the Mossberg 500 and 590 How are they different?

[antibiotic]

im trying to figure out the difference between them. are they the same internally? do they just call it a 590 because of cosmetics, compared to the 500. thanks jim

[nemoaz]

They are largely the same internally. The 590 has a different barrel attachment method (more like the 870) with an extended tube, and-- I think-- metal safety and trigger guard. The other things, like sights, heat shield or bayonet lug, should be obvious.

[antibiotic]

so they are different! you can not mix a 500/590 barrels with one to fit on another?
im just trying to figure out which one i'd like to purchase. i know the 500 is the most popular.

[jhgreasemonkey]

No you can't switch the barrels between the two. They are both good, but if you are looking for one to switch barrels on for different uses then the 500 makes more sense. There are barrels for the model 500 all over the place.

[USMCGrunt]

Actually, I believe you can change out the barrel assembly however that also means changing out the magazine tube as well. As far as the receiver, stocks, bolts and trigger groups (pretty much everything except the barrel, magazine and magazine cap) and the other parts, they are both identical and can be swapped between the different models. Yes, the M-590A1 has a metal trigger guard and safety button rather than plastic as found on the M-590 or M-500 but even those parts are interchangable.

[nemoaz]

I'm not sure about that grunt. I know you can change the magazine tube on a 6 shot (5 in the mag) 500 to make it an 8 shot (7 in mag) 500, but it isnt' a necesarily easy thing to do. The mag tubes are hard to remove and easy to damage if you go crazy with the wrench on them.

As the last 500 I bought was only $209 at Wally, I decided to buy another Mossy rather than change the barrels and sight in my scope each time.

[DonR101395]

The mag tubes are hard to remove and easy to damage if you go crazy with the wrench on them.




They aren't hard to do, a small strap wrench and kroil is your friend. For my SBS I used a 500 that I had had for years and bought a 590 parts kit minus the receiver. It took about 20 minutes to make the change from 20" 8 shot 500 to 14" 5 shot 500/590 hybrid. I then resold the 500 parts to recover some of my cost.

[Lee Lapin]

The main difference is that, per military contract specifications, the 590 has a magazine tube that can be cleaned out on a through and through basis. That is, once the magazine cap is taken off, the other parts in the magazine can be removed from the front and the magazine cleaned out easily, damaged parts replaced etc.

On the other hand, any maintenance on the 500 magazine tube other than installing/removing the factory plug requires that the magazine tube be unscrewed from the receiver. These differences mandate different methods for attaching the barrels, as has been mentioned. That's the main difference...

For a serious drag in the mud/dust shotgun, I'd get a 590 if I were going to get a Mossberg pumpgun.

lpl

[nemoaz]

They aren't hard to do, a small strap wrench and kroil is your friend. Yeah.... except so many people put vise grips or adjustable wrenches on them and collapse the tube.

[L-2]

When talking 500 vs. 590, Mossberg now has a few exceptions. It used to be the main difference was the 590 series having a mag tube with the "clean out" or clean through" feature, meaning a magazine cap is removable, not attached to the barrel, and upon removal, the barrel, mag spring, and follower can be removed and the mag tube cleaned out as necessary.

Alternatively, the 500 had a mag tube with its forward end closed off, keeping the mag spring and follower captive an generally unavailable to the user. On these models, the barrel is held on with a captive bolt attached to the barrel, where the bolt comes off & stays attached to the barrel when the barrel is removed.

Now, there are models of 500 which have both methods of mag tube and barrel attachment.

I suppose, just look very closely at the features you'd want in a gun, paying particular attention to how the barrel attaches, when shopping for a Mossberg 500, 590, or 590A1.