Mossberg 500 vs. Remington 870

[Tridiumeor7]

Which shotgun do you guys think is the best for making Tactical modifications?? Mossberg 500, or the Remington 870?? I plan on adding all the AR type mods, eventually.
Thanks for any advise.

[ironcross]

I got a Mossberg 590. I love it. You can find them at Big 5 time to time for sale under $300

Mossberg 590:
9rd Mag
20 ” Barrel with Heat Sheild
BAYONET LUG
LIGHTWEIGHT SYNTHETIC STOCK

AR style
Stock


Rail Pump


Vert Forend

[Paradiddle]

I think you will get a wide range of answers on this. This is a Ford vs. Chevy, Fender vs. Gibson, 1911 vs. Glock type of question.

I think the 870 has the largest assortment of add on taticool gadgits.

For me I like the user controls of the Mossberg better, and I really like the fact that Moss doesn't have a loading gate to pinch your fingers.

They are both very good strong shotguns. Neither is the smoothest pump you can buy.

My last piece of dime store wisdom would be to NOT buy a cheap *** version of either one - don't buy the Big 5 Mossberg and don't buy the 870 Express. Buy a real one - they are better with higher quality and better parts.

Jeff

[emc002]

First, Welcome.
Second, you'll do well to lurk and learn to use the search button. Most of the questions you could ever come up with have been asked and answered a few dozen times.

This particular question usually ends up in a purse-swinging fight and comes down to your personal preference. Both are good. Both are reliable (with a slight, slight edge to the 870 here.)

Try Here, Here, Here, and Here.

You'll find a few more accessories for the 870.
I own the 500, and like the 870 safety MUCH MUCH better. I'd get an 870 if I were to do it over again.

[savasyn]

I'm a mossberg guy, but I also like pistol grip stuff. I find that the 870 works better with the pistol grip cuz the safety is down behind the trigger where you can get to it easily when a PG is mounted.
The reverse is true for a normal stock, the mossberg's safety location is ideal as your thumb goes right to it.

You really can't go wrong with either one, but definitely do some googling of what's available. You might want to spend some time in the shotgun pictures forum found at the top of this one, to see what combinations look good to you.

[savasyn]

Oh yeah, +1 on the 590A1, about as tactical as you need with the exception of a light. Unfortunately, you have to cut off the bayo lug to use the SureFire forearm

[Rocko]

I own both. My Mossy 500 is my tactical/home security. 18.5'' barrel, pistol grip, heat shield. My Rem 870 is for hunting/skeet/trap/etc

Go with the Mossy 500 Persuader

[blackhawk411]

870 > Moss.

But its all personal preference though. Remingtons are very solid.

[apbrian112]

i had a 500 and like a retard i sold it... but i plan on getting another one soon. trying to see if i can find a mossy 500sp cruiser tactical for home defense. i now have a benelli m1s90 for 3-gunnin and busting clays...

[5thstreet@sbcglobal.net]

I Personally prefer the Remington. It just feels more solid in my opinion but like everyone says they are both good guns pick which ever one looks better to you.

[ar15barrels]

870's have steel receivers.
500's have aluminum receivers.

Choose according to how much use you expect to put it through and how much you want to customize it.

[sloguy]

both are good guns. both have tons of accessories available.

it boils down to personal preference. i greatly prefer the mossbergs slide release location. i have short fingers and cannot hit the release on a 870 without unhooking my thumb off the stock and reaching forward. and at that point i have no grip on the gun when i try to rack it so i look like a retard trying. i mean i have seriously short fingers. i think my finger falls over a inch short of the slide release on a 870. little girls have longer hands than me.

[Pugster]

Scroll to 2:30 of video and see that the 870 and 500 are a little different in loading up the magazine tube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTCURi-NlD4

[Ceemack]

People keep referring to this as a "Ford vs. Chevy" debate, but it isn't--unless you want to call it a Ford F150 vs. Chevy Citation debate.

The lower price and the location of the safety button are about the only things the Mossberg has going for it. The safety on the 500 is nice, but the crossbolt safety on the 870 is just about as easy to take off. The tang safety on the 500 is much easier to put on, but that's a pretty minor advantage.

People disagree on the location of the slide release, which for a tactical shotgun is probably the most important control. I can manipulate the 870's slide release in a hurry. I always have problems activating the slide release on a 500.

The build quality of the 870 is substantially higher, even if we're talking about the supposedly "cheap" Express models. The Express guns look a little rough on the outside, but are solid and smooth where they need to be. The 500s I've seen had a fairly rough finish on internal parts.

The 870's design is a lot more robust. There are couple of parts of the 500 with a fairly high probability of failure--notably, that nicely-located tang safety (replacing the safety after it's flown off the receiver is one of the more common repairs on the 500). They're also quite a bit easier to put back together after a complete tear-down. I've done it a bunch of times, but every time I have to put a 500 back together I have to figure out "OK, where does this go again?"

Actually, this IS a Ford-vs.Chevy debate. The fleet operators I've know who tried GM products always wound up going back to Fords. In the same way, law enforcement uses the 870 almost exclusively--I've never seen a cruiser with a Mossberg in it. Having worked on 500s, I can understand why.

[TopGun2000]

you can always turn your big5 $200 mossberg into a persuader/cruiser by adding a folding stock