Being new to shotguns, only having shot a double barrel a few times in my life. I was wondering what would be the better buy. I know both are very good starter guns and both are known for their reliability. I would be using this for home defense/shooting range, as well as the occasional skeet shooting day.

 

Pros and Cons of both weapons would be greatly appreciated.

I prefer the tang safety on the 500 over the crossbolt on the 870 as it's much more straightforward and convenient. But the 870s I have handled all seemed to have a smoother action.

I prefer the tang safety on the 500 over the crossbolt on the 870 as it's much more straightforward and convenient. But the 870s I have handled all seemed to have a smoother action.

 

This seems to be the general consensus.

 

 

Decide what features are important to you, then handle and shoot (if possible) them both.

MrP and Robot_hell said it perfectly, can't go wrong with either. And either can be made to your exact specifications.

Remington has a steel receiver. Mossy has an aluminum one. Don't know if that is important to you. I prefer the Remmy.

I was trying out the 870 last night, felt awkkward. I will go try out the m500 mmaybe tonight

I am a lefty so for me, there is only one choice: Mossberg.

 

I did own an 870 Wingmaster but I never used it partially because it had the wrong barrel for what I needed.

 

I currently own two Mossbergs. A Mossberg 835 and a Mossberg 9200.

 

The 835 has been a tank. Some people have complained about them but mine has been pretty good over the past couple years and 2 thousand or so rounds. It's action isn't as smooth as the Wingmaster, but for my complete lack of care, it is still going strong.

 

I've seen some issues with the 500 and the safety not staying in place.

 

You really can't go wrong with either. Pick whichever gun floats your boat.

I have both. The Mossberg 500 and Remington 870 Express are comparable. The 870 Wingmaster and Police are head and shoulders above the Mossy in fit and finish. That being said, the Mossberg is much more user-friendly. All of the functions (safety, slide release) can be operated with one hand without disturbing your grip. Loading is also much easier because the shell lifter is in the 'up' position when the breech is closed, allowing for snag-free loading with your weak hand and healthy, glowing thumb cuticles. I usually have to turn my Remies upside down and hold the lifter out of the way with my other hand to avoid getting my thumb or gloves snagged.

Here's a comparison of the two you can check out:

 

http://jth8260.tripod.com/870.html

Ah, the eternal shotgun question. There are discussions of this all over the web. You can do a search to read all the opinions, but ultimately you might as well just flip a coin, because there is not much to choose between them. I agonized over this for awhile, and ended up with the Mossberg 500 Persuader. This one:

http://www.mossberg.com/images/Mossberg_Guns/930/NEW/50577.jpg

I like the no-nonsense look of it, but the R870 looks almost exactly the same.

Yea every google search articale began with the eternal debate aha. I only asked here because a forum search turned up nothing.

 

I am going to handle the m500 tonight, if it feels better than the 870 I will probably snag it up tonight considering its the last one in stock.

Yep, very similar. I chose the Remington 870 Express Tactical - Item/Model #81198 Cost $440.00.

Primarily because Remington tactical shotguns are rugged, ultra-dependable and continually evolve as they’re called to serve in new, increasingly demanding environments. It is built on their legendary pump action that’s become the gold standard for high-risk applications. It has a quick pointing 18 1/2" barrel and includes an extended ported Tactical Rem Choke. You can pack it with a full 7 rounds of 2 3/4" or 3" 12-gauge firepower with the factory installed 2-shot extension.

 

It comes with XS® Ghost Ring Sights optimized for rapid target acquisition, precise shot placement (fully adjustable for windage and elevation), which accepts optics and sight systems as well. It also comes with black synthetic stocks and fore-ends with sling swivel studs. Receivers are drilled and tapped.

I own a Mossy 930 and a Remington 870 express... both are fine shotguns and work well. Mossy is def. cheaper though.

One advantage of a Remington 870 is that there are a lot of accessories available for it. Stocks, mag extensions, recoil pads, barrels.

If you're into accessorizing, or want to convert from "tactical" to sporting or vice-versa, you'll have a lot of options.

 

Last weekend I helped a friend pick out a shotgun. Ended up buying a 870 for $310

Or you can get all three. 590A1, 500, 870 Express Magnum

 

I picked the 500. I just got to test fire and I loved it. It feels better in my hands than the 870.

Got it with a 24 inch 12 g slug barrel. I plan on getting the 18incher when it is put away for home defense.

PiCs!

I've owned a Moss 500 hd/field for six months now and love it. I hope one day to actually shoot it.

i got couple 870 Police Magnum and they build like tanks

Since I am not a member anywhere yet, I am going to have to bite the bullet and go to Hague's and pay like 60 dollars to shoot one day this week.

both are very dependable and shotguns, but.......if you're going to set it up as a pistol grip fighting shotgun then the location of the safety is a big factor in my opinion. When I set down my AR15 and pick up my 870 the transition is seamless for me because the location of everything in the trigger group is easily accessible to my trigger hand, whereas the Moss 500 has the safety on top making it a little more awkward. Also if you play with the Aguila supper short shotgun shells, the Moss cycles them flawlessly and I have to do certain manipulations to make my Rem feed them correctly instead of doing cartwheels in front of the bolt.

The only safety I need is my finger. The only time the safety is engaged on any of my firearms is when I'm transporting them (unloaded) and when there's a cease fire at the range. Other than that, a safety is just one more thing to go wrong when you need the firearm to work.

 

I know you already picked one up, and most of us are still waiting on pictures. I've fired both, and I just like the feel of the 870 a little better. If an 870 wasn't available, I'd certainly trust a 500. Luckily both are dead reliable and priced evenly enough that it really comes down to comfort of the gun in your hands.

The Mossberg vs. Remington has become as common a campfire debate as other famous arguments like; which is the best single-action semi-auto, the Colt 1911 or the Browning HP-35; or what is the best all-around deer cartridge, the .270 or the .30-06; or what's the best American-made side-by-side, an A.H. Fox or a Parker? Good arguments can be made for both sides in all cases.

 

Older, and I believe better-made pump actions like Ithaca's M37 or Winchester's M12 are bystanders today in this pump-action shotgun arena argument, but they are equally as good. The Ithaca suffers from downward ejection which is disdained by some but more so because it lacks a loading port on the side of the receiver. Its disassembly is also more involved than some of the more modern designs of today. Sadly, the Winchester M12 is no longer made. It priced itself out of the market by its hand-labor costs and is but another casualty of Winchester's 1964 blunders.

 

I've had three 870's in the last 25 years, I'm down to only one today. I regret selling one, an original 870 SP from when they first came out. Remington made both the 1100 and the 870 in an "SP" configuration. These Special Purpose shotguns had fixed chokes, chromed bores and chambers, a dull grayish Parkerized finish, fixed full-chokes in two barrel lengths (26" & 30") and birch stocks with tung oil finish. A true utility gun for waterfowl or turkey. I had one with 30" bbl. for waterfowl. These came out around '85. They disappeared after '86 with the advent of Remington introducing their RemChoke barrels and then the 1100 SP's were slowly phased out with the introduction of the 11-87 in '87. The ban on lead shot for waterfowl also doomed the fixed choke guns. I sold that 870-SP without thinking and moved on to the softer-shooting 11-87's. I don't regret selling the other 870; an early '90's synthetic-stocked 870 SPS-T. Roughest, crudest 870 I ever handled, but it was built like a tank. I shot skeet, grouse, woodcock, pheasant, crows, squirrel, dove and turkey with that shotgun but I never really warmed up to it. At 7 lbs. it carried well, but didn't really handle well as a bird gun and kicked like a mule with turkey loads for that's what I used it for the most. It's short vent-rib barrel made it handy though.

 

I'm still a fan of the 870. I still like my old Ithaca's and have been happy with the 11-87's also. I like my 870-SF as well.