Remmington 870 or Mossberg 500

[Matt King]

Please help I am going to buy a shotgun, and after some reasearch i've decided it's either giong to be a Remmington 870 or Mossberg 500. i already have a number of good revolvers and automatics, so I wouldn't be my only home defense gun, but It would be one of them. I also would like to use it to do a little hunting. duck, feral hog( theyre a big problem down here) Anyway wich one should I get?

 

[Rob1035]

I chose the 500, since i'm more comfortable with the safety as a southpaw (amongst other reasons)

 

[Zero_DgZ]

You're asking the wrong question.

Remmington 970 or Mossberg 590.

That's better.



I imagine you want this as a tactical/home defense sort of arrangement? IIRC, both the 500 and 870 come in more sporter style configurations with longer barrels and whatnot. The 590 doesn't.

But the Mossberg 590 holds nine shells out of the box, has a heat spreader for tacti-cool niftyness, a steel reciever instead of the aluminum one of the 500 (And perhaps the 870? I forget.) in addition to being drilled and tapped for a sight rail right out of the gate as well.

Plus it has a bayonet lug. Just because.

 

[dfariswheel]

The 870 has a steel receiver.
ALL Mossberg shotguns are aluminum, including the 590 series.

Either a Mossberg or a Remington 870 will fill any need you may have.

 

[Matt King]

Zero_DgZ thatnks for the heads up on the 590 ill check it out.

 

[1911JMB]

Both are capable of any mag capacity with a little moding, and in any configuration both will certainly dust any MF'er that needs dusting. Its really a matter of Ford VS Chevy. My only problem with the Mossberg is that I consider it to be more difficult to dissasemble. My last point is that if cost is an issue, the mossberg is cheaper. If you can, you should shoot and try taking apart a 870 and 500 or 590 before making your final decision.

Louis Awerbuck wrote a good article for Swat Magazine about this very topic in 2003. It was called "Duel of the Titans". I'll see if I can google it.

Edit: It appears you have to pay to get it in PDF if you want to read it, and having a copy, I can tell you its interesting but not worth it. Also, I forgot to say earlier, I find the location of the safety on mossbergs to be a far wizer placement for a safety because you can see it while you have the gun ready to fire.

 

[orangeninja]

I like the 870 because of versatility and robustness. The Mossberg is certainly tough too, no question. But you want to skeet with your 18 inch Remi 870, change the barrel and magazine end cap and plug the barrel (I use drum sticks) down to 3 shots max and viola' you've got a bird blaster.

 

[Average Joe]

Flip a coin, either way, you can't go wrong.

 

[JoeLansing]

I've got a cheezy Mossberg Persuader that I love. It was cheap, $215, but then I put a SVL recoil pad on it, shell holder on the stock, and a darn expensive ($100) millet red dot scope on it. At 25 yards it throws a 3' circle of pellets in both Winchester 15 pellet 2 3/4 and Breneke plated 9 pellet 2 3/4. Good for varmints in the house. With plain Remington sluggers at 50 yards I can group 2-3 inches. Good for the 20-30 yard shots I take at deer.

If I'd have bought a Remington 870 I'd probably love it also. I'm easy to please, but perfer function over form so I tend to be cheap..(cost effective.. - Joe

 

[Fred Fuller]

See if you can't arrange to shoot both before you make up your mind, and choose the one that suits you better. Talk to friends, relatives atc and see if they will let you have some trigger time on their shotguns, be nice if you bought the ammo though 8^).

lpl/nc (btw, I like 870s better...)

 

[nitesite]

Honors go to the 870 for overall smoothness and ease of disassembly/cleaning/reassembly. They cannot be made better. As reliable as any pump shotgun ever made.

The 500/590 class has a better-located safety and is as reliable as an 870. Most 590s don't have a "heat spreader" and none of them have a steel receiver. Mine is an aluminum receivered 8+1 version with factory ghost ring sights and no heat shield. Great gun for the money.

You can't lose with either, but if you aren't capable of the slightly more complex Mossberg field-strip procedure I suggest the 870. If you're handy with disassembly the 590 is also a great choice.

 

[ArmedBear]

Here's a combo that, for around $400 new, will do all you want:

http://www.remington.com/products/firearms/shotguns/model_870/model_870_express_combos_specs.asp

28" barrel for duck hunting; 20" barrel with rifle sights for slugs and buckshot.

Or get the version with a rifled barrel, and buy a Mossberg 18" barrel made for the 870 ($95 from Cabela's) and you have an even better combo, though it will cost more.

Or one of these, plus an extra 18" barrel for even less:

http://www.mossberg.com/pcatalog/model500_1.htm

I love my 870, and a lot of others love them, too. But the Mossberg is also a good choice.

Shoulder them. See which fits you. Work the slide and see which feels best to you.

My take:

870 has a steel receiver and a very smooth action if oiled a little. It's easy to clean, if you feel the need to clean it much.
500 has a prettier finish and a nicer rib, and is more rust-resistant than an 870 Express.

Safety position is personal preference. I like the 870 safety, which is selected easily with the trigger finger without moving the hand, but the Mossberg safety is better for ambidextrous or leftie use, and for those used to double guns.

 

[pauli]

whichever feels better.

personally, i like wood and blue mossberg 500s with five shot tubes... with an 18.5" barrel and no tacticool silliness, i find them balanced, visually appealing, and more than enough for anything i'll ever have to do. and you can get other field length barrels, unlike the 590 (last i checked).

 

[silicon wolverine]

Another option is the 870 marine magnum. 7 shell capacity, 18" barrel and synthtic furnature. Dont get much better

SW

 

[DevLcL]

How bout the tacticool 1100... Just kidding.

Nobody has mentioned the Winchester 1300. I know you decided on one or the other but everyone is throwing up different models. I used to have one but I sold it to finance a .30 Carbine. It's not a bad choice because it has a better slide release location then the 870, and a better safety location then the 590 or 500. I've seen a bunch of those safeties break, including my own.

Just my .015 cents.

-Dev

 

[kennyboy]

Remington.

 

[Lou629]

Why not both?

I have the remington & the mossberg and either one, or both, would be a good choice. I started off with the 870 wingmaster decades ago. Never a problem. About 5 years back i bought a mossy 500-P because it came all set for HD without swapping barrels, etc.
The only difference you will notice is that the remis feel 'tight' and the mossys feel a little 'loose' by comparison. Either make should be a good choice for you, and with a reasonable amount of care, i doubt you'd ever have a significant problem with either one. Good luck.

 

[Dave McCracken]

Win/Win situation. Both good. Get the one that FEELS best.

Then shoot it until it feels like a body part, not a tool.

The hardware is not the most crucial part of personal protection.

 

[Zero_DgZ]

ALL Mossberg shotguns are aluminum, including the 590 series.

You sure? A magnet sticks to the reciever on mine pretty solid. Maybe it's catching the stuff inside like the lifter and ejector?

The above poster has it about right. I wound up going with the 590 because the pump release and the safety are in more logical locations, in my mind.

 

[Jack19]

While an 870 or a 590 will outlast you, my money goes to the 870. For shear reliability, availability of parts and knock down drag out toughness get yourself an 870.

 

[scooterthegreat]

Lou629 Why not both?

I was thinking the same thing. I started with 870 Express. Boyfriend wanted to have a scope put on it for a surprize (saddle mounted)... The gunsmith tapped and drilled it. So I used that as an excuse to get another gun because I didn't want to have to mess with taking the scope off. After picking up about 1,00 shotguns, I came home with Mossburg 500a. I use that for trap and birds and the 870 for deer and turkey. (now the BF is mad because his "woman" has 2 shotguns...)

Love 'em both and I couldn't be happier!!

 

[MrTuffPaws]

whichever feels better.

+1

I bought an 870 before picking up a 500. I like the 500's location of safety and slide release much much better than the 870's, but the gun lacked too much mass for my liking due to the Al receiver. If only someone came up with a 500 like mod for the 870, moving the slide release to behind the trigger guard, I would have no regrets.

 

[Lou629]

SCOOTER...

A woman of .40 cal.? You certainly sound like my kind of woman, yes indeed... ...
Not to worry if the bf ends up leaving you because of your affair with the new shotty, you would always be welcome @ my place presuming that your preferences for the finer things in life include older men as well as nice shotguns.

 

[Pistol Toter]

I have a Mossberg 500 Persuader Cruiser, the eight shot model. I don't belive that you can fit a standard sporting barrel on the gun because of the longer magizine effects the placement of the barrel lug. If you are going to hunt or shoot skeet make sure that the gun you buy will accept different barrels. I am very content with my Mossy but I suspect that the Reminginton is built to more exacting standards and tollerances. The MOssberg rattles like a big baby rattle but sure goes bang when it needs to and will be a bit less expensive.

 

[scooterthegreat]

Lou629

You haven't seen me shoot yet....