Which Mossberg 500 Combo

[Mark77]

I'm looking to get a shotgun next year and narrowed it down to two options, which are nearly identical:

http://www.big5sportinggoods.com/store/details/Mossberg+500-12-Gauge-Pump-Action-Shotgun-Combo/0310105330003/_/A-742353#.WR9xV3m1tPY

https://www.dickssportinggoods.com/p/mossberg-500-field-deer-combo-pump-action-shotgun-15mosa500flddrcmbshg/15mosa500flddrcmbshg

My three questions are:

1) How does the wood furniture compare to the plastic? I had a chance to hold the Big5 combo, and the plastic furniture felt very cheap.

2) Is it better to get the rifled deer barrel and the chokes and buy the 18.5" security barrel later, or vice versa? Another thing to consider is that Big5 has theirs on sale often, sometimes for as low as $320.

3) Are those the only differences between the two?

[Ora Serrata]

Whatever you choose get the one with the 28" barell with interchangeable chokes, not the 28" fixed modified choke.

[Rob454]

I would take the DSG over Big 5

[Mark77]

Thanks guys. I'm leaning towards the DSG, myself.

[JagerDog]

I hadn't seen the slug/bird combo. That would be very versatile. Most smoothbores don't handle saboted slugs very well and that is the game for non-tox hunting if slug hunting is in your future. The 18" barrel should be a cheap add-on.

The Big 5 unit has the fixed modified barrel. While a good "all around" choke it's a significant handicap in many venues. Big 5 (TMK) is the only place that sells the "dumbed down" version. Mossberg's website's combo is a screw choke 28" with 18" HD barrel.

[JMercer]

18.5" barrels are typically the most affordable of the barrels you can get. I've shot sabots through a smoothbore out to 50yds with no keyholing, they were actually more accurate than the rifled foster slugs.