military's criteria.

Do you know which other guns were tested and how they fared?

 

[Defensory]

Posted by jmr40:
This is the first I have heard of this. From everything I have read Mossberg was the only company to submit a gun to be tested and that it met the military's criteria. Do you know which other guns were tested and how they fared?

The weapons have to meet certain basic military criteria just to qualify for the test. All submitted models meeting the basic criteria are then fully tested. No weapon is selected without having been thoroughly tested.

In 1998, the military decided they wanted to add a semi-automatic shotgun to their inventory. Extensive testing conducted by the the U.S. Army Armaments Research, Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC, headquartered at Picatinny Arsenal, NJ) was done at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland.

The Benelli M4 Super 90 was chosen as the winner over the other shotguns submitted. This easily falsifies the myth that the least expensive shotgun automatically gets the contract, because the Benelli M4 is one of the most expensive tactical shotguns on the market.

Remington, Mossberg and virtually any other U.S. shotgun manufacturer could easily undercut Benelli on price. Anybody who's ever spent an hour in a gun shop pricing shotguns knows that.

The Benelli won the 1998 semi-auto test because it was darn good, the same reason Mossberg won the pump test in 1987. In fact, in the last few years multiple military branches have placed additional orders for the Mossberg. While shotguns that have been in limited use, such as the Winchester 1200, have been discontinued and are no longer supported.

A Mossie can take a harder lickin' and keep on tickin'. Not to mention that anybody who's spent a lot of time in the field carrying a shotgun, whether soldier or civilian, surely appreciates the lighter weight aluminum receiver on the Mossie.

 

[Dksimon]

I have never shot a 500 but I learned how to soot shotguns with my dads model 870. We have 3 870's so i guess you could say we are a remington family.

I would have to say that you should pick which one feels better in your hands as they both seem to be excellent shotguns

 

[3 gun]

I've had both, still have 500s. Shot Trap better with the 870, Skeet and Sporting Clays with the 500 and a wash in three gun shoots. I use a couple thousand a year in various loads from mild to wild. The 500 will cost less at least here in Ohio and I'd expect my grand kids would have to finish wearing either out.

 

[bharen]

I'm a southpaw. For me the 500's controls are better laid out. However, the standard stock shape (LOP, drop, and comb) on the Remington is FAR better. When I shoulder the 870 my eye is in natural alignment with the barrel. When I shoulder my 500 I have to shift my head around to get a proper alignment. Shooting trap with the Mossberg is a chore. Shooting trap with the Remington is a joy. That's why I own one Mossberg and three Remingtons.

Perfect world? A Remington 870 with either an ambidextrous or user-reversible safety. Why Remington hasn't figured this out yet is beyond me.

 

[ZedD]

Amen; user reversible safety on the 870 would be nice.

Why is it that the moss. is often touted as being light weight because of it's aluminum reciever. I've taken to recording the weight of my shotguns the last few yrs, & was struck by how overweight my 20 ga moss. seemed to be.

A 26 in. barreled 20 ga. moss. weighing only 3 oz. less than my 28 in. barreled 12 ga wingmaster didn't seem all that light weight.
To be fair, I'll admit the moss had a ribbed barrel with choke tubes, while the wm is a plain barrel fixed choke.

But weighing 1lb, 2oz more than my steel reciever 20 ga. ithaca 37 pretty much ends any notion of the aluminum mossy being lightweight.

 

[Old Guy]

Select based on job

2) I much prefer the Mossberg safety position. Starting with my finger off the trigger, I can remove the safety and move my finger to the trigger with one motion. With the Remington one must move their finger behind the trigger to disengage the safety, then back forward to contact the trigger.
Sgt Sabre posted the above comment.

Being right handed the position of the safety perfect on the 870 for me, just swap it for the Jumbo one, so that laying the finger into the trigger pushes it off. The S/C on the Mossberg Police 500 with my method of carry (loaded, safety on) means I have to open my hand to disengage it, and it feels kind of scratchy

We have a Shotgun Waiver for our Security use of Shotguns. Required for duty carry of S/Gs here in Florida. Select based on job

The "Job" escorting employees from a building, after 8PM (most nights) to their POV, said vehicles parked on parking lot (public one) kind of a not so good neighborhood. The Mossberg 500 needed two hand carry to feel comfortable, my 870 with full pistol gripped Chote stock lies up along side the body, yet flips up to the shoulder, and going for the trigger wipes the safety off, and the 870 along side the cheek is perfect in the bead in front of master eye department.

The rapid pumping of the 870 is way slicker than the 500, for me.

 

[Ash]

There can be no question the 870 is better for pistol-gripped applications because of its safety location. But, the 870 isn't so much better made. Quality wise, they are the same and to say otherwise is just playing brand favorites.

I like Mossbergs, sure, and retired my 870 in favor of an even older Mossberg. A big reason is that when shooting over/unders, it is easier for me to transition back to the Mossberg than an 870. Were I to be shooting my Savage 720 more often, I would probably prefer the 870 safety. Unless that happens, the commonality of safety locations between virtually all over/unders and the Mossberg shotguns keeps me in the Mossy camp.

Ash

 

[lions]

I grew up on the 870, never considered anything else... untill recently. My friend just bought a 500 a couple weeks ago and i feel like i have been cheating on my 870 ever since. I plan on buying a mossberg in the near future. I like the controls a little better and it just seems to fit me better. Still love my 870 though, don't think it will ever see the back of the gun safe.

 

[Trex]

md7 hit it right on the head. Both are excellent guns and it comes down in the end to personal choice, the way it feels to the user. Some people like steak and some like ribs.

Visit the local ranges, find out who is shooting what and explain your situation. Ask to test-fire each of them - 95% of shooters will be happy to help out. Put a box of ammo through each make. Whichever one feels best to you is the one to go for.

 

[Wayne G.]

The U.S. military most certainly does test all the weapons they select. The Mossberg beat out all other competitors in actual testing, thus was selected to be the primary combat shotgun in 1987.
What other shotguns were tested?

All weapons were torture tested, including a brutal drop test. Remington knew their weapon wouldn't perform too well in a torture test, nor in an extended military combat field environment for that matter. The Remmies are far better suited for riding around in air-conditioned police cruisers.
Link?

A Mossberg can withstand harsher treatment than a Remmy. The folks at Remmy understood that, so they didn't want to risk losing high-dollar law enforcement contracts and civilian sales, by losing a head-to-head matchup with Mossberg in an extensive military torture test. So they wisely declined to submit an 870 for testing.
Links?--especially concerning Remington's rationale for not submitting a shotgun for testing. By the way, since Remington declined to submit a shotgun for military testing, on what tests are you basing your claims that Remington is deficient in the durability department?

 

[Blue02Formula]

I like my 870 MM

 

[Master of Arms]

I`ve had terrible experience with the Remington 870 express as a matter of fact I`ve had terrible experiences with remingtons in general and also with the Remy ammo so I definately wouldn`t buy a remington. I have a Mossberg 12 guage that I have put thousands of rounds through and my father had put many,many rounds through it before I got it and let me tell ya, I love it. After all the rounds that have been fired through it you would think that it would need a barrel or some sort of part but it has never had anything done to it other than an occasional cleaning so I would suggest for you to get yourself that Mossberg.

Well.....the United States Military chose the Mossberg.

Exactly and don`t believe for a second that the military doesn`t test their weapons.
You`ll find that many people own the remys but that doesn`t make them any better. I bought an 870 a few years ago and had some issues with it so I took it back only to recieve another remy with the same issue + more. I took it back and got a refund. I also had a Remy 30-06 which constantly jammed up with me, and a remington 1100 that I had to disassemble on most hunting trips to clear a jam so this is why I`ll never buy another remy again. Kool, that rhymed.