Mossberg Flex 590 Tactical TLS 12g 20", 6-Position Adjustable Stock, 8 Round

[Robert Mitchum]

My son is looking for home defense shotgun ... he lives in CT, so AR's are out;
Are they good to go for Home Defense , he is not going to use it for anything else.
Thanks for any info

9589

[TheRoland]

While the 590 is a fine shotgun, I think most people around here are going to tell you to grab a model with a more traditional stock. The Mossberg safety is hard to reach when a pistol-grip is attached. The extremely tactical forend is also quite uncomfortable.


If it were me, I'd prefer the cheapest 870 or 590 I could find of the appropriate length and traditional stock. Fancy isn't a plus here.

[23JAZ]

Being left handed I love Mossberg for the location of the safety however I agree with the tactical stock being uncomfortable and making the safety hard to reach. If he is set on the 590 I'd get a plain Jane 590 and throw the magpul furniture on it.

[TR675]

If he gets a regular 590, he's got a very ergonomic, proven shotgun. Hard to beat for his needs.

[Lost River]

I would not bother buying a new shotgun if it's sole purpose is HD.

Frankly It is very hard to wear one out, so I would go pick up a used wood stocked 870 Remington off the bargain rack of a pawn shop.

Take someone along who knows shotguns, maybe ask the pawnshop guy if you can run some dummy rounds through it to check for function.

There are LOTS of old police shotguns floating around out there these days.

[Robert Mitchum]

Thanks for the fast reply everyone !
Mossberg 590A1 LE 12ga 20"
Is this a better choice ?.. He is not worried about the price and wants to get a new one.
He is 6 foot 5inches 265 pounds.. so he is not worried about the size or recoil.
.. I don't know squat about what shotguns are good for home defense.
I am in a free State where AR's are good to go .... he is limited in his choices.
Again thanks for any input ..
9590

[Jared]

It's already been mentioned, but the Mossberg tang safety and AR type pistol grips are not a good match. Other than that, the 590 was one of the shotty's I asked about some time ago. I ended up with a 590A1, and I do like it a lot.

On the other hand, it's so easy to find an older 870 Wingmaster. I don't know about your area, but around here shops will sell one with a fixed Modified or Full choke pretty cheap. From there, find a gunsmith to cut the barrel to the desired length (I like 20") and put a bead on and you have an excellent gauge. Do NOT have a 26" Improved Cylinder or Skeet choke barrel cut. These are much more desired by folks that want to actually use them, and a gun with one already on it usually brings a small premium vs Mod and Full.

ETA: the gun you posted the pic of is the same as mine except mine does not have the Speed Feed stock. I like it.

[HCM]

A Mossberg 500 / 590 is as good as an 870 with the caveat to avoid pistol grip stocks.

My first choice would be a model with the magpul furniture. You can adjust Length of pull via the spacers and the fore-end give the option to add alight affordably.

[txdpd]

Mossberg's QC has been hit or miss the last few years. Check and make sure the sights are straight on both the barrel and receiver. Grab the front sight in one hand and the barrel ring in the other and give them a hard twist. I think Mossberg solders the barrel ring first and sometimes they break off from what I suspect is an overzealous application of heat when soldering the front sight. Shoot it a lot if it's going to break it will probably be in the first case of shells.

A Benelli Nova would be another worth considering and at your son's height the long stock shouldn't be an issue. At $375 or so bucks a new one cost about the same as an old beat up 870P.

[Bigghoss]

I can't speak to the quality of recent guns but I can say that pistol grip stocks like the one pictured make it very difficult to manipulate the controls of a Mossberg. Get one of the Magpul versions if he doesn't like the traditional. And get an 18.5" barrel vs the 20".

[spinmove_]

Thanks for the fast reply everyone !
Mossberg 590A1 LE 12ga 20"
Is this a better choice ?.. He is not worried about the price and wants to get a new one.
He is 6 foot 5inches 265 pounds.. so he is not worried about the size or recoil.
.. I don't know squat about what shotguns are good for home defense.
I am in a free State where AR's are good to go .... he is limited in his choices.
Again thanks for any input ..
9590

The shotgun shown in your post there would be GTG. I would replace the fore-end with a Magpul fore-end and add a light. I would then, of course, add a sling. Feed it the appropriately suggested buckshot loads (after pattern testing it, of course) and he'll be just fine.