[ozzymandus]

Spend a few more bucks and buy a Remington 870. Mossberg is OK, but Remington’s better.

[The KG9 Kid]

Spend even more and get a Benelli.

[JoeProBono]

[Lurker]

There are a number of features that make the Mossberg superior to the Remington IMO.

One is the tang placement of the safety switch. It's not necessary to change the position of the shotgun from the firing position to switch it on or off.

The other is the loading gate. In the Remington there's a piece of metal that can catch fingers or gloves. To load the Mossberg you simply drop the shell in place and shove it forward making reloading much simpler.

The 500/590 series also comes drilled and tapped from the factory. The 870 requires gunsmithing to add optics.

For a hunting shotgun I'd go with the 870. For a defense weapon the 500/590 is superior IMO.

[doorgunner69]

Agreed. I had both at the same time. The Mossberg was far clunkier and rough handling then my 870. Sold the 500 and still have the 870 now for 30 years.