Mossberg 590A1 Shotgun + MagPul furniture = Radical Riot Gun

Opinion
Mossberg 590A1 Magpul Series 6 Shot Tactical Shotgun #51417 Review
Editors Note: This article first ran on AmmoLand News in 2015.

USA -(Ammoland.com)- Almost since their founding, MagPul has been an industry leader with regard to AR15 accessories.

In recent years the company has turned its attention to accessories for other platforms such as AK47s, Glock pistols and even shotguns.

These efforts have proved so popular that there are now shotguns such as the Remington 870 and the Mossberg 500 and 590 series shipping from the factory with MagPul furniture.

Buttstocks and forends for most pump shotguns are a relatively quick and easy installation, and shotgun accessories have been leading the pack when it comes to aftermarket accessories for almost five decades.

The advantage to ordering a factory-ready shotgun outfitted with MagPul furniture is in “keeping it in factory condition,” this helps in the resale or trade-in value of the firearm as well as from the legal perspective of “altering a firearm.” Although such prosecutions for merely changing a stock and forend are rare, anti-gun or anti-self-defense prosecutors can be like opportunistic thieves: if you give them a chance, they will take it.

Mossberg 590A1 Shotgun: The Good

Mossberg shipped us a brand new Mossberg 590A1 Magpul Series 6 Shot Tactical Shotgun model #51417 with a fluted barrel. The original Mossberg 590A1 heavy barrels were designed at the request of the United States Marine Corps Security Forces for use with shipboard security teams who need to work and fight in close quarters. The thicker profile dissipates heat quickly and keeps the shotgunner from burning the next guy in the stack on a dynamic entry or other such scenario.

Adding flutes to the barrel lightens the load slightly and gives it a more aesthetically pleasing look. All else is the same on the 590A1: tang mounted safety, bead sight, etc. The shotgun can easily handle both two ¾” and 3” shells.

MagPul’s forend is ribbed on the bottom to allow for a positive grip and has down-turned lips front and rear that act as hand stops. The sides of the forend are slotted to accept MagPul’s M-Lok Rail Sections so that the shooter can easily add a laser or flashlight if so desired.

The Buttstocks on the Mossberg 590A1 Shotgun offers an angle somewhere between a traditional shotgun grip and a pistol grip. The stock includes several spacers that the shooter can remove to adjust the length of pull to whatever is desired. This option is a real benefit should you run your shotgun while wearing a vest or plate carrier on occasion; simply remove a few spacers, and your length of pull will remain consistent.

One thing that works particularly well with this type of stock is the ease of accessing the receiver-mounted safety as opposed to a more traditional shotgun stock.

At the range, the Mossberg 590A1 Shotgun performed well. We experienced no problems with ammunition choices. We found the stock spacers to spread less felt recoil after every shot. Some people do not agree, but for us, it makes for a very pleasant shooting shotgun.

This particular model’s receiver is drilled and tapped for an easy scope mount installation. We found Federal’s low recoil 2 ¾” 00 Buckshot to pattern the best at 25 yards.

Mossberg 590A1 Shotgun: The Bad

In all honesty, you cannot go wrong with a Mossberg pump-action 590A1. It is easily one of the top three home-defense shotguns in the world.

The buttstock does take some getting used to. Some of the author’s peers in the publishing world do not care for MagPul’s furniture, but the author feels this bias comes from a long background by some authors in the shotgun shooting sports. If you started as a rifle shooter before you ever picked up a shotgun, you would like this stock.

With that said, we did feel a bit slower when engaging multiple targets. This may be due to shooting more traditional stocks on more familiar shotguns over the years. The difference was not huge; it just seemed slightly slower than normal.

The forend feels solid, and the ability to add rail sections is hampered if you have extra-large hands like the author. After adding one section to take a SureFire Scout Light, the best advice is to remove the forend first carefully.

Our only real complaint is the lack of a choke system on this model. Shotgun aficionados may scoff at the 18” barrel length and using a choke of any kind, but this is no longer the day of merely Turkey chokes or Modified chokes on scatterguns. Today’s shooters can add Tactical Breacher Chokes if they so desire or even a silencer for their shotgun in the form of the Silencerco Salvo.

Mossberg 590A1 Shotgun: The Reality

For the budget conscious or those who only want to upgrade either the stock or the forend on their existing shotgun, this may not be the way to go. Likewise, if you find a particular model on the rack for a good price and want just to add the MagPul Furniture later; it can probably be more cost effective to do so that way.

If you are looking for a shotgun for the first time and your interests, lie more with tactical rifles, three – gun shooting, ringing steel and personal defense the Mossberg 590A1 Shotgun might be more up your alley than someone who is a clay buster or bird hunter.

Those are noble activities in their own right, but this is not the right shotgun for those sports.

About Mike Searson

Mike Searson’s career as a shooter began as a Marine Rifleman at age 17. He has worked in the firearms industry his entire adult life as a Gunsmith, Ballistician, Consultant, Salesman, Author and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1989.

Mike has written over 2000 articles for several magazines, websites and newsletters including Blade, RECOIL, OFF-GRID, Tactical Officer, SWAT, Tactical World, Gun Digest, Examiner.com and the US Concealed Carry Association as well as AmmoLand Shooting Sports News.

• Home page: www.mikesearson.com
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Watch GunBlast.com’s Jeff Quinn review a similar but earlier version of this fighting shotgun.

The post Mossberg 590A1 Shotgun + MagPul furniture = Radical Riot Gun appeared first on AmmoLand.com.