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1st shotgun 500 or a 870?

5677 Views 63 Replies 1 Participant Last post by  ShotgunPro, 
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Shot guns of all types (other than a shotgun) for more than 30 years and its time to add a scatter gun to my collection.

Looking for HD and the occasional wild boar, may have to hike hard and long to find one so weight may be an issue.

Hear nothing but good things about about both the 500 and the 870.

What did you choose and why? Was it a good decision and would you do it differently?
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I prefer the 870 i just think its a more solidly built shotgun. But either would serve well.
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Howdy,

I was in the same situation about a week ago

I was going to get a saiga-12 but after doing some research and my primary purpose was for home defense i decided i needed a pump action..

I was really impressed with the mossberg 500 i shot a few weeks ago and as an un-modded shotgun that was my choice

After talking to my GF and looking at various mods i was going to add on the knoxx AR style pistol grip / stock and everything changed.

once i held the mossy "with knoxx stock attached" i found it very akward to move the safety and the release buttons.. I found the same setup on the 870 to be light years better.

in the end they are both fantastic shotty's and using the default stock you cannot go wrong. if you decided to change the stock with the Knoxx stock i think you will see "imho" the 870 is a better choice.

just my 2 cents
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For self defense a 500 with 18.5 inch barrel is king over the 870. The 870 has the advantage with hunting as it has superior choke. I don't hunt so I don't need an 870. However, that being said the nice thing about the 500 is you can change out your barrel in a minute if you want a longer one for hunting.


Honestly, both are great guns and I'd buy whichever is the best price/cheaper in your area.
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Uriel999 said:
For self defense a 500 with 18.5 inch barrel is king over the 870. The 870 has the advantage with hunting as it has superior choke. I don't hunt so I don't need an 870. However, that being said the nice thing about the 500 is you can change out your barrel in a minute if you want a longer one for hunting.

YouTube - Remington 870 and Mossberg 590

Honestly, both are great guns and I'd buy whichever is the best price/cheaper in your area.
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I'm a little confused as to your argument here. I don't see what the difference in performance would be at all between both an 870 and 500 that both have an 18" barrel with the same type of choke tube. Perhaps you're referring to the fact that most regular 26-28" 870's come with modified chokes vs. the fixed choke on a 18" barrel. Not sure. Anyways if you get an 870 with 18" barrel it will have a fixed choke for HD.

My 2 cents...Both good guns but my vote goes for the 870.
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Gotta say,if your not too interested in forend upgrades and what not,ive never had problems with my Maverick 88,which is pretty much a Mossberg 500,only cheaper.
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The remington will last a lifetime, get an 870 police model 18" or 20" and you will not regret it.
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I love the 870 police magnum with rifle sights and wood stock.
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I have a 18.5" 6 shot 500 and a 20" 8 shot 500.


I bought the 20" about 4 years ago and I've had the 18.5 for 10 years. I've put right around 15,000 rounds through the 18.5" and haven't had a single malfunction.

I want to add an 870 to my collection one of these days but so far my Mossberg's have held up to a tremendous amount of torture without the slightest malfunction or failure.

Either gun will suit your needs and be reliable. Just throwing my experience with my 500's out there. :)
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I've got an 870 Express with a Knoxx recoil stock and pistol grip. I love it long time. I can even shoot clays with the damn thing!
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rjss said:
I'm a little confused as to your argument here. I don't see what the difference in performance would be at all between both an 870 and 500 that both have an 18" barrel with the same type of choke tube. Perhaps you're referring to the fact that most regular 26-28" 870's come with modified chokes vs. the fixed choke on a 18" barrel. Not sure. Anyways if you get an 870 with 18" barrel it will have a fixed choke for HD.

My 2 cents...Both good guns but my vote goes for the 870.
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I thought the 870 didn't get to 18.5 inches but 20 inches as the minimum. I make mistakes sometimes.
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The Express model is 18.5.
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Oh boy, not this again haha.

Honestly you will hear a pretty equal voice for both. Both are great btw. It's going to be up to you and what feels better in YOUR hands. I have a Mossberg because I liked it better and still love it. I wouldn't flinch at buying a Remington either because both are great.

It's like the old Glock vs XD debate. Both are great guns but one will fit you better. I suggest going out to your local gun store and fondle both or if you have friends with both, ask them to let you shoot them. That'll be the only way you can make the choice for yourself. Good luck and either way you go, you will end up with a winner.

Btw, don't actually shoot your friends, just shoot the guns haha
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The Mossberg will last a lifetime too. Both are very good choices. I prefer the Mossberg safety location and I don't like pistol grip stocks on shotguns, but that is me. It is a matter of preference.
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All it took for me to make that difficult decision was going to the gun store and handling them. Right away I knew the 870 was the gun for me. The 500 just feels like a toy to me. The 870 receiver is machined from a solid piece of steel and to me that's important when we're talking big boom.
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If you got the extra money, which won't be much, go with the 870.

I have both and much prefer the 870, though the 500 isn't a bad gun at all.
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Uriel999 said:
For self defense a 500 with 18.5 inch barrel is king over the 870. The 870 has the advantage with hunting as it has superior choke. I don't hunt so I don't need an 870. However, that being said the nice thing about the 500 is you can change out your barrel in a minute if you want a longer one for hunting.

YouTube - Remington 870 and Mossberg 590

Honestly, both are great guns and I'd buy whichever is the best price/cheaper in your area.
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Uriel999 said:
I thought the 870 didn't get to 18.5 inches but 20 inches as the minimum. I make mistakes sometimes.
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I'm going into more detail on the correction. The 870 and 500 alike both have a multitude of options and upgrades that are available. They are almost identical in that respect. Both, you have the ability to quick change the barrels . Something that Remington with the 870 started and is what revolutionized shotguns. This was not done until the 870 came along. The 870 since it came out has been the top choice for LEO until later when Mossberg came out with the 500 which basically copied the 870 idea. The 870 still reamains a top choice. My uncle is a Vietnam Vet and he'll take an 870 any day of the week. You can take any standard 870 or 500 and modify it to your hearts content. Both can swap an 18 1/2" barrel all the way up to a full 28" barrell. 7 shot to 10 shot extensions. A multituded of forend and stock options are available. As well as sights, scopes, different types of mounting systems for anything tactical you could ever want!:p

Both are an excellent choice. I am more partial to the 870 because of it's history as being the revolutionary shotgun with longest service life out of the 2. I can slap on a 28" barrel with an improved cyllinder choke and go skeet shoot. Or put a full or modified choke, whatever choke. Then put the 18 1/2" back on for home defense. I also have the Blackhawk Knoxx stock and forend with the Power Pak.:p

You just really can't go wrong with either.:cool:
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Klaws said:
The Express model is 18.5.
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actually express is just that....a model. it doesn't come with exactly the same set up every time. for example, our 870 express has a 26" barrel.

to the OP - if you're using this for hunting you don't want a 18.5" anyway. a 26" or 28" would be better suited for your needs.

as to which is better - just personal preference but i would take a 870 over the 500 any day. it's just a more solid gun and more reliable ime. the 500 is a great home defender, but i wouldn't use it for anything other than that.
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I run a Maverick 88 which is basically a 500A with a cross bolt safety. I got an awesome deal on it. I have run both in the past and like both for different reasons. I use my Maverick as a trunk gun as I got it cheap. I want another 870 when the situation permits though.

CS
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I have had the same 870 for over 15 years now and I'm very happy with it. I have a short barrel (18.5") that lives on it and I have a long barrel I can switch out for hunting.

Recently a friend of mine bought the 500 and he's very happy with it. I used his a little and it was very similar to the 870.

I would say one of the main differences to consider is the safety. It is very different and you might prefer one over the other. My friend really liked the safety on the Mossberg and that's why he went with it.

Both shotguns seem to have plenty of aftermarket support.
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