Mossberg 500 vs Remington 870 express

Here is my 870 bought about 3 years ago.

The rag on the left is from 2 wipedowns 4 weeks apart. The rag on the right is 3 weeks since the last wipedown. :mad:

I used to own a 500 and now own an 870. I won't be buying anymore new Remingtons. My 870 is a rust magnet and jams on occasion. The 500 I had never rusted and only jammed once.
 

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I am 50 years old. I have a Mossberg I bought in 1973 with washing dishes money. It has killed more Ducks and pheasants then most guys entire arsinal will ever hope to kill. It has also missed a few birds in its day. I have cared for it and kept it clean and well oiled. It still works and I hunt with it a couple times a year still. It is a little loose isn the skide now but it ejects every shell I shot and has not misfired ever. I have never owned an 870 but have hunted with many 870's and their owners. A nice gun too.

I can't talk to Mossbergs now aday but I love the one I have. I paid $110 bucks for it in 1973 I had to save for 3 months to get it. One day my son will say this old thing was my dads.

RCG
 
The Remington is better choice by far... if you have the same brain I do. If not then either one is fine. I consider them to both be equal with the only differences being the safety and slide release. I prefer the way the Remington is set up. Many prefer the Mossberg.
 
remington shotguns are for shooting things, mossberg shotguns are used to shoot things and pound nails, but do neither very well.
 
Dads' 870

I'm still using my Dads 870 with was made in the early 60's My nephew calls it Lucky, which is true because he kills something every time he uses it. If you are leary of a new Express, there are plenty of vintage 870's out there. You will not be sorry. I love mine so well I'm taking ti to Africa in May to hunt warthog and kudu, that is how confident I am about mine.
 
Everyone will have their opinions. But the truth is the 870 is a better functioning shotgun that is built better in design than the Moss 500. You can't wear out a 870. Sure they have had problems, but nothing like what Mossberg has had over the years. The same goes for comparing a Moss semi-auto with a Remington 1100 or 11/87. The actual number of guns sold will tell the tale of what gun is the better made shotgun. My buddy had the first semi-auto that Mossberg made with the 9200. It was a pos. The ejector would shave off the brass after you fired a round. LOL! Real quality there. And I will bet money his wasn't the only one to do it either.

My Mossberg 835 is my best shooting shotgun I own. I bought it to strictly turkey hunt with. I love it. But I won't for a second say it's a better made gun than the Rem 870 pump regardless if it's a Wingmaster or an Express.

The Mossberg forearm rattles and has more slop in it than the 870 Express. The receiver bolt is made way better on the 870 Express. The inside of the barrel is better machined and polished than the Moss 500. The trigger is better on the 870 Express. The Rem choke tubes are made to better quality than the Mossberg. The safety is better on the Rem. The list goes on and on.

The 870 design is still the best pump shotgun on the market.
 
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I've been contemplating this and a couple of others the last few weeks. I don't want to spend alot on something I may not use much, but don't want a piece of junk either. I do very little hunting but would like to do more, especially some turkey hunting. Also interested in a shotgun for HD, even though in my nearly 40 years I have never actually needed any weapon to defend myself or home (but I still think it's a good idea to have one just in case).

So after checking around and doing research, and with wanting something versatile, I decided on the Mossberg 500 field/security combo. The local Dick's Sporting Goods doesn't carry it in stock, but can special order it for $269. I've seen where some have said they've bought this for $249 in the past, but I've also seen it go for over $300. Anyway I went to order it today and they called their vendor and it's out of stock and they don't know when they can get more in.

So now I guess I'm back at square one unless I want to wait weeks/months to see if they get any more and then it'll be 3-6 weeks once it is ordered.
 
But the truth is the 870 is a better functioning shotgun that is built better in design than the Moss 500.

The 870 design is still the best pump shotgun on the market.
Click to expand...

Biased opinons, sigh; They never cease to amaze me. :rolleyes:


Better design? This is ambiguous at best. The Mossberg has a receiver mounted safety, dual extractors, an "elevator" designed to drop only when the forend is in full rear battery, optimally located action release, etc. These are good things and can hardly be construed as approaching inferior design. After all, the 870 isnt for everbody, regardless of how "pretty" it may seem. Frankly, Im more concerned with functionality vs how pretty a weapon looks.

In terms of reliability of the Express...For every Mossberg 500/590 failure story there is always one or two such stories to follow in regards to the 870 Express. In fact, most Mossberg failures I have read about involve the crappy factory mag tube spring and/or follower. These are easy to remedy.

Now, if you want to get down to it, the Benelli SuperNova trumps all of these shotguns..for the price. But, due to parts availability/cost, the Benellis continue to suffer as a brand. But, the quality is much higher than either the much lauded 870 or the 500/590, for that matter.

Regardless, I opted for the 590 vs the 870 Express as the Mossberg just "feels" better, offers user friendly and well designed components and goes "BANG" every time. Besides "beauty" and possibly vast parts availability, what more could you ask for out of any weapon?
 
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As far as pump guns go, I love the older 870 Wingmasters. Without looking, I think I have 7 or 8 of them at the moment. IMO, they are far superior to the Express line. I just don't see the Express as being better made or finished vs. the Mossberg. In fact, I bought a new Express Syn. 7 round gun back in November. I was so disappointed in the build quality, I took it over to Bass Pro within the week and traded it + some boot $$ for a used Wingmaster and put a spare 18" bbl. that I had laying around on that! Took a loss and was/am glad I did. I'd do it again tomorrow. I just didn't want it (Express) after I got it home! I had ordered it through my gun shop because...hey, it was an 870 and I'm familiar with them and like 'em. Well, this one didn't even feel like an 870, and I've been shooting 870s since the 1960s so I know them fairly well. So no, I don't see any real quality difference between the Express and the Mossberg 500/590.
 
The facts are that Rem made the cheaper Express 870 version because of the competition was more based on cheaper made guns like the Moss 500 and Win 1300. People are cheap when it comes to buying a gun and will go the cheaper route. So Remington decided to give them a no thrills Express line of 870. They are still a better made shotgun than the 500. Compare the quality of the choke tubes and it pretty much says the same thing for each gun. Mossberg is just a cheaper made gun and the price reflects it.

There have been more 870 pumps sold than any other pump shotgun on the market.

It is hard to beat the truth, but it shall set you free. :)
 
The one fact I am sure of is I won't have another Express. Too many nice, used Wingmasters available for me to downgrade when I want another pump gun. And regardless of anyone else's opinion, if I had to choose between the two, I'd think I'd buy a Mossberg before I'd buy an Express. That's how bad my experience was.
 
Well I have owned a few 870 Express shotguns. They all have been pretty good guns. I had a few Wingmasters as well. I agree the Wingmaster is the better gun by far.

For every horror story you hear about Remington Express shotguns there are several more about Mossberg shotguns. The design of the Express line is copied off the design of the 870 Wingmaster. They have cut corners to save on the cost, but they will work, and they shoot good.

The inside of a 870 Express barrel will smoke the inside of a 500 barrel. Look through a few of them and you shall see for yourself.
 
I recently bought a 20 gauge 7-round 870 "Express" and I can't tell you how frustrating it was. The first 5 rounds fired fine, then it jammed. It appeared as if the action bars were 'off track'. Disassembled, lubed, looked good, fired and...jammed. Took it back to Cabela's, they took it apart, put it together, it fired 2 rounds and... jammed.
Took it to a good gunsmith.
He found several issues, one being that there was a slight grate on the magazine extension that prevented the follower from going further down after 2 rounds. This must have happened when reassembling the gun and it appears to happen very easily. NICE! Especially with a HD gun.
The trigger assembly was also defective and caused jamming even after the magazine issue was resolved. The gunsmith was shocked about the play of some parts of the trigger assembly. He recommended to return the gun, which I did. I now have a Mossberg 500 and I am very happy with it. The Mossberg's quality appears to be higher where it counts: The barrel feels more solid. The synthetic buttstock is thicker. Action is smoother. The position of the safety is ideal. Most important: The Mossberg fires when I pull the trigger! The firing takes place in the chamber, not in the receiver - so to me it is irrelevant if the receiver is made out of steel or aluminum. The Mossberg is not as tight as a 870 but:
a tight design plus poor quality control equals a jamming gun!
My advice is to get a Mossberg or to spend a little more and get a
Wingmaster or a Benelli.
 
I've had a Mossberg 500A since 1988. I shoot and maintain it regularly. I plan on getting the Rem. 870 when the Mossberg wears out in about another 30 years.
 
hmmm...

I wonder why the US military chose the Moss 590A1?

Personally, I like them both, but I feel the 870 is definitely more of a hunting firearm. The location of the safety and action release are not well located for tactical use.

~Sail
 
Not sure the US Military picking a particular gun is a selling point.

Typically it's who can come in under budget, passing whatever torture test are there first of course.
From what I'm reading on this thread, thus far, one would wonder if the extra money for an Express over a Mossberg is worth it, since most seem to agree that an Express is not a Wingmaster, if true then all the hype about the "870" being the shotgun of shotguns becomes invalid since all 870's are not alike now-a-days. I have both an Express and a Persuader, won't comment on either, only commenting on what the other posters on this thread have said. You might want to base your choice on which of the two shotguns to purchase based on feel and layout of controls, slide release and safety, and leave longevity alone as both firearms will probably be there for you, unless you are a heavy shooter then, and admit I don't know, one may have an advantage over the other in that regard.
In a day and age where we are fighting overseas products, it is a shame that American made products overall, seem to have gone down hill to some aspect, due to trying to compete with the very same overseas cheap products. Shame.
 
I'm biased toward the Mossbergs. Mine has never failed me. I've owned it for about 3 years now and shot it quit frequently. It's not the prettiest thing in the world nor is there really anything that sets it apart from the rest. It just flat out works though, man I can't say that enough. It does what it is built to do, purely functional.
 
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