Remington 870 Police Magnum

The 870 Police Magnum is nice and smooth... but the top tang safety and action release of the 590 (with the std stock) make it more desirable IMO.

Remington 870 Police Magnum 14" & Mossberg 590 14" (non A1), both factory.
870_590.jpg
 
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i own a remington police magnum with a factory 14 inch barrel and at one time owned a mossberg 590 a1 14 inch barrel . the mossberg came with a heavy barrel and as others have said an easily manipulated safety . to load the mag i would favour the mossberg as there is no lifter in the way. on the down side it would occasionally drop a round on the ground and i think it was related to a sticky action release but i never did properly diagnose the problem . for the remington i find it better balanced, not so front heavy. on my remington is it takes effort to release the pump action button. i am wondering if this is a safety device put on police guns . as for remington quality control i believe they are slipping as my police gun came with a bolt carrier plate that i had to machine down as it had a ridge left on it .i favour the remingtons but only because i am familiar with them.
 
I don't find the Mossberg's controls to be any kind of real advantage, and they don't work well with pistol grip stocks. The lifter not getting in your way when loading OTOH, is a big plus. The lifter design does make it more difficult to get a round out the chamber quickly if doing a slug changeover though.

I think the Mossberg design is actually more reliable than the 870 when in good shape, but they don't seem to handle hard use and external knocks as well over time. The reported average round count lifespan is a lot lower 70K rounds vs 250K for the 870. The 870's longevity and brute reliabily are probably a major reason why you see a lot more 870s than Mossbergs in organizational armories of all kinds, with the exception of the U.S. military.
 
"Sorry, but you heard wrong. The 870 is probably the most reliable pump action shotgun ever made. "

I thought that with current construction the Mosseberg 590 A1 vrs. 870 Police is a never ending argument. Both are the cat’s meow regarding function & reliability?
 
The 870 Police Magnum is nice and smooth... but the top tang safety and action release of the 590 (with the std stock) make it more desirable IMO.

Remington 870 Police Magnum 14" & Mossberg 590 14" (non A1), both factory.
870_590.jpg

I remember when Wholesale was selling those Mossbergs for around $400. Still kicking myself for not buying one. I like the fact that it uses a one piece mag tube, if only someone up here would offer the conversion.
 
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