590a1 or 870p. Help me choose my next one

590A1 is a better gun, but you're not going to hear that from most folks on the Remington koolaid, as many are here. The 590 has dual extractors to the Remington's one, it is milspec and tested where the 870 isn't, the shell lifter is up and out of the way for loading and topping up, versus the 870's hanging annoyingly in the way. The safeties are also a world apart, the 590 has a perfectly placed tang safety easily operated with gloves on, and the 870 forces you to fumble around within a 1/4" or so of the trigger to put it on and off.

The 590 isn't perfect, but it's better than the 870. 870's a good gun too- the 590 just trumps it.
 
Ardent said:
590A1 is a better gun, but you're not going to hear that from most folks on the Remington koolaid, as many are here. The 590 has dual extractors to the Remington's one, it is milspec and tested where the 870 isn't, the shell lifter is up and out of the way for loading and topping up, versus the 870's hanging annoyingly in the way. The safeties are also a world apart, the 590 has a perfectly placed tang safety easily operated with gloves on, and the 870 forces you to fumble around within a 1/4" or so of the trigger to put it on and off.

The 590 isn't perfect, but it's better than the 870. 870's a good gun too- the 590 just trumps it.
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well put!
 
Simple

590A1 if you are ONLY going to use a normal stock

870P if your going to install a pistol grip style stock
 
The reach to the trigger is longer on the 590 receiver. Something to keep in mind if you have smaller hands. Definitely handle both before buying.

My preference is the 590, for all above mentioned reasons as well as having an aluminum receiver.
 
I prefer the 590 over the 870 for the above listed reasons, as well as the one piece full length magazine tube which is less likely to cause the follower to bind and the bayonet lug. That said, I have four 870's and only one 590...
 
Both are great guns. Neither is a bad choice. I have a remington 870 and have run remingtons for 20 years. That being said I love the tang safety on the mossberg and have never heard a mossberg owner say it was a bad gun. How is that for crappy advice?
 
The question always winds up ending in an argument!

Both have seen use in conflicts around the world...and both have excelled at the tasks they were intended to perform. The 870 is used by the Canadian Forces. Despite the 590-A1 being Milspec...the 870 actually has more military and LE users than the 590-A1 so what does the Milspec actually do for it? A big factor in the US decision to accept the 590-A1 was a cheaper price tag.

Both guns have a multitude of accessories for them...all useless IMHO. A standard stock and forearm, an 18"-20" bead or rifle sight barrel, and a 2 or 3 shot extension is all that should be bolted to a shotgun...everything else adds weight, gets in the way and slows you down.

Try both and get the one that fits you best...then take the $$$ you want to spend on those useless accessories and buy extra ammo to practice with!

Personally, I find the 870 to be the faster handling, slimmer profiled, longer lasting gun. The safety positioning and carrier layout has never been an issue for me...but then again I only have a little over 85 000rds fired thru the platform so it may become an issue with time! ;)
 
The 590A1 is a far better gun. For some reasons specified above and, I'll add, also because of the heavy walled barrel. The barrel of the 590A1 is far thicker than the 870. It's all around a gun that is designed to accept more use and abuse. It's MIL-SPEC and the 870 isn't. End of story.
 
i'm loving my 870 so far, i've been given the opportunity to try one of my friend's 590a1s and to be honest, the advantage most people rave about being the slide release and safety just didn't suit my taste. I like the push button safety on the 870 but thats an individual thing, i would like to get a jumbo safety to make it easier but overall i prefer it. the positioning of the slide release is good for some but i have smaller hands so i end up needing to move my hand around to get at it anyways.

like said before "mil-spec" is really just marketing, when it comes down to it it has little meaning. both have been used all around the world in combat rolls reliably, why does one brandish the "mil-spec" label? and not the other? because it sells.

go to a store and try both of them out in your hands, if possible try them out at a range. buy the one that works for you. For myself it was the 870. to anyone who says the 590 is better, they can shove it up their arse. fanboys will cry and scream either way. All i know is if it never makes a real discernible difference in operation, then all that thicker walled barrel and other things are just stats and numbers on a sheet of paper.
 
I am a Remington man , I have owned both rems and mosbergs. Personally I prefer the ergonomics of the Remington , safety positioning and the slide release. I really dislike the field strip of the Mosbergs.. This is just my opinion. I own 2 Remington 870's and a D.A. grizzly but no longer have any Mosbergs. While this might be slightly off topic , lately my Benelli Supernova Tactical w/ collapsible stock gets the most trigger time , now this shotgun is BOSS! 870's being a close second
 
What do you want to do with/to it. Both are good shotties. The ambi safety is good for the lefties. I just prefer the 870s due to the parts support and the safety placement. With an oversized safety, I can roll my trigger finger to disengage the safety while engageing the trigger. Faster IMHO than the Mossbergs. Oh and I like pistol grips.
 
I recently went through this, in my opinion the Mossberg felt better than the 870. The 870P is supposed to be better than the Express, but there have been recent threads on how poor quality both are. Of course to be different, I ended up with a Fabarm Martial Ultrashort. Less aftermarket parts availability, but the action feels really nice and it does everything I want. There is supposed to be a direct fit ATI? stock coming out for it - personally not interested, I didn't want a pistol grip. Benelli Supernova Tactical is a really nice shotgun, I just didn't want the pistol grip, and did want the shorter barrel.
 
Hey

So I have both a Mossberg 590A1 blackwater and a Remmington 870p max. Would recommend buying both because they are probably the two best most proven pump action shotguns you can buy.
Both have tonnes of accessories that you can buy for them and both will last you a long time.
But if you are looking to choose one the best way of doing it is trying both out and seeing which one feels the best for you. Thats the best way to decide which one you want.
 
Evil_Edie said:
like said before "mil-spec" is really just marketing, when it comes down to it it has little meaning. both have been used all around the world in combat rolls reliably, why does one brandish the "mil-spec" label? and not the other? because it sells.
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Because one has it, the 590, and the other doesn't, the 870. Getting milspec certified is a big deal and an incredibly tough test. There is no shortage of references to the fact Remington was afraid to put their 870 through the milspec test as if it failed, and they had several areas of concern, they would jeopardize their many police and civil contracts. Who would want to continue to buy a firearm that failed a milspec test and proved inferior to a competing design? The fallout would have been huge. Remington, smartly, reasoned the possible increase in sales numbers represented by the US military purchases if the 870 passed weren't large enough to warrant jeopardizing the 870's reputation and strong civilian sales.

Nothing wrong with the 870, the 590 is quite simply just a better shotgun.
 
I own both 870P and a 590 (not A1). And if I could only keep one, I would choose the 870P.

Here are my personal thumbs up

590 thumbs up:

Aluminum receiver (more rust resistant)
Shell lifter out of the way (easier to load magazine)
Gun finish a bit better (less rough and easier to clean as well)
Magazine tube can be unscrewed (As far as I know, and Remingtons is welded and non movable)
Slide release button in better location

870 thumbs up:

Trigger all the way at back of receiver (much more accessible than 590, don't have to extend finger as much to reach)
Smoother and more robust action feel (pumping).
Better design as far as ergos go, more user friendly, especially for smaller people. (see trigger position)
Better safety button position (590's safety on top of receiver not soo good if you want pistol grip)
Made entirely out of steel so it should be stronger but more rust prone so this one is a toss up, you choose.


These are my opinions, some might disagree with me.
 
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I have 590a1 blackwater, lop was to long for me so changed to pistol grip and 6 position stock. I also have 870 with magpul stock 14 & 18.5 barrels.

Love both of them.

You will end up buying both eventully, just do it.
 
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