New Mossberg 500 vs Older Remington 870

H

Hayley Davidson

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Hi everyone,

This is my very first post here on CanadianGunNutz so bear with me, pardon the pun! :rolleyes:

I just came into possession of two shotguns and have decided that I really don;t require two 12 gauges in the safe, so one of them is going to have to go.

I'm kinda torn; however, on which one to let go of.

It's a battle between a new Mossberg 500 Mariner with the 18.5" security barrel and a 1994, pre-Freedom Group 28" 870 in the coveted original Mossy Oak Bottomland camo pattern.
This is an old school 870 with the metal fire control group and forged extractor, unlike the MIM ones found on newer guns.

Not being much of a bird hunter initially led me to favor the handy little Mossberg over the Remington; however, I also have a Remington 700 .30-06 with the exact same camo pattern as the 870 and I keep thinking back to how cool it would be to have a matching pair from old Big Green!

I also read a lot about how much better the older 870s were to Mossbergs from the same era.

I just would like some different opinions from other members before I make my final decision!

Kind regards,
Hayley
 
You can get a longer barrel for the mossberg, or a shorter barrel for the 870. You really need to decide what you need it for and let that guide your decision. If finances allow, I would keep both.
 
Unless you have no place to store it, why get rid of it.Trust me you will kick yourself some day for getting rid of it. You never know what will happen in the future. If your young you may some day have a kid and want them to have it. Maybe you take a new person out. I sold one gun once I bought it when I was 17 (I'm 54 now) and sold it when I was 40. I only ever fired it maybe a dozen times. My youngest son is now turning 18 soon and has had his PAL since he was 12, I glad I never sold any more. Since I sold that one gun years ago I promised myself I will never sell a gun again. Over the years there were many times I could have used the money especially when I was in College. I actually went hungry for a week rather then sell my guns.
 
new210/22 said:
You can get a longer barrel for the mossberg, or a shorter barrel for the 870. You really need to decide what you need it for and let that guide your decision. If finances allow, I would keep both.
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It's primary use is sitting in the safe at the moment, which makes the Mossies small size more appealing, however it's really no more compact than the 870 with it's 28 inch barrel. I also like having the ability to change choke tubes on my Remington in the event that I want to hunt with it in the future.

I've thought about keeping the Mossberg around for polar bear protection during my April walks along the coast but quickly dropped that idea when I started shooting slugs through it, it recoils much more than my Remington 700 .30-06 and isn't nearly as accurate with a bead sight; therefore, the rifle will accompany me on those escapades. Plus, the Model 700 is just as compact and handy with factory iron sights.
My 28" 870 shoots slugs just as well as any short, tacticool shotgun and can sling buckshot out to 40 yards reliably with a full choke, if I need a larger pattern I'll just throw in an improved cylinder.
I guess I could keep the 500 and use it as a boat gun in case of an emergency while on the high seas, after all, that's what it was made for.
 
I'm partial to mossbergs, but I shoot left so I don't like the cross bolt safety on the Rem. I also prefer the location of the slide release on the Mossy. That said a 28" field barrel is far more useful to me, so I'd keep the Rem for that reason alone.

If I had both I'd just keep both, or trade the Remington for a field barrel for the Mossberg. I have both a field and security barrel for my Mossberg and it's nice to have the option.
 
You can buy another new Mossberg 500 easily. Much more difficult to find the old-school Remington 870, so keep it. Short security barrels for Rem 870 are a dime a dozen.
 
vp6111 said:
You can buy another new Mossberg 500 easily. Much more difficult to find the old-school Remington 870, so keep it. Short security barrels for Rem 870 are a dime a dozen.
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That's kinda my thought process too vp6111!

I can buy a brand spankin' new Maverick 88 or 500 off the shelf in the event that I need one.
The 870 on the other hand is virtually impossible to find in the 1990s Bottomland camo pattern today without paying a fortune. The fact that it has the metal trigger group and forged extractor just makes it all the more sought after.

As for the security barrel options, I'm not really a fan of short shotguns.
18.5 inch barreled shotties aren't that much more compact than their field counterparts when laid down and compared, plus the field guns are far more useful in real-world applications.
 
Keep both, you'll never replicate the build quality on the 870 and the Mossberg 500 is a fine shotgun.

You can always get shorter or longer barrels in various chokes for either gun.
 
Hayley Davidson said:
It's a battle between a new Mossberg 500 Mariner with the 18.5" security barrel and a 1994, pre-Freedom Group 28" 870 in the coveted original Mossy Oak Bottomland camo pattern.
This is an old school 870 with the metal fire control group and forged extractor, unlike the MIM ones found on newer guns.
Click to expand...

I have a mid 80's Rem 870 Express and I wouldn't consider that gun to be "old". The 870 began production in the 1950's or thereabouts.



Suther said:
I'm partial to mossbergs, but I shoot left so I don't like the cross bolt safety on the Rem. I also prefer the location of the slide release on the Mossy. That said a 28" field barrel is far more useful to me, so I'd keep the Rem for that reason alone. .
Click to expand...

I am also a lefty and I really don't understand the problem people seem to have with the cross bolt safety? It has never once caused me grief or a problem. I don't see how it is any different for a righty?

My very first pump shotgun was a Mossberg 500 and I never gelled with the tang safety. I like the 870 safety a lot more. Its just easy to use and very positive.
 
On the 870, different barrel sizes including 12.5” and 14” barrels are easy to change to long barrels for skeet, birds or whatever. Who knows what you’ll want your gun for in the years to come.
 
I Dont Care About You said:
I have a mid 80's Rem 870 Express and I wouldn't consider that gun to be "old". The 870 began production in the 1950's or thereabouts.





I am also a lefty and I really don't understand the problem people seem to have with the cross bolt safety? It has never once caused me grief or a problem. I don't see how it is any different for a righty?

My very first pump shotgun was a Mossberg 500 and I never gelled with the tang safety. I like the 870 safety a lot more. Its just easy to use and very positive.
Click to expand...

By "old" I'm referring to the time before Freedom Group acquired the company and started producing firearms with lower quality control and cheaper parts. But yes, a 1994 gun is essentially brand new and will serve for another 50 years no problem.

The safety is largely irrelevant for me as I never use it, my finger and brain act as my firearm's safety.

The only thing I like more about the Mossberg 500 is the much cooler corncobb forend and the open loading gate. Shooting the 870 with gloves on can be a pain and the lifter likes to snag my fingers sometimes, not a big deal unless it's cold out!
 
Hayley Davidson said:
By "old" I'm referring to the time before Freedom Group acquired the company and started producing firearms with lower quality control and cheaper parts. But yes, a 1994 gun is essentially brand new and will serve for another 50 years no problem.

The safety is largely irrelevant for me as I never use it, my finger and brain act as my firearm's safety.

The only thing I like more about the Mossberg 500 is the much cooler corncobb forend and the open loading gate. Shooting the 870 with gloves on can be a pain and the lifter likes to snag my fingers sometimes, not a big deal unless it's cold out!
Click to expand...

The Express was always about cheaper parts and less quality control regardless of when it was made. Certainly the ones made by Freedom Group have the worst reputation but there are also plenty of people that have said their Express made during that time was better made than older ones they own or models that were supposed to have better quality control like an 870 Police. All anecdotal and experiences vary wildly.

They’re both good shotguns and you’re going to get recommendations for both of them. You have to decide which one you prefer. Personally I’d keep the 500 Mariner but I also like my 870s.
 
Hayley Davidson said:
It's primary use is sitting in the safe at the moment, which makes the Mossies small size more appealing, however it's really no more compact than the 870 with it's 28 inch barrel. I also like having the ability to change choke tubes on my Remington in the event that I want to hunt with it in the future.

I've thought about keeping the Mossberg around for polar bear protection during my April walks along the coast but quickly dropped that idea when I started shooting slugs through it, it recoils much more than my Remington 700 .30-06 and isn't nearly as accurate with a bead sight; therefore, the rifle will accompany me on those escapades. Plus, the Model 700 is just as compact and handy with factory iron sights.
My 28" 870 shoots slugs just as well as any short, tacticool shotgun and can sling buckshot out to 40 yards reliably with a full choke, if I need a larger pattern I'll just throw in an improved cylinder.
I guess I could keep the 500 and use it as a boat gun in case of an emergency while on the high seas, after all, that's what it was made for.
Click to expand...

I think you answered your question here. Keep the 870 for sure, and the 500 is optional.
 
I'd concur with keeping both...overall there are pros and cons to both of them, but if I may be so bold as to say, overall the Mossberg has had a consistent run of reliability. The 870 is great, but there were years where the QC was a bit suspect.

Maybe I am in the minority here, but I'd prefer the crossbolt safety of the 870 over the tang safety of the Mossberg.
 
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