i have owned several mossys and found them to be a fine utility shotgun...... in the same price range the 870 express is also a good choice ..... and even less expensive is the mossberg maverick line at about $200.... they will all do what you want with changeable barrels

Originally Posted by Vintage Racer

. . . I am old-fashion so it needs to have a blued barrel and wood stock.
. . . Any opinions of a Mossberg? Or any other recommendations before I pull the trigger. . .

I really favor Mossberg over "other good guns".
Because of the safety mounted at the top rear of the receiver. IMHO this is a HUGE advantage over other brands' "traditional" crossbolt button on the triggerguard.
For hunting or especially for self-defense.

I have the 500A "Persuader" model. Rock bottom cheap. Receiver and 20" 12 gauge barrel blued (near black), composite black stock and fore-end. Eight 2 3/4" shells.
It has a "straight" cylinder barrel. Currently it is often advertised at $279 plus tax on sale at my local Big Five sports store. Mine is rock-solid.
It's never stumbled, and I doubt it ever will. With eight rounds of 00 buck, it's by my bed as my backup to my Beretta 92 "night-table" gun. Now that is "SHTF" preparation.

As a eight-grade kid I changed my .410 bird hunter for a Win. Model 12 with 30" full-choke barrel I mail-ordered for $93. Does that date me or WHAT ? It was a long-range duck killer with #2's or # 4's.
I was really surprised how many #7 1/2 birdshot pellets the Mossberg "cylinder" barrel puts in a 30" circle at 40 yards. Pretty much kills that old "scattergun" deal.

You know the old "joke". "Hey, why that much firepower? What are you afraid of". "What do you mean ? With what I've got, I'm not afraid of anything". Bah BAM, Rim Shot ! ! !

Big Five also often advertises the Mossberg "combo" pump. A hunting gun, with an additional 18" "self-defense" barrel. I think it has wooden stocks, blued finish ? Low $$$ ?
I think a little work will get prices lower than Big Five. Their Sunday supplement is to capture "folks who don't know".

I recommend the Winchester 870 Pump series. You can get a 20ga under $500, which is what I like to shoot.
Very little difference between a 20 and 12 gauge in terms of lethality with the right shot size. Just remember most clay ranges require a 26" barrel, although I prefer the 20" barrel.

Good Lucka and Be Safe

Originally Posted by TedDeBearFrmHell

in the same price range the 870 express is also a good choice .....

Cosign on a Remington 870, dopest shotgun ever made

I have had my Mossberg 500 20ga since I was twelve. I am twenty eight. I have put tons of rounds through it with out a single problem. They are easy to take apart to clean and not too difficult to put back together! It has killed countless pheasants, grouse and a handful of geese. (I don't goose hunt often!) I will never get rid of my cheap little 20 ga. I'd like to point out, I have been poo poo'd the entire time I have owned this gun because it isn't a 12ga, but I bring home just as many birds as my buddies and I shoot an average 23 clays (out of 25).

Originally Posted by TedDeBearFrmHell

i have owned several mossys and found them to be a fine utility shotgun...... in the same price range the 870 express is also a good choice .....

I was able to read your post before buying....

Originally Posted by DanP_from_AZ

I really favor Mossberg over "other good guns".

It didn't work out like I planned.

I called my favorite gun store. They said they had the above Mossberg in stock. I found out after driving there that it's just that it was the "floor" model. It was dusty and had fingerprints all over it. I am sure it had been "tested" many times. And dry-fired a bunch of times.

I am wondering if I should offer them $50 less for the dusty Mossberg or drive another $10 in gas to favorite store #2 for a NIB shotgun? Another guy comes in and buys a Remington 870. It's "on sale" and Remington is offering a $30 rebate...

I recommend the Winchester 870 Pump series.

Cosign on a Remington 870, dopest shotgun ever made

I bought the plastic-stock Remington 870 Express 18" bbl 12 gauge (the longer magazine) for $249 (after rebate). I drove to the range (near my house). I clean out the factory lubricate and remove the plug. It sure seems very good and very powerful on the range (my first experience with a 3" shell). It isn't going to win a beauty contest, but it sure carries a "big stick".





"Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far". "Teddy" Roosevelt

Just saying. This group of shotguns seem to me to be a darn good bunch at ~$250....

my initial reply also recommended the 870 exress..... again a fine utility shotgun.

Cant go wrong with either a mossberg 500 or an 870 express. Both are great for the money. Tons of aftermarket stuff for both. The 870 is a bit heavier and has a more solid feel to it but it is also more expensive than the mossberg. For tactical use id go mossberg everytime. For hunting id go remington 870.

My personal choice is the mossberg. I dont hunt with it though. Its purely security/defense. 18.5 inch barrel with a pistol grip. Ive also removed the hunting mag plug/dowel now it holds 6 rounds. I take it the range every week too. Its a blast - no pun intended. Never a problem or issue. Mine has a few thousand rounds though it already. I go through those $22 walmart 12gage 100 round value packs like water. Great gun

Ive have both of these fine guns the 870 seems a little lighter and easier to carry, I am an avid duck hunter 870 does a great job and can be used for a boat paddle if needed lol

One of the pros of the mossberg is the action release and safety location on the 500. I love them there - with a shoulder stock. Add a pistol grip and all that changes. You have to change your grip to hit the safety and the action/slide release is almost blocked by the pistol grip. Just thought id add this info

I like the Mossbergs, personal preference. I have a field barrel and a short barrel, which I keep on it around the house.

We bought the Mossberg 500. The price was right and it's perfect for me and home defense. Also will be my weapon of choice should the SHTF. Here's me getting familiar with it.

Girls shooting guns Getting to know the 12 gauge - YouTube

I had a mossberg 500 bought on sale back in '81 or so. While it always worked i'd not choose mossberg first if I was to buy another. Now it's 30 some years later and things change, but that gun developed some rust and it was stored along with a ruger 22, glenfiled 22 rifle, several air guns, none of which have a spec of rust on them. The mossberg was the least used of the guns and the newest...and that safety everone loves was plastic and didn't last - it cracked at the screw and fell off long ago. The overall quality just didn't seem to be up to par with my other guns.

I own the Mossberg 500 and a Remington 870 (as well as a Winchester and Ithaca). While the newer Mossbergs and Remingtons both have more plastic parts than I like in a gun, they both function as they should and are reliable guns for normal use. I will say that the fit and finish on the Mossberg is not quite what the Remington is and the overall feel to the Remington is smoother. The safety latch is a thing of personal preference as long as you don't want to put a pistol grip on the gun as was mentioned in another post, but I really never liked the Mossberg's safety even with a standard butt stock.
Have fun, be safe and shoot straight.

Mossbergs a great gun, I've never had any (real) issue's with the 12 I have at my command, and we regularly run upwards of 1000 double aught buck 2 3/4" shells throgh each of them. I also am the proud owner of a 590a1.

The Remington 870 is the best selling shotgun in the history of earth. I haven't owned one of the newer ones, but from the 1990's on back, the 870's were great shotguns.

$550 will get you a Browning BPS with a highly polished blued barrel and receiver, and a nice walnut stock and forearm. It's comparable to the quality of the 870 Wingmaster, but over $100 less expensive. Your stated price range of $500 gets you mighty close to a fine looking gun.