Mossberg "security"?

[Slayer]

unless you have your heart set on the mossys... for $300+ ... Id just get an 870.

I have both, and 870 is my fav.

Why do you prefer the 870 over the Mossbergs? Anyone else opinion on this would also be appreciated

[rayra]

...My only wish was that the same gun would have come in a 20 gauge. By that I mean a 20 inch barrel, 7+1 shot in 20 gauge straight from the store. I am nursing a badly bruised shoulder from the 500's fierce kick.

You're doing it wrong, if your shoulder is 'badly bruised'. You should hold a shotgun (or any heavy-recoiling rifle for that matter) tightly into your shoulder. That and having at least a little muscle tone will eliminate your 'bad bruises'.

[rayra]

Shotgun newbie question:

I picked this up from Big5 as well, but from the looks of the barrel it does not appear to have threads for a choke tube. So do I or do I not need a choke for this?

Chokes are typically for shaping the grouping of the shot for birds or clays. 'Defense' shotguns don't come with chokes or threads to mount one.
So the answer to your question depends entirely on what kind of shotgun and intended use you ahve for it.

[Quick Nick]

This is what I have learned about the mossberg 500 vs 590. It is according to me, what I have seen and what I have experienced.

The 500 and 590 are different guns. Different receivers, different actions, different materials, etc. But there are a bunch of 500's currently, and only a few 590's so far.

The 500 is the "mid-level" and is only in 12 gauge (though there is a 505 which is 20 gauge). I shot one just last night, and it was fantastic. So fantastic I went out and bought one after lunch today. It cost 249.99 plus a bunch of fees/taxes which made it 295 out the door. The 500 is supposed to be super-reliable. I saw someone take off a thumb screw, then remove the barrel for cleaning. Wow!

The 500 can hold 4 to 7 shells, depending on how long the shell tube is. The one at big 5 had a 20 inch barrel and a full length tube - this holds 7.

The 590 is the "high-level" and is also only in 12 gauge. I held one at the gun store. It feels heavier, though it is supposed to be only 1/4 pound more. Its the gun used by the NYPD and also in Iraq. It was listing at $545, which would work out to be twice as expensive as the 500. But the 590 is a totally different gun. It ALSO has a 20 inch barrel and shell tube, but the 590 can hold 8+1 shells (I don't know how that's possible, but that's what the info from Mossberg says). The 590 is supposed to be even more reliable than the 500, which says a lot since the 500 is super reliable.

I bought the 500 instead of the Remington 870 because the 500 held more bullets and had a shorter barrel. I also test fired the 500 and found it to be uneventful, which is exactly what I want from a "home defense" shotgun.

My only wish was that the same gun would have come in a 20 gauge. By that I mean a 20 inch barrel, 7+1 shot in 20 gauge straight from the store. I am nursing a badly bruised shoulder from the 500's fierce kick.

Just an FYI, you can get the 500s in 20 gauge. The big5 near me had a few in stock when they were out of the 12 gauges.

[dstone20]

This is what I have learned about the mossberg 500 vs 590. It is according to me, what I have seen and what I have experienced.

The 500 and 590 are different guns. Different receivers, different actions, different materials, etc. But there are a bunch of 500's currently, and only a few 590's so far.

The 500 is the "mid-level" and is only in 12 gauge (though there is a 505 which is 20 gauge). I shot one just last night, and it was fantastic. So fantastic I went out and bought one after lunch today. It cost 249.99 plus a bunch of fees/taxes which made it 295 out the door. The 500 is supposed to be super-reliable. I saw someone take off a thumb screw, then remove the barrel for cleaning. Wow!

The 500 can hold 4 to 7 shells, depending on how long the shell tube is. The one at big 5 had a 20 inch barrel and a full length tube - this holds 7.

The 590 is the "high-level" and is also only in 12 gauge. I held one at the gun store. It feels heavier, though it is supposed to be only 1/4 pound more. Its the gun used by the NYPD and also in Iraq. It was listing at $545, which would work out to be twice as expensive as the 500. But the 590 is a totally different gun. It ALSO has a 20 inch barrel and shell tube, but the 590 can hold 8+1 shells (I don't know how that's possible, but that's what the info from Mossberg says). The 590 is supposed to be even more reliable than the 500, which says a lot since the 500 is super reliable.

I bought the 500 instead of the Remington 870 because the 500 held more bullets and had a shorter barrel. I also test fired the 500 and found it to be uneventful, which is exactly what I want from a "home defense" shotgun.

My only wish was that the same gun would have come in a 20 gauge. By that I mean a 20 inch barrel, 7+1 shot in 20 gauge straight from the store. I am nursing a badly bruised shoulder from the 500's fierce kick.

The Mossberg 500 and 590 receivers are identical, as are the actions. There are some differences in materials with regards to the safety button and trigger housing on some 590 models. The magazine tubes and barrels are different. This design difference is why the full length 590 mag tube can hold one extra round (8+1) over the full length mag tube on the 500 (7+1). The 590 is also available with a heavier barrel on some models.

The Model 500 is not only available in 12 gauge. The letter after the model number designates gauge. I.e. 500A is 12 gauge, 500B is 16 gauge, 500C is 20 gauge, etc.

The Model 505 is a youth model, offered in 20 gauge and .410.

[stuntdummy]

The letter after the model number designates gauge. I.e. 500A is 12 gauge, 500B is 16 gauge, 500C is 20 gauge, etc.

My Mossberg says it's a 500AT. Anyone know what the T stands for?

[kingjoey]

We set up one as a breaching demo gun awhile back, they shoot slugs great.

[Echidin]

My only wish was that the same gun would have come in a 20 gauge. By that I mean a 20 inch barrel, 7+1 shot in 20 gauge straight from the store. I am nursing a badly bruised shoulder from the 500's fierce kick.

The recoil from my 500 8 shot is not bad at all. I put about 50 shells thru it during my last outing and had some minor bruising the following day, but don't recall having any pain.











Did I happen to mention it has a limbsaver recoil pad?

[97F1504RAD]

There are a couple thing you can do to reduce the recoil. One is a Knoxx Stock and the other would be to have the barrrel Pro ported or a more expensive alternative have it Vang Comp'd.

[scr83jp]

When I worked in LE all of the patrol cars had Rem 870's & when I was out with a Det trying to arrest an LA Juvi with a warrant north of Yucca Valley I asked the Det for a gun ,he gave me an 870, my kind of weapon since I've owned one for years.All we heard from the older brother who barricaded himself in the house"tell the officer to put down the shotgun" of course I didn't.A call went out for assistance: Sgt,Lt,Capt who called 40 King(chopper),search & rescue,posse,reserves many of whom were from the USMC base in 29 palms.The juvi eluded everyone by going cross country thru the desert,he eventually got caught as he had cases in LA & SB Counties

[scr83jp]

When I worked in LE all of the patrol cars had Rem 870's & when I was out trying to arrest an LA Juvi with a warrant north of Ycca Valley I asked the Det for a gun ,he gave me an 870, my kind of weapon since I've owned one for years.All we heard from the older brother who barricaded himself in the house"tell the officer to put down the shotgun" of course I didn't.A call went out for assistance: Sgt,Lt,Capt who called 40 King(chopper),search & rescue,posse,reserves many of whom were from the USMC base in 29 palms.The juvi eluded everyone by going cross country thru the desert,he eventually got caught as he had cases in LA & SB Counties.I prefer Winchester Model 12's & Remington Shotguns,I'll never own another mossberg after a bad experience with a mod 9200,it grenaded as I was firing it!

[Tallship]

Why do you prefer the 870 over the Mossbergs? Anyone else opinion on this would also be appreciated

Mossberg= aluminum receiver

870= steel receiver

Not that much difference, except if it's for LE use, where they get a lot of abuse. That's why they buy 870's.

[Echidin]

The very first firearm I received when I turned 14 was a Mossberg and they have never let me down. So when I was in the market for a new shotgun, I didn't hesitate to purchase another Mossberg.

[jegonzo3]

Get one that's Parked and has Bayo Lug & heat shield !

Just picked up mine today!

[stonx]

its all personal preference

I have used the Remington 870, Mossberg 500a, and Winchester 1200.

I wound up getting the Mossberg 500a for the house. Because it stays at home, for the savings over the others I used the difference to get an adjustable/compensating Knoxx stock so it fits my wife also without beating her up too bad. 7+1 should be plenty living in town with neighbors all around to call 911 if she can't dial out before throwing lead down the hall. If 7 aren't enough (7 in the tube, empty chamber, pin dry fired - rack and fire), you can always reload off the shells on the stock.

If I could have found a used Winchester 1200 or 1300 when I was looking, that would have been where my money went.


My 500a also came with the wooden dowel in it, I figured it was a California thing. It's also is easy to disassemble with nothing more complex than a pen or pencil for to push on the trigger group pin, I like it.