First Shotgun.. Remmy or Mossie?

[Ara T.]

You guessed it... what shotgun should I get, Remington 870 or Mossberg 590? Not a gun owner but I'd like to be. Both are pretty affordable. I'd say the only advantage for the mossberg is it's cheaper and comes pre-tapped so I can put a red dot on it or what have you, and that its safety is easier to access. Well I guess its lighter too which is good, since it is mostly aluminum and plastic.

[Matt L]

Remington 700 is a rifle. Do you mean 870? That's a decent pump-action shotgun. I think that it is of a higher quality than the Mossberg, but only time will tell with any of them.

You don't need a red dot on a shotgun.

[Ara T.]

Correct, my bad. 870!

[Matt L]

Ok, then I say look at it and consider it as a good condender. Disassembly isn't too bad, maybe the Mossberg is better. It'd be nice to have a shop that would break down one of each for you before you bought one, but Wally World isn't going to let you take it apart. I've never dealt with a Mossberg, but they are cheaper, and feel cheaper.

Weight on a shotgun is your friend. It saves your shoulder.

[Ara T.]

Wallyworld doesn't sell guns in CA Their employees are too inept to wait for background checks to complete before giving them their gun.

Not too worried about breaking them down.

[Hatterasguy]

I really like my friends 590A1, you can trick them out to!



You should also look at a Benelli Nova. You can't go wrong with any of them, just get what you like.

[75Sv1]

I used to be a gunsmith. I used to see about 20 of each of these types amonst others each week for about 6 to 8 months out of the year. I'd buy the Remington 870. I did have a Remington 870 Express. It was one of the earlier production. It was of very good quality. Simple trigger unit, not much breaks. If the feed rails are timed right the shells should be thrown out.
On the Mossberg, I think overall a good design, but poor quality. Look down the rib of a Mossberg and see if it is straight. Maybe they have inproved their quality since I last worked on them. Then look at the Remington. In the two years I worked on them and Winchester 1200 to 1400. I can remember only one 870 and one Winchester with a wavy rib. Both were better than any Mossberg rib I'd seen.
Tom

[LUVMBDiesels]

I like my Mossberg. Go with the 500 and you have a slew of barrels and other accessories to choose from. It is the small block Chevy of shotguns. The question is what do you want it for? Mine is set up for birding/skeet with a 28 inch barrel If you want it for hunting go with 24 and up if it is for home defense get the 18.5 inch barrel. You can also change the stock, grips, add tactical rails, etc...

When I shoot skeet I will run 100 rounds through mine and it has never let me down.

You can also look here for more information...
http://www.thehighroad.org/forumdisplay.php?f=7

I am jn1965 on this forum...

[toomany MBZ]

Either choice should be fine. I don't think I've seen a shotgun with any sight other than what came with it.
What is going to be it's primary use?
I have a Mossberg 500 series, (pump, take the dowel out of the tube if you're not going to hunt with it) came with two barrels and a pistol grip kit. I keep that one in the bedroom with the 18 1/2" barrel on it, no pistol grip, this particular one replaces the shoulder stock, unlike the previous pictured one that has both.
My O/U is a Baikal, both are 12 ga.
There are numerous gun discussion forums. I'm Rmac58 on them.

[Ara T.]

Gun will be for defense against huns, and also just shooting targets at the range, some clay pidgeons etc. I have used some shotguns (Remington i think) where the person had put rear ghost sights on them, which was pretty cool. Definitely not a necessity though.

It seems the Mossbergs are "looser" by design, sort of like an AK47, so people often complain they are kind of rattly compared to the Remington.. but I haven't seen this for myself. Gotta go check out some Mossbergs.

[LUVMBDiesels]

Originally Posted by Ara T.

Gun will be for defense against huns, and also just shooting targets at the range, some clay pidgeons etc. I have used some shotguns (Remington i think) where the person had put rear ghost sights on them, which was pretty cool. Definitely not a necessity though.

It seems the Mossbergs are "looser" by design, sort of like an AK47, so people often complain they are kind of rattly compared to the Remington.. but I haven't seen this for myself. Gotta go check out some Mossbergs.

My Mossberg does seem agricultural compared to other guns, but that is just like comparing an OM617 to gas engines
The Mossberg kind of rattles and the slide makes a very distinctive sound. If the gun is for home defense then the sound of the slide being racked will scare the cr@p out of any burglar...

I think a good thing would be to go to a range and rent or borrow each gun and see which one feels best to you.

[toomany MBZ]

Yeah, the fore arm is "loose", so it pivots a bit too, helping in a quick pump to load the next round.

[strelnik]

Originally Posted by toomany MBZ

Yeah, the fore arm is "loose", so it pivots a bit too, helping in a quick pump to load the next round.

I have my dad's Remington 870, which I inherited. I have fired other peoples' 870s as well.

They just all feel better, work well, are very reliable, and I have zero complaints about them after owning one 10 years or so.

[catmandoo62]

if you want a real shotgun get a model 12 winchester.

[Billybob]

Depending on why you’re buying a scatter gun and what your philosophy regarding value is, you may want to consider arguably the best pump gun ever made, the Ithaca Model 37 originally designed by John Browning. Any gun made before 1987 preferably, but the company and the tooling has recently been resurrected with very good reviews for quality.

This shotgun is used by more law enforcement and military than any other make and has been for years. If you slug hunt rifled “Deerslayer” barrels are available. Barrels are swapped in seconds.

I’ve had an shot a 20 ga. for the last 40 years and have put many thousands of rounds through it at clay pigeons, probably over a couple thousand pheasant, partridge, quail, mallards, etc. and with a rifled slug barrel more than a couple hundred whitetails and one black bear. I had it re-blued a couple years ago and a full breakdown inspection of the action with a clean bill of health!

If you look at a gun like a tool you will often find the up front investment well worth it over the long run. If you want to pass down something of value to your kid some day save up and buy quality!