MY IMPRESSIONS
This is a big gun – long, heavy and equipped with a bayonet lug. The full-length magazine tube is supported in two places by thick steel bands. The Parkerized, thick steel tube and barrel can take a beating without bending. The long, perforated heat shield suggests that the barrel will become too hot to touch. Clearly, this is not the Mossberg 500 I used to hunt rabbits in high school.
My two favorite features of this military style gun are the synthetic wood grips and the ghost ring sights. The hard plastic stock is a deep reddish color that passes for real wood from a distance. It is attractive and functional. The pistol grip is nicely checkered to aid my control of the firearm. The forearm’s deep rings help my grip and look good doing it. The soft rubber vented butt pad absorbs the stout kick.
The ghost ring rear sight is adjustable for windage and elevation and naturally centers the massive, bright red front blade sight. This simple arrangement gives me confidence when I aim. The rear sight is well protected by heavy steel wings, while the front is thick steel. My peripheral vision is not impaired looking down the barrel, and I can pick up moving targets. The receiver top is drilled and tapped to substitute other sight types of sights or a Picatinny rail.
More Features
Other features that jump out as I hold this Mossberg are its tang safety, dual extractors, metal trigger group, and eight-round magazine capacity. Aside from the right-side ejection port, the 590A1 is ambidextrous. Its safety is centrally located on the rear receiver. It is highly visible and positive in its slide movement.
Although not readily visible, the twin shell extractors ensure that empties are extracted from the chamber reliably. Unlike the early model 500, the trigger group is metal alloy instead of polymer – a good move to enhance reliability. Finally, the 8+1 round count on this gun mean that I will not be reaching for spare shells very often.
The classic pump action is tough to beat for reliability. Unlike semi-auto shotguns, there is no gas system to fail. Each shell is pumped by hand. The 590A1 has twin action bars to ensure that each pump of the action cycles a new round.
Although I do not need a bayonet when I hunt quail or shoot trap competition, I am glad this Mossberg has the option. The stiff magazine tube and barrel steel will support such an attachment.
SPECIFICATIONS
- Overall Length: 40 inches
- Weight: 7.25 pounds
- Length of Pull: 14 inches
- Trigger: 8 pounds, 4 ounces
- Sights: Rear ghost ring aperture adjustable for windage and elevation, front high-visibility red blade
- Barrel Length: 20 inches
- Magazine Tube: 8-round capacity w/ 2.75-inch shells
- Stock: Wood-tone polymer
- Choke: Cylinder bore
- Barrel Heat Shield: 13.75 inches
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Safety: Tang-mounted slide
SHOOTING Time
Area 52 in Arizona is the perfect setting for shooting alien root beer jugs and steel with the Mossberg. My cameraman Ben loves Steve McQueen in a 1972 movie called “The Getaway,” but the real star of the show is McQueen’s 12-gauge pump shotgun. Time to see if I can shoot as well as old Steve did!
Loading the shotgun is easy. Just turn it over and insert eight 2.75-inch shells into the magazine one at a time. The eighth shell meets with a bit of resistance from the mainspring but does go in. Next, rack the slide vigorously to chamber a round and add a ninth shell to the magazine.
Ammunition for this test is Winchester 2.75-inch buckshot with nine pellets per shell rated at 1,325 fps. This is hard-hitting ammo. I also will fire a few Federal Target loads with #8 shot moving at a slower 1,200 fps. The 590A1 is rated to fire any 12-gauge load from 2.75 to 3-inch shells, including door breech loads, slugs, and rubber bullets.
Several soda cans and 2-liter jugs are aligned at about 10 yards. Shooting from left to right, I notice that the sights are zeroed a bit low. By holding higher, I hit every pop can and jug in order as I go. Tho jugs vaporize and the cans disappear under the high velocity onslaught. Using lighter target loads mixed with buckshot, I shoot the steel target located a bit farther out. The cylinder-bore-choked muzzle holds a tight pattern even at moderately longer distances, which I attribute to the longer 20-inch barrel.
I encountered two failures to eject during today’s test. I believe that I did not pump the action vigorously enough both times. The plastic empty must clear the ejection port fully, and this requires a strong pump action. More practice on my part would help.
PROS & Cons
Pros:
- High quality
- Choice of U.S. military for standard pump shotgun
- 11 million Model 500s sold to date
- 8+1 capacity
- Compatible with 2.75 and 3-inch shells
- Heavy gauge steel barrel and magazine tube
- Bayonet lug included
- Heavy duty adjustable battle sights
- Receiver is drilled and tapped for other sights
- Sling swivels included
- Recoil-absorbing vented butt plate
- Attractive wood-grain polymer stock
- Parkerized finish
Cons:
- Must be pumped vigorously
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Heavy trigger pull
Final THOUGHTS
I bet Steve McQueen wished he had this pump shotgun while filming “The Getaway.” The U.S. military’s choice for its standard pump shotgun, it is stronger, has a greater round count, and a weather-proof finish to boot. With a wide variety of shells possible and no finicky gas system to adjust, this large shotgun protects our troops.
It is fun to shoot and would be a good home defense gun or be competitive in many action shooting sports. Check out the Mossberg 590A1 – it is a beast.
