If you’ve ever considered getting a pump-action shotgun, then you’ve likely taken a good hard look at both the Mossberg 500 and the Remington 870. When it comes to these companies and their shotguns, it’s almost like choosing between getting a Mac or a PC; there are die hard fans of each and, once you find what you like, you’ll usually stick with it. Me? I’m a Mossberg man, and I’ve had a Mossberg pump-action of some kind or another for the last decade.

My first shotgun was a Mossberg Maverick 88, and my first straight 25’s in both skeet and trap were with Mossberg pumps; a 590 Mariner and 500 field model respectively.  I certainly respect the Remington 870 and those that prefer them, but the Mossberg has never given me a reason to want anything else. That said, the Mossberg series of shotguns have some design peculiarities that are worth investigating in order to decide if it is the right choice for your home defense shotgun.

Every Mossberg 500 and 590 shotgun starts out with an aluminum receiver. Because of this, Mossberg guns manage to remain lightweight while still being strong enough to handle rough duty. Mossberg shotguns are no strangers to being stuffed in a police cruiser or dragged through a swamp, and in recent years, they have proven themselves as very capable breaching tools and combat weapons in Iraq and Afghanistan. Their reputation is pretty compelling, but it’s hardly the only reason to choose a Mossberg for your home defense gun.

In addition to its lightweight construction, the Mossberg 500 series has a couple of nice features that make it exceptionally intuitive to use. The first is its shell lifter. Unlike almost every other repeating shotgun on the market, the Mossberg’s shell lifter only lowers for an instant during the loading cycle when the slide is all the way to the rear. This prevents debris from being able to accumulate inside the receiver and also helps make loading easier. With the gun upside down shells can be dropped into the receiver and simply pushed into the magazine tube which is helpful should you lose your grasp on a round under stress. Additionally, there is no risk of having your thumb or glove caught between the shell lifter and magazine since it rests up and out of the way.

Most Mossberg defense shotguns also incorporate a fully ambidextrous safety located on the tang of the receiver. This safety is easily accessed by the firing hand thumb from either side of the gun. The slide release on all models is located just behind the trigger guard on the left side of the gun and can be easily manipulated with the firing hand as well. All of these features come together to help make the Mossberg 500 and 590 shotguns some of the most ergonomic and user-friendly pump actions on the market, and this success has led to a truly massive product catalog.