barry13

im gettin a new 12 ga. here in the next month or so but i can only spend around $400. As of right now im lookin at the moss. 500 and the rem. 870. Any suggestions or opinions good or bad they would be much appreciated.

syrupman

dont get one is my advice...but i would choose the remington 887 instead of the other...it in your price range

PaPaBearr

I had the 500 for 25 years never had a problem with it untill the last year I shoot so many rounds out of it the ejectors worn down to nothing had them replace and it works like brand new .

barry13

hey papabear i really appreciate the info on it. i work with a good friend who has a 500 and he says he really likes it also but he hasn't had it long so i wasnt as sure about his imput. the 500 has definatly been a looker for me here lately though. Would you happen to have any input about the 870, good or bad, by chance?
Again, input much appreciated!

PaPaBearr

I never owned one but have a few friends that have them they all like the 870 both are good shot gun's but I can only answer about the 500 if i was to have only one gun it would be the 500 with a bird barrel and the cantonal slug barrel with a 4 X scope on it that is my set up

syrupman

Dont get the 500 get the remington 887 nitro mag

barry13

yeah pabear, i really like the 500 and the way it shoulders. its nice and light to. if i get that ill probably put a brighter sight on it and be good to go. its also really easy to field strip. been a good help.
and syrupman, a lot of people rave about those guns. but i dont like how far back the action goes, i dont like the action release, i dont like all the polymer (as they call it, but its plastic to me), and to me personally i dont think that the 887 action slides any easier than the 870 in fact maybe a little more rachety. If you have personal experience with this gun instead of just cosmetics thats one thing, and id be interested in hearing about your run in with both the 870 and the 887 and why you like one more than the other. but for ease of use i like the 500 and 870.

thwackdaddi

I don't have any input on the 500, but I've been shooting an 870 for 12 years (the same one). Can't beat it in my opinion. It's been on the bottom of lakes, beaten on boat rides, and used as an oar and still haven't needed to do any repairs. I just won an 887 so im going to give it a try this year. From what I hear you should be happy with eihter choice.

marlin30/30_drabe

the 500 is a good gun. the 870s have gone down hill in the past few years. the 870 wingmasters i heard are still pretty good but the expresses are crap. my dad's wingmaster from the around 1980 is a great gun

barry13

appreciate the help guys! I went to gander mtn. today to hold em and shoulder em and see how i liked em. on the ones in the store the 870 seemed nicer but i realize some of those show guns have been through some tough stuff. i thought the 870 had a little easier sliding action but that definatly doesnt put the 500 out of the running. they both shoulderd real nice. But i've been curious, is there a specific reason that the 870's have gone down hill? the one at gander seemed real nice. And according to them the only difference between the wingmaster and the express is the cosmetics. Do you guys agree? or happen to know about any internal differences?