Mossberg or Remington

gary said:

Best thing I've found to keep varmints out of the garden (coons are the worst in my case) is a small electric fencer (@$25.00 at Tractor Supply). Run one strand of wire 4"-6" off the ground and a second strand 6"- 8" above the first. Works like a charm.

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Including deer? Shooting is not an option for garden pests where I live. I'll probably be starting a vegetable garden next spring. I was thinking I'd be needing 5-sided netting all round to keep Bambi out. 3-level electric fence maybe? Or does Bambi outsmart me by simply jumping an electric fence? BTW we have all the garden pests here. Many raccoons, woodchucks, possums, rabbits, chipmunks, squirrels, mice etc. to be found. You name it, we got it. But we're absolutely overrun with deer.

Oh, the Remington 870 express 12 gage was highly recommended to my by a hunter friend as the best all round choice- for some types of hunting, skeet and trap, even home defense for those not trained in sidearms. BTW I found out that skeet are not good eating. ;-)

Go with the 870. I have a 500, but carry an 870 in the cruiser and wish I had gotten a Remington for home instead of the Mossberg. I know ya didn't mention this, but if you wanna trick it out, get add ons, change barrels, extend the magazine tube, etc, etc, it will be easier with the 870. IMHO

Cluttermagnet said:

gary said:

Best thing I've found to keep varmints out of the garden (coons are the worst in my case) is a small electric fencer (@$25.00 at Tractor Supply). Run one strand of wire 4"-6" off the ground and a second strand 6"- 8" above the first. Works like a charm.

Click to expand...

Including deer? Shooting is not an option for garden pests where I live. I'll probably be starting a vegetable garden next spring. I was thinking I'd be needing 5-sided netting all round to keep Bambi out. 3-level electric fence maybe? Or does Bambi outsmart me by simply jumping an electric fence? BTW we have all the garden pests here. Many raccoons, woodchucks, possums, rabbits, chipmunks, squirrels, mice etc. to be found. You name it, we got it. But we're absolutely overrun with deer.

Oh, the Remington 870 express 12 gage was highly recommended to my by a hunter friend as the best all round choice- for some types of hunting, skeet and trap, even home defense for those not trained in sidearms. BTW I found out that skeet are not good eating. ;-)

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For deer, I use an 8 ft. net fence. Got it from Lowes and it's @ $15.00 for a 100 ft. roll. I mount it on PVC pipe slipped over a fence post. This is my second year using it and it works. Deer have nibbled at plants around the edge but that's as far as they go. Lowes even labels it as "Deer Fence".

11 Bravo said:

Go with the 870. I have a 500, but carry an 870 in the cruiser

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I assume this is what you're talking about? I don't have one of these, but I am assuming that you have some type of scabbard or something? Very cool.

My wife has the Mossberg 590 in a version called the "speed feed 9" for an anti varmit and home protection device. For what ever reason she thought the old S& W relvolver with .38 158 grain wad cutters was too much for her. I was rather shocked when she came back with an all black, plastic stocked 12 guage with heat shield and bayonet lug.

With No. 4 shot it is a good varmit gun. With a full tube of 8 shells the recoil is not bad even with hi brass ammo. I like the Rem 870 better in the look and feel department but but I have no problems using the 590 in a hi stakes situation.

Somebody dumped 3 large dogs that appeared to have pit bull features near the house last summer. One of our kids passed a shed where these dogs decided to make camp that night. One of the dogs made an aggressive growl that sent the kid climbing onto something tall. When I arrived with the 590 to see what the yelling was about, one of the dogs was making a move towards me. I shot it twice and was alerted to the other two. At that point I was thinking there could be 6 or 7 more. Any way long story short, it took longer to make sure the area was safe than it did to make it safe.

Anyway, that is how I conclude that I have a lot of faith in the 590.

That's the model ! I even have the sissy bar 'cept mine is painted white........

I have a short answer for all of you'nn .... Buy a Winchester 1897 or "97" or Chinese copy of same, pump action shotgun.

Fill Magazine with appropriate loads of the right lead/powder charge.

Find target. Pull trigger. Hold trigger.

Wrack pump action witnout pause

( no disconnector to require you to let go of trigger between shots) .

As long as you wrack the pump action back and forth, LOTSO' lead will ensue out the muzzle, WITHOUT interruption.

Repels, and deceases, varmints of two-footed and four-footed types like __nothin__' ever yet invented by many. except maybe by Hiram Maxim.

The cranky old timber cruiser who sold me my raggedy but fully functional Winchester 1897 didn't call it the "Farmer's Friend" without reason

Winchester 1300 Marine Defender

Best darn 12 ga. I've ever owned, never had a problem with it and it has taken a beating. Dropped in a creek etc.

I personally don't like the pump action of the Mossberg.

Remington 870 is a great gun because you can buy more barrels and chokes for hunting etc.

But if you want a gun for sitting in closet until its needed the Winchester 1300 Marine Defender is a great gun for the dollar.

pybyr said:

I have a short answer for all of you'nn .... Buy a Winchester 1897 or "97" or Chinese copy of same, pump action shotgun.

Fill Magazine with appropriate loads of the right lead/powder charge.

Find target. Pull trigger. Hold trigger.

Wrack pump action witnout pause

( no disconnector to require you to let go of trigger between shots) .

As long as you wrack the pump action back and forth, LOTSO' lead will ensue out the muzzle, WITHOUT interruption.

Repels, and deceases, varmints of two-footed and four-footed types like __nothin__' ever yet invented by many. except maybe by Hiram Maxim.

The cranky old timber cruiser who sold me my raggedy but fully functional Winchester 1897 didn't call it the "Farmer's Friend" without reason

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LOL. That reminds me of the night my Dad blew the you-know-what out of mom's clothes line. It was no wonder I looked like an orphan going to school back then.

I have the ruger 10-22 as well, 22 years old. I have a 30 dollar red dot and can shoot bottle caps at 25 yards time and time again both facing and on edge, sure sometimes you miss but that is truly a point and shoot format. You could use shorties and hand cycle them to take care of garden varmin. I also use the sheridan pellet gun. Drops chippies at 40 yards. There is no bad choice as long as you are safe and proficient. Heck even a live trap and a garbage can of water will work. You can do the math to figure that one out. I have taken 40 plus chipmunk at my place in the burbs and finally have them under control. By the way Bravo, you guys have the best stuff, 9mm home protection on an xd-9 v-10, speer lawman in a 17 rounder... is this the right bullet or is there a more expansive round that would be stopped by the second sheet of drywall and still make bad guys go away?

The 12 ga is great for home defense because the noise of racking will send them packing. By that logic- I should just keep the chainsaw at the ready

At my house the 285lb guy in his birthday suit coming at them would probably do more damage! :lol: There are very few people that would wrestle with a naked guy!

Expect Larry Craig to break into your house now.

That give a whole new meaning to the phrase, "he's reaching for his piece!"

I sell sporting goods for a living...shotguns included.

Either gun is a good choice, both manufacturers are known for their quality.

Parts and accessories are easy to come by for both guns.

Any gunsmith will be able to repair/modify/inspect/adjust/clean either gun.

The Remington 870 Express is going to cost more than the Mossberg 500.

The Remington is built heavier than the Mossberg, more "rugged" - but weighs more.

The Remington has a flat-black finish and kinda plain wood, the Mossberg is blued and has nicer wood.
(unless you choose the 870 Wingmaster which is blued and very nice wood)

The Remington has its safety on the side down by the trigger, the Mossberg has its safety on the top.

Both come in 410, 20, and 12-gauge.

Both come in a 3 1/2 version (if you want even more shoulder-pain) the Remington 870 Super-mag and the Mossberg 835.

Both will easily accept a "slug" barrel. (for shooting deer in states that don't allow rifle-hunting)

It boils down to what is important to you....

How much do you want to spend?
How much do you want the gun to weigh?
How "pretty" do you want the gun to be?

Adios Pantalones said:

The 12 ga is great for home defense because the noise of racking will send them packing. By that logic- I should just keep the chainsaw at the ready

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That is exactly what my hunter mentor told me. His point: that sound during a home invasion rarely leads to shots fired. Instead, you get a lot of gnashing gears and screeching tires (metaphorically) as your would-be assailants/ burglars hightail it outa there.

Cluttermagnet said:

Adios Pantalones said:

The 12 ga is great for home defense because the noise of racking will send them packing. By that logic- I should just keep the chainsaw at the ready

Click to expand...

That is exactly what my hunter mentor told me. His point: that sound during a home invasion rarely leads to shots fired. Instead, you get a lot of gnashing gears and screeching tires (metaphorically) as your would-be assailants/ burglars hightail it outa there.

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Point well made. As for our in house nut case who chooses the Stihl 440 for home defense, can you imagine crooks wondering
why the heck did they pick Jason's home to invade! :ahhh:

Just kidding about the in house nut case.

spot said:

I sell sporting goods for a living...shotguns included.

Either gun is a good choice, both manufacturers are known for their quality.

Parts and accessories are easy to come by for both guns.

Any gunsmith will be able to repair/modify/inspect/adjust/clean either gun.

The Remington 870 Express is going to cost more than the Mossberg 500.

The Remington is built heavier than the Mossberg, more "rugged" - but weighs more.

The Remington has a flat-black finish and kinda plain wood, the Mossberg is blued and has nicer wood.
(unless you choose the 870 Wingmaster which is blued and very nice wood)

The Remington has its safety on the side down by the trigger, the Mossberg has its safety on the top.

Both come in 410, 20, and 12-gauge.

Both come in a 3 1/2 version (if you want even more shoulder-pain) the Remington 870 Super-mag and the Mossberg 835.

Both will easily accept a "slug" barrel. (for shooting deer in states that don't allow rifle-hunting)

It boils down to what is important to you....

How much do you want to spend?
How much do you want the gun to weigh?
How "pretty" do you want the gun to be?

Click to expand...

Agree completely but the last 3 are the most important things to consider.

My .02....
I've used the 870 and have owned a 500 for the last 25 years with no complaints. But, when it comes to taking care of the occasional critter/pest I use either my H&R;410 single shot or my Winchester 9422.

Burntime, I carry Glock model 22, 40 cal, and a model 27, 40 cal, as backup....the magazines are interchangable. We DID carry the Winchester Ranger and Hydra-shok ammo until our last shooting. We had a shooting where we fired alot of rounds through a windshield and a car door.....Subsequent post mortem showed the rounds broke apart and lost allot of mass going through glass and the door sheet metal. Training unit took the guys car and a dummy and mapped every single round fired to find out why this guy made it as far as he did. Unit purchased doors and glass and used ballistic gelatin and determined we needed ammo with a molecular bond. We now use the .40 cal Remington Golden Sabre and Speer Gold Dot Bonded ammo. Our tests show they hold there mass after passing through the glass or doors. (I didn't give away any secrets, all available with a FOIA)
For plinking nuisance stuff and home defense, ya can't beat a Glock. They strip easily and ya can't break them. Plus for about $200, a .22 cal temporary conversion kit is available for cheaper plinking or challenging small game hunting.

I currently have 124 grain speer lawman I think in my xd-9 v-10. Guess it will serve its purpose. Mine is a plinker and home protection. If you want cheap and fun I bought a beretta neus .22, I have a holosight on it and it is a blast. Sure only a 10 round clip but it is as much a tack driver as my ruger 10/22 for sure! I like the glock, just went towards the xd for some reason. I went with the 9mm over 40 and 45 for cheap plinking. I made the mistake of buying a ruger super redhawk 44 mag as my first handgun. Thats what I learned to shoot pistol with. I know, its amazing I did not develope a twitch

Ah, this brings back memories of my father-in-law sitting on his porch in a nightshirt with his single shot .410 and taking out a the racoons that tried to enter his chicken shed. But enough of that.

I've never shot a Mossberg, but I've had my trusty 870 for almost 20 years and its never failed me. But unless you're thinking about blasting away at the critters as they run after your first shot (which might not be the best idea) my advice would be to head to your local gun shop (or Wal-Mart) and pick up one a New England Firearms or H&R;single shots for under $100, because they're (1) cheap (2) light and (3) super reliable.

Remington before Mossberg, Browning before both and Berreta before that and maybe a Benelli if you want to be different.
The guy who compared a Red Label to a citori, not even close.

I know a lot of guys love them damned Remingtons but I'm just not one of them. I have 2 Mossbergs in the gun room and I got rid of the only Remington I ever owned.

I heard a story years ago about a Mossberg shotgun. I live in a steel mill community and one of the local steel mills has a Mossberg 12ga shotgun that they use at the blast furnace. I don't know the particular job that this shot gun does but it is used a couple times a day, everyday. It is never cleaned and it is abused just like they rest of the tools. Apparently after many many years and countless thousands of rounds put through that gun something broke. Someone from the mill called Mossberg to get a replacement and Mossberg said they wanted the old gun and sent a new gun to replace it. That old beat up shotgun is now in Mossberg's museum.

Anyway I've found my Mossberg's to be very reliable and capable. One guy earlier had mentioned that he carried a Mossberg in the Navy. You'll also find that a lot of law enforcement carry Mossberg. Our military is very strict about the tests a firearm must pass to get a military contract. Just some food for thought.

I also would say that a 410ga would be fine for just popping some whistle pigs out in the garden and less noise for the neighbors to squawk about.

As far as the guy above...I think they use shotties to clean the crap off the walls of furnaces.

As far as the gun...870. Wealth of aftermarket accessories, and they are like the 1911 of shotguns - EVERYONE knows how to work on them. Although, I must say, the Maverick 88 (made by Mossberg, though I think in Mexico) looks pretty affordable.

My ex had a Mossberg 500, and I could never get it together quickly - it never seemed intuitive to me. My 870 was my workhorse, though...I put that gun through its paces, and man, it just kept on runnin'.

My two cents.

I have a Browing BPS and a Winchester 1300. For some reason I just need to be different. The BPS is a great gun but pricey. And the 1300 has very little aftermarket support, I finally found a slug barrel this year.
Between the 2 I'd go 870 in 12 ga. Think of a shotgun as a swiss army knife, they can do most anything. And between the remington and wide variety of 12 ga loads, there isn't it much that it won't be able to handle.