Something Fishy about my Mossberg 590a1

[MaddHatterAZ]

I purchased a 590a1 from the scottsdale gun club 3+ years ago. I am finally looking to make some upgrades to it when I came across some kind of disturbing posts about the difference between the 590 and 590a1.

My reciever says 590a1. my barrel is thicker and heavier than a 590's and it is parkerized with a bayonette lug too. However, my trigger guard is clearly not made of metal. I also only have a front bead sight. As far as my trigger assembly, I am going to have to take that apart when I get home to check that out. The safety is also a plastic piece.

Is there a reason that I would have a 590a1 without a metal trigger guard? Is there some other things I should check to see if its a 590 or a1 version?

 

[swampboy]

If it's an a1, I believe it should be stamped as such on the receiver. If it is just stamped 590, it ain't an a1.

I'm not aware that the a1's have been switched over to the plastic trigger group/safety.

 

[MaddHatterAZ]

I have never heard of such a thing myself. However, I am quite confused and somewhat irritated because the more I think about it, the more I think someone changed the parts at the store. My friend had purchased a 590 after he saw and liked my a1, Compared them and we have the same trigger guard, trigger and safety. Barrels however are very different. I had purchased a heat shield for mine and it wont fit! I know that now after I spent 50 bucks on it and cant even use it

 

[swampboy]

If your receiver is stamped "590a1", it's very possible that the store made a quick buck selling YOUR parts as an upgrade to someone, then stuck you with the plastic. I'd call Mossberg, give 'em your S/N, and if they tell you it was shipped with metal parts, I'd let the store know they tried to rip off the wrong person. Those metal trigger groups ain't cheap! I'm curious as to how this turns out.

 

[MaddHatterAZ]

Update:

So I went back to the shop to check out the mossbergs. I asked the clerk to let me see the 590a1 they had for sale. He grabs it and I look at it. Plastic trigger guard, plastic safety, tag on it says 590a1, mossberg sticker says 590 special purpose. It was not a 590a1. clerk said that it was miss tagged and just grabbed a diff one. This one however was an a1.

After close examination between the differences of the standard 590 and a1, I have determined that I have all metal parts and my friend, who got a 590, got a high end model that has the metal parts too. But instead of the heavy barrel, he has a heat shield. He got a great deal apparently, and only paid 300 bucks, and I didnt get ripped off. But the metal trigger guard is not magnetic, which threw me off. Also, that trigger guard does not feel like metal at all. The finish makes it feel very much like high end plastic or something.

 

[swampboy]

Yeah, the metal ones are aluminum. When I ordered my metal safety from Midway, it was listed on their site as "steel". When it came, it seemed light, so I stuck a magnet to it. Thought it was plastic till I took my pocket knife and scraped the lower edge (where it wouldn't show) and found it was aluminum.

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

Yeah, sometimes aluminum can look, feel, and sound (when you tap on it) like plastic, and vice versa. All's well that ends well.

 

[Bass Killer]

I just bought the standard 500 Cruiser, threw a Knoxx Spec Op's and a Tac Rail on it. Then ordered non plastic parts, I love my 500