There are a lot of police as well as military applications of the Mossberg so it can’t be all that bad. Of course the military version is an upgrade of the 500. The main complaint I have heard on the 500 is the alloy rather than a steel receiver. I don’t really see this as an issue.
We have a 500 field/home combo that has both a 28” barrel with screw in chokes and a 18.5” fixed cylinder (open) barrel. The only reason for us picking the 500 vs the 870 was the feel of the gun and the location of the tang safety. The safety location is the same as on our target shotguns that we shoot on a regular basis.
My opinion is that either pump is just fine. Go to where both are available and see what feels good to you. As for pump vs auto for a workhorse shotgun, the pump will work every time but the auto may not live up to that. That said, the new Beretta A400 series shotguns are worth a look.
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