I am in need of some advise in regards to the Mossberg 590a1 vs the Remington 870 Police Tactical.
Can some of you share your wisdom as to which one and why?
Thanks

Hahaha

This is the age old question.

I have one of each and love them both.

They're both excellent guns that should last a lifetime.

I like the safety position on the Mossberg better.  It works well for a lefty.

Can you use the rem 870 for trap shooting or is it too short of a barrel?

How's the recoil on the rem 870 12 gauge shooting a 1 oz slug? I heard its pretty painful...

Hang on tight and enjoy the ride. Nah, joke its not that bad

i have the 870P with the pistol grip (and knoxx stock) and a mossberg 500SPX, also with pistol grip (and knoxx stock)
safety position on the mossberg is on the top of the gun, making it a difficult reach if you do not have a standard shotgun (rifle) stock

are you looking at the 870P with the anodized type finish?
i much prefer the finish on that to my 500SPX (seems like cheap parkerization)
but the 590A1 is an upgraded model, so i don't know what kind of finish it has

I am in need of some advise in regards to the Mossberg 590a1 vs the Remington 870 Police Tactical.
Can some of you share your wisdom as to which one and why?
Thanks

Nikon or Canon.....
Chevy or Dodge or Ford...
 Your choice...
I have a Mossberg 500 by the way...
 

Can you use the rem 870 for trap shooting or is it too short of a barrel?

How's the recoil on the rem 870 12 gauge shooting a 1 oz slug? I heard its pretty painful...

I shoot trap with my 870P.

Slugs aren't bad with the 870 or 590.

Slugs hurt most out of a double barrel or single shot. IMNSHO

Everyone knows the correct answer is Benelli

Really, can't go wrong with either.

I know this is very subjective, but I am having such a hard time deciding.

Two is out of the question, as well as a Benelli.

The 590a1 is said to have a parkerized finish. Same as on the 870P.

SEC has the 870 Express Tactical Magpul in stock, pretty nice, and it has a rail/rear ghost ring sight on the receiver, about $798 otd.

Is the receiver on the 590a1 drilled and tapped to accept a rail?
I believe the 870P is not.

Thanks everyone, please keep the info coming.

<--- 590 Special Purpose owner. (Which is not quite the same as an A1.) Owned a 500 in the days of yore, as well.

My trap shooting buddy has a Remy 8-sumthin.

Other than that we both sorta suck at "pointing" rather than "aiming" (we've both spent a LOT more time shooting rifles) neither of us have had any issues with our shottys.

I prefer Mossy for the main reason us lefties prefer them: the tang safety. I got the 590 because I like 8+1 should I ever need it and I *much* prefer the peep sites. (When did we start calling them "ghost rings?!")

The receiver on my 590SP is drilled and tapped. Can't speak for the 500 but I *think* the new ones are drilled and tapped.

The only issue I have with the 590 is that it is cylinder bore only. No interchangeable chokes, no 8 round barrels that have chokes. Self defense and close range birds (or clays) only. I fantasize about having someone tap the barrel I have for chokes someday just to not have that limitation. It is primarily an HD gun that I shoot trap with just to learn how shotguns work... but I wouldn't mind being able to work with different chokes without having to buy a different machine.

The 500's all have interchangeable chokes. I think the 870's do, too. Something to consider if the 590 is on your list.

Edit- Oh, I also ~love~ the slide release on the Mossy. Right behind the trigger guard and easy to hit with the side of the middle finger. For me the ergonomics just rock.

The 500's all have interchangeable chokes. I think the 870's do, too. Something to consider if the 590 is on your list.

No they don't.

I have a 500 without the ability to accept chokes.

I do like the ergo's on Mossbergs as well.

^^^^^

Good to know. How long ago did you buy that one?

^^^^^

Good to know. How long ago did you buy that one?

Maybe 10 years ago

No they don't.

I have a 500 without the ability to accept chokes.

I do like the ergo's on Mossbergs as well.

I like the ergos on Mossbergs IF there aren't any pistol grips!  Otherwise, the ergos suck!

Have an 18.5 590a1..Guy I know has a ...870 'express tactical' (6pos stock, pistol grip, etc..)  Quality was lacking. But seeing as you are looking at a non express model chances are your all G. I am happy with my 590a1, just pick one..they both do the same thing. Find a way to shoulder them a see which you prefer if possible.

Recently went through the same decision process myself, The best way to tell is go feel them both and operate them both. For me, I like the safety position on the remington because I have a pistol grip on my shotgun and it is pretty much impossible to disengage the safety from the firing position on the mossberg. However I can reach up and take it off safety with my pointer and middle fingers by sliding it back to take it off safety. This was not a huge deal for me, at least not a deal breaker. My finger is the primary safety mechanism so I really do not need to be able to put it on fire from the shouldered position.

The action release button is easier for me on the mossberg because I can reach it with my thumb from a hip held type position whereas the remington I have to take my hand off the grip and reach up in front of the trigger guard...

Both the actions pretty much felt the same to me.

Mossberg 590a1 has aluminum receiver. Remington 870 is steel.

591a1 has metal trigger guard. 870 is plastic.

It really is apples to apples, I ended up getting the 590a1 because the local dealer had the configuration I wanted in stock and the 870 they had was not the configuration I wanted. I also felt like the 590a1 had the edge on it was just beefier which for me is a selling point.

Just gotta get out there and feel em both. They both come in similar configurations as well.

590a1 has metal trigger guard. 870 is plastic.

The trigger guard on the 870P is metal

I think they are both good guns.

I'd shop and get whatever good deal is available whether it's the Mossberg or the Remington.  I was looking into this one time and I saw OGC had a Mossberg with a two barrel combo (18" and 28") that was reasonably priced. SA had a Mossberg 590 with a serrated breaching barrel, night sights and was also reasonably priced. Security Equipment had a basic Rem 870 with bead sights that was priced cheaper than both. I think if you shop around, you can get the best deal for the $$ depending on what you're looking for.

Also to add, I'm a lefty and always thought the Mossberg 500 was the way to go. But then, someone showed me that I could just use my trigger finger to disengage the safety on the Rem870. The Mossberg tang safety becomes a slight disadvantage if you replace the stock with a pistol grip like one of those recoil absorbing stocks.

870 P models are built on a different line than the express models
http://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=11636
http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=remington+870+police+versus+express&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

Have an 18.5 590a1..Guy I know has a ...870 'express tactical' (6pos stock, pistol grip, etc..)  Quality was lacking. But seeing as you are looking at a non express model chances are your all G. I am happy with my 590a1, just pick one..they both do the same thing. Find a way to shoulder them a see which you prefer if possible.

Thank you for all your replies and sharing your knowledge.

Leaning towards the Mossberg 590a1 model# 51517;

Ghost Ring
12 Gauge
6 Shot
18.5 Barrel
Black Synthetic

Opinons appreciated.