Lots of heated comparisons between the Pardner and the Maverick on several forums. By a slight margin, the nod went to the Pardner on the blurbs I read because it is "built like a tank". Others don't like it because "tanks" are heavy. Others don't like it because it wears a "Made in China" tattoo. It is thought that all of the Remington 870 parts will fit on the Pardner except the barrel, which needs a spacer to make it work.eureka40 wrote:For the price you can't beat it for a home defense shot gun. Here's a blurb from Gun Test Magazine:
When you consider the scant difference in price between these two shotguns, the differences in performance and handling cannot be ignored. Fit and finish of both shotguns was adequate. The Maverick’s blue finish was very nice. The Pardner’s was adequate and business like. The Mossberg featured an additional sighting bead, but the Pardner was drilled and tapped for a hunting scope. The trigger action of the Pardner was lighter by a margin. The recoil pad of the Pardner seemed to limit recoil and was the better looking of the two, our testers said. The Pardner’s safety was easier and faster to manipulate, we thought. The Pardner does not use a plastic trigger housing like the Maverick. Even if you pay $30 more, as Gun Tests did, the Pardner remains the recommended buy. Our team shot the guns using 2.75-inch Winchester Super Target lead shotshells and a Winchester Xpert Game/Target steel load.
The Maverick is interchangeable with the Mossy 500. However, if you want to swap the forened, your will need to swap the full assembly.
In the end, after the dust settled, most agreed that both are good guns, great for the price.....except those who were completely turned off by the China thing.......