Why should I get a 590 over a Mossy 500 for HD?

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Don't know if all 590s are like this, but mine has a bayonet lug and looks cool with its heat shield.
 
From the Mossberg web site and various Internet forums, the 590A1 is 500 with a few pieces beefed up, that the company sells to the military (and police.) Notably the barrel is thicker, and the trigger guard and safety are metal, not plastic as on the 500, and the finish is Parkerized, not blued. The end of the magazine tube also comes off, allowing for easier cleaning and access to the spring. I understand a few additional moving parts are made of thicker, stronger metal on the 590A1, but I don’t know for sure or which ones. The 590A1 with 20†long barrels have bayonet lugs.

What Mossberg sells as the 590 is between 500 and the full military 590A1; it is basically a 590A1 with the 500 plastic trigger guard and safety.

I understand they all operate and fire the same. So the reason I can see for going for 590 or 590A1 for HD purposes are:

1. A more rugged gun that will take more abuse
2. You want what the military uses.
3. You want a “swab straight though" magazine tube.
 
FWIW. My Western Field 550A aka. Mossberg 500 does double duty. For HD, I pull the plug, install the 18.5" barrel and have a handy 5+1 HD shotgun. It is set-up like this most of the time.
For hunting and clay target shooting, I re-install the plug and 30" barrel. The hunting barrel has three choke tubes. The system works well for me.

ZM
 
What Mossberg sells as the 590 is between 500 and the full military 590A1; it is basically a 590A1 with the 500 plastic trigger guard and safety.
Click to expand...

The 590 does not have the heavy barrel either. The standard model comes with a heat shield and the heat shield and heavy barrel are not compatible.

The stock 500 is a plenty reliable gun though. There is evidence coming out of Iraq that soldiers are using it instead of more expensive semi-autos because the 500s don't jam in sand.

If you want the longer magazine tube, go with a 590. If you only want 5+1 and an 18.5" barrel, go 500. If you want really rugged, try to find a 590a1 somewhere.
 
The 590A1 has a heat shield as do many of the 590s. The only finish I have seen on a 590A1 is parkerized, the 590s I have seen are blued, although I believe that Parkerized is offered as an option.

If you get a 500, you will be able to switch barrels from field to HD and back, if you get an extended mag model you will be stuck with that barrel length forever. With a 500 you can also choose to get an extra rifled barrel, or a short barrel with rifle sights. The 500 is very versatile.

The probability of needing the extra beef for HD is probably so small as to be of no consequence, all 3 models operate with equal reliability (I have had them all).
 
A heat sheild wont fit a 590A1. At least thats what it says on the mossberg website. Of course, you could always swap the safety and triggerguard on a standard 590 with a heat sheild, or put a standard barrel on a 590A1...

Standard 590s are available blued, parkerized, or marinecoate. Of course not all are available in all finishes, for example the only blued one is 20" with a heat shield and the only marinecoat is a 20" without it. Both have synthectic stocks and bead sights. I cant be sure of the rest of the configurations without looking at the website, other than the fact they're parkerized and there are plenty of options.

Anyway, back to the original question, about the only advantage I am aware of is the magazine tube, and one more round with the 20" models compared to the 20" 500s (both in 18.5" are 5+1) . I'm not sure if the 590A1s have it, but my 590 had a piece pressed into the end of the magazine tube to retain the spring when the cap was removed. It came out pretty easy though.

One disadvantage to the 20" 590 is you have to file the bayonet lug off if you add a surefire forend - I think. Not an issue for me because I'd be more likely to do a hipshot with my pistol if someone is close enough for a bayonet (my pistol is the first thing I pick up).

I prefer the 590, mainly due to the swab-through magazine tube and one extra round. Well, three compared to the 500 I used to have.

I've edited this post so many times I think I've finally got it right...
 
The 590A1 is with a heavy barrel the 590 is not. I have a 590A1 DA which has a double action trigger that I like for home defense. A fully loaded 590 A1 is quite heavy and this helps control recoil.
 
I spent some time going through the options and am glad I did. Biggest difference between the 590 and 500 appears to be that you can modify the 500 with simple tools like fingers and a strap wrench.

The 590 looks like a dedicated HD/tactical type firearm and it seems you are pretty much stuck with whatever magazine and barrel choice you make at purchase time. May be some options, but I would guess they would require some smithing.

I will be picking up a 500 Persuader in the near future.
 
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Year old subject, but if this helps anyone else whom may have the same questions..

The 590 is a military version of the 500. Standard with 20" cylinder barrel. Has some extra features such as a bayonet lug and dual barrel band. The 590A1 features a heavy barrel and reinforced heavy duty trigger mechanism.

The 500 18.5" is perfect for home defense. It costs half as much as the 590 and I really don't think you need more that 5+1 shotshells for Home Defense. How many times do you think you need to point blank a guy with a buckshot or a slug?

I looked at getting a 590A1 myself in Blue, but ending up getting the 500 with 20" cylinder. 7+1 capacity. Barrels aren't changable, so if you want to do that you'll have to get the 18.5" cylinder.

No offense but the shroud is a useless piece of junk. Some fellas like it cause it looks good.. to them, but it doesn't benefit the gun. You can't reload it fast enough to shoot enough to be able to warp the barrel.
 
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