I can finally afford a shotgun, but I don`t know what to look for.

The military chooses Mossberg, and the police uses Remington. I hear plenty of good things about thee Remington, but the Mossberg that I have been looking at costs less and holds seven in the tube rather than six.

I've got 2 mossys, and a remington.  Never had a problem with any of them.  Had the rem and one of the mossys for about 15 years.  All they do is go boom, and beg for more.

Might also consider the Winchester 1300. I have both Mossberg 590 Mariner(20"bbl) and Winchester 1300 Defender(18"ish bbl). I must say, I like the smooth action of the 1300 a little better, but nothing beets the 590, IMO.
Get both. Jason

Also forgot to ask:

What is the difference between Mossberg 500s and 590s? If the 500 inferior in any way?

Pick one.  (I have a Remmy)

I've owned a couple Mossbergs over the years, and for the money, they were a good gun. However, I also have owned a number of Remingtons, 870s, 1100s, 1187s, and an SP-10. In my opinion, you get what you pay for.


One of the things I didn't like about my Mossbergs was how easily the fore ends rattled, and how noisy it was. This was a detriment in deer and turkey hunting. I think the 590 is a good defense shotgun and a good buy, but see the Remington 870 police for maybe a $100 more in a local shop.

If you are a lefty, the top safety of the Mossberg is a good thing. New Remington shotguns have a "security"lock. Bah!

Quoted: I've owned a couple Mossbergs over the years, and for the money, they were a good gun. However, I also have owned a number of Remingtons, 870s, 1100s, 1187s, and an SP-10. In my opinion, you get what you pay for. One of the things I didn't like about my Mossbergs was how easily the fore ends rattled, and how noisy it was. This was a detriment in deer and turkey hunting. I think the 590 is a good defense shotgun and a good buy, but see the Remington 870 police for maybe a $100 more in a local shop. If you are a lefty, the top safety of the Mossberg is a good thing. New Remington shotguns have a "security"lock. Bah!

What he said.  

If you're looking for a high end, quiet firearm to hunt turkey or deer with, get a Beretta.  If you're looking for a damn good defense weapon, take your pick between a Mossy 500 or 590, or a Rem 870.  The rattle of the slide on the mossys only adds to the "Hey asshole, you entered the wrong house" effect.

My bride likes the 590 under the bed.

IMHO, the 870 rattles less.  It may be a better built shotgun, but I won't trade one for the other.

I'm keeping them all.


Be sure to get the 500 or 590 with the "non plastic" trigger guard.  Money well spent.

Edited to swap 1100 for 870, cause I'm a dumbass.

Quoted: One of the things I didn't like about my Mossbergs was how easily the fore ends rattled, and how noisy it was.

I plan on installing a Surefire lighted forearm, will this solve the rattling problem?

Quoted: Also forgot to ask: What is the difference between Mossberg 500s and 590s? If the 500 inferior in any way?

The 590 is slightly beefier overall & the barrel/mag tube mount differently.  As far as Rem870 vs Moss500:whichever fits you best for the amount of $$$ you want to spend.  I have both and prefer the Mossberg...but that could be just because I had a Mossy first.  The takedown for the Mossberg is easier than the Remington, IMO.

To me the biggest difference between Mossberg and 870 is safety location.  And the fact that the 870 is prettier and real men shoot guns that look prettier.

If you add a surefire forearm, then noise is not as big an issue in a defense gun versus a field.  On my 870's, I find the surefire is actually a litle nosier than a standard foregrip, due to the hardness of the plastic verus wood.  But you are splitting hairs now.

Either gun wood be good with a surefire on it.

Ok remember that the Military usually goes for the LOWEST BID not the best quality. Thats why they buy Mossberg.

The 500 has an alloy receiver, which does not hold up for the long run. Not to mention the action is a rattle trap at best. I have owned 3 and was displeased with all of them. Not to mention one literally fell apart.

The 590 has a steel receiver and is all that the 500 should have been. Its not a bad gun, but I only had one for a few months.

Remington 870, I have two now and as far as I am concerned they are the best bang for your buck. Steel receiver, nearly all of the after market parts are made for them. They hold up well, not to mention that their action is very smooth to start with.

Winchester 1300, only shot one and have held a couple. The action is the smoothest that I have seen"Excluding Benelli". Havent heard too much bad about them. FN is now selling them as their own and charging more. Good sign that they are high quality but are over-looked.

The 500 has an alloy receiver, which does not hold up for the long run. Not to mention the action is a rattle trap at best. I have owned 3 and was displeased with all of them. Not to mention one literally fell apart. The 590 has a steel receiver and is all that the 500 should have been. Its not a bad gun, but I only had one for a few months.

The M590 does NOT have a steel receiver.  It is the same aluminum alloy as the standard M500.  This, however, is a non-issue.  The bolt locks-up into a recess on the barrel extension, for a steel to steel lockup.  There is very little stress on the receiver, and you'll never wear the actual receiver out.  The M590A1 has a steel trigger group, which distinguishes it from the standard M590 and M500 trigger groups, which are plastic.

The main reason to choose between a 5+1 (mag capacity) M500 and the 8+1 M590 is barrel versatility.  The standard 5+1 M500 will take any of numerous barrels Mossberg makes, from rifled and ported slug barrels with cantilevered scope mount, to 28" vent-rib barrels.  In other words, if you are only going to buy one gun, and you want to use it for hunting also, get the M500.  Also, the standard 5+1 magazine tube can't be extended, because it is plugged, rather than capped, and the barrel attaches to the plugged end of the magazine with a thumbscrew.

The 20" barrelled M590 has the 8+1 magazine tube, with an entirely different barrel mounting system.  The M590 will not accept standard M500 barrels because of this.  Also, if you get the military version with the bayonet lug, a Surefire fore end will not fit without milling off the bayonet lug.

I believe that the Mossberg spork is referring to in his original post is neither the M590 or the standard M500, but the one that is in between.  It has a slightly longer magazine tube than the standard M500, so none of the regular M500 barrels will fit it.  This would be the last one I would pick, because it offers none of the versatility advantages of the standard M500, and none of the goodies that the M590 has (ghost rings, 8+1 magazine).

As for Mossberg vs. Remington debate:  The M590 offers one real advantage.  You can buy the full-blown military version, complete with ghost sights, for a couple hundred bucks less than it will cost you to set-up a Remington with the same gadgets.

In the end pick up both of them, handle them, and see which one you like more.  They'll both last you a lifetime.

HOSS622 did a fantastic job of summing up the differences between the three guns. If you are looking for a home defence shotgun only the 590 is a great choice. If there is any chance that you will wants to hunt or shoot targets you will be better served with the 500 or 870. If money is a major issue buy the 500 and go shooting. If not buy the 870. Pride in ownership is an issue but if buying a cheaper gun means you can shoot more than I think you should buy the cheaper gun. Just my 2 cents. MIKE.

Buy the 590.
It's the only one that comes with a bayonette lug!

Win 1300 is good, 870 is good.  I hate the "stickyness" of the mossy action.  does anybody work the actions over on them.  It gets real bad when the gun gets dirty.

JIHAD! JIHAD! JIHAD!

It really is religious at some level, but I offer that the Remington 870 is better made, but the Mossies have better controls placement.

I like Remingtons, though.. the pumping action is cleaner.

I was in the same boat a couple of years ago.  

I wouldn't take much stock in what the military chooses in this case because, the military has used all of the above brands at one time or another.  Also, a lot of times, with shotguns, it hasn't been a big military contract, but rather a smaller unit contract, so the choice would be up the the units purchasing the units.

I like both Rem ans Moss.  The think that made the decision for me was that at the time, the Rem (all black) was on sale for $225 w/ a $25 rebate.  So I got it for $200.  Shop around.

One factor is that since the moss has an alum. receiver and the Rem has a steel one, the Rem might be slightly heavier if you are going to walk around with it.  On the other hand if you run out of ammo and need a club, I would rather have the steel.