Mossberg 500 or Remington 870?

J

Jack Bauer

New member
I'm looking for a HD shotgun; I've been here reading the posts and found a lot of good information. My local Gander Mountain has a special going on, I can get the Mossberg for the same price as the 870 Express. I prefer the finish on the Mossberg, as well as the placement of the safety; on the other hand, the 870 has larger capacity, but the finish is rougher. They both have bead sights.

There's also a Benelli of some sort, pump action, with ghost ring sights for a few bucks more. I didn't get the Benelli model number, but it seems to have a lot of polymer in the stock and fore end. I've heard a lot of good about Benelli, but I don't know anything about this one. Has anyone got any experience with such a Benelli?

I don't find any appreciable difference in the feel of the 870 vs. the 500 vs. the Benelli when I bring them to my shoulder, so now I'm just looking for opinions/information comparing them.

Thanks for any help.
 
J

johnwilliamson062

Moderator
I think ergonomics are the only real difference.
You can get a Remington that is much nicer than a Mossberg as far as fit and finish goes, but it will cost more. If you compare fit and finish on a cheap Remington to a Mossberg of similar price there doesn't seem to be a quality difference and I think there is no difference in quality of function at all.
 
J

jmr40

New member
Benelli Nova, or possibly the newer version Super Nova, is what you are refering to.

I like the Remington the best.

The Nova has a lot going for it and it may prove to be the best of the 3 in the long run. I like them just as much as the Remington, possibly more. But I cannot get used to them. They function very well. I don't think I've ever read a report of anyone having functioning problems with one of them. They are too thick, heavy and handle awkward for me however. If I were just starting, and had never gotten used to anything else I would probably love them.

By the end of the thread you will probably get more votes for Mossberg, but I don't care for them.
 
K

KMO

New member
The 500 is as reliable as they come. If you want the peace of mind that comes from knowing your defense weapon will perform when you need it, go with the Mossberg.
 
K

kx592

New member
I to say mossberg...duel extractors and very smooth...cant go wrong with it. Than down the road pick up a nicely finished 870 for fun
 
S

SigP6Carry

New member
In my opinion: 6 of one, half a dozen of the other. They're both good guns. I prefer Mossbergs for the action release level and safety. They just work better for me than an 870. Oh, and the loading ramp or lever or whatever it's called on the Mossberg goes down, grabs a shell, then goes back up. The 870's stays down, so you have to move it in order to load the shotgun. I can load the Mossberg easier than the 870.
 
D

Durangogun

New member
Mossberg

I have owned and hunted with both.

I think the better grade 870s are more beautiful shotguns than the Mossbergs and handle well. Years ago I had a 12 ga. Wingmaster, hunted the heck out of it and loved it.

That said, I also had an inexpensive 20 ga. Mossy 500 that I also hunted a great deal, and also loved.

After I sold my Wingmaster and 500 because I wasn't using them (now have a pair of O/U shotguns in 12 and 20 ga. for target work, and carry SXS guns in 12 and 28 for birds) I went out and bought a tactical pump for HD. I went with the Mossberg 500 Persuader. I leave the safety off on this gun so the tang vs. trigger-guard safety location isn't an issue, but still think I handle it more instinctively than the 870 and would more be likely to do with it what needed to be done in a pressure situation.

But as others have said--you really can't go wrong with either one.

For what it's worth, I've seen more LEOs with Mossbergs than Remingtons, and the Mossberg was chosen for use in the military.
 
R

rc601962

New member
You can go wrong with one.

Unless you are looking for a new hobby (getting your new gun to work) RUN, don't walk away from the Remington 870. The new Express models are absolute garbage. Mine is going back to the gunsmith for the second time.

Remington uses their customers as the quality assurance inspection team. Their chambers are rough. Google the term "Remington 870 extraction problem" or Remington 870 jam, jamming ect..".
 
T

TXGunNut

New member
Winchester Defender, gotta cruise the "used" rack for them these days tho.
Jury still out on it's replacement, the SXP.
Mossberg is a great gun but it sounds like it's flying apart in four directions when I work the action.
 
5

556A2

New member
Remington 870

The Mossberg is a good shotgun, but the 870 is better overall.

Don't listen to how bad new 870s are. Its straight BS.
 
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