How many rounds do you plan on putting thru it? My experience with both tells me you will be fine with either if less than 50,000.

Since you are a mechanic on both machines what the hell is the difference if you can fix both with equal alacrity? Parts availability? Pick the gun you like and stock up on parts.

If for home defense will you be reloading it in your bedroom with your gloves on? Do you think ease of reloading is a pass/fail factor in any way you can imagine in your realistic use of the gun?

I have a custom 20 round drum mag on my 11-87 Especiale complete with a light, a laser and a tripod fitting. It's a zombie stopper fur sur. I'm saving up to afford another drum mag - this one in camo cerracoat soon as my uncle Norbert finds the time to build it.

Hope this helps.

 

How many rounds do you plan on putting thru it? My experience with both tells me you will be fine with either if less than 50,000.

Since you are a mechanic on both machines what the hell is the difference if you can fix both with equal alacrity? Parts availability? Pick the gun you like and stock up on parts.

If for home defense will you be reloading it in your bedroom with your gloves on? Do you think ease of reloading is a pass/fail factor in any way you can imagine in your realistic use of the gun?

I have a custom 20 round drum mag on my 11-87 Especiale complete with a light, a laser and a tripod fitting. It's a zombie stopper fur sur. I'm saving up to afford another drum mag - this one in camo cerracoat soon as my uncle Norbert finds the time to build it.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for taking the time to respond! This will be a home defense shotgun. I try to get to at least one defensive shotgun training course per year, so that plus occasional range visits would probably mean 1,000 rounds of less per year (bird, buck, and slug). While maintenance isn't too bad on either, it's the riveted ejector and staked shell latches on the 870 that are a pain to repair/replace. You bring up a good point about wearing gloves in my house during a realistic home defense scenario; I doubt gloved hands getting pinched will be an issue after all now that I think of it. I just find myself wearing gloves when I shoot shotguns the most, be it in training or while hunting.

 

Leaning against our bedpost is a Mossberg. I bought my first firearm new in 1974, a Wingmaster. I have worked on and owned them both. I can see why it would be hard to decide.

 

I'm also a long time Remington armorer and LE Firearms Instructor. I have experience with both shotguns and either will work just fine. I am more inclined towards the Remington and I keep hearing the same issues being brought up about extractors, safeties, ejectors, etc.

I actually prefer the weight of the steel receiver. I'm not saying the Mossberg one is bad, I just prefer the steel one. I also prefer the cross bolt safety. I have replaced all of mine with a Vang dome safety. The cross bolt can be easily actuated using either hand with a little training and practice. I have never had a problem with the machined extractor. I have seen one ejector need replacing on 500+ 870s over an almost 20 year period and we were able to replace it ourselves. You can do it one time with a tool Brownells sells. After that one time it has to be sent back or taken to a gunsmith for professional replacement.

I also keep hearing that the 590A1 is a military shotgun and the 870 isn't. That's not true. The 870 has been in military service for decades. I remember seeing pictures of them being used in Vietnam. They are still in use. As a matter of fact, the 870MCS system was designed specifically for military use. They just put a larger order for more of them.

I agree with several of the other posts. You can't go wrong with either shotgun. Pick one, run the hell out of it and feel comfortable knowing it will probably serve you well for the rest of your life with a little maintenance.

 

I have and own both. Having said that my home defense shotgun is now a 20" 590A1.

On my Mossberg for reasons of personal preference I replaced the follower with a bright orange one from SBE Precision, this particular follower did not diminish the magazine capacity while some other aftermarket followers do. I replaced the safety with an S&J Hardware version, it is very large and has extremely aggressive texturing. Again a matter of personal preference. I have also replaced the buttstock with a MagPul and the fore end with a SureFire. These changes do relate to comfort and the usage of the weapon. The original furniture worked fine, I just prefer the changes.

I recently completed a 1 day shotgun class and had only one problem with the shotgun. The extractor screw backed out and jammed the action. Fortunately no parts were lost and a simple turn of a screwdriver solved the problem for the day. When I got home I used some blue loctite and everything seems good, but I won't be certain until I get a bunch of rounds down the pipe. I also half expected the magazine spring to need replacing but the darn thing just keeps feeding shells. The magazine spring on a Remington is longer and has more force pushing that last round out of the tube. The Mossberg spring has always been shorter and does not push that last round out with nearly as much force. That being said it has NEVER failed to fully push the last shell out regardless of how fast I try to cycle the action. Eventually I plan on putting a short extension on the magazine tube and filling the space with a high power spring while keeping the capacity the same.

I feel that if Mossberg made the 590 series with a steel receiver it would be an even better gun and I would be in line to buy one. The idea of a heavier gun to help absorb recoil appeals to me, and the steel would be even more durable.

I prefer the location of the safety on the Mossberg, and the open design of the lifter makes loading the magazine just that much easier.

You already know that both platforms are very reliable, so you can't really go wrong. It is really about personal preference at this point.

 

Ford vs Chevy. Get what you like and you are MOST PROFICIENT with.

 

I have 2 Mossberg pumps (1 is a Maverick) and no Remington pumps. I do have an old 11-48. We used the 870 where I used to work, but I never bought one. However, I wouldn't pass on a great deal for an 870 if I ran across one.

 

Being a "Lefty", I have two Mossberg pump shotguns. One is a converted 835 with the old school wood stocks:



and the other one is a 590A1:

 

I have owned 5 870,s over the years, and 2 500 series Mossbergs. I still own the 2 Mossbergs but 0 870,s. That,s just my preference.

 

Whichever you choose you need to stay with that platform so that your reflexes don't get confused under stress. I prefer the 870 primarily because the cross bolt safety is exactly where it is on my Benellis.

 

I have one 590a1 and 5 870 Remingtons, my vote is 870. I prefer the 870 safety and the steel receiver. The action is smoother on the 870s and the trigger is better

 

If you are left handed you can get a reverse safety button for the 870. It is an easy fix.

 

I used and own both types and was a CATM instructor (armorer/firearms instructor/cop) in the Air Force and I agree that the 870 is much harder to service. When I was at Hurlburt Field, we had some OLD 870s we dated back to the first few years of the 870's production life and the problem is that they were one or two restaking jobs away from being beyond repair in regards to the shell catches. How that all transpired over the years I have no idea but it did show me the problems of weapons that require restaking of parts. Sooner or later, you run out of metal. Now in my Marine Corps days in the late 80's, we were running old Winchester 1200s yet but were now primarily carrying around the then new Mossberg M590. Nope, there was no M590A1 back then. We never had a problem with the Mossberg but the Winchesters weren't thought too highly of. Old and tired, the speed pump feature of the Winchester was something none of us were accustomed to.
Today I own all three models (870, 590 and 1200) as well as an old Ithaca M37. If you think the Mossberg 590 is light, you really need to pick up an old Ithaca 37 5-shot riot gun! They didn't call it the featherlight for nothing! But given the option between the M590 and 870P, I would lean towards the Mossberg, primarily from an armorer's point of view. All of them are perfectly acceptable (although if you get a Mossberg with the plastic safety I would highly recommend swapping that out for a metal version) but the Mossberg is the easiest one to replace parts on.

 

Retired Cop and firearms instructor here. I prefer the 870. I like the 500/590 series. Currently my only HD shotgun is an old 870 Wingmaster Riot. I have a 20 gauge Mossy 500 youth sport model in the house for friends and family as well as something to shoot occasional clay birds. As others have said either will do the job and your preference is key.

One caveat however ... If the 870 is your current issue duty shotgun then in my opinion running an 870 on your own time has additional benefits. Simple issues such as the slide lock location and safety being different on the platforms and having to depend on the issued gun in an on the job emergency; duplicate gun at home is a no brainer. Of course if you can get permission to carry a personally owned shotgun on duty then choose and carry your personal favorite.

 

Get the Mossberg 590A1. I've used the remington and the moss berg, but find the safety on the moss berg to be much better. Also, Remington has just declared bankruptcy.

 

Get the Mossberg 590A1. I've used the remington and the moss berg, but find the safety on the moss berg to be much better. Also, Remington has just declared bankruptcy.

Since this thread is over a year old, and it`s been that long since the OP posted, I`d wager that he`s made his decision. We`ll never know what he decided in all likelihood since, like so many others, he didn`t show the common courtesy of letting those who took the time to respond know of his decision.

 

I went with the Mossburg.

 

I went with the Mossburg.

Thumbs up!

I am in the market for a new pump-action 12ga shotgun and have narrowed down to the Mossberg 590A1 or Remington 870 Police Magnum.

Big fan of both.