MadDog

+1 on the 870
I just bought my first shotgun for sport shooting but bought a 18inch barrel for home defence. I have only had it 4 weeks, been through well over 1000 rounds (I love shooting clays) and have yet to hae a problem.

like Sixto says, "There is nothing tactical about the word tactical" Just get a shotgun with a 18'' barrel and your good to go. I wanted a shotgun that I could change around for diffrent jobs, and the 870 is great for my needs.

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sgtD

I am going to go against the grain here. I agree with Sixto that the 590 is superior to the 500. They are still in use in the sandbox along with the Benelli.

I just read an article in a gun mag last night that was written by a Marine who is over there carrying a 590.

Where I am going to disagree a little is in the assertion that an 870 is as good as a Mossberg 500. Now I don't want to intentionally ruffle any feathers , only relay my opinion based on what I have seen.

I have a pretty big group of redneck family and friends who are pump gun people by nature. I know a few guys who have fired thousands of rounds through both and also a few Winchester 1200's. Two of these fellas in particular are not into gun maintainenece whatsoever. Thier Mossy's look like crap but they still run. Whether in a muddy duck blind on a salt marsh, covered in dirt mud in the FL swamps, whatever, Mossbergs work. My Dad has bounced his Mossy around in the woods for over 30 years with no problems. He does keep his clean BTW.

I have seen more malfunctions with 870 express shotguns than any of the other two pumps mentioned. I would not trust my life to an 870 express. A wingmaster, yes. They were well built and I know of two that have bounced around behind the seat of a truck for 20 yrs without much care, and they always function.

If it were me, I would take a Mossberg over an 870 express any day. I would, and do, also rely on a Winchester 1200. (My HD shottie is a Winchester Defender, but my hunting guns, which are used for both hunting and pump gun runs in sporting clays and skeet, are both Mossberg 500s.) One of my cousins has a 1200 and it is his only do all gun for everything from clays to deer to trukey. He's never had a problem with it. Same with another cousin who has a Mossberg 500, and a two other close friends, one of which has shot literally thousands of rounds in clays competition as well as hunting.. At clays courses, every malfunctioning pump gun I have seen in "pump gun scramble tourneys" has been with an 870 except one time I saw a guy who had trouble with a Win. 1200 or 1300, I'm not sure which.

I had an 870 express that would double feed a lot, (release two shells form the mag when pumped) and also had problems with the ejector. I got rid of it. It was a new gun when I got it and I never managed to fire more than 500 rounds though it. My other cousin had the same double feed problem with his 870 express and a broken firing pin. His gun was never run hard or shot much either.

Again, this is just my opinion, and is admittedly anecdotal based on my experiences. You asked; I answered. YMMV

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bcnu1911

Well, I am a trapshooter and have put many thousands of rounds out of 870's in the past and the older ones are bulletproof. I can't speak for the new ones though. If you want a great HD gun that will never skip a beat, go with the 870 or an Ithica M-37. Those are probably the best two defensive shotguns in the world. The 590 and 500 are good too though and pretty inexpensive to boot. I have been shooting shotguns since 1967 and have shot everything from H&R toppers to Ljutics and Perazzis and if you point it in the right place, an 870 will do the same job on the target.

SIXTO

I would take a 590 over an express as well, but the 870P or wingmaster is my first choice.

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Hoot

It's your gun so do with it as you will, but the only extras I would consider are perhaps rifle type sights if you intend to ever use slugs. I would add a leather lace on slide to the stock that holds five rounds or so. If you ever intend to take the gun afield, a sling might prove handy. And there are some situations where a mounted light might be useful. But I'd forget the magazine extentions, pistol grips, folding stocks, etc.

longcoldwinter

The new Express 870, not so good, mine locks up hard on a regular basis. Couple of times I thought for sure the slide was locked in place for good.

matiki

I'm not a tacticool operator so the 500 is good enough for my HD needs. I've been through a couple defensive tactics courses and never had a failure of any sort. I almost loathe the safety of the 870 .

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SIXTO

The tacticool operators all have the Benelli. We mortals have to make due with the pumps.

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EAJ

I've never owned a Mossberg, but have friends who do and like them. I purchased an 870 Express about two years ago and haven't had any issues with it. :)

VegasSIG

If you have a lady in the house that might be using it the Mossberg 930 SPX is perfect. My soon to be wife is little over a hundred pounds at 5'2 and she can DUMP my 930 SPX of 8 rounds of 00 buck quickly if she needs to with no problems. Semi-Autos have much less recoil and no action to mess with just point and pull.

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