Remington versus Mossberg

[msinc]

IIRC USMC uses Mossberg. That should mean something.

It does...it means they were the lowest bidder. I have owned, worked on and played around with every kind of pump action gun ever devised. I have nothing against Mossberg per se, but they are in fact a "cost effective" gun. I have never been a fan of any pump action gun that has an aluminum receiver. The slots where the steel action bars ride wear out and then you have a sloppy, shaky, worn out gun, period end of story. You can stave off the inevitable wear by keeping the bars and slots slopped up with heavy grease...but, at the end of the day....well, why not just get a gun that don't do that?????
No matter the condition I find an 870 I am always able to make it new again, functional and back up to market value of a high condition gun. You cannot do that with a Mossberg that has worn receiver slots or all the anodizing rubbed off that aluminum receiver. Again, I don't dislike Mossberg and I am by no means a remington fanboy, but about all I can say for the Mossberg is that they did put the safety in the right place.

 

[DWalt]

For something to keep behind the bedroom door, I'd take the Mossberg - cheaper, just as reliable, and if someone breaks into your house and steals it, you are out less. I have a Winchester 1200 pump gun, have used it for over 35 years, fired many thousands of shells through it shooting skeet, and it has never malfunctioned or broken a part. And it has an aluminum alloy receiver. Now someone needs to convince me that an 870 is better. BTW, there was also a military version of the 1200.

 

[loc n load]

I posted on the Mossberg thread about a Mossberg I have owned for years. I own both 870's, 500 & 590's. I carried an 870 for years as a duty weapon, and instructed them for 3 decades as a Leo instructor. To me, they both have their pro's and con's. IMO they will both serve you well. The alloy recv'r is a total non issue with me.

 

[Blackshirt]

Modern 870s will cycle through a double-feed. This alone makes it the best combat shotgun available. All of the other Remington advantages just sweeten the deal. They have a huge aftermarket and are easy to work on, too. Mossberg offers some cool packages, but mostly they are just inexpensive. I have two 870s in my safe...one for defense and one for the field. I like them so much that I'm considering a Remington 7600 in 30-06.

 

[alwslate]

Comparing the Remington 870 to the Mossberg 500 is somewhat of an
apples to oranges comparison. Both are popular and sell in large
numbers but there really is no comparison between the two. The 870
is a very durable steel receiver shotgun that has a proven track
record on Trap ranges. It's not uncommon for a Trap shooter to put
250,000 rds through an 870 with no problems other than a small spring
or firing pin replacement. A Mossberg probably will serve the average
hunter well but you're not going to see one used for Trap except
by a beginner maybe. And despite popular opinion to the contrary
the Wingmaster and Express models are virtually identical except for
finish and wood quality. I have several 870s and thought about
buying a 500 until I got a chance to look one over closely and changed
my mind.

 

[tbgunner88]

Despite strong opinions on both sides, the truth is they are both great shotguns and either will get the job done, it really comes down to personal preference.

 

[Kanewpadle]

Agreed. Both are good. Most people will never put enough rounds through either gun to find out how long it will last.

Personal preference is all it is. I prefer a 20ga 870.

 

[Ranger514]

I've personally owned and carried agency issued 870s for practically my entire adult life, but I also own a 20-inch 590 Special Purpose Mossberg that I consider equal in quality to the Remingtons. I chose the 590 over the 500 because I was advised the former had better quality components. The ergonomics are different, and the Mossberg forward release lever and tang safety are easier to access for some shooters. I like them both. I would have to admit that I rarely saw a mechanical failure or other issue with Remingtons in all the years I carried one and instructed in their use. I don't have the years of experience with Mossbergs to draw upon.

 

[DWalt]

I had a friend who was a pretty fair skeet shooter who used a common field-grade Mossberg 500 in 12 gauge for the entire 6 years I knew him, and he had no problem with it. I shot at least ten or so rounds of skeet per week with him for all that time, year-round. So I know that Mossbergs are adequately built to dependably stand up under a lot of shooting. For someone who is looking primarily for a home defense weapon rather than one which will be used constantly under adverse conditions, there is no reason that a Mossberg wouldn't fill the need in all respects. It's not a gun with any snob appeal, but that's not (or shouldn't be) a requirement for personal defense use.

 

[old&slow]

Ford or Chevy ??
I have a Remington 870 & a Mossberg 590. I like both.
I didn't care for the stock on the 590 so I replaced it with a Hogue. Other than that, I've never had a dimes worth of problems with either.
If you are left handed the Mossberg is a little more user friendly because of the tang safety. I'm right handed but prefer the tang safety.
The local club has a shotgun / handgun match once a month. So, I've shot 100's of rounds thru both without any problems. Wouldn't have a problem grabbing either for a serious social occasion..

 

[GatorFarmer]

The military issue 590 series was not just a matter of being low bidder, but a matter of meeting rigid specifications and testing. The U.S. Navy uses a number of plain old 500s, I used to see them regularly. Not that it matters much as the U.S. military uses and has used a huge variety of pump shotguns over the years. The reason was that, for most purposes, they were interchangeable.

I have had several 870s. I did rather like the old Police Model that I had. I even had a customized Saiga 12 (not a pump obviously, but interesting) for a while....and pumps by Winchester (including a model 12), Benelli, High Standard, and Howa (Smith and Wesson branded) and even a Chinese 870 that seemed the equal of a "real" one. The most troublesome one that I ever had was a Winchester Model 12 oddly.

Like most Americans, I am not a shotgun connoisseur. I use them as what amounts to a bigger hammer.

For years, even after pumps were widely available, single shots by Stevens, Iver Johnson etc were the favored hammer at farms, homes, cottages. I still have a single shot IJ 16 gauge likely soon to be pushing the century mark. At some point pumps took over that role and continue to fill it (in the United States).

The role the Mossberg fills for me, as for many, is utility shotgun. It is the shotgun to have around in case I need a shotgun or find it convenient to have one. Home defense is a theoretical part of that, but not the whole of it.

My grandfather who had seen extensive infantry combat in the Pacific...he kept a Stevens 16 gauge single on the steps leading to the attic. Different people make different choices and the reasons are complicated.

 

[KSDeputy]

I have owned and shot Remington long guns, rifles and shotguns, all my life. I bought two Mossbergs, a 500 & 590 (not sure of model numbers as it has been years). I took them to the range, loaded them, then reached behind the trigger guard for the safety. It wasn't there, the fools put it on top. I sold them both without ever firing them.

 

[tbgunner88]

I have owned and shot Remington long guns, rifles and shotguns, all my life. I bought two Mossbergs, a 500 & 590 (not sure of model numbers as it has been years). I took them to the range, loaded them, then reached behind the trigger guard for the safety. It wasn't there, the fools put it on top. I sold them both without ever firing them.

Let me get this straight, you buy not one but two guns without paying attention to how they operate and then come to the conclusion that someone else is the fool?

 

[nrz]

When looking for a spare gun for friends to borrow and learn trap/skeet/clays shooting, the Mossberg was the winner in that it had a midbead on it. Other than that, price would have been the deciding factor. After a couple hundred rounds, no issues to report yet...

 

[dmar]

When looking for a spare gun for friends to borrow and learn trap/skeet/clays shooting, the Mossberg was the winner in that it had a midbead on it. Other than that, price would have been the deciding factor. After a couple hundred rounds, no issues to report yet...

As I learned trap/skeet/clays, I learned focus on the bird, not the sight! In trap, I really don't have much to do with the front sight at all, and a mid bead would be just a distraction. I shoot a Beretta, and the gun fits me right and my hold is consistent, break em' just about all the time... .

Fun shotgun debate, definitely a bit of a Chevy vs. Ford deal. For my self defense shotgun, I also had my mind made up pretty quick once I handled a Mossberg; I chose the 870... Just felt and handled better for me. I've had no regrets with the 870, good gun.

Actually, my first pump (for hunting) was a Browning BPS, it's a very nice quality gun.

 

[msinc]

The most troublesome one that I ever had was a Winchester Model 12 oddly.

Like most Americans, I am not a shotgun connoisseur. I use them as what amounts to a bigger hammer.

Maybe that was the problem, using a gun for a hammer!!!

All joking aside, I found the same thing. The Model 12 is a fully machined and hand fitted gun. Like the 1911 45 it likes/needs to be "run wet". Remember the old gangster movies that always had a wiseguy in the background with a rag rubbing on his 45??? Excess oil. The Model 12, like the 1911, needs but seldom received plenty of lubrication. Oh, it will work without it...even feel good doing it, but many of the parts are hand fitted to very low tolerances and when run dry which most of them were they will eventually wear.
All the old timers used to say, "you cant wear out a Model 12...they just get tighter the more you shoot 'em"...nothing could be further from the truth. Anytime you hear about a gun that was shot tens of thousands of times you can best believe it either is so worn out that you don't want it now, or it was meticulously kept lubricated.

 

[desi2358]

The Mossberg 500 guns have aluminum receivers. Remington 870s are steel. Don't know how much that matters since I don't have either one, but there it is.

Matter of fact, I think the Remingtons and the Ithaca 37s are the only steel receiver shotguns left.

The Mossberg uses an aluminum receiver but the bolt locks directly to the barrel. The receiver simply holds them in alignment and allows for a lighter firearm. Steel receiver guns usually lock the bolt to the receiver (not the barrel) and need the additional strength. All the Mossbergs I have owned also use twin action bars and have held up very well over years of use.

 

[brucev]

I'll take a Remington 870 over practically any other pump shotgun period and that includes the Mossberg and Winchester and Browning. I have used my 870 hard for over 45 years. It has been superlative. It is a plain Jane 870 Wingmaster 12 ga. in improved cylinder... i.e., not a combat weapon. However on two occasions during the summer of 1980 this shotgun convinced some folks to go elsewhere when they tried to break into my apartment through the bedroom window. Two years later... when I'd moved to downtown New Orleans. There was a flood. I did not evacuate. The second morning of the flood, a man pulled up beside the house in a boat and tried to enter through the window which was open. My wife stopped me from giving him a dose of 12 ga. pepper as he took off. JMHO. Sincerely. bruce.

 

[alwslate]

The Mossberg uses an aluminum receiver but the bolt locks directly to the barrel. The receiver simply holds them in alignment and allows for a lighter firearm. Steel receiver guns usually lock the bolt to the receiver (not the barrel) and need the additional strength.

Older designs with a steel receiver like the Remington mod 31
and Winchester mod 12 locked the bolt into a recess that was
machined into the receiver. The Remington 870 bolt locks
into a recess in the barrel extension, not the receiver.

 

[Vulcan Bob]

I will readily admit I am not an expert on shotguns but when I was shopping for my first "combat" shotgun in the late 1990's this is what made up my mind what to buy. The US armed services was also shopping for a shotgun and ran some rather nasty tests on a variety of shotguns. The 590 was the only shot gun to finish the testing. Went out and bought one in 1999 and am rather happy with it, besides it's one of the few shotguns with a built in gun stand, Just slip the bayonet on and stick it in the ground!