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Best Shotgun for HD

13K views 56 replies 36 participants last post by  mnhoj 
#1 ·
What is the better shotgun the remington 870 or the mossberg 500? looking for one for home defense. anyone have both
 
#2 ·
We have both. Wife gets the 500 I get the 870 Marine Magnum.



Slug work too. Anyone in that designated area will be going up against both shotguns most likely 9 times of 10.



There is not anything wrong with either gun for Home Defense.



I do conceal carry or open carry inside or about my home and that would be the weapon I rely on to get the wife to finish the drill we have laid out against intruders.
 
#3 ·
[Orquote name='gmb132' date='Sep 13 2010, 09:49 PM' post='271574']

What is the better shotgun the remington 870 or the mossberg 500? looking for one for home defense. anyone have both

[/quote]



Do you like a safety on the trigger guard or on the receiver? For an HD roll, both are equally effective and reliable, with the 500 being a bit cheaper. Personally I prefer the 870 and own both. I recently picked up a 18" barrel 20ga 870 with a knoxx stock and Remington magazine extension for $400 brand new in box for my girlfriend for her place. Deadly, light, short, and easy for my small framed girl to handle. I even used it for clays one time lol. If you like a pistol grip stock, you may wish to consider the 870 because a top mounted safety can't be manipulated well with a pistol grip. Good luck.
 
#4 ·
I prefer the 18" Mossberg 590's with a magazine extension. It's been my personal experience that the Mossy's are generally more durable and are quicker to reload. YMMV.



In this general rice range you might think about the Benelli Nova Tactical With Ghost rings.
 
#5 ·
Both are great shotguns and very very reliable.



I know a few lefties that prefer the Mossy because of the central safety location aft of the receiver. I know a lot of folks who grew up w/ a Remington and thus are brand loyal to Rem.



Some folks like the semi autos, I'm not in that camp so I can't comment. Try to shoot both if you can. One isn't better than the other, they are just diffferent platforms.



They are simple to break down.

Both can be rebarreled in seconds.

Both have full mfgr & aftermarket support.

They have distinctly different slide release and safety ergos.

They are both bullet proof.

The Marines use Mossy 590s and modified 500s

LE uses mostly Remingtons







I personally have a Blackhawk Mossy 500 Tactical for the home and Boat . However, the "one that feels the most natural in your hands" should be the one to own. Remember, the bad guy won't care what the make of the shotgun is that fired the "00" at him is.



LTUSMC
 
#6 ·
We have 2 Mossbergs, actually one is a Maverick 88. Very similar in function except the 500 has the receiver safety and the 88 has it on the front of the trigger guard. Once you put a Blackhawk/Knoxx Specops stock on them I actually prefer the safety location on the 88 better. And the 500 was over $120 more than the 88.
 
#7 ·
I checked them both out for a few weeks and opted for the moss 590a1. I found the safety and the release buttons to be much more friendly and easier to work. I think everything else, function, quallity and durability are the same.
 
#8 ·
Remington has now sold over 10,000,000 870 shotguns.



This is not a fluke...



Jeff
 
#9 ·
When it comes to shotguns you might want to think about what barrel length you want, rifled or not, what choke or sights you want on it.

I bought 870 for my wife, 18" barrel, cylinder bore, bead sights, side saddle, knoxx stock.



Knoxx stocks come in two flavors with or without recoil suppressor. They look exactly the same and the price difference is only 20-30 bucks. Make sure you get the right one if you decide to get it.

I am good for 10-15' shooting pellets with the cylinder bore, I gotta use a slug if I want to hit a target at greater distances. If you want to use chokes you might want to install ghost ring sights as well.

The safety on 870 is too small. I cannot replace it because of Knoxx stock so, I keep my 870 loaded but without a shell in the chamber.

This configuration works for me just fine, YMMV.
 
#10 ·
My wife picked up her "Mossberg 500 Bantam" and it was equipped with a safety in front of her behind the reciever and two iron bead sights good enough for her to shoot on. It fit her like a glove.



To me I like the mossy because it is a smaller, more faster combat gun inside the home, lighter too. But then again it's tiny for me and I have learned to accommodate it. I like it because it is basic workmanship, robust and simpler to operate and the safety position is a good one.



The 870 is a brute and my wife hates it. The Safety is totally somewhere else along with the action release bar. But to me it's a glove and with certain slugs can kick like a brute. I have been under doctors orders not to shoot it for about a year now. We will see where we are after my exam soon. But I like it because frankly you can feed whatever the hell you want into it and it will fire it. Some types better and more accurate than others.



I have learned about recent innovations for Remington Versa with reduced recoil and the Benelli's own series of gas shotguns for combat which I deal with in home defense. If I get the release from the doctor to shoot with reduced recoil, I may go ahead and get one of these to replace the good old 870.



But whatever shotgun you choose for home defense remember one thing, actually two.



Buy a small device specifically designed to have it stand up attached to a wall in your home ready to go at a moment's notice. And the other item to consider is that anyone coming into your home against your will... that racking sound WILL get thier attention and that of all others in the home.



Kcla-chik!



Someone is talking serious and you better hope you are not "It"





As much as I love my MnP .45 those only make small holes and the shotties will just simply butcher chunks out of you with enough force to even splash back flesh and bone onto the shooter at 10 yards inside a home. Something to consider when you have lost a peice of you the size of a ham from your torso.
 
#11 ·
What is the better shotgun the remington 870 or the mossberg 500? looking for one for home defense. anyone have both


About the house, I prefer to have the long-guns "short & sweet". Partial inventory attached.



If you get an 870 make sure it has the "flex-tab" style carrier to manage any inadequately inserted cartridges, otherwise the gun will be hopelessly locked up and require disassembly to clear the malfunction.



The Mossbergs have the advantage of dual extractors and the carrier is designed to easily manage any similar styled cartridge jams as described above.



Don't add length to the weapon with magazine extensions.
 
#12 ·
Also, shoot a variety of ammunition in a 870. I have shot quite a few common slugs and some buck, triple and double through it.



There are some ammunition that functions beautifully, ejects and feeds perfectly. Others well... the gun can choke on it. Find and only use the ammunition that works in your weapon correctly throughout the loading, chambering (Racking) and ejecting. And if you find yourself playing for keeps, you can rely on it.



I once had a opportunity to buy and shoot a box of buck and ball, a old civil war ammunition technology that is quite effective. I was not sure of the legality of such killing ammunition so I passed it on. I do believe that box would be the one box I will ever see again in my life time. We are in the process of securing armor for home defense eventually and even with that, buck and ball is quite fearsome.



One thing. Never try to go against a rifleman with a shotgun outside at any range. If the invader is a rifleman and he or she has a weapon and is not the police, open fire.



Also most 500's and 870's are legally the length they need to be for home defense. If memory serves, my marine magnum was right about 39 to 40 inches and the Mossberg was one or two inches longer with the youth stock. The doorways inside were only 24 inches and the hall 40"



Something to consider as you maneuver. Ideally you should be in the one room that the invader needs to cross a killzone to get to you. That is where you want to engage. Just be sure to account for the water heater on the otherside of those walls along with anything else.



Those with slugs, account for neighbor homes and public roads within 150 yards. And then define your engagement area accordingly. This is one advantage for owning a few acres.



Those of you with Carbines have the best of both worlds. You can engage at handgun range or a mile or anywhere in between.



Also don't forget the old style Coach gun. Those things are murderous up to about 20 yards.
 
#13 ·
Slight thread drift for the newbies...



From Multiple Sources, and Personal Experience:



From an 18" cylinder choke barrel, 00 Buck will spread about 1" per YARD. So at 10 yards, you'll get a 10" spread, 20 yards, 20" etc.



Most inside-the-house defensive shootings are WELL inside 10 yards, unless your last name is Gates.



Practice shooting your defensive shotguns, like your handguns, at distances you will USE them, typically 20 ft max. YOU WILL HAVE TO AIM!!! It's easy to miss with a shotgun! It's not a "street-sweeper".



FYI,



Jeff
 
#15 ·
If it makes any difference... I have been deciding on the two guns for myself and am picking up an 870 on Friday. I have held both guns and the 870 just "feels" a little better and more durable but I do not think you could go wrong with either one.




For the record, if you are comparing the 870 to a Mossy 500, not a fair comparison. You need to compare it to the Mossy 590A1 gun. The Mossy 590 is better built, (durable) and the one to compare with the 870.
 
#16 ·
I too had issues with my wife's "Little" Mossy, but those have been since dispensed with LONG ago. It will at times fire magnum slug ammuntion almost equal to what the 870 does with a slightly distinctive voice and no apparent problems after wards.



Frankly either weapon is quite durable enough for me and and I am one of those kinds of people who remember the old steel barges when gas was .26 a gallon. Man those were the days. Not like the thin plastic crap that is out there today.



Yes, you need to practice regularly with the shotgun. I fired mine at 25 yards, wife at 20 and that is way way longer ranges than what we would expect in a home defense situation. When bad guy is three yards down the hall from the doorway... it is a HUGE target and you cannot miss because if you do, he wont take but two steps to sink a knife into you by the time you rack.



Aim every time. And the round will get there where it needs to be every time more or less.



With enough practice, your sight picture (Particularly the 870) will fall into place automatically without thinking. The flat top of the reciever combined with the big bead at the end of the barrel which happens to be a exact or nearly so focus length for both of my eyes and the target slightly blurry.... BOOM hit. Not just hit, killshot.





I will point out one more item. Actually two.



Shotguns are for keeps. LEAVE OUT THE ROCK SALT YOU DUMMY! The bad guy does not know that.



And STOP buying the cheap ineffective birdshot ammo that is stacked by the pallet in that walmart. It will only enrage bad guy and motivate him or her to crush you like bug.



And frankly some people actually need that pain or sting as it were to actually start functioning at a much higher level of violence directed at you.



So, stop fooling around, use manly ammunition and drop the threat.



I recall a video somewhere on You tube where a 870 with magnum slug made a 240+ yard hit (In a indoor range no less)
 
#17 ·
My HD shotgun



Remington 870 With M4 stlye stock, slug barrel 22", door breaching choke red dot sight, picatinny forend and flashlight extended to 8+1 extension tube. Note: when putting an extension tube on a Remington 870 you have to file down two knobs in the orginal tube. I mainly have about 250 rounds mostly 00 buck, slugs and door breaching rounds. Down side pretty heavy weapon but weight also reduces recoil. This shotgun was redone from when i had a folding stock and just a sawed off 18" barrel. If i was gonna do it again I would skip the red dot and go with ghost ring sights, also would put on Knox recoil reduction m-4 style butstock with that would also equip a side saddle. You can also see my other shotguns from left to right Steoger over under, stock remington 870, and a browning gold hunter all 12 GA.

I have experience with a mossberg 500 thats what we carry in our infantry unit. For me it comes down to where you want your saftey Remington 870 is on trigger guard and mossberg is on top of rear . also when adding an extension tube to mossberg no filing nessacery.
 
#21 ·
Mossberg for me, I shoot lefty and the tang safety is more user friendly. You cant go wrong with either though
 
#22 ·
I have a 1992 Remington 870 Police.....after countless rounds, never a failure of any type. I need to redo the finish at some point, but it is functionally perfect as far as I can tell. The trigger started out a little rough, but its short and crisp now. The police version of the 870 is hand built with some upgraded parts over a standard Express model. I have nothing against Mossberg. In fact, I've been tempted a few times to buy a 590A1, but I'll never give up my 870P.
 
#23 ·
I have an 870 Express with 3 barrels, including an 18" cylinder for home defense. I load 4 shells of 00 in the magazine, and leave the chamber empty. I agree with the poster that mentioned practicing with the same ammo and range you might need to use at home. It IS possible to miss with a shotgun at close range.



I use the same gun with a 26" barrel and skeet Rem-choke to shoot skeet. I am very comfortable racking off rounds quickly.
 
#24 ·


I found this Mossberg 500 at Cabelas for under $500 out the door. 18.5 barrel, 7+1, and 120 lumen light built into forend. Light will go momentary on, always on, or strobe.
It just has a bead sight, but is really accurate. I've ran 7 1/2 bird shot, 00 buck, and slugs through it and recoil isn't bad at all.
I wish buck shot was cheaper, cause I love watching the steel plates fly when you shoot them.
 
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