[Pier23]

Hi Guys,

For the first time I got my old Mossberg 500 12 ga out and compared it to my wife's new Remington 870 20 ga.

Herein are some really basic questions:

1: The Mossberg does NOT have a cartridge feed cover like the Remington. Has anyone lost shells out of a Mossberg or had crud fouling the innards as a result of not having a feed cover?


2: The Rem 20ga holds four shells. Is this just the nature of the beast, or can it be equipped with a larger magazine?


3: We shot the Rem 20 ga last wkend but I just got around to cleaning it today. There was a fine surface layer of rust on the barrel and receiver assembly - or whatever the proper term is for that area that holds the trigger assy. Also, the metal absorbed a lot of CLP...the first time I have seen a firearm do this. Is this common for Rems to drink in oil?


4: What is the largest shot size avail in 20 ga? I got some generic field loads...no. 8 I think, but would like something more potent.

Thx!

 

[collim1]

1. IMO opinion the Mossberg has the better shell lifter, a day on the range thumbing in shells into your 870 will confirm this. 870 shell lifters will chew your thumb up quick. If you short load a shell in a Remington it will jam it up requiring time to clear it, do the same with the Mossberg and you just drop a shell a onto the ground.

2. There are mag tube extensions for the 20g Remingtons, however they are much less common and not always easy to find.

3. 870 Expresses just rust, but so do the blued Mossbergs. I've had both, and both would turn a oily rag brown after a wipe down. I have rarely seen even a very neglected Mossberg or remington have damage and pitting from rust, usually just on the surface. The parkerized guns seem to hold up better to moisture if you wipe them down regularly so the parkerizing can absorb the oil and hold it close to the metal.

4. Less buckshot choices in 20g, but there are some effective ones. The one I see the most is a 20 pellet #3 buck load, and I would venture a guess is more than adequate for HD.

I have owned both Remington and Mossbergs, and they both have pro's and cons. I ended up with Remingtons, but still have love for the Mossberg, mainly the safety position and shell lifter compared to the Remingtons.

 

[collim1]

BTW, title is a bit confusing...I'm guessing you meant Remington and not Ruger.

 

[MarcDW]

BTW, title is a bit confusing...I'm guessing you meant Remington and not Ruger.

I was wondering too, since Ruger is not in the shotgun market.

 

[railfancwb]

I was wondering too, since Ruger is not in the shotgun market.

Thought Ruger still offered high class doubles - over and under as well as side by side. No?

 

[LaneP]

Ruger made a series of OU shotguns for some years, IIRC called "Red Label". It appears they have discontinued that line and are apparently without any shotguns in their lineup.

 

[MarcDW]

Nothing on their web site and nothing in my catalogs.
But I am not a Ruger dealer so .....

 

[collim1]

Ruger made a series of OU shotguns for some years, IIRC called "Red Label". It appears they have discontinued that line and are apparently without any shotguns in their lineup.

They were very nice, affordable O/U's, but they were HEAVY.

 

[LaneP]

They were very nice, affordable O/U's, but they were HEAVY.

Not surprising coming from Ruger.

 

[collim1]

Not surprising coming from Ruger.

I borrowed a friend's 12g model for a dove hunt without a sling once. I got so tired of lugging that thing around after a couple of hours. 12g O/U's are heavy already compared to a 20g or 28g, but this thing felt like a 5.7L Chevy engine block with a barrel and stock attached.

 

[countrygun]

1. IMO opinion the Mossberg has the better shell lifter, a day on the range thumbing in shells into your 870 will confirm this. 870 shell lifters will chew your thumb up quick. If you short load a shell in a Remington it will jam it up requiring time to clear it, do the same with the Mossberg and you just drop a shell a onto the ground.

This is well worth considering. We have both brands, in 12 for HD and 20 for hunting. My wife is a good example she likes her Remington youth 20 for upland game but about once a trip she has that problem and wants little to do with our ex-PD 870 because of it.

Here HD shotgun is a Winchester 1200 however and it is the slickest of all of ours.

 

[Minnow]

What you may be seeing on the Remington is the factory rust inhibitor that resembles rust in color. That stuff penetrates the pores in the metal and can pop up for years after purchase each time you wipe it down or put it away without lubrication. If I was you I would detail strip the gun and give the metal parts a bath in brake cleaner. After that give those same metal parts a bath in CLP. Keep doing this every couple of weeks until the CLP builds up into the metal and your problems will probably go away. After that as long as you lubricate the gun every once in awhile, you will be fine.

 

[Bren]

A major advantage of the Remington is that the magazine can be extended as far as you want. I have a Remington that holds 9 in the mag. Moss berg mags don't extend.


Posted using Outdoor Hub Campfire

 

[Pier23]

BTW, title is a bit confusing...I'm guessing you meant Remington and not Ruger.

OOOPPPSssssss! Thx! Corrected!

 

[Pier23]

What you may be seeing on the Remington is the factory rust inhibitor that resembles rust in color. That stuff penetrates the pores in the metal and can pop up for years after purchase each time you wipe it down or put it away without lubrication. If I was you I would detail strip the gun and give the metal parts a bath in brake cleaner. After that give those same metal parts a bath in CLP. Keep doing this every couple of weeks until the CLP builds up into the metal and your problems will probably go away. After that as long as you lubricate the gun every once in awhile, you will be fine.

Ahhhhh...interesting...since this shotgun was just a few weeks old, I thought it passing strange to have rust issues, and it wiped right off. Will keep an eye on it.

 

[MrMurphy]

The Remington 870 Express line is known to have serious rust issues since they don't parkerize/blue them like they used to.

A Sentry Solutions Tuf-Cloth, wiped down once every few months will cure any rust issues with basically any gun. I first bought one for an 870 with rust issues, and use them on everything now.

While I prefer the 870 generally, for non-shooter types (who either don't shoot a ton or don't train) the Mossberg has the superior safety location.

I disagree on Mossberg magazine extensions. I know i've seen a few out there, but it's been a while. Is this a home defense gun, or a game gun?

 

[Pier23]

The Remington 870 Express line is known to have serious rust issues since they don't parkerize/blue them like they used to.

A Sentry Solutions Tuf-Cloth, wiped down once every few months will cure any rust issues with basically any gun. I first bought one for an 870 with rust issues, and use them on everything now.

While I prefer the 870 generally, for non-shooter types (who either don't shoot a ton or don't train) the Mossberg has the superior safety location.

I disagree on Mossberg magazine extensions. I know i've seen a few out there, but it's been a while. Is this a home defense gun, or a game gun?

Hmmm...where do I find a Tuf-Cloth? Is Amazon my friend here? What is it -a silicone cloth?

The Remington 20 and Mossberg 12 are both she/he HD shotguns. My Mossberg has a laser integrated into the forestock, which I generally find useless as those things fail when needed -my batteries are dead now and I need to replace.

But...such frippery are great training aids, helping me figure out POA from the hip.

This would REALLY help my wife who doesnt like to shoulder a weapon due to recent shoulder surgery, so I should see if I can find some type of light/laser for her.

Suggestions?

The shotgun does NOT have a light rail.

Oh, I will keep an eye on the Rem to check fromrust. imdosed it pretty well with CLP...pity they are cheaping out on what was admittedly a cheap shotgun, still and all, such should not rust just loading around the house...

 

[Darkangel1846]

I think that the Remington 870 is the bench mark that all others are compared to. But I don't own one anymore. I do have a Dbl 20G, and use OO Buck

 

[MrMurphy]

Brownells, Amazon or Sentry Solutions direct sell them. Tuf-Cloth's material bonds directly with the metal. I had serious rusting issues with my M4 when deployed due to constantly going in and out of air conditioned buildings (130F, 65F, 130F, 65F, every hour or two) and condensation buildup. One wipedown with a Tufcloth fixed the issue for the entire deployment (six months).

A Tuf-Cloth is to silicone cloth what a pornstar in your bed is compared to a Playboy issue under the mattress.

I'd recommend the MagPul SGA fore-end with a Surefire G2X single-stage switch (the tactical model).

 

[Pier23]

A Tuf-Cloth is to silicone cloth what a pornstar in your bed is compared to a Playboy issue under the mattress.

I'd recommend the MagPul SGA fore-end with a Surefire G2X single-stage switch (the tactical model).

:rofl::rofl::rofl:

Now, to confirm my newbie status, the Magpul replaces the entire forestock of the shotgun? The action rails and everything? Or do the rails attach to the Magpul assy?

Price range?

And is this a light or laser unit?