Update on my Remington 870 vs Mossberg 590 comparison.

General discussion about Remington 870 shotgun.
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kamakaz1961
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Update on my Remington 870 vs Mossberg 590 comparison.

Post by kamakaz1961 » Mon Jun 27, 2016 7:09 pm

I did a review about comparing the Remington 870 Tactical Express (6+1) and the Mossberg 590SP (7+1). I recently have put about 200 - 300 rounds into both after about a month total in shooting. I dry practiced with both on a regular basis for about 10 - 15 minutes every 2 to 4 days. I used dummy rounds (snap caps) for the dry practice. Here are my opinions about the differences in both. Before I compare the differences I just want to let everyone know here that I am very happy I have both and would not want it any other way. My father taught me to know and adapt to every weapon you have or at least get familiar with it so you can handle any challenges in the future. So that is what I do with all the firearms I own. So here were the differences after about 1 month of shooting and dry practicing both.

1. The 870 Trigger pull is still superior the 590 just doesn't compare. That being said, if you never fired an 870 you would probably not find that a big deal. Just when you have a side by side comparison, you can notice the difference. Again, no deal breaker for me.

2. I put on Magpul furniture on both my 870 and 590 (including forends) and with the 870 everything on it works well and I would highly recommend that anyone looking for an upgrade this is one of the best things. With the 590, I had to Dremel out a small portion of the trigger area of the stock (back part behind trigger housing) otherwise you can not pull the trigger assembly out when breaking down and cleaning the 590. You could take the trigger assembly out if you loosened the nut on the stock. That was not an option for me as I would be afraid of stripping the bolt from constant tightening and loosening the bolt. Henceforth, removing a little area to where the trigger assembly can come out. I did this and have no issues with that. I would still highly recommend the Magpul furniture for the 590.

3. While dry practicing I noticed another big difference: The 590 short chucks (short stroking the slide) real easy if you are racking another round. You have to be aware and not be a wimp about it. RACK THAT SLIDE WITH AUTHORITY! The 870 will short chuck about 1/2 way when you rack the slide. The Mossberg will short chuck about an 1/8 to 1/4 slide.... a little touchy. Again, not a big deal IF YOU KNOW YOUR SHOTGUNS; that is why you practice. Speaking of the slide release location. To me not an issue at all. Either is fine. IMO a draw.

4. After firing a round and racking the slide; the 870 slide feels the same like all other rounds fired. With the 590 after firing and racking the slide, it is a little harder to rack (not by much). If you are NOT firing a round but racking the slide (to clear a round for example) it is real easy to rack. Again, this is not an issue if you rack it with authority. I did this to get a "feel" of what to expect. HOWEVER, this is not my technique. My technique is I automatically rack the slide with help from the recoil after firing a round. I learned that technique from the Remington 870 How to videos. Thank you so much for this technique! It is AWESOME and I highly recommend EVERYONE here do the same....PERIOD!

5. In terms of shooting and grouping.There was no significant difference at 15 to 25 yards. I shot a mixture of Remington, Federal and Fiochi 2 3/4 - 3 inch full power and reduced recoil Slugs. I did not shoot longer yards as this was an indoor range.

6. After loading each shotgun there really was no big difference in either. I could think less when loading the 590 as it was an open magazine system. With the 870 you had to use a little more brain cells but not a significant amount because of the magazine follower. I definitely preferred the extra round on the 590. NOTE: The extra round on the 590: Make sure the magazine spring is contacting the 590 magazine follower flush, otherwise you lose a round. I did this after cleaning and noticed the spring was slight off kilter. Once it was flush you could load 7 rounds. The 590 Spring spirals a little at the end so it can fit in the magazine follower. I had it backwards. Learned this while dry practicing.

7. I like bead sights and am very comfortable with them when shooting. That being said, I preferred the Bead sight of the 590 over the 870. The 590 is a simple bead sight right on top of the barrel, the 870 bead is on top of a small square on top of the barrel.

8. This is probably going to cause some comments that I might be crazy, but I liked BOTH shotguns with no additions on them other than the Magpul furniture. No flashlight mounts, no side saddle and no slings. IMO if I can't hit the target with 7 or 8 rounds I shouldn't be shooting!!....LOL

So there you have it. After spending time with both and shooting both my conclusion is the same I am glad I got both! You can't go wrong with either. However, for my home defense shotgun I have the 870 as my primary choice. Why? The trigger pull and the smoother slide action. Additionally, the short stroke is more noticeable on the 590. In a panic situation you might lose some brain power when you need it most. With the 870, I can use less brain power and concentrate on my target.

I hope you all like this post!! Have a great day all!

DeaconKC
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Joined: Thu Aug 14, 2014 1:56 am

Re: Update on my Remington 870 vs Mossberg 590 comparison.

Post by DeaconKC » Tue Jun 28, 2016 6:10 pm

Thanks for the information!

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