i need a first Shotgun

870 or 500?

  • Remington 870

    Votes: 14 40.0%

  • Mossberg 500

    Votes: 16 45.7%

  • Other (specify in post)

    Votes: 5 14.3%
  • Total voters
    35
  • Poll closed .
E

Ethan.G

New member
mossberg 500 or remington 870 or Other

basically i want an inexpensive pump gun that will be easy to mod and easier to find accessorys
what i Need is a shorter barrel (24in MAX, im a short guy and i need something that will be easy to swing for me im used to a 18.5) and i Need a choke, ill be using it mainly for trap and bird hunting
 
You will be very happy with either. If I had to guess, the mossberg would have a better aftermarket. Go to a gun shop and shoulder both (my guess is that any gun shop will have those in stock) and see which one fits better!

-George
 
i shoot a lot and iv used both before, lately iv been using my buddys Winchester defender with a short barrel and i really like the length of it
 
Maverick Model 88 sold by Mossberg. Very close copy of the 500(and somewhat interchangeable) but at about half the price. Made in Texas. Comes with Choke tubes. Currently for sale at the Academey sports for $179.99. buddy just picked one up because it was sooooo inexpensive.
WK
 
You say you will be using it mainly for trap and bird hunting, but want a short barrel. Many gun clubs will not allow a shotgun with a very short barrel to be used so look into the ones near you and see if that will be a problem. I believe 24", your maximum, is there minimum. Also, most trap shooters prefer a long barrel, even one longer than skeeters.
 
Ethan,

I stand 5'4" and have many hunting seasons in with a full length Mossy 835. Unless you are going for quail or some other off the feet and exploding out bird, barrel length is your friend to a point.
As was stated previously, many skeet / trap clubs have a minimum barrel length requirement (26" or 28"). Don't worry so much about barrel length but rather stock length. Length of Pull is far more important for game and games.

That said......as far as Mossy vs. Rem. that is the same as Ford vs. Chevy. Pick one.

Caveat....the shell carrier on the 870's love to bite my thumb right behind where the skin meets the nail when I am reloading if I'm not careful. I've had my thumb caught and bloodied from that. For that reason I do not care for Rem. 870's. If you have small hands and fingers like me (glove size 7.5), you may want to take that into consideration.
 
Your height has nothing to do with the barrel length needed to be successful in bird and clay shooting - longer is better

You mention ability to modify and accessorize - yet none of that is really necessary for hunting and clay shooting

and i Need a choke
Click to expand...

That, in and of itself, makes no sense - I take it to mean you want interchangeable choke tubes - most longer barrels have that
 
not sure but i think you want a gun you can use as home defense and one you can use to get started in gaming shotgun usage well. I'm a Mossberg fan not to knowledgeable with the Remington's but i know mossy's and you can do both with them. multiple barrel's is your answer. there are lots and lot's of after market stuff you can add to a Mossberg. mine has a 18 1/2 inch barrel a Phoenix 6 position stock with the recoil reduction system in it and i also have the 26 inch barrel and the org. wood stock and i can change all that in 15 min. a dual purpose shotgun!!!:D
 
i believe that what oneounceload means when he says your statement about needing a choke makes no sense is that most all barrels have a constiction (they are choked) even if it is fixed, unless you mean that the muzzle is threaded to accept screw in chokes and permit you to change the constriction. Those are the choke tubes others mention.

Scott913's suggestion of acquiring a gun with a second barrel is probably a good one for your needs. I started with an 870 that came with an unchnoked 18.5" security type barrel and picked up a used 28" vent ribbed barrel that accepted choke tubes to permit me to shoot trap.

I shoot an o/u now, but the 870 pulls home security duty and goes to the range when I have a guest. While a pump is not the best thing for shooting skeet, which means doubles, I did get to the point that I manage to hit a few doubles with the thing.

You can do the same with a Mossberg 500, which sometimes markets a dual barrel set that includes both an 18 and a 28 incher that accepts tubes.

Better, yet, if you can find a used set. Money for most of us is always an issue, as it is for me, but if I had to do it over again I would have opted for (and this assumes you want a pump) a basic Remington 870 with a standard stock and a 28" field barrel (ribbed barrel that accepts choke tubes). A standard shotgun may not be designed for combat, but makes a pretty good home security gun unless you intend on conducting sweeps of your home.
 
Ethan, I was where you are at a few months ago. Tried Mossbergs and Remingtons. They were both good guns but I settled on the low end Weatherby pump because it's action was smoother but it didn't cost any more.
The night before I was headed to the store I found an ad in the local classifieds for a New in box browning bps for a little more(about $100 net).
I made arrangements to meet him and took a look at it. No comparison, not even in the same class. Action fast and smooth, amazing workmanship, heck it was even factory engraved! When I finally got a chance to wring it out at the range I realized what my very jealous water fowler buddy was talking about when he went nuts over it. It was to put it in his words, "ten times as much gun as the others".
A little time looking through ads and slightly painful chunk out of my budget got me a MUCH better gun that has a strong tendency to put a huge grin on my face whenever I get a chance to use it.
If I'm ever forced to use it to defend my home I have complete confidence that it will be up to the task, I still can't believe how easy accurate follow up shots are.
Two lessons learned, you get what you pay for, and buying from a private individual can sometimes get you a tremendous bargain. It was certainly worth my time.
 
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i believe that what oneounceload means when he says your statement about needing a choke makes no sense is that most all barrels have a constiction (they are choked) even if it is fixed, unless you mean that the muzzle is threaded to accept screw in chokes and permit you to change the constriction. Those are the choke tubes others mention.
Click to expand...

thats exactly what i ment, i guess i should have put a 'modular' or 'changeable' in front of it, im well aware of the fact that all shotguns are technically choked

i feel the need to say again that even tho this is my first shotgun i shoot A Lot, i usually borrow shotguns from my buddys but i need something i can make my own. i dont have a problem busting doubles with a pump i can cycle it more then fast enough but for me bringing a longer barrel to target seems to be my issue. iv even shot my cousins semi auto with a ~28in barrel and i found it easier to do doubles with a shorter pump gun just because swinging it was so much faster for me (something to do with my toothpick arms im sure... i gota start hitting the gym :( )

i think im going to go with the 500 Bantam, i know its a youth model and the stock is a little short for me but i can fix that easily. its got a 24in barrel and comes with 3or4 chokes, i also really like where the safety and slide release button is (im not sure what its called, please tell me you know what im talking about)
 
scrubcedar, what model is the weatherby? i heard someone else talking about how there pump guns where really nice as well
 
The Weatherby model I was looking at was A PA-08. Same price range as the others but IMHO it feels and looks like something more expensive. The reviews seem pretty strongly positive. I unfortunately never got a chance to shoot one but mounting/dry firing/ working the action it impressed me a lot.
 
From my reading on the subject, pay more attention to the balance point than the barrel length.. so get yourself a 26 or 28 inch barrel. And try to point and swing a 30 if there's one around. And try several of a given barrel length. Apparently it's the balance point between the muzzle and butt that will make how the swing "feels" different.

Oh, and which 870? Wingmaster or Express? I've heard great things about the wingmaster, not so much on the Express.
 
To help you figure which gun and barrel length to get, you might want to visit your local trap/skeet club and see if there are guns for rent or ones you can borrow - pay attention to what good shooters are using, ask questions, and in most instances, they'll have no issues with you trying their gun at some targets. This will let you get a feel for what definitely doesn't work, what definitely does, and what might be able with a little tweaking.

There's nothing more disappointing than doing some research here and there, making that decision, ordering/buying that new gun, only to come to the conclusion it just isn't going to work out for YOU the way you were expecting.

Good luck in your quest
 
It's a tough call because the control functions are not the same. I like certain aspects of the Mossberg better, but I know the 870 is a good gun. I have and have had both. You operate both and compare how your hands and fingers operate the safety and slide release. Judge which action appeals to you.
 
I would be happy to own either an 870 or a 500/590. Here is some information to consider from AimPro Tactical website:

"There are many differences between Mossberg® pump action shotguns and other brands, some of the most notable are: Mossberg® receivers are aluminum alloy, other brands are usually steel. This makes the Mossberg lighter and easier to work on. (more on that later) Mossberg® 500/590 series shotguns have dual extractors, the competitors only have one. Twice the extraction power,means more reliable extraction. Mossberg® 500/590 series shotguns have an ambidextrous safety located on the top rear of the receiver. Right or left handed, strong or weak handed, the safety is always operated the same way. Other shotguns have cross-bolt safeties, OK for a right handed shooter pushing the safety off, but after that it means leaving the shooting grip every time you need to manipulate the cross-bolt safety. Not so with the Mossberg® ambidextrous safety, just grip the shotgun and you’re good to go, without ever changing your grip. Mossberg® 500/590 series shotguns have the Action Lock Lever, (other brands call it a “slide release”) at the rear of the trigger guard. This makes it ambidextrous also. The other guys’ “slide release” is at the front of the trigger guard, which means with theirs, you have to leave your shooting grip to get to it."

and I believe the 590 is the only pump shotgun to have ever passed military testing. According to AimPro Tactical:

"How did it pass the Military testing if its' receiver is alloy? The secret to passing the 3000 rounds of high base buck shot reliability test is in the steel-on-steel lock-up of the full square cut Mossberg® bolt lock. Unlike other shotguns, which use an angled shoulder type bolt lock, the Mossberg® bolt lock is a completely through the barrel bolt locking system. The square cut bolt lock is captured in a square cut-out in the barrel, so at the time of firing, the strength of the steel-on steel lock-up is unsurpassed. Add the exclusive dual extractors for positive extraction and you have the answer to who makes the most durable and reliable fighting shotgun."
 
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