Remington 870 seem smoother than Moosberg 500... What do you think?

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spirit

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Hi everybody!

I recently had the chance to play with a Mossberg 500 and a Remington 870. Both was new and I understand they need breaking period before getting smoother. But I have really feel a big difference in the action, the trigger and the safety.

Mossberg action showed resistance before release. Racking the action wasn't pleasant. But the Remington was pretty smooth. Same thing for the safety. Even the Trigger was nicer on the Remington.

Has I said, I understand with time they will get smoother. But can I expect the Mossberg to be a lot smoother with time?

Thank You!

PS: I appologize for my bad english
 
Remington gets lots of grief for their QC issues these days.

I owned a Fabarm and have time with Mossberg too. I now own an 8.5" 870 and will be building two more 870 guns. To me the 870 has the slickest action once broken in.

That said I'm sure there are worse examples than my 870 and better example of the mossbergs too.

I would pick the gun based on safety and slide release not feel when pumping.

Will you add a pistol grip stock? If so consider the placement of the safety.

I am confident either will wear in well so look at the bigger picture and pic based on that.
 
I've seen a lot of 870s in the hands of the military and the police. Mossberg, no. But I've had my own issues with Remington, not saying they're perfect by any means.
 
Yes I want a pistol grip and a recoil reduction stock. But strangely the safety position is not so important for me . But I admit Remington seem having a better position for pistol grip.

I want a reliable gun. Without ejection problems. From what I read it seem Remington Express can have problem... So I still unsure about remington... I have an option to buy a used one with Knoxx Stock on it. I'm just affraid I will have problems with it...



G.Mitchell said:
Remington gets lots of grief for their QC issues these days.

I owned a Fabarm and have time with Mossberg too. I now own an 8.5" 870 and will be building two more 870 guns. To me the 870 has the slickest action once broken in.

That said I'm sure there are worse examples than my 870 and better example of the mossbergs too.

I would pick the gun based on safety and slide release not feel when pumping.

Will you add a pistol grip stock? If so consider the placement of the safety.

I am confident either will wear in well so look at the bigger picture and pic based on that.
Click to expand...
 
Buy the one that makes you happy I would say, or buy both.

My 2¢ on shotguns comes down to the loading port, I got "bit" real bad by an 870 as a kid, so I've always hated them lol. Mossberg is wide open and in my opinion the easiest to get shells into it of the two. When the action loosens up the mossberg is smooth but to be honest, a lot more "rattly" than the 870.

A lot can be done with a new shotgun by stripping it down, cleaning off the factory goo (I honestly swear the companies put some sort of polishing agent in the packing oils, so that people who don't clean them will "self polish" the action) and polishing some of the parts. Reassembly with a quality lubricant also helps a ton (I swear by froglube but it's not for winter use...I go back to outers in the winter). Having grown up with an 870 in the house, I will say that the action is definitely smooth, although if I was in the market for an 870 I'd want an older one, as stated there has been a lot of talk of their QC as of late...
 
I have a 590 and love it. More ergos then anything for me but I've used the basic, cheap 500 and it feels like garbage... Mine seems a little nicer. Also.. Cheaper 870s I've used lately are comparable to the cheap 500 in fit and finish so I'd have to say handle both extensively and go with what you feel more inclined to pick up. Both have good and bad qualities to then
 
I'd say my 590 is smoother than my Express 870. But I wouldn't say the 870 is not smooth. I will say that my Hatsans are smoother than both though! ;)
 
Even my Dlask is smoothing out a lot. It wasn't used much by the original owner. After lots of working the slide and shooting it is getting MUCH smoother...

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I think for most people, "smoother" really just means less force required to work the action.
If you examine and compare the mechanisms, you'd understand why an 870 would feel "smoother":

- The locking lug on the 500/590 is spring loaded, whereas the one on the 870 just sort of dangles. More force(on the pump) is required to retract the locking lug on the 500/590 as compared to the 870.
- The shell lifter on the 500/590 is directly actuated by the bolt movement, the lifter on the 870 is actuated by lever and spring.

- The hammer on the 500/590 is wider than the hammer on the 870; bolt sliding over wider hammer = more friction. Although the difference is small, every bit adds up and amounts to perceivable difference.

From an engineering POV, the 500/590 is a better thought out design since has more positive control of it's parts (vs the 870). However, this comes at the expense of increased actuation force/loss of "smoothness".
 
I have the 870 with Knoxx stock and a 500. The Mossberg is a far better gun in my opinion. The only reason I got the 870 was because I wanted a shorter barrel, pistol grip and collapsable stock. I would trade this out for a 590 or 500 in the same configuration in a heartbeat. Also, the "recoil reducing" stock is not much more than a gimmick and a Limbsaver recoil pad would probably work better. And the safety behind the trigger is the absolute worst place to put it regardless of type of stock.
 
Mossbergs aren't as smooth as other pumps but that's due to the design of the action. The lifter sits under the bolt carrier and has to pivot downward as the action is brought rearward. Although it's not as smooth, you also are less likely to short stroke it and you won't tear your thumb up or fumble when loading shells as there's no lifter in the way. Load an 870 with a gloved hand and you'll also see that it likes to catch the fabric and leave your thumb stuck.
 
I hear lots of 870 shell lifter gate complaints, but I've never had any issue with it catching on my glove or finger.
 
I've never minded the smoothness of the Mossberg, and I think that it feels more mechanically positive than that of the 870, but I hate that it feels like you can almost twist the forend all the way around!
 
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