With the wife being a lefty I think it makes more sense to go with the Mossy at this point. More than likely the 590A1 if I can find one for a decent price.
With the wife being a lefty I think it makes more sense to go with the Mossy at this point. More than likely the 590A1 if I can find one for a decent price.
Originally Posted by Chuck Haggard
590A1 vs new production 870 Express: I'd lean to the Mossy.
590A1 vs 870P from a better era: No contest. It's the 870P without question.
As the lefty safety manipulation, if using the Givens doctrine for shotgun safeties this just won't be an issue. If you aren't comfortable with that, the safety on the Mossy is easier for a lefty provided it doesn't freeze up.
***Blatant plug for you and her to take a Givens shotgun course.
I had an ER nurse in a class. I noticed she kept taking all head shots. Her response when asked why, "'I've seen too many people who have been shot in the chest putting up a fight in the ER." Point taken.
I'm 100% for taking one of his classes. I'm not familiar with his doctrine but would love to learn.As the lefty safety manipulation, if using the Givens doctrine for shotgun safeties this just won't be an issue. If you aren't comfortable with that, the safety on the Mossy is easier for a lefty provided it doesn't freeze up.
***Blatant plug for you and her to take a Givens shotgun course.
I'd buy a Benelli Nova looooong before I'd buy any other current production pump shotgun.
The only downside to the Nova is the long LOP, and chopping that down 1" took me about 30 minutes with a hacksaw and some epoxy.
"For a moment he felt good about this. A moment or two later he felt bad about feeling good about it. Then he felt good about feeling bad about feeling good about it and, satisfied, drove on into the night."
-- Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy --
A couple things to think about: I'm sure plenty of people are happy with their 930s, but for home defense I know I personally would not go with Mossberg (or Remington for that matter) if choosing a semi.
If comparing 870s to 590s and 590a1s, a fair comparison is the 870P, which is far superior to the express. I haven't heard of any P models having the issues regularly found in express models.
If your wife is a lefty then the Mossberg is an easy decision. Having recently got a 590a1, I'd probably recommend a "standard" 590. I ordered mine and had no idea just how much heavier the thick walled a1 barrel is. Considering I was trying to keep the Mossberg as little smaller, lighter, and handier, the extra heavy barrel was kind of a bummer. I'll say I have gotten used to it, but it does feel heavier than my 870 which is a bit longer overall AND has a 2 round magazine extension.
Owner of Aridus Industries. Creator of the Q-DC, CROM, and other fun shotgun stuff.
Hadn't really thought of Benelli yet. I'll check them out.
I hadn't considered the weight issue either. Thanks!
If and when they do break, the 590 is much easier to fix.
The staked parts on an 870 can be a PITA to repair. The ejector on an 870 is used to index the barrel, IMO is a weak link in the design and when they break it's a lot of work to replace a simple part. Done correctly it will require refinishing the receiver after the rivets are flush ground. For most folks their shotgun takes a couple week long trip to a Remington repair center. On a 590 replacing the ejector requires a screw driver and a drop of loctite.
I don't much about Nova's, but one place where the 500/590 excel is in ease of repair.
My bird hunting Nova (I bought it the first year they came out) has seen thousands of rounds in absolute crap weather (quail season is usually November through February) and in ugly field conditions (thorn brush busting and desert sand) with zero cleaning or lubrication and has never missed a beat or broken a part.
I also shot a Nova Tactical 18.5" in 3 gun matches for several years with no issues at all.
"For a moment he felt good about this. A moment or two later he felt bad about feeling good about it. Then he felt good about feeling bad about feeling good about it and, satisfied, drove on into the night."
-- Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy --
I like my 930 Tactical: light weight, softer shooter and just fun to shoot. It was way too picky about ammo prior to be properly broken in, it would only cycle "hi-powered" rounds (over 1400 fps) consistently and I would not recommend it for home defense for that reason alone. My 590's are work horses and seem to never have problems, but recoil is significantly more. My newer 870's have not been as reliable or hearty, needing more care.
Pre-Freedom Group (or whoever) 870s equal or exceed that easily. When I visited the FBI FTU at Quantico in the mid-90s, I saw an 870P that had been in continuous service as a range gun since 1960, with a documented 100,000+ rounds through it. They had replaced the springs and extractor at one point, but nothing else. Paul's mention of the difficulty replacing the ejector is 100% correct, but the only time I've seen that part broken (in 20+ years/1000+ guns) was due to somebody futzing around inside the receiver with a wire brush.
If you can get an older 870P (a GENUINE "P"), that would be my first choice. I would definitely choose that over a Mossberg 500; I understand the 590 is a different beast, actually better than the 870 in several respects. Dunno, never even fired a 590 that I can recall.
BTW, Remington offers a youth stock for the 870 that is a drop-in fit for the 12 gauge receivers.
Something else to consider… non-police 870s will probably have an extended forearm that will block the loading port when the slide is back, preventing safe unloading should that become necessary. The 870 has a not-commonly-known unloading process that is easy and pretty much fool-proof, but requires access to the loading port when the slide is back.
Dunno about the other guns mentioned… not familiar with the their manual of arms details.
But if you take nothing else away from this, be sure to realize that the HD shotgun, in anything other than single shot or double barrel trim, is most assuredly NOT the simple, anyone-can-do-it solution that most folks think it is. There is quite a bit of technique and skill involved in handling a pump or semi-auto shotgun properly; and I'll second Tom as a source of that instruction.
.
Reply With Quote