870 Tactical Express Synthetic 7-Shot vs. Mossberg 590 SP 8- Shot

[kamakaz1961]

I just purchased a Mossberg 590 (not 590A1) as the price was too low to pass up. With all the idiotic gun control stuff coming about again because of our idiotic POTUS and The Wicked Witch of the West...one thing has seriously been overlooked...the shotgun! People are panick buying the AR's. I bought the Mossberg 590SP 18.5" Barrel (same as my Remington 870) for under $350!

I grabbed it as I always wanted a companion for my 870 as she was lonely....LOL

Now, my thoughts and comparisons with the 2. Bottom line, I can't figure out which I like better. The 870 IMO is better than the Mossberg 500 (which is why I bought the 870 in the 1st place).

Here are my thoughts and comparisons:
1. The 870 trigger pull is SUPERIOR to the 590. That was the biggest difference by far when comparing the 2. This was the biggest surprise and could be a deal breaker if people are concerned about trigger pull.

2. There is no difference in quality and feel of either. I thought this was going to be the huge difference but to me it wasn't. The reason why I thought it was going to be a huge difference is because of the aluminum receiver. But the 590 Bolt and Barrel are made out of steel so no issues (think of the AR being the same type of aluminum/steel design).

3. On MY 590 (could be different on other models) you are limited in space to put on a barrel flashlight mount like the Eizenett mount. But a Magpul Forend will solve that (which it did for me).

4. The 590 is harder to break down and put back, however, not really hard to do once you break it down a couple of times.

5. There are about 2 to 3 times more modification and parts available for the 870. The Mossberg (which surprised me) there are parts available, however, not as much as the Remington's.

6. Loading the 590 is easier than the 870 as their is no magazine cover. However, if you are familiar with the 870 it really is not an issue. To the newcomers of a shotgun it could.

7. The safety location and slide release on the 590 is easier to control than the 870. But if you are familiar with the 870 controls this is a Non issue (to me at least). To the newcomers it might.

8. The 590 holds 1 more round which is a big plus especially if your used to shooting 6 + 1 (it took me a few times to get used to the extra shot). That can be corrected by a magazine extension for the 870.

9. This was a big surprise to me...I shot a little better with the 590 than I did with the 870. My groups were a little better than the 870. But bottom line, if this was a "real" target both shotguns would have obliterated the target with ease.

So which one do I like better....I still can't decide!! This is the problem!! I can't decide. So my conclusion is I love them both! I am glad I got both! I am glad I am getting very familiar in break down, cleaning, handling and shooting both. A real easy way to tell which shotgun you have (I tried this in complete darkness) is to feel the trigger guard. The 870 is curved in the front and the Mossberg is straight. I was 100% correct on that test.

But I always wanted a Remington or a Mossberg. With what is going on about Gun Control again (which is utterly stupid it is a Radical Islamic thing) I would highly recommend getting a shotgun ASAP. Our POTUS, Hillary and the Demorats (as well as a few Republicans) are Islam sympathizers and want to take our 2nd amendment away. Since everyone is overlooking the fact that an 870 or 590 or any shotgun is not an AR or as what the idiots refer to an "Assault Rifle" the prices are very reasonable. Shotgun ammo is cheap too!

I do have the AR, AK, Mini-14 and a few other handguns. They are ALL locked in my safe. The only firearm I have at the ready is my 870 as IMO there is NOTHING that can beat a shotgun for home defense....period!

[BurstBarrel]

That's a great comparison of the two! As always one of each is always nice. Is the trigger pull on the Mossberg improvable?

[riverbear]

Nice post. I just a Mossberg 500c a couple weeks ago and I am tremendously impressed with the gun. I have shot it quite a bit and it performs perfectly. I got the 20 ga field version and the trigger is not bad but could be tweaked a little. Came with a set of choke tubes but not sure they all do.

With politicians after guns and, personal finances tight, the Mossberg might be the best shotgun deal on the market.

[kamakaz1961]

Burstbarrel the trigger pull to me was not important. I was using this as a comparison to the person shopping for a shotgun and was a novice. To the experienced shotgun shooter it would probably be just a minor issue. I spent the last hour last night dry practicing (including snap caps) of loading, racking the slide and practicing with firing. I was doing this while watching Game 7 on the NBA Finals. I was still racking my brain as which one was better and couldn't.

I still love them both and I am happy I got both. You can't go wrong with either. I FINALLY gave up trying to figure out which was better. Pros and cons for each. That being said the most important thing about both is that I want to be proficient with both.

The Mossberg 500 is also a great shotgun, however, the only reason why I did not like it is that you are cannot upgrade the shell count as it was a screw in type and you cannot modify it. Additionally, adding a Magpul or different brand forend could be difficult as there are many different sizes of the slide and may not fit. This is not the case with the 590's.

But bottom line...I would not hesitate to get either the 870 or 590. If I wanted no modifications the 500 would be a great choice too.

I say jump on it right now to get any one of them or 2 as everyone is buying the AR-15 in a panick buy. I already built 2 AR's and have enough parts to build another one if need be. The majority of people overlook the shotgun which IMO is a huge mistake!

[Synchronizor]

I'll start off by saying that I think both the 870 and 500-series are good shotguns. Their track records and sales figures alone should make that very clear. However, I firmly prefer the 870, for a few key reasons:

The aluminum receiver in the Mossbergs is obviously a non-issue when it comes to the strength of the action, since the bolt locks directly into the barrel as it does in the 870. However, other components in the Mossberg are screwed directly into the aluminum. Fine aluminum threads like those used for the 500's ejector are not terribly durable, but the threaded connection that most concerns me here is the stock bolt. Mossberg 500 stock bolts thread into a simple, fully-tapped thru hole in the back of the receiver. If those threads strip out, it's custom gunsmith work to repair. I will admit that I don't know exactly what alloy Mossberg uses, but considering the age and price point of the 500, I doubt it's anything exotic, and even the very strongest aluminum alloys still can't match the hardness and rigidity of steel. The 870 not only makes this connection steel-on-steel, but it uses a separate steel stand-off that provides a lot more thread engagement, and prevents over-insertion of the stock bolt (something that can happen on the 500, resulting in trigger assembly malfunctions). And if you do manage to wear it out, it's a $5 part that can be replaced by anyone who knows how to use a 1/2" wrench. There are probably very few people who change stocks as frequently as I do, but I certainly feel much more confident with the 870's stock attachment.

As for controls, obviously tastes differ, and there's a lot one could get used to with practice. Personally though, on a pump gun, I prefer a safety that can be disengaged without breaking one's shooting grip, and a slide release that is reasonably accessible, but not so close at hand as to allow for accidental unlocking. Of the pumps I've tried, I think the classic Ithaca 37 did this best, but the 870 isn't far behind. Pumps like the Mossberg 500 and Winchester 1200, which place the slide release right under your finger, but make you reach for the safety and then re-acquire finger placement before firing, just seem backwards to me. Having a slide release behind the trigger also gets goofy if you want something with a pistol grip. While I prefer traditional stocks anyway, a pistol grip is fun for recreational shooting, and as I've gotten more into slugs, a thumbhole stock has been sounding like a worthwhile addition to my furniture collection. I get that the Mossberg's safety follows the pattern of the tried-and-true tang safety on hunting doubles, and many folks are very used to manipulating that safety style, but I still prefer the way I can take an 870 off safe without even taking my finger off the trigger. Plus, there's the fact that the 500's tang safety moves along the same vector as the gun's recoil impulse, and it's pretty well-established that the parts involved are not great at coping with this.

And then, as was already mentioned here, there's the matter of barrels and mag tubes. I love how, aside from a few special models, an 870 can freely accept any same-gauge barrels, and that barrels can be freely mixed & matched with whatever magazine extension kit best fits an application. With the 500, you get two mag tube lengths, and barrels are strictly meant for one or the other. Yes, mag tubes can be swapped, but it's a pain to do so, and you're still limited in terms of capacity options. There are a handful of extensions available for the open-ended 590 mag tubes, but then you're limited to combat barrels only, and you still have to play the matching game.

While I do think Mossberg makes decent shotguns, between my buy-it-for-life preferences and the sheer variety of shotgunning activities I've gotten into, I'm very glad my newbie eye was drawn to that #25077 870 back in the sporting goods store in my college town, rather than a 500.

[RonShooter]

Can you share best Snap Caps for the 870 Remington here in April 2020? Thanks