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fickman wrote:I bought a parkerized 12 gauge 20" Mossberg Persuader that holds 7+1 with a pistol grip and heat shield for a good price at a gun show. (I already have a 12 gauge Remington 870 Express 28" for clay and hunting.)

I added the 6-position telescoping stock with Knoxx recoil suppression technology that I got from Cabela's for $100 or so. With the recoil suppression, your wife should be comfortable shooting a 12 gauge.

I was VERY tempted by the 18.5" 590 next to it, but it only held 5+1 and I wanted the additional capacity. The 590 is a metal trigger guard and a metal safety switch away from being the full-military spec version. It's hard core. It's barrel exterior is about 3x the thickness of the 500. You could use it to beat 1,000 men to death without firing a shot and not damage it. I finally decided that if I run out of ammo during a home invasion and damage my shotgun while beating the intruders with it, I've earned the right to buy a new one. Because of this, I don't need the extra girth of the 590 (which was still $150 more).

I prefer the action of the 500 when compared to the Remington 870 Express. The Express is rough and unrefined - and I've noticed is difficult for smaller females or younger shooters to pump smoothly. Also, the 500 has an open loading port which would make reloading under stress easier. Lastly, I prefer the safety location on the Mossberg and feel more confident of its position by feel or visual inspection. (The location is a little inconvenient with the telescoping stock + pistol grip because you have to move your thumb around the stock to reach it. Still, I feel more comfortable with it.) Also, the action release on the Mossberg can be reached without moving your hand off of its shooting position, unlike the Remington.

Remington makes higher end 870s in a couple of different lines which have much more refined parts and smoother action. I'm comparing the < $400 models in this post. . . the Express is what you would normally see compared with the normal 500.