I'm looking to get a Mossberg 590 (found a pretty good deal online) but I would like to know if the barrel can be swapped out with a longer one for hunting purposes. I like the short barrel and long magazine tube for home defense, but I would think a longer barrel would be more suited for hunting purposes. I plan on deer and/or duck hunting in the near future. Thanks Ryan
About duck loads: it takes a minimum 26 inch barrel to get total burn of the powder in most quality duck loads. So, you want to be sure that you can achieve this barrel lenth if you intend to duck hunt. FYI: http://www.mossberg.com/pcatalog/Specpurp.htm the 500 (the first gun on this page) has interchangable barrells, but you should ask your local dealer if the 590 takes other barrels. Here are the selections and pricesfor barrels: http://www.mossberg.com/acatalog/pricebarrels.htm
The Mossberg 590 has a longer magazine tube that holds 8 shots, and attaches the barrel by a captive screw arrangement in the barrel hanger that screws into the end of the mag tube, not a ring like other makers. Therefore a 6 shot tube like the 500 can only use 6 shot barrels, and an 8 shot tube can only use 8 shot barrels. Academy sells those Maverick 88s for like 139, get one of them for the ducks, it's actually just a few dollars more than a longer barrel would have cost. That was a last year price, may be a a few dollars more.
Ok, so after a bit more research on my end, I don't think the 590 can have interchangable barrells, just the 500. So again, after doing a bit more digging. What are y'alls opinions on the Remmington 870? Or should I just get the 590 as a dedicated home defense gun, then at a later date when I do decide to do some duck hunting, get another gun (more guns is good right?) Ugh, there are just too many options here. Thanks for your help. Ryan
You will not be unhappy with an 870, Barrel swaps are the easiest part of the decision making process, which you'll see when you get into action lengths, stock variations, and the myriad of barrel choices. Good stout gun, adapable to nearly anything.
The new 870s have a two lug "bayonet style" -like small light bulb or BNC connector- mag spring cap. It makes it easy to change plug, but it makes it impossible to add an extended mag tube and spring, because it will bind the spring. You can have, again like the Mossberg, an 8 shot gun with the long tube or a 5 shot you can change barrels on. Check your state game laws, you probably can't hunt anything with a smoothbore that holds more than three shells.
I'm not very familiar with Mossberg shot guns, but the 870 also has duel action arms on the pump mechanism. Having single ones would be a potential of slight bending and action lock up.
Correctamundo. Except the Ithaca 37 had a single action bar. A good, well broken in 37 could be racked with one hand on the pistol grip. Hit the slide release, move your hand down sharply about six inches, and the slide would go fully rearward from it's own momentum. I just don't like the bottom eject, can't roll a shell in the port with your fingertips if you ever run the gun dry. kckndrgn, the important thing is weigh your options, and get whichever one you like. I have an 870, the dimple-less one. I found a well-cared for 30" full choke older gun on a rack, cut the vent rib barrel to 21", and installed Tru-choke choke tubes. A lotta gunsmiths have the reamers, call around locally. 590 safety in a better place for lefties. I like the bayonet lug on the 590. 590 was the only gun that passed the military trials, 3000 rounds of buckshot. The new eye-talian thingy the gyrines call a shotgun are NOT going to hold up, they will be back to the 590 within two years. Remember, you saw it here first, from SM's own gun sage. The other difference in the R vs. M debate is the elevator, the thing that releases the shell from the mag tube, and presents it to the chamber. The 870 hinges off the trigger group, so it presents the shell at an angle. The Mossberg elevates the whole carrier, and tries to ram the shell straight in.
Yup, I have one. Bought it used, fully intending to let it teach me a bit of trap shooting. It is a field gun of course, thus not the best for the game. But with about 4000 rounds thru it before I bought the Citori, I had nothing go wrong. After extending the stock and building up the comb to fit my long neck and no shoulders, I broke enough birds to convince me the game is a good one to play. Other than that, GR is spot on with the technical details. Very versatile, and it would be hard to render it inoperable without deliberate effort. The same can be said for the 37. I can't speak about mossys, but a Winchester just plain didn't fit me well enough in the first place. Winchester and Mossburg are both single op rods, as is the 37. Worn in the way my 870 is, I can also jack a shell with one hand as GR describes. FWIW, mine is the bayonet type mag spring retainer. 'Tis a pia to put in the federal 3 shot spacer, I can tell you that.
I would say that if the funds arent an issue then haveing one dedicated for home defence would be the best option due to the fact thatmanuverability in close spaces is the bigest concern there and it wont be used frequently so comfort isnt as much of a concern, so if it was me and as mentioned funds were not an issue I would get a short barreled pump and put pistol grips on it for home defense so it is more manuverable but the pistol grip dose make it all but useless for hunting and such. Also with a shotgun reagular practice for home defence range isnt so much a concern so not shooting it all the time isnt as much of an issue as with say a hand gun (pistol grips on a shotgun tends to be hard on the wrists and generaly not get shot as much). Just my 2 cents on it.
The Mossbergs do have a single arm on the action, Rem 870s have two. I just handed my last and only shottie to my father for his 7 month annual Caribbean journey. I was looking at the Benelli Nova H2o for him and he got to looking on the Benelli site and started to lean toward the M2 and M3 models, (Semi-auto)... He hates the net but just used it to up-sell himself into a $1200 shotgun... I bet he doesen';t buy it though, so long as he has my Mossberg. I bought that one when I had gotten broken into in College 3 times in one week.. 14 years ago. I remember when this lost party-kid came to my window and almost lost his head 1 night after our break-in...
