Mossberg 590A1

Am Shooting Journal ^ | 6/4/20 | F Jardim

[w1n1]

For When You Need a War Shotgun - If you do your bird hunting with a classic Mossberg 500 shotgun, you might be taken aback when you first handle their tactically oriented, nine-shot, bayonet-lug- and aperture-sight-equipped Magpul series Model 590A1. For starters, the 590A1 is built for war, not sport, and the Magpul series takes it a step beyond with furniture that enhances its tactical function and allows for more user customization than the standard military stock. Whether you’re repelled by it or drawn to it, you have to admit: it’s a sexy beast.
At nearly 8.5 pounds empty, I found this model’s weight alone impressive. It’s a load to carry, which means any Marine Corps infantryman issued one will curse it long and loudly, but when it comes time to shoot it, that mass just soaks up the recoil of the heaviest 3-inch magnum loads.
This is a gun you can shoot slugs with all day long. I don’t love this gun, but it’s an apocalypse-grade weapon. If I have to go into battle against a rival warlord or endure decades of chaos after the collapse of civilization with just a shotgun, this is the one I'd want.

FOR THOSE UNFAMILIAR with the 590A1, it is the latest, and possibly final, tactical evolution of Mossberg’s 500 series shotgun line introduced in 1960. The 500 series shotgun is one of the most successful sporting arms in history with over 12 million produced in various gauges and configurations.
The Mossberg 500 in tactical trappings was also very popular with law enforcement, but its most demanding role was serving in the hands of our military service members in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. In fact, the changes that evolved the series 500 into the current 590 and 590A1 tactical shotguns were in response to the military’s requirements.

Though non-NFA versions of the 590A1 with barrels 18.5 inches or longer became available to civilians in 2009, these shotguns are marketed primarily to law enforcement and military agencies. The 590A1 is among the mix of shotgun models and types the military currently uses for interior guard duty, prison security, riot control, door-breaching, boarding hostile naval vessels and front-line combat roles.

GETTING BACK TO the specific tactical adaptions of the Mossberg shotguns, the principal difference between the 500 and 590 was the design of the magazine tube and barrel mounting. The former’s magazine tube is closed at the end with a threaded hole in the center to attach the barrel. The latter uses an open-ended magazine tube with exterior threads and holds the barrel in place with a screw-on cap.

This made the 590's magazine much easier to clean. That wasn't a big deal for most American hunters, but it was for airmen, soldiers and marines, who tended to get a lot of sand and dust in their guns doing their duty during the Gulf Wars and the Global War on Terrorism. The 590A1 differs from the 590 in the thickness of its barrel and its use of aluminum, rather than polymer, for the triggerguard assembly and safety. It doesn’t take too much to dent a shotgun barrel, and the U.S. Navy requested a heavier barrel that was more resistant to denting after observing guns were sometimes damaged banging into ship hatchways.

THE MOSSBERG MAGPUL series 590A1 has an MSRP of $836 and is fully decked out with Magpul adjustable SGA buttstock, MOE front handguard, forward sling mounting point, and an XS Sights ghost ring adjustable-aperture rear sight and receiver-mounted Picatinny rail. These upgrades, all American-made, have an MSRP over $400 if purchased separately.
The Magpul (magpul.com) SGA buttstock is ambidextrous in the sense that it has a 1.25-inch sling loop and QD socket on each side and the steel ring for hook attachment at the stock wrist can be positioned on the right or left side. This user-configurable buttstock is adaptable for use with body armor, optics and shooters of differing stature. Length-of-pull is adjustable from 12.5 to 14.5 inches in half-inch increments with a spacer system. Read the rest of Mossberg 590A1 Magpul.

[circlecity]

Yeah, and the police used the same process to decide on the Remington. The Mossberg is a bit looser but they claim that gives it more tolerance thus the cry: “If it don’t rattle it don’t go into battle.”

[circlecity]

Last year I replaced the 22’” rifled barrel on my 500 with an 18 inch smooth tactical barrel to make it a home defense gun. Damn, it seems like that doubled the recoil - kicks like a mule. Good thing recoil has never bothered me.

[Pennsyltucky Boy]

I also put an 18 inch cylinder bore barrel on my old 500A. Best $59 I ever spent. That and an inexpensive sling swivel mag cap converted to old clunker into a very handy and reasonable riot gun.