this is addressed to all the knockers
for goodness sakes guys. this is NOT A NEW RIFLE!!!
it has been out for years, I have been reading about them for well over a year. no, they are not your traditional lever action and traditionalists think that they are ugly. GET OVER IT! if nobody wanted them then Mossberg would neither have introduced nor continued producing them. I personally think that the lever action needed to be modernized but IMHO the 646 did it all wrong.
I would have added a 3 rail handguard but I would have done 2 inch removable rails and would have added a 12 inch 1913 rail over the top of the receiver to allow for optics. furthermore it would have been just as easy to make a side folding skeleton stock that keeps the traditional profile as it was to make the M4 style telescope stock.
as for whether they are reliable or not I have no idea, mossberg is usually overlooked in the "which lever action is best" threads.