Remington 870 vs. Mossberg 500: Part 2

Remington 870 Tactical

Someone really smart once said “The best gun to get is the one you can shoot well.”  That being said, do you want a Chevy or a Ford? Shotguns are so versatile that you have to consider exactly what you want to do with it.  In most cases, if you get a tactical shotgun, it is probably not going to be a good hunting, trap or skeet rifle.  This is not necessarily the case when you buy a typical pump shotgun such as the Mossberg 500 or the Remington 870.  Just bear with me.  Since I have owned both, my opinion has some weight to it.  I have owned the Mossberg 835 utilimag, Mossberg 500, Mossberg 590A1, and the Mossberg 590 Flex.  My current shotgun is the Remington 870 Express.  Quick background, the 835 Utilimag with wooden furniture was my first shotgun and I loved it, but eventually I got a wild hair and did some trading and selling and ended up with a Mossberg 500 with synthetic furniture.  The 835 Utilimag was excessive for me as I never really intended to fire 3 1/2 nitro mags at anything.  However, I bought it used for $180, put well over 5000 rounds through it and got $150 for it almost 10 years later.  The Mossberg 500 seemed a bit light to me and although I never had any problems with it, didn’t seem very rugged.  Got another wild hair, sold the 500 and bought the Mossberg 590A1.

Mossberg 590A1

This gun is the epitome of rugged and let me tell you, was very fun.  Eventually I had to sell it because of the economy and all.  After saving up money, my wife gave me the thumbs up on a new shotgun so I went and bought a brand new Mossberg 590 Flex.  After having a 590A1, I wasn’t very impressed with the finish or the ‘assessed’ ruggedness of the firearm.  Not being familiar with the difference between the 590 and the 590A1, I rejected it because it lacked the aluminum trigger gaurd, aluminum safety, and heavy barrel.  All told, Mossberg shotguns are very dependable, light weight (except for the 590A1), and just a little more affordable than a Remington 870.  If you are looking for a lighter shotgun that will serve as hunting, sporting, and tactical then the Mossberg 500 is for you.  If you want a ready to go ass-kicker out of the box with a 9 shot capacity and bayonette lug then the 590A1 is for you (Not the 590 which uses polymer trigger gaurd, polymer safety, and normal barrel).  Mossberg’s however have aluminum recievers which is weaker than steel (not really of much consequence) and cannot be blued or seemingly refinished ever again and unless you have a parkerized 590A1, the finish will wear off of the receiver.  The other downfall of buying a Mossberg is that the 500’s seem ‘cheap’ to some people and if you pony up and just buy the 590A1, there is no versatility as you cannot put a longer barrel on it for sporting.  Mossbergs overall are very dependable, affordable, and very popular with law enforcement and civilians alike.

Reminton 870 Express is truly the Ruger 10/22 of the shotgun world.  Not only is this American icon very dependable, it is extremely versatile and rugged as well.  Although it is a bit pricier than a Mossberg 500 to start off with at $330 (Mossberg 500 combo with a 28″ and a 20″ barrel for $300), I looked at down the road costs and true versatility of modifications.  After holding a Mossberg 500 and Remington 870 it was pretty easy for me to see the quality of a Remington, and the main differences between the Remington 870 Express and 870 Tactical is the barrel and tactical stock.  My Reminton 870 came with a 5 shot capacity (1 less than a Mossberg 500), but for $65 I can purchase and easily install a screw-on 3 shot magazine tube extension, and for an additional $180 I can get an 18.5″ or 20″ tactical barrel.  Aftermarket parts and accesories are vast for this weapon.  No, the math doesn’t compute but when I compare Mossbergs to Remingtons, the only Mossberg that I believe feels as rugged is the 590A1 and those are anywhere from $500 to $750 if you can find one.  So for just under $600 I now have a shotgun that has a 26″ barrel with a modified choke tube and 8 shot capacity which can be switched to an 18.5″ or 20″ tactical barrel in minutes.  Mossberg 500’s do not feel as ‘tough’ to me and the 590A1 does not enjoy that kind of versatility.  Of course that is just my preference.  Overall Remington shotguns are dependable, have durable finishes and are extremely versatile with the sheer amount of easliy adapted aftermarket modifications. To be quite honest with you, if I had the money I would have a Mossberg 590A1 and my multi-purpose Remington 870.  If you have the money and like a solidly constructed shotgun, go for the Remington, and if you want to save a little cash and still get a quality firearm, get a Mossberg.  Here is what you do, find friends who have one or both and shoot them.  You will figure out very quickly which one you like better.

Mossberg 500 vs. Remington 870

First and foremost, I slammed Mossberg a couple of times for the ‘quality’ or lack therof of the Mossberg 590 Flex.  After doing some research I found that the main difference between the Mossberg 500 and the Mossberg 590 is the magazine tube design.  Otherwise the 590 has a polymer safety and trigger gaurd.  The Mossberg 590A1 has the heavy barrel, aluminum trigger gaurd and aluminum safety.  So the Mossberg 590 Flex is apparently true to the Mossberg 590 line.  Having owned only Mossbergs, and having gone from the ultra rugged Mossberg 590A1 to the Mossberg 590 Flex, I realized that I was looking for ruggedness more than anything.  That being said, I just bought a Remington 870 Express.

No this is not the one I bought, but there is little difference between the 870 Express and the 870 Tactical.  So why didn’t I spend the extra money and get the Tactical? The 870 Tactical had a 6 round magazine tube which would make getting a longer barrel almost impossible unless I bought a shorter mag tube to accomodate a longer barrel.  A Remington 870 Tactical also usually comes with some type of pistol grip and usually an 18.5″ barrel.    When I went to the store the Remington 870 Tactical was $530 and the Remington 870 Express was $330, and for an extra $40 I could have gotten the 870 Super mag and made a tactical that fired 3 1/2 mags.  My 870 Express came with a 26″ vent rib barrel that has a modified choke tube and a 4 roung mag tube.  For $65 I can put a 3 shot mag tube extension on it and have am 8 shot clearout, and for an additional $180 put a 20″ home defense barrel on it an have my 870 Tactical.  I’m give or take on the pistol grips, because as a civilian if a person or people break into my house, I am not going to do a sweep and clear with my shotgun or any other gun for that matter.  My dogs will bark and if I cease to hear them I will point the shotgun at the door and get ready to unload eight copper coated #4 shot.  Anyway, the Remington 870 has a steel receiver and really seems to have tighter tolerances than the Mossberg 500 overall, and honestly, the Remington 870 has far more accessory options than the Mossberg 500.  So far I can accessorize my Remington to have an 8 shot clearout and a 20″ barrel for a total of $575, plus I still have my 26″ barrel for hunting and shooting clays.  The only gripes I was able to find with the Remington 870 over the Mossberg 500 is the ejector and ‘loading tongue’ for lack of a better term.  First the ejector spring is riveted in so if it breaks it has to be sent to Remington to be drilled, reinstalled, and refinished.  Second, in order to load your 870, a tongue has to be depressed in order to load shells in your mag tube.

As for Mossbergs, I feel as if I need to buy the 590A1 to get the kind of ruggedness that an 870 Express already has.  Yes, Mossbergs are dependable and the aluminum reciever makes them significantly lighter unless you are talking about the heavy barrel on the 590A1 and then it is kind of a wash.  The ejector on a Mossberg is held in by a screw so if if breaks, you buy one and replace it.  Loading a Mossberg does not require depressing any ‘tongue’ to load it, and right now and pretty much always, you can go out and buy a Mossberg 500 ‘combo’ package that comes with a 26″ barrel with chokes and a 20″ tactical barrel.  For an additional $50 you can mount some type of pistol grip on it  and be into a tactical shotgun for $350 with a 6 shot clearout.  Mossberg 500’s have a closed magazine tube though which makes them more difficult to clean, but you could fork over the money and buy an upgraded mag tube (which is always a pain in the ass to change out), but then you need to buy different barrels and a locking retainer nut as the 500 barrels have the retainer screw attached to them.  Mossbergs have been around for a while and are certainly not going anywhere.  They served me and many other people well through many shots and many years.  I never had a single probem with any of my Mossbergs except my 835 Utilimag.  After putting about 700 or so rounds through it without cleaning it I started to have extraction issues due to carbon fouling build-up.  If say you step up to a Mossberg 590 or even a 590A1 you have now limited yourself to a tactical firearm.  Sure they have a 9 shot clearout and the 590A1 is still one of my favorite guns, especially equipped with ghost ring sights and a bayonette lug.  So really the two biggest gripes I’ve found with Mossbergs in general are the seemingly loose tolerances which causes people to call them ‘cheap’ which they are not, I can attest to their durability; and the other gripe is the aluminum receiver which cannot be blued and is considered ‘weaker’ than steel recievers, but I have not seen or heard evidence to show me that it is a hindrance of any kind.

So the verdict is, buy whichever one fits your needs best.  I like shooting clays and am anticipating doing some turkey hunting and maybe some slug hunting for deer.  I also like the fact that I can buy a barrel and mag tube extension and have my tactical with an 8 shot clearout.  The Remington 870 is very rugged and very dependable.  Mossbergs are also very dependable and have their own adaptable capabilities.  Many law enforcement officials trust their lives to Mossbers and many trust their lives to Remingtons.  Do research, hold them, shoot them if you can and then decide.  Hell, if I had the money, I would have both (the 590A1 of course).