Remington 870 or Mossberg 500

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Seein as the OP didn't include that one, don't suppose it fits into this thread at all.

As good as Benelli semi autos are, their pumps aren't anywhere close to there IMO.
 
i think the 870 feels more solid, thanks to the steel receiver vs the aluminum receiver of the 500...

other than that do you like a cross bolt safety or a tang safety?
 
The receiver is a tradeoff, being aluminum makes it quite a bit lighter. I wasn't sure about it but the more reviews/opinions I've read I don't think the aluminum receiver is much less durable if it is at all.
 
Nor does the receiver construction affect sturdiness. Indeed, the aluminum will actually be more rigid than the steel.
 
Ash said:
Nor does the receiver construction affect sturdiness. Indeed, the aluminum will actually be more rigid than the steel.
Click to expand...

I was actually going to make an analogy using something I know very well, which is softball bats. One of the least durable "performance" metal bats manufactured today is made of steel, and alot of very durable ones are made of aluminum. A lot depends on the alloy, prep, treatment, etc. in determining which is more durable. There are also different kinds of "strength" when it comes do metal, some more desirable in different applications than others.
 
moosberger copied the lock up of the rem 870 pump,the bolt locking up into the barrel extension and with out that the moosberg would not be a long term firing shotgun. don,t believe it? before rem (1950) did it there were not too many aluminum pump shotguns around. the only aluminum recievered shotgun i liked was the super light weight ithaca 37 and then only for field use. and remington and browning do make LT weight steel shotguns that come very close to the aluminum recievered shotguns. but if you are a hunter and some time clays shooter then moosberg may be the shotgun for you. no one says the moosbergs are not good guns for the field, but please don,t try to tell me how they will last for a life time of shooting other than hunting, where they may be fired 2000-3000 times in a life time 40-50 years, i personly know of several rem 870,s, win model 12,s and ithaca 37,s that shoot that amount of shells a year. eastbank.
 
Steel is heavy, affects balance. If you LIKE a heavy, slow shotgun with a butt heavy balance, that's not a problem I suppose. One of the best handling PUMP shotguns of all time is the Ithaca 37 featherweight. The Mossberg and the Winchester are pretty light, muzzle balanced and work better for me than a heavy gun. This is one of the few things I don't like about the Browning BPS, its heavy and sluggish handling. Still a good gun, but when those early morning teal are buzzing in, it's a bit slow.

Anyway, if you HATE Mossbergs with all your being, stay away from 'em, all I can say. I won't rule out another Wingmaster some day if I found a cheap one I wanted, but I don't really need another pump and I don't care for 870 ergos. If I were to get another pump, probably be a BPS 10 for goose hunting.

If you hate something as bad as eastbank seems to, I'm sincerely glad its a mechanical object and not a person.
 
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Take it easy on ol' eastbank. He's alright. He just has his opinion. As others mentioned, Ford or Chevy; take your pick. Even eastbank hisself said, "we will just have to agree to disagree. ford, chevy, buick, pontiac they will all get you accross town, take your choice." Sounds pretty good-natured to me. So he likes to use the word "moose" a lot. lol.


As for fundamental metallurgy? Keeee-righst! how things are a-changin'. Ford is going to sell the 2015 F150 with a body made of aluminum. They've tested the configuration long-term, and offroad.

Used to be that in tubing of the type used to fabricate high-end bicycle frames, aluminum had a shorter fatigue life than steel. Steel may be more resilient, but with ever-evolvin alloys technology, these new mil-spec aluminum alloys (of the type used by Ford for the new truck) are tough material indeed. I do realize that both Remington and Mossberg shotgun receivers are machined from a billet (at least Remington is), and that they're not tubing per se; I just wanted to toss that latter info into the mix.

Good thread.

:)
 
i don,t hate any firearm and if i could only get a moosberg,thats what i would use. i only say a moosberg will not be my first or second choice for my types of shooting and the amount of shells i like to shoot.for every 100 shotguns you see that are used to shoot large amounts of shells,there may be two moosbergs and that should tell you some thing if you realy think about it. its like buying a low end ford truck for hauling type writers and trying to haul two tons of bricks every day for years. if you do, you had better belong to AAA as you will be needing a tow. eastbank.
 
no insult intended to moosburg or ford truck owners., just buy the right tool needed to get the job done. if it will do what you expect it to do, fine. eastbank.
 
I have had one of each for many years now, and both are holding up just fine. Either one would be a fine choice. The real difference, in essence, boils down to your preference regarding the safety, as others have already noted.
 
Indeed, the aluminum will actually be more rigid than the steel.
Click to expand...

Surely you don't actually believe that? I mean after all the aluminum receiver has hardened steel parts sawing away at it every time the action is worked. If you think aluminum is as durable as steel just make an aluminum saw and try to cut a steel frame in half with it. After the teeth are completely worn away without scratching the receiver you can then take a steel saw and cut through an aluminum frame with it in about 60 seconds. As posted previously a tiny detent ball jammed under the shell latch on an aluminum receiver and broke the frame when the action was worked...that ain't gonna happen with a durable machined steel receiver.
 
Rigid, rigid. Yep, that's what I meant. Believe? Nah, I know.

It's called experience. I actually have experience with both Remington and Mossberg. Field use is just as legitimate a use of a shotgun than playing games. There is no pretending when one notes that a Mossberg is a durable, reliable shotgun. It is simply a fact. I know. I shoot both.
 
field use was the first use of the shotgun and the games came later, but the games let you enjoy your shotgun year round and will make you a better field shot most of the time and most games are shot at a relaxed pace with good company. and as i like to hunt and shoot year round, i want a shotgun i know will take the wear and tare of year after year shooting and i know the moosberg is not that shotgun for me, take the time and shoot your moosberg at the clay games for few years,i know you will get to like them. i know i did and i started in the 60,s. eastbank.
 
I've shot skeet numerous times. I like it just fine and while trap seems to be a good game to mimic rabbit hunting I never really got into it. I even enjoy informal clay shooting with a bolt-action .410. It never got me going enough to invest the money in the shells to get really great at it. I always look at the target loads and think about buying steel shot or heavy field loads I could use for rabbits. The times I have shot have shown how it's easy to see how folks would really get into it. I'm more a soloist and prefer kayaking or hiking or hunting with just a couple of guys in a blind or across a field.

As to the Maverick, they are great guns, too. The OP should be well served with it. The Kessler/Noble/Smith & Wesson pumps are the only ones I can think of that were really just junk.
 
the S&W was to be a cheap shotgun sold to police dept,s,well it was one of them and that was not to be a police shotgun. i knew a officer who was issued one for his police car, it was so bad he got permission to use his own pump shotgun. i found trap is good pratice for riseing birds over dogs. i never had problems with rabbits. grouse and wild doves are a whole other problem for me. eastbank.
 
It's called experience. I actually have experience with both Remington and Mossberg.
Click to expand...

I own and use both also and one thing I can say about the light weight Mossberg is that it's an absolute pleasure to shoot with low recoil loads when it's wearing it's 18.5" thin wall barrel.
 
Surely you don't actually believe that? I mean after all the aluminum receiver has hardened steel parts sawing away at it every time the action is worked.
Click to expand...

Probably why the action becomes so smooth after a while. I know it don't hurt the gun, seen 40-50 year old Mossy's rollin' right along shooting down ducks, geese, doves, whatever. That old Revelation M310 I had (single slide bar Mossberg 500) was SO slick! Now, after over 20 years, my 500 is there, too. :D
 
I got hold of a well used 500 and compared it to my newer one so as to track down the wear that made it slicker and found that it was actually the ejector! I always made the assumption that it was the elevator that gave them the jerky feel.
 
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