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Which to buy; Remington 870 or Mossberg 500/590?

PostPosted: Sun Mar 13, 2011 11:10 pm
by DHonovich
I wanted to start a discussion thread for those debating purchasing a Remington 870 or a Mossberg 500 or Mossberg 590... :twisted:

Re: Which to buy; Remington 870 or Mossberg 500/590?

PostPosted: Mon Mar 14, 2011 11:06 am
by K-Tac
Either. Really, both guns are good guns. You wouldn't go wrong with either brand of pump gun. It is all personal preference. Mine just happens to be an 870.

Re: Which to buy; Remington 870 or Mossberg 500/590?

PostPosted: Mon Mar 14, 2011 11:16 am
by DHonovich
I feel the same way. I am biased towards the Mossberg 590A1 and really enjoy the tang style safety of Mossberg's but I will be building a Remington 870 for home defense shortly.

Re: Which to buy; Remington 870 or Mossberg 500/590?

PostPosted: Mon Mar 14, 2011 11:29 am
by K-Tac
I have always felt the tang style safety has been a limiting feature on the Mossberg guns. Making using PG style stocks impractical to use. Worse if you are using a system like the Mesa stock adapter and top rail you need to replace the safety all together with something bigger like one sold by Cav Arms just so you can get to the safety. The tang safety just limits your options on the top of the receiver. It is why all of my Mossberg's wear comb stocks because using a PG stock like the Speedfeed III or IV-S is not practical. It is one of those little bugs that makes me prefer the 870.

Re: Which to buy; Remington 870 or Mossberg 500/590?

PostPosted: Mon Mar 14, 2011 11:38 am
by DHonovich
That is exactly why I will be building a Remington 870 as second home defense shotgun. I want to run pistol grip on a shotgun and like you stated it is awkward at best on a Mossberg with the tang safety.

Re: Which to buy; Remington 870 or Mossberg 500/590?

PostPosted: Mon Mar 14, 2011 12:04 pm
by DoubleTap
Being a lefty shooter I enjoy the safety on the mossberg over the Remington one. However my Remington 870 was my first so i have a bit of a sweet spot for it and gotten used to the safety of the Remington.

Re: Which to buy; Remington 870 or Mossberg 500/590?

PostPosted: Mon Mar 14, 2011 12:36 pm
by K-Tac
The safety situation on the Remington 870, 1100, 1187, and 7600 Carbine is a relatively easy fix and it is something that I know multiple companies have in prototype already. An ambi type flip safety has been a long requested item by shooters. In the early 80's a book was published called "The Remington 1100 exotic weapon system", it is out of print now but you can pick up a used copy online. http://www.amazon.com/Remington-1100-ex ... 0873642627

On page 31 JM Ramos goes into a pretty detailed design plan on how to make flip style safety. He was using this to make a safe, semi and full auto selector switch to turn the 1100 into a full auto weapon..not sure why, but anyways. In the back of the book there are a few drawings of this design. So the idea is nothing new. All that would be needed is this safety switch to be drilled and tapped so that it would install like the standard Remington safety and you would then attach another switch (so you would have male-female switch halves), to the other side and screw it down with an allen screw making it ambi. Problem solved for both righties and lefties.
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Now I have personally tested a working prototype like this already so I know the idea is sound. The prototype worked very well and after you got past the years of metal training of pushing your safety in, the simple task of "flipping" the safety off was super fast. Add in the addition of it being ambi and it has some serious potential. As I said two other companies that I know of (at least) are working on this product, I will leave it to them to bring something like this to market. Though it is a very simple fix. I think the biggest hurdle comes in the form of liability.

Re: Which to buy; Remington 870 or Mossberg 500/590?

PostPosted: Tue Jun 14, 2011 10:26 am
by Hillbilly61
I went through this very process this past fall and ended up with an 870 Wingmaster. The Wingmaster because it is a better grade of the 870 series. Plus I got a sweet deal on a used one in super condition for less than a NIB Express, so that just made it all the better!

As to the OP, both guns are head on competitors and their functionality is pretty near identical. The fit and finish of the 870 seemed better then the 500. Also, the 870 cycled more smoothly & when carrying the 500 its foregrip tended to rattle. A definite minus for hunting purposes, where quite is usually better.

Most importantly though, the handling of the 870 was just better suited for me. The pull was felt right & it swung more smoothly for me. That was the deal cincher. If my body were differently built, I could have easily went with the 500, as the comfort of handling the gun is most important IMHO if you are going to get real good with it.

Re: Which to buy; Remington 870 or Mossberg 500/590?

PostPosted: Tue Jun 14, 2011 5:26 pm
by DoubleTap
That is the same reason I bought a 870. The finish on them are ten times better than that of a 500 and they just seem much smoother than them also.

Re: Which to buy; Remington 870 or Mossberg 500/590?

PostPosted: Mon Nov 16, 2015 9:23 pm
by UltimateGuns
I know this is an ancient thread, but as a firearms instructor, I feel like it's important enough to bump back up for new shooters.

IMHO, both Mossberg and Remington make fine shotguns, especially at their price points. With a little tweaking, both can offer outstanding reliability. To me, what it comes down to is ergonomics. I feel that it's simply impossible to select a firearm based on what you read online. A shooter simply MUST go to a gun shop and fondle both models. As previously stated, the safety is the biggest factor for most. Lefties will like the Mossberg 500 more than the 870 probably 99% of the time. Pistol grippers will usually find a Mossberg 500 pretty much unusable for them.

I always insist my customers and students try out each gun before buying. It's crucial. For instance, I'm a diehard Remington 870 fan for HD situations. My wife picked a youth-sized Mossberg 500 Bantam in 20 gauge, for when I'm not around. Even though I prefer Remington, I was pleased to find something that fit her, and makes her comfortable. And yes, she can shoot the hell outta that Mossberg.

New shooters, please...go try both on for size and see what YOU think is the best fit for YOU.

Re: Which to buy; Remington 870 or Mossberg 500/590?

PostPosted: Tue Nov 17, 2015 9:41 am
by ronlhodges
I use shotguns for hunting , not HD cause that is already covered . But I'm not familiar with Mossbergs so wont comment that part but I have a 870 WingMaster on my wishlist .

Re: Which to buy; Remington 870 or Mossberg 500/590?

PostPosted: Tue Nov 17, 2015 2:31 pm
by UltimateGuns
ronlhodges wrote:I use shotguns for hunting , not HD cause that is already covered . But I'm not familiar with Mossbergs so wont comment that part but I have a 870 WingMaster on my wishlist .


For hunting, I have a Benelli Montefeltro. Lordy, I love that gun. But my father has an old Wingmaster. I haven't checked a new one out in quite some time. But Dad's Wingmaster is a lovely, old gun. I'm guessing around 71 or 72? The bluing on that 870 is beautiful...every bit as nice as his 1100. I really think you'll like the 870WM.

Re: Which to buy; Remington 870 or Mossberg 500/590?

PostPosted: Tue Nov 17, 2015 11:32 pm
by ronlhodges
UltimateGuns wrote:
ronlhodges wrote:I use shotguns for hunting , not HD cause that is already covered . But I'm not familiar with Mossbergs so wont comment that part but I have a 870 WingMaster on my wishlist .


For hunting, I have a Benelli Montefeltro. Lordy, I love that gun. But my father has an old Wingmaster. I haven't checked a new one out in quite some time. But Dad's Wingmaster is a lovely, old gun. I'm guessing around 71 or 72? The bluing on that 870 is beautiful...every bit as nice as his 1100. I really think you'll like the 870WM.


It maybe longer than I would like to wait cause a couple weeks ago I brought home a new FRANCHI AFFINITY in 12-ga. and planned to start using that for upland birding and whatever else I want maybe some clay shooting . That also is a great gun .