remington or mossberg

[trio]

i have an 870 and a 590A1...

i've also had an 1100 tactical


i like the 590A1 best....it is plenty tough, i like the features it comes with standard and it was cheaper...

if its good enough for the military, i think it will do the job for me

[MarshallDodge]

I have a 590A1 that I got a really good deal on used. Not much of a test but since I bought it I only put about 500 rounds through it with no issues. It's a great shooter but I don't shoot it much since I got a Benelli M1.

[Mark/MO]

I've had both an 870 and a 590. Both were fine for their purposes. I ended up trading the 870 off for something. The safety was always an issue as I'm left handed. I later acquired a 590 w/ 20" barrel extremely reasonable as part of another trade and still have it. For me the safety placement is how they ought to be done but again I'm a lefty. The 870 was undeniably smoother operating but the 590, while a bit rougher, has been working fine for me.

As an aside I shot in a 3-gun match this weekend and watched 2 much more expensive "tactical" semi-auto choke and go down on the line. I'm not speculating why or casting dispersions at all but it feels good to follow that up with your $200 gun and run without a hitch.

[m24shooter]

m24shooter,

Get whatever floats your boat. The OP originally asked about two specific shotguns. The Mossy will work, but it is not going to be as robust as the 870.

I've got both. My question was in regard to the seeming discounting of an aluminum receiver, as there are many proven platforms with aluminum receivers.

[toddackerman]

Get the 870, it has a steel receiver. The Mossy uses aluminum.

Please read the initial post...he said Remington 870 "EXPRESS" which is an aluninum receiver. The rmington 870 Wingmaster is steel.

[Hound_va]

Please read the initial post...he said Remington 870 "EXPRESS" which is an aluninum receiver. The rmington 870 Wingmaster is steel.

The 870 express is a steel receiver. The receiver itself differs from the wingmaster by virtue of finish.

http://www.remington.com/products/fi...70_express.asp

[ST911]

Please read the initial post...he said Remington 870 "EXPRESS" which is an aluninum receiver. The rmington 870 Wingmaster is steel.

This------>

The 870 express is a steel receiver.

The Express is economized in several ways, but an aluminum receiver is not one of them.

[padwan]

If you are right handed, I'd recommend the 870. Worked with the 590 on an Awerbuck class and had the safety button seize on Day 2. Round count was modest at that time. I think I had about ~400 rounds of birdshot through the gun.

Awerbuck mentioned he sees this problem with the Mossbergs in his classes.

Am not sure if the new 870 keylock trigger groups will have similar issues but if your Express doesn't have the keylock, I would not worry much.

As usual YMMV.

[ST911]

If you are right handed, I'd recommend the 870. Worked with the 590 on an Awerbuck class and had the safety button seize on Day 2. Round count was modest at that time. I think I had about ~400 rounds of birdshot through the gun. Awerbuck mentioned he sees this problem with the Mossbergs in his classes..

Can you describe this "seizure" in greater detail? What happened, and what resolved it?

[padwan]

The safety becomes difficult to slide. By that, it requires a really firm downward push on the button and then sliding it forward. It starts to get harder and harder to operate. This was resolved initially by keeping the button forward and riding it during shooting.

After this, the safety felt mushy in which case it slid back under recoil. Despite riding the safety button with my thumb, it backed up far enough to cost me follow up shots during several drills. At that point, someone more familiar with mossbergs took the gun apart and installed a new bearing (maybe a spring too, I couldn't see as I was loaned a different gun to work the drills with while the Mossberg was being attended to.)

The explanation given to me was that the ball bearing which locks the safety in either position, migrates under hard use. When it is dislodged from its position, it makes the button really stiff. With more use, the bearing drops into the guts of the gun so nothing locks the safety in either position.

I was the only one who suffered that fate in class, but in my regular visits to the range, all of my buddies have experienced this more than once, as they all shoot 590s and I am the lone 870 guy.

Am unaware if there are armorer's recommendations as to what maintenance checks and frequency is required to pre-empt this bug. What I can say is that it is most disconcerting to be on target and not be able to complete the shot because the button won't budge. It is equally disconcerting to be on target and not have the trigger budge.

It didn't cost me much at class, but I shivered to think what would have happened to me if that were a home defense problem.