Remington 870 or Mossberg 500 for Home Defense?

n/a | today | Me

[gOOsefmalOOsef]

Hello Fellow Freepers!

I am young and a bit naive when it comes to firearms but am interested in a good home defense shotgun. As I am well aware many of you have experience in this area I was wondering what recomendations you might have to Remington 870 express vs the Mossberg 500?

[mylife]

870

[Puppage]

Both are good choices......I am partial to the Remington, though.

[freedomlover]

Oh man have you started one now.
I have both and dont think you can really go wrong with either as far as RELIABILITY.

However just IMHO if you decide to use a pump for home defense, don’t shoot anything else like a autoloader or double barrel for any period of time. You want the bang-PUMP action to come automatically to you when crunch time comes.

[bmwcyle]

Pictures, pictures, pictures

[Tunehead54]

Check back later bump! ;-)

[PreciousLiberty]

The Rem 870 design has been used for decades by military and police. There are a ton of aftermarket items for it as well.

I vote(d) 870.

[tgusa]

That’s almost a theological question ....I have used Remington shotguns since the about 1960 and have never had a problem. In fact the first shotgun I bought for myself was a Remington 870, and I use it to this day.

[thefactor]

Binelli NOVA.

[Loud Mime]

FWIW, I once saw a shoot-out from Soldier of Fortune magazine....nearly every shooter chose the 870.

[WOBBLY BOB]

I like the safety placement better on the 500.

[PasorBob]

The 870 gives you 7 rounds, the Mossberg gives you 8.

[ScottinVA]

I have an 870 full-choke pump and am very happy with it. Just the mechanical sound of the pump action is an attention getter for any intruder.

[quikdrw]

bump for later

[al baby]

A buddy of mine has a recording of the sound of racking a pump shot gun hooked up to his door bell I love it

[Right Cal Gal]

I have an 870 myself - I love that shotgun.
I am planning to get a Ruger 9mm for home protection. I always thought you’d scare off the bad guys if they heard the shotgun being racked. CHP friend says, yeah, but if they’re armed, it also tells them where you are.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

The Remington is a better made shotgun but both will last several lifetimes with reasonable care. I've never been a fan of Mossbergs but I know they work well enough.
I would suggest looking around for a Japanese made browning A-5. No longer in production but plenty are still around. Its heavier, but I like the elevated barrel (humpback) for aiming. I don't think the A-5 has been militarized as much as the 870 has tho.

[PasorBob]

http://world.guns.ru/shotgun/sh04-e.htm

http://www.remington.com/products/firearms/shotguns/model_870/model_870_express_synthetic_7-round.asp

[Travis T. OJustice]

The 870 gives you 7 rounds, the Mossberg gives you 8.

If you ever need more than 2-3 for home defense purposes, 7 versus 8 rounds won't make much difference. Besides, it's more weight further out that makes the weapon that much harder to handle.

[AngryJawa]

In the finest FReeper tradition, I'll be the first to say "Get both"! 8^)

They're both fine weapons, but it comes down to personal ergonomics. Which one shoulders better for you? Do you like the Mossy's thumb safety on the tang or the Remmy's safety on the trigger guard? What mag capacity do you feel you need? etc., etc.

My decision was for a used 870 Wingmaster as a base followed by an 18" aftermarket barrel and a +2 magazine extension.