Mossberg 590R Review: A Redesigned, Reliable Powerhouse
Mossberg might be most well known for their use of a tang safety on their shotguns, but that’s changing with the new 590R series. Mossberg sent us one to test and review, and we’ve put it through the wringer trying to see what works and what doesn’t.
Mossberg 590R Specs
- Caliber 12 guage
- Weight 7.1 lbs
- Length 36.25″
- Length (barrel) 18.5″
- Capacity 6 + 1
The Mossberg 590R – A Radical Change
Can we call moving the safety from the tang to the receiver radical? As a shotgun enthusiast and Mossberg 590 fan, I certainly do. The tang safety is a big draw to Mossberg shotguns, and with a traditional stock, it’s the “Bee’s knees.” However, if you add a pistol grip style stock, it starts to fall apart, as the safety becomes difficult to reach. That’s where the 590R comes into play.
This is not a mere rehash of the classic Mossberg 500, nor is it simply a 590 with a pistol grip slapped on as an afterthought. The Mossberg 590R represents a shotgun that was meticulously designed from the ground up to offer shooters modern ergonomics with a modern stock system. If you’re familiar with the AR, the 590R will feel right at home in your hands.
The big change is the safety moved to the receiver. It’s ambidextrous and acts like an AR-style safety. This allows for an inline stock system and pistol grip that’s identical to an AR. In fact, it uses an M4 style adjustable stock and an AR-15 pistol grip.
While the ergonomics have changed, the core shotgun has not. It’s still a 590, which means it’s rugged, dependable, and proven by decades of use by police and military forces. Mossberg ensured the 590R series is a modern shotgun that’s optics-ready and even has a few M-LOK slots for a well-placed light.
Personally, I like traditional shotgun stocks, but I do know there are plenty of people who appreciate a pistol grip stock and an easily adjustable design. In a world where the first long gun someone owns is often an AR-15, having a familiar manual of arms seems like a substantial benefit.
Bucking Trends With the 590R
Let’s jump right into the ergonomics discussion since that’s the biggest change. The stainless steel ambidextrous safety handles just like an AR safety. It falls right where your thumb wants to meet it and makes it easy to flick on and off. As a safety, it’s fantastic and ergonomic, but there is a slight problem.
The ambidextrous design can provide some sting to your trigger finger. It wants to come down when the gun’s fired and it can dig into your finger. This only happened when I used full-powered loads, but it’s notable.
Beyond that, it’s clear Mossberg spent a lot of time with this design. The safety is well-placed and easy to access, but also well-protected. The stock adapter adds a shield over the top of the safety to prevent anything from accessing the safety from the top of the gun. This includes your own gear which might rub against the safety.
The Mossberg-produced stock has tons of sling points and a nice thick recoil pad. Don’t like it? Don’t worry, remove it and swap it with any other AR-style stock, and you can have it any which way but loose. The Magpul pistol grip is great, and the stock setup allows for rapid length-of-pull adjustments.
Mossberg is using a new pump design that’s smaller than normal, but still more than enough pump to grab and go. The smaller pump seems to be due to the heat shield that’s attached to the barrel. It’s a fantastic heat shield and sits off the barrel so a layer of air sits between the barrel and heat shield. This makes it a very efficient design.
Running and Gunning
The stock design allows for an inline stock design. This places your shoulder in line with the bore, just like your standard AR. This has some benefits and some downsides. The downside is that you have to use AR-height sights, which are higher than you’d expect. Mossberg included a set of Magpul MBUS style rifle sights with the 590R.
The downside of higher sights comes down to two factors. First, we get height over bore problems. This isn’t a big deal with basic buckshot loads; with tighter patterning tactical loads, the pattern appears to hit low at five yards, which isn’t out of the realm for shotgun use. The other problem is that using taller optics makes it tough to access the loading port for a speed reload or potentially drawing shells from a side saddle.
The benefit of an inline stock is less muzzle rise. The recoil is going rearward, and due to the inline design, there is less of a pivot upward. This could potentially make it faster and easier to get back on target. I found the 590R to feel a bit more flat in nature, and it did provide a little less muzzle rise than a standard-stocked shotgun.
With the included rifle sight, I did find myself struggling to land two rounds in less than a second, which is a standard I have with pump shotguns. I was dangling around 1.05 seconds. Folding the sights down and tossing a red dot cleaned that up, and I was able to drive my double taps to a little under a second.
Shooting Straight
Besides the height over bore problem, the accuracy isn’t an issue. It’s a shotgun, and at most buckshot ranges, you’ll hit your target. Outside of seven yards, the height over bore problem becomes a lot less of an issue with a tight patterning tactical load.
The 590R’s Magpul rifle sights make it useful for shooting slugs. At 50 and 100 yards, I can hit an IPSC sized target repeatedly and easily with Federal Tactical slugs. It’s surprisingly fun to shoot slugs at 100 yards and hear that whallop as they hit steel. One-ounce slugs deliver a very satisfying noise on steel targets.
Reliability isn’t a concern either. It’s a pump shotgun built on a proven platform. I’ve lost count of how many rounds I’ve put through this gun. It’s an absolute beast and chews through standard and three-inch shells without a problem. It’s a capable defensive shotgun that’s reliable enough for duty use.
Mossberg 590R Pros and Cons
- Inline Stock Design
- Reliable Action
- Optics Ready
- Awesome Ergonomics
- Height Over Bore Issues
Report Card |
||
Reliability |
At its core, the 590R is still a 590 and maintains the reliability that’s made these guns so legendary. |
A+ |
Accuracy |
The accuracy isn’t a major issue, but the height over bore does detract from its ultra-close-range performance with tactical buckshot. |
B+ |
Shootability |
For a pump shotgun, it shoots extremely well. It’s easy to handle with slightly less muzzle rise than most other shotguns. |
A- |
Ergonomics |
The ergonomics are mostly great, the one downside being the safety thumping your trigger finger when you fire full-powered rounds. |
B- |
Value |
The 590R series are considerably more expensive than the standard 590. |
C |
Our Grade
B+
Reviewed by Travis Pike
Reader’s Grade
TBD
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Best Ammo for the 590R
Although ammo’s rather scarce at the moment, that doesn’t mean you won’t find anything. We recommend that you pick up two different rounds as well. Home defense and some training ammunition.
About Travis Pike
Travis Pike is a former Marine Machine Gunner and a lifelong firearms enthusiast. Now that his days of working a 240B like Charlie Parker on the sax are over, he's a regular guy who likes to shoot, write, and find ways to combine the two. He is a "simplicisist" when it comes to talking about himself in the 3rd person and a self-professed tactical hipster. Hit him up on Instagram with story ideas.
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