870 vrs 500

digitalblue said:
Stick with a Mossberg 500.
If you must have an 870 go for an older one, stay away from the current production ones; they're notorious for quality control issues...
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The new 870 express is hit and miss but the Police and wingmaster line is still good
 
The 500 has two extractor claws vs the 870's one. Also the shell lever stays up and out of the way when the action is closed on the 500 preventing unwanted snags (say when wearing gloves) when topping up the tube mag.

On the other hand accessories are generally easier to find for the 870.

Personally I like the look of the 500 better....and the 590 even better.
 
I ended up getting both, you can get one first, but you'll always wonder what the other would be like. Since they're both so affordable, you can have both for about $650-700 and have plenty of room to customize and buy ammo.

I prefer the Mossberg for hunting and clays, but Remington for serious work.
 
I have a 500 and an 870. That being said both are great systems but for me the 870 is king. I find the break down of the 870 way easier and the action seems much more solid. Also the location of the safety makes it a lot easier when using a pistol grip stock and accessories are way more available. Don't get me wrong , both are extremely reliable. My 500 lives in my truck but my 870 is what I use for real work and fun.
 
Never owned a 500 but do own an 870... new production :eek:

Much to the dismay of the moss berg lovers (those who constantly bash the 870) It have never rusted despite being out in the bush for days at a time in freezing rain, snow and every other condition. It has never jammed or fail to feed/eject. Its just plain reliable and great! There is a reason its Americas/(Canadas) favourite pump gun.


Get one! :50cal:
 
I've owned a 500 and now own a 590A1. I love Mossberg shotguns - as mentioned already, the double extractor claws and the easy-to-feed tube are big pluses in my book.

At work we use 870s and they see a lot of shells and a lot of abuse. They generally stand up pretty well. I see a fair amount of extraction problems, with shells getting hung up in the chamber, but that's usually due to a lot of fouling. I haven't cleaned my 590 yet, but I find the extraction much more positive due to the double claw system. That's just my 2 cents.

You can't go wrong with either choice, in my opinion.
 
I own an 870 express and it's a rust machine. Other than that it works flawlessly, it was my first shotgun and will probably be my last. I did have a 1200 defender for a while and that was alright.
 
The trick to having a flawless 870 is;
1) Aerowax/minwax floor and furniture wax, the whole exterior (steel parts too) this prevents rain,snow,etc from rusting the steel and also protects the finish of the stock.
2) Deburr the bolt guide,bolt carrier and receiver rails. Then spray liberally with Rem Dry Lube.
3)Disassemble mag tube and spray with silicone spray on the inside and graphite or molly spray on the out side.(This lubes the tube for the pump and will keep it black)
I cleaned my 870 then went skeet shooting....it cycled ok but after the above listed details man was it slick!
Only problem I've experienced was not pushing the shell all the way in and then having it pop back and get caught under the shell lifter causing a jamb....a quick barrel removal was needed to clear the jamb....oops on my part.
Now my buddies shell retainer got caught on his glove while loading this fall and necessitated a tweak with a leathrmann tool in the field to put things right again.

Maybe its just me but I've seen a lot more chokes,stocks etc for the 870 than the 500.
Also isn't the 500 an Aluminum receiver on all but the Mil-spec ones?....All 870's are steel....too bad the trigger groups aren't though :(
 
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I dont have a 500, but i do have a 535. I also have a 870 express and a grizzly (870 clone). All of these were bnib and purchased within the last year. I prefer the moss due to weight, safety position, etc. IMHO the moss is a better built gun. Having said that, i put an ati adjustable stock with pistol grip on my grizzly and i think this would be very awkward on the moss. The rem and the moss are both perfectly adequate shotguns but if you want to custumize it, get the 870.
 
I have several of both. They are both good, but for me, the Mossberg is a better gun. It is not as traditional as the 870 in that there are stampings and aluminum and plastic parts, and I think some people are put off by that, however functionally I think the 500 is better.
Think of it as comparing a 1911 to a Glock. They are both good, traditionalists prefer the 1911, but out of the box, the Glock is probably more reliable. With tuning they are probably equal, but the Glock (and model 500) gets there cheaper.
 
I own a 870 that iv had since new and it has never failed me yet. I picked it up 3 years ago and have put tons of cheap Canadian tire rounds through it with no problem. It started out with a 18.5" barrel and +2 mag extender but now currently has a Mesa tactical low stock adapter with magpul stock and grips and a 12.5" barrel. There are parts galore and there so easy to work on. I hate plastic on my guns ;)
 
I own an 870 and paid 314 for it with my gov't discount. In my opinion both guns are a great deal and I had a hard time deciding which one I was going to buy. The deciding factor for me was the 870 happened to be my duty weapon and I was already very familiar with it. The fact that I had so much experience with the 870 made it a no brainer for me although a part of me would still like a 500, just to get to know it.
 
Bowie said:
I have several of both. They are both good, but for me, the Mossberg is a better gun. It is not as traditional as the 870 in that there are stampings and aluminum and plastic parts, and I think some people are put off by that, however functionally I think the 500 is better.
Think of it as comparing a 1911 to a Glock. They are both good, traditionalists prefer the 1911, but out of the box, the Glock is probably more reliable. With tuning they are probably equal, but the Glock (and model 500) gets there cheaper.
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Well OP that there is your answer. This fella's initial comparison is correct, the 870 is to shotguns what the 1911 is to pistols... The greatest ever made.The second part of his analogy is a total load! :eek:
 
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