Mossberg vs Remington

Mossber or Remington

  • Used Mossberg

    Votes: 44 30.8%

  • New Remington

    Votes: 99 69.2%
  • Total voters
    143
Status
Not open for further replies.
G

global247

Member
Joined
Jun 4, 2008
Messages
42
Location
Washington
I have narrowed my search of a Home Defense shotgun down to 2 Models. I found a Mossberg 500 Persuader 12 gauge used for $219 (nearly new condition) or a Remington 870 express 12 gauge for $299 new. My wife and I cannot decide. HELP!!!
 
Get the remington. Its a great shotgun and you can hunt, use it for self defense and use it for other things as well. If I was only allowed one gun it would be a remington 870 12 gauge.
 
Oh and I recently bought my long time girlfriend (4yrs) a 20 gauge and would actually get that as it would be enjoyable for the wife to shoot too.
 
i haven't had much experience with Remington [only firing their 870 twice], but i love my 500a. now if Mossberg carries the quality of my 500a, into it's other series, then you'd be better off with the Mossberg. Also,from what i've seen, their are more Mossberg parts laying around on the internet then Remington. Now the Mossberg is tough. I mean tough. One of the shells my little brother fired from it had way to much powder in it or something, because it literally flew out of his hands, and into a tree. The stock was a little dinged, but other than that, it was fine. I'm not sure the 870 would do the same.


P.s The shell did have to much powder in it. after cleared the gun i checked out the shell. it had a bunch of unburnt powder in it, and the top had basically flowered.
 
I got that 870 for my girlfriend on sale for 199.99 last year which was an amazing deal. I told myslef Id go back and get me a 20 too but never did.
 
The Mossberg has the safety where it should be IMHO. If you and your wife are not "shotgunners" then go with simple and to me is the Mossberg.
 
Break-in vs. no break-in...

I think of the price and also think of the ammunition I don't have to shoot to break in the new one by buying the used Mossberg. How much does 200 shells cost? Add that to the new Remington cost.
 
I voted for the new Remington, but I own a 500 that serves its part in the home defense arsenal.

I only have a little under 300 rounds of 2 3/4" through my 500 and an additional 70 rounds of 3". No problems, unless you count me short stroking.

You are going to invest additional money into the Remington to buy a shorter barrel and increase capacity, but all I ever do to home defense shotguns is pull the plug to increase capacity to 5.

The Persuader model comes with some of the defense features people like.

The Remington seems to "recoil better" than my light, synthetic stock Mossberg does.

It's hard to choose one shotgun. That's why I have a 500 by my nightstand and the fiance has an older Spanish SXS on her side of the bed. We started with only one, but she didn't like the pump and I was not going to drop the coin for another auto.
 
The Remington is nice; but there are a few detractors. The location of the action lock and the safety is a disappointment unless you are left handed. Both can be used with your right hand without moving it on the mossberg.

The remington's extractor is probably more durable than the mossberg's, but my friends express broke and honestly we have no idea how to fix it ourselves (im on the forums now to find out). The mossberg's is held in by screws.

Remington advertises the fact they use steel for their frames because steel is stronger than aluminium; this is true except for the fact that aluminium is more than acceptable for something like a receiver. To me, steel is a hindrance: more weight, more money.

I would advise doing something about the safety on the mossberg. The ridges on it are not enough for me and my thumb occasionally slips. I took it off and used a screw and it makes an awesome safety.
 
zachsm, if you shoot a lot, cycling the action a few thousand times, the aluminum receiver will show a lot more wear inside than the steel receiver. That's the difference. For the guy who shoots a few boxes of shells each year the Mossberg is fine.

NCsmitty
 
Has been proven many times that the Remington 870, is the most abused shotgun in the world, and keeps on going. My buddy dropped his 870 under water, duck hunting, and shook the water out and kept shooting, mud and all. I have 2 870's, a Super Magnum and a 20Ga, and don't know of any shotgun that I would trade for, as far as reliability. Mossberg, is a good gun, but it is not in the class with a Remington 870.
 
Check Remington's website for rebates. The 870 Express I got last weekend has a $30 rebate going currently. $300 - $30 = $270. That's a price even my wife couldn't complain about. :)

I was also very tempted by the Mossberg 500. I like the slide release better on the Mossberg. But I like the longer slide on the 870. Either would serve you well.

With only $50 difference between new and used... I'd go new.
 
The reason one sees so many 870s in police cruisers and not 500s is quite simple. Nothing holds up like the 870.

If it were simply price, the 500 would be on top.

It's not.

The 500 is a decent shotgun. The 870 is the standard by which all pumpguns are judged.

Get the 870, add some wear marks and cherish it.
 
Isn't a home defence (HD) shotgun primarily used for self defense and not meant to be shot on a regular basis?

If you are looking for a HD shotgun go for the used Mossberg because it is already broken in (saving you money more money) and you know it will work if you need it.
 
I voted Mossberg: I like the location of the safety (on the top of the receiver) better than the 870. That is huge for me.

My 590 has been quite good (I used it in 3-gun competitions for a while) and it is now the house gun. Reliable? Yes, although my understanding is that the 590 is an upgrade from the 500 in terms of the action design and strength of components.

Any copy of a design may not have the reliability you need - so either way take it out and shoot the dickens out of it. A class or match (like, 3-gun) would be good because you need to learn to rack it under stress, and my experience with a pump says what goes wrong is short stroking the slide.

Lee
 
Forget cost which one fits the smaller of you two the best? Can you both handle the recoil of 12ga HD/SD rounds? Hopefully you have answered those and a few other questions before you made your list. Either of the guns you list will still be in use by your great great grandkids with normal care, even if you practice with a round of skeet and a class once in a while. I voted Mossberg only because it fits me best, sees regular use and still runs like new.
 
I own 2 870's (have for about 30 years), but given that choice I would have no qualms about picking up the Mossburg and using the left over $'s to buy some ammo to play with.

Both are fine fine weapons and if properly cared for will still be used by your grandchildren.
 
Both are serviceable guns. Price should not be much of an issue since the prices are so close for the two models.

Ask around to see if you have friends or family who own examples of both the 870 and the 500, failing that, there are gun clubs with rental/club guns available for use. My advice is to actually get some trigger time with each and see which you like better.

Then make up your mind- after you have some experience on which to base the decision.

lpl
 
Owning and shooting both, I'll put it simply.

You are not going to break either one. The persuader offers higher capacity, and is cheaper. The Remington will often have a smoother action, which you may notice at the range, but you absolutely will not notice in a HD scenario.

Your decision at this point will come down to preferences:
Which safety location do you prefer--Trigger guard, or top of the reciever?
Are the stocks any different? Does one feel better than the other?
Is their a large weight difference? A heavier gun will absorb more recoil when you're practicing at the range.
Pick the one you like, preferably: Pick the one your wife likes.

You are buying a tool to defend your home. It can be pink, with 'Hello Kitty' stickers on it, and fake chrome everywhere--as long as it works.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

A
  • Locked
  • Poll
Rem. 870 VS. Mossberg 500 (pump)
2 3
Replies
71
Views
6K
Master of Arms
M
T
  • Locked
Going pumpgun shopping....
Replies
12
Views
1K
Dave McCracken
D
R
  • Locked
Mossberg 500 Persuader or Cruiser?
Replies
13
Views
7K
rcmodel
R
S
  • Locked
Mossberg 590 price range
Replies
15
Views
10K
MAKster
M
N
  • Locked
Youth shotgun: Mossberg vs. Remington
Replies
5
Views
7K
viking499
V
Back
Top