Mossberg M590A1 vs. Remington 870

[angrycherokee]

I know that they are both great combat and/or defense shot guns (Military, LE, home personal protection) i am in the market for an outstanding 12ga for defense. so far there are very few differences between the two as far as effectiveness and quality goes. below i listed make/model of the two and what i know about them already.

http://www.mossberg.com/images/Mossberg_Guns/930/New/51772.jpg

Mossberg M590A1 (black water series)

-8+1 12ga
-3" chamber
-BBL: 20" heavy walled barrel (parkerized)
-rear sight ghost ring on rail, front sight AR style white stripe
- Tang safety, easy access for lefty or righty shooters.
-pump safety at rear of trigger guard making easy to access (apposed to remington's which is infront. bit of a reach
-tri-rail fore end
- bayonet lug
- speed feed stock +4 12ga (with a side saddle (6) the speed feed stock (4) and a 9 capacity weapon would be carrying 19 shells alone on the fire arm, making it one heavy bitch but seeing how ammo, capacity and reloading time with shotties, a benefit?
-drilled and tapped receiver for rails and optics on ALL m590a1
-metal trigger, trigger guard and pump safety
- more notable features of the fire arm include: dual extractors and i BELEIVE aluminum guts, which some say is a down side of the M590A1, although others say it works just fine.
-------------------------------------------
Remtington 870 express tactical

http://www.remington.com/products/firearms/shotguns/model-870/model-870-express-tactical.aspx

-KEY FEATURES:

18 1/2" tactical barrel with XS® front blade sight RC Tactical (ext/ported tube)
XS Ghost Ring sight Rail (mounts to receiver)
Sight is fully adjustable for windage and elevation
Front blade sight works in conjunction with Ghost Ring to quickly and accurately acquire target
Tactical style fore-end
2-shot magazine extension
Receiver drilled and tapped for scope mounts (XS Picatinney rail with ghost ring included) its my understanding that they recently, or have not always done this with EVERY factory 870 tac, where mossburg has with all 590
also pump safety is at front of trigger guard, bit out of the way.
safety on trigger guard.


please feel free to add anything else. comments, experience, ANYTHING that is beneficial. thanks

[Irving]

I was always partial to the cross bolt safety. I'm not sure that I was giving the tang style safety a fair shake though. The only other tang style safety I've ever operated on a shotgun was on a Smith & Wesson 1300 (or whatever they are) and it was so stiff, that I literally could not move the safety. I think this was because the owner NEVER put it on safe and it was all gummed up from over the years.

I guess I've just haven't had the opportunity to handle a better maintained gun.

[angrycherokee]

I was always partial to the cross bolt safety. I'm not sure that I was giving the tang style safety a fair shake though. The only other tang style safety I've ever operated on a shotgun was on a Smith & Wesson 1300 (or whatever they are) and it was so stiff, that I literally could not move the safety. I think this was because the owner NEVER put it on safe and it was all gummed up from over the years.

I guess I've just haven't had the opportunity to handle a better maintained gun.

thats amazing...haha ive heard the M590A1's have a heavy trigger pull and rough action in the pump the first few hundred rounds, but what can you expect from such a weapon. i want it combat tested and proven for partol and if i have to spend a few hundred rounds to get it in a groove so be it.

[joeyshoe]

I have the 20" 870 and my only gripe would be the capacity. I would (i think[Tooth]) rather have it be an 8+1 like the mossberg 20" shotguns. Is it the restriction of the barrel clamp on stock mag extensions that reduces the capacity? I realize it is only one round and I do have a 6 AND a 4 round side saddle mounted so I'm not really lacking in ammo, but one more could be nice![UZI]

The other thing I like about my 870 is the threaded barrel. I have the option to switch up my constriction depending on what I'm doing.

The decision could also be made based on what you plan on doing with it. I wanted a pistol grip on the rear with a collapsible stock. The tang safety on the 590 would be difficult to actuate in that setup. The slide release could also be a problem in this configuration.

I personally don't mind the 870 slide release position and like that it is out of the way a bit as to not accidentally actuate it. That being said, I have not extensively handled an 590; a 500 some, but not much either. That being sad, I have been interested in the 590A1 myself.

[angrycherokee]

I have the 20" 870 and my only gripe would be the capacity. I would (i think[Tooth]) rather have it be an 8+1 like the mossberg 20" shotguns. Is it the restriction of the barrel clamp on stock mag extensions that reduces the capacity? I realize it is only one round and I do have a 6 AND a 4 round side saddle mounted so I'm not really lacking in ammo, but one more could be nice![UZI]

The other thing I like about my 870 is the threaded barrel. I have the option to switch up my constriction depending on what I'm doing.

The decision could also be made based on what you plan on doing with it. I wanted a pistol grip on the rear with a collapsible stock. The tang safety on the 590 would be difficult to actuate in that setup. The slide release could also be a problem in this configuration.

I personally don't mind the 870 slide release position and like that it is out of the way a bit as to not accidentally actuate it. That being said, I have not extensively handled an 590; a 500 some, but not much either. That being sad, I have been interested in the 590A1 myself.



Capacity/mag plug: Remington designed the 870 more off a hunting mindset, explains the tube plug, wider variety in barrels, lengths, and chokes. as for your issue with the plug you can always strip your gun and see what is in there. I know Remington has capacity extensions so you can check that out.

Being that shot guns have a very limited ammo capacity, and bulky ammo i love doing combat reloading drills which i will explain at the end...

ISSUES WITH PISTOL GRIP: personally I don’t like em on 12ga because if feel that they well…. Rape your hand. Secondly on the M590A1 you will have an issue reaching for the tang safety, this is just an awkward reach with a pistol grip. Also on the m590a1 the pump safety is on the rear left of the trigger guard. Easy access with a regular stock, but with a pistol grip it can be somewhat blocked at times or difficult to work, depending on the grip you install.

I LOVE the m590A1, as far as I know the only differences between the M590 and M590A1 is the metal trigger, trigger guard, safety button, and bayonet lug. M590 is polymer. For someone like me who needs to have something that can stand up to the elements and take an impact I prefer the A1 for the metal.

DRILL: seeing how shotguns have limited capacity and bulky ammo it is always important to stay on top of reloading quickly. So having a sidesaddle, speed feed, ammo belt or what have you is a good way to organize ammo for a quick reload.

- Target, Does not matter how many.
- 2 people involved in the drill, shooter and someone to alert shooter to target. This simulates the surprise to the shooter of a combatant
- starting with a fully loaded weapon the shooter is at a ready, when ever “TARGET” is called fire once and reload. (chamber AND mag.)
- “TARGET” can be called at ANY pace so the drill is to stay keep the weapon loaded.
- Good practice is to do this to the shooter for a while and then get them down to a completely unloaded weapon so a shell must be place directly in the chamber.
- I prefure to led under the gun with my palm facing up then placing the shell in the receiver. This way if you make a mistake and the shell falls, it will likely fall into your hand, as apposed to overtop with the palm down, the shell will fall to the ground.

Hope this helps some pm me if you have any other questions.

[cebeu]

"...M590A1...870 express...comments..."

Compare the 590A1 to the 870P (http://www.remingtonle.com/shotguns/870.htm) versus Express. Bottom-line, cannot go wrong with either.

[angrycherokee]

Compare the 590A1 to the 870P (http://www.remingtonle.com/shotguns/870.htm) versus Express. Bottom-line, cannot go wrong with either.

you really cant, it pretty much all comes down to who you are a fan of, or what works best for you.

[SA Friday]

I don't know if mossberg changed this of if the 590 is different than the 500, but I've seen the pump arms break on the older 500 models. They are not as thick as the rems and twist more. Seen a couple break/bend. Mostly old military issued (thus grossly used) ones. The rems have that flat sprin on the inside of the receiver and the like to wiggle loose after equal abuse as the military mossbergs. FWIW, they're about the same. I prefer steel when I'm swinging it like a club though.

[angrycherokee]

I think this is an older model (due to the heat shield). which is still optional but before was pretty much factory on all of them.

plus....the M7 bayonet that you can attache to the 590A1 is always worth the intimidation if need be!! :D [Beer]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b3/590a1_001.jpg/800px-590a1_001.jpg

[ldmaster]

The use of the 870 in my case, and in the case of many others. I had a 590A1 w ghost rings I bought for around 425 a couple of years back when they first came out. Because I train with the 870 I switched out my home shotgun for that.

I have been missing the Mossburg ever since. It was sturdier (yes, heavier too) and felt more substantial to me. Putting ghost rings on my 870 is so prohibitively expensive that I haven't done it - and I do believe that a ghost ring is an essential item on a self-defense shotgun.

What counts most, given that the 870 gives decent service is how much your train with a gun and working out a manual of arms to deal with the cross bolt safety is easily done. Frankly, once I deploy my shotgun, the safety stays off until it gets racked again. Training is a different matter. You know if a shotgun had an automatic booger picker, trainers would be requiring you learn to use it just because it's there (only behind good cover though).

[angrycherokee]

I am happy how mossburg has the 590a1s receivers already drilled and tapped for rails and sights i recommend just keeping the ghost rings on it instead of adding optics or some shit. its a shot gun not a rifle.

[Marine24]

I recently picked up the 870 Tactical from a forum member, who added the non-recoil version of the SpecOps stock and six round side saddle.

I like the cross bolt safety as well. With the exception of my OU shotgun, all the others have a similar safety so it is natural for me.

Only change I'll make is installing a Mesa Tactical LEO stock with the recoil buffer. I shoot a lot of slugs from the bench and the recoil reduction is nice to have at the end of the day.

I had the SpecOps recoil version on my previous shotgun and worked great, but the "bounce" caused by the recoil system took some getting used to.

I like the ghost ring sights since it is similar to my Marlin 1895 lever gun, but I'll also put a Burris Fastfire on it as well. It helps when shooting slugs but comes off when sitting around the house.