powell556
03-02-2019, 12:15 PM
I own three Mossberg 590s, one in each size of 14", 18.5" and 20". The 14" holds 5 in the mag tube. The 18.5" also holds only 5 in the mag tube (because the mag tube is not flush with the barrel). The 20" holds 8 in the mag tube.
The required minimum length of a shotgun is 18" in the USA. Anything shorter and it becomes a "short barrel shotgun" that requires special paperwork and a $200 tax stamp.
I started out owning the 20" because I didn't want to do NFA paperwork and the 8-round capacity is 3 more than 5 of the 18.5" version for only adding 1.5" of length. A more fair comparison is that the 18.5" could hold 6 in the tube if I added a +1 extension, so the 20" holds 2 more rounds.
I figured 1.5" of length is almost nothing and worth being able to hold 2 more rounds on board. I later bought an 18.5" because of "balance" concerns with the 20" which is really long and heavy. I thought the 18.5" would handle better, and it does a little bit. But now that I realize my pump guns are relegated to home defense only, I don't know if balance actually matters. The duration of time I'd be holding the gun in my hands is minutes at most. I don't plan to slice the pie and clear my home, but even if I did, I'm not sure if 1.5" would make that much of a difference.
The 14" version that I put together last really shines. It seems like the sweet spot. The only "downside" if it can be considered one is the spread is a bit wider, as to be expected with with a shorter barrel shotgun. The 14" seems like the really sweet spot and I'm considering converting one of my other two shotguns down into 14" after getting ATF approval on a tax stamp.
I'm not sure which non-NFA full size I want to keep. Either the 20" or 18.5", I can see it going either way. I am leaning towards the 18.5" and buying a +1 to bring the mag tube up to 6. According to Mossberg's site, it appears all of their current gen 18.5" 590s are coming with a 6-round mag tube. So I'll compare the cost of a +1 to just replacing to a new factory 6 round tube (Which would be more structurally secure I imagine).
I had considered keeping the 20" as a dedicated "car killer" with 8 slugs in the tube. As a civilian, the need for that in the real world is almost zero but it could also see use as a bear/animal control tool. A dedicated slug gun. Although I do not live in bear country or even a rural area at all, so also fantasy. Since I don't intend to sell any of the 3 mossbergs I have, because I don't need the money nor the gun safe space, giving them specific roles could be useful.
Another alternative is keeping one of them as a dedicated 50-state legal travel gun. And in that case, I'm not sure if the 18.5" or 20" makes more sense. 2 extra rounds in the 20" for adding another 1.5" of length. Probably worth it, but given it's use as a travel gun it could be used around my car or in a small hotel room, then maybe the 1.5" does matter. And maybe the 2 extra rounds on board doesn't matter.
What I need to do, and plan to do in coming months is shoot the 18.5" and 20" more, side by side and see how they feel. Although as mentioned earlier in this post, maybe that doesn't matter, because in a real world situation, the gun will be in my hand a maximum of minutes, not hours, so balance may not play a role.
What I'd love to do is find a folding stock adapter that works with the Magpul stock (paging Aridus Industries) to convert the pump into a more compact size to store in the trunk of a car. Either on a 14" for in-state use or a 18.5" for interstate traveling, a folding stock on the Magpul would make a nice compact package.
How do the different shotgun lengths of 14", 18.5", 20" and >20" fit into your collection and what is your experiences with them?
The required minimum length of a shotgun is 18" in the USA. Anything shorter and it becomes a "short barrel shotgun" that requires special paperwork and a $200 tax stamp.
I started out owning the 20" because I didn't want to do NFA paperwork and the 8-round capacity is 3 more than 5 of the 18.5" version for only adding 1.5" of length. A more fair comparison is that the 18.5" could hold 6 in the tube if I added a +1 extension, so the 20" holds 2 more rounds.
I figured 1.5" of length is almost nothing and worth being able to hold 2 more rounds on board. I later bought an 18.5" because of "balance" concerns with the 20" which is really long and heavy. I thought the 18.5" would handle better, and it does a little bit. But now that I realize my pump guns are relegated to home defense only, I don't know if balance actually matters. The duration of time I'd be holding the gun in my hands is minutes at most. I don't plan to slice the pie and clear my home, but even if I did, I'm not sure if 1.5" would make that much of a difference.
The 14" version that I put together last really shines. It seems like the sweet spot. The only "downside" if it can be considered one is the spread is a bit wider, as to be expected with with a shorter barrel shotgun. The 14" seems like the really sweet spot and I'm considering converting one of my other two shotguns down into 14" after getting ATF approval on a tax stamp.
I'm not sure which non-NFA full size I want to keep. Either the 20" or 18.5", I can see it going either way. I am leaning towards the 18.5" and buying a +1 to bring the mag tube up to 6. According to Mossberg's site, it appears all of their current gen 18.5" 590s are coming with a 6-round mag tube. So I'll compare the cost of a +1 to just replacing to a new factory 6 round tube (Which would be more structurally secure I imagine).
I had considered keeping the 20" as a dedicated "car killer" with 8 slugs in the tube. As a civilian, the need for that in the real world is almost zero but it could also see use as a bear/animal control tool. A dedicated slug gun. Although I do not live in bear country or even a rural area at all, so also fantasy. Since I don't intend to sell any of the 3 mossbergs I have, because I don't need the money nor the gun safe space, giving them specific roles could be useful.
Another alternative is keeping one of them as a dedicated 50-state legal travel gun. And in that case, I'm not sure if the 18.5" or 20" makes more sense. 2 extra rounds in the 20" for adding another 1.5" of length. Probably worth it, but given it's use as a travel gun it could be used around my car or in a small hotel room, then maybe the 1.5" does matter. And maybe the 2 extra rounds on board doesn't matter.
What I need to do, and plan to do in coming months is shoot the 18.5" and 20" more, side by side and see how they feel. Although as mentioned earlier in this post, maybe that doesn't matter, because in a real world situation, the gun will be in my hand a maximum of minutes, not hours, so balance may not play a role.
What I'd love to do is find a folding stock adapter that works with the Magpul stock (paging Aridus Industries) to convert the pump into a more compact size to store in the trunk of a car. Either on a 14" for in-state use or a 18.5" for interstate traveling, a folding stock on the Magpul would make a nice compact package.
How do the different shotgun lengths of 14", 18.5", 20" and >20" fit into your collection and what is your experiences with them?