During World War I, the Germans were so outraged at the United States’ use of the 12 gauge shotgun that they called for it to be banned from warfare. Keep in mind now, these are the folks who invented the flamethrower to cook their fellow man alive. Undeniably, the shotgun is the king of shoulder-fired weapons when it comes to power. Standard buckshot will launch nine .33 caliber pellets with one pull of the trigger. If you’re into heavier projectiles, you can send a 1 ¼-ounce slug along with good tidings. The Mossberg 590 A1 is still an issued shotgun for the US Military. What does the military want with a shotgun when they have actual assault rifles and a ton of other full-auto mayhem at their fingertips? 

• CQB. For close-quarters battle, the shotgun puts out a wicked volume of fire in a short time.
• Lethality. Nine pellets hitting an attacker or bad guy at once deliver trauma. Even though buckshot is a sphere that does not spin because it is not rifled, its sheer volume overwhelms the target. Hits from a 12-gauge usually put the attacker into a Forever Box. 
• Breaching. Among the vast array of shotgun ammo, breaching rounds can take out door locks and attack hinges. 
• Drones. Nowadays, drones are becoming an everyday part of the battlefield, so a shotgun is great medicine to combat them.

The Bad

There are some downsides to the scattergun, though; it’s not all sweetness and light. For one, the range is relatively short. Past around 30 yards or so, it’s likely to throw pellets off the target. 

Recoil with the 12 gauge is brutal; there’s just no other way to put it. It’s about as much fun as dealing with a crackhead who’s armed with a rusty railroad spike and a full piss jug. 

Pump action shotguns, and even autos, hold fewer rounds than a magazine-fed rifle. 

The Mossberg 590A1

Let’s take a closer look at the 590A1 and see what it brings to the table with the technical specifications. As mentioned, this shotgun is the pump action that’s issued to our military. Additionally, it’s also used by many police and law enforcement agencies, as well as civilians. 

Mossberg 590A1 Tech Specs

• Barrel Length: 20 inches.
• Capacity: 8+1.
• Caliber: 12 Gauge.
• Barrel Type: Heavy walled, cylinder bore. 
• Finish: Parkerized.
• Overall Length: 41 inches. 
• Sights: Ghost Ring.
• Weight: 7 pounds. 

There are a couple of things that led me to choose the 590A1 as my personal pick for a shotgun. And while I’m at it, let me say that this was a private purchase; I did not get any discount through Mossberg or anyone else. This review is completely unbiased.

One of the main influences that steered me toward the 590A1 is that the military uses it, and over the years, it has gained a sparkling reputation for being totally durable. The old “If it’s good enough for the military, it’s good enough for me” line of thinking is what I used here. 

The 590A1’s barrel is heavy-walled because the military wanted it to be able to withstand being slammed against steel bulkheads on ships and being pinched in steel hatches without the barrel bending. Certainly, it’s incredibly durable. 

In keeping with the durability theme, the trigger guard and safety are both metal and promise to keep on keeping on. While I’m at it, I’ll mention that this isn’t a short, light shotgun; it’s more of a beast but in a good way. 

In a world where the pump shotgun is generally considered to be the most reliable shotgun platform, the Mossberg is at the top of the heap. Pump shotguns are not sensitive to the type of ammunition they are fed because there’s no gas system to satisfy; the shooter is the gas system. On top of that, the pump action will run even when it is absolutely filthy, so if they can’t be cleaned often, no worries – they’ll still run! The 590A1 has dual action rails, which is one reason for its reliability, in that it pulls the bolt to the rear evenly and helps keep it from binding. 

Next was the 8+1 round capacity. Here, the 590 beats some of the other shotguns on the market in capacity. While nine rounds is not a large number of shots, the fact that we can launch 9 (or more) pellets with one pull of the trigger kind of makes up for it. 

The thicker barrel adds weight, which makes the 590A1 recoil slightly less. 

Although it’s not a huge issue, the safety is mounted on the tang of the weapon, which makes it truly ambidextrous. I believe this safety is the best on the market. Forward is fire, back is safe.

Overall, this shotgun is about as simple of a weapon as you can get. I like that, as it adheres to one of my favorite philosophies: KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid).

Mossberg 590A1 for Sale

Where to Find Yours Mossberg 590A1 Shotgun

• Gun.Deals ($$$ compare)
• Primary Arms
• Guns.com
• Palmetto State Armory

Ammunition

I run several types of ammunition through my shotguns, including Sellier & Bellot and Federal. 

My absolute favorite is Federal’s Tactical 00 Buckshot, which is a reduced recoil round that exhibits the very tightest patterns of any buckshot I’ve ever used. The velocity is also reduced, which is how they get it to be reduced recoil. Between that and the ultra-tight pattern is the reason it’s my favorite. Unfortunately, that means it is also hard to find, and I almost always have to hunt around for it and order it online. Pro tip: when you find it available, order a bunch at one time.

As I mentioned, there are also slugs of one ounce and ounce-and-a-quarter that can be fired with devastating results. 

Other types of buckshot are also out there, including #4 buckshot, which has 27 pellets in .22 caliber. That’s quite a swarm of pellets and one of the loads that I was issued when I worked for the Department of Corrections.

And for those who like options, there are a number of less lethal rounds on the market. While some of those rounds won’t cycle well in a semi-auto shotgun, they’ll run perfectly in the pump action. 

Modifications

There are a million add-on accessories that can be bolted onto a shotgun, including side saddle ammo carriers, lights, lasers, optics, slings, and other goodies. 

I may add a side saddle ammo carrier to my 590A1 in the near future. A light would be nice as well, though I’ll have to see about mounting systems, since I don’t want to change the forearm, as I’m happy with it. And lights that are integral to the forearm tend to make the entire piece very bulky. 

I did, however, immediately change the buttstock because the factory stock is just a little too long for me; I really have to reach for the forearm to rack the slide. And if I’m wearing a coat or other equipment, which makes the stock seem even longer, I have to reach further.

Upon the advice of a friend, I bought a buttstock from Hogue that is 12 inches in length (versus the factory 14-inch stock). Well, as I soon found out, it certainly is shorter by a wide margin. In fact, it felt too short at first, and 13 inches would have been the sweet spot for me. However, the more I play around with it, the more used to it I get. As my friend Wayne opined, “You can always adapt to a shorter stock, but not a longer one.” And he’s right in that a stock that’s too long is just simply…too long. And that won’t change. 

For now, the Hogue stock will stay in place, and we’ll see how it pans out. If that doesn’t work, another friend tells me that Magpul buttstocks have a set of spacers that allow the shooter to pretty much customize the stock to the desired length. That might be an option in the future.

One other modification that I might consider down the road is to have the barrel worked over by Mag-Na-Port. They cut ports in the barrel, directing gasses upward and forward, which reduces the felt recoil considerably. I just spoke with a fellow who had his 590A1 done, and he’s quite happy with it. 

My Experience with the Mossberg 590a1

I wasn’t about to subject the 590A1 to a rigorous 5,000-round torture test since the military already has done that a hundred times better than I ever could. Frankly, my shoulder wouldn’t tolerate such a test, and it would be quite expensive. I did, however, put it through its paces on the shooting range. 

Shooting the 590A1 was, to put it simply, boring, which is a great thing. It was boringly reliable, which was totally expected.

One thing that I have to note, though, that I didn’t expect was that the recoil was milder than other shotguns, such as my Remington 870. Yes, there was a noticeable (and pleasant) difference. 

I used a couple of different types of loads, including the aforementioned Federal Tactical Buckshot (OO Buck) with nine pellets. I also used another low-recoil OO buckshot load from Federal, as well as some Sellier & Bellot OO buckshot. 

From what I can gather, the recoil is tamed by the extra thick, heavy barrel that the 590A1 sports. No, it didn’t feel like I was shooting a .22 Long Rifle, but the reduction in recoil was enough to make me sit up and take notice.

The Federal Tactical buckshot kept all the pellets in a fairly tight pattern at 20 yards and would likely keep all pellets on target out to about 30 or so yards easily. This is easily my very favorite load out of all 12 gauge buckshot, and I enjoy using it through every shotgun that I fire. The tight patterns and softer recoil make it a winner, and Federal ammunition has always been of high quality, in my experience. 

The 590A1 ran very smoothly, and I attribute the dual action bars to be partly responsible for that. Aside from that, it’s just a very well-made, nicely machined action that I’m sure will only smooth out more over time. Naturally, reliability was 100%, which came as no shock. 

The ghost ring sights made accurate shooting fast and easy, and they are my favorite sight configuration for a shotgun. After decades of using the sights on the M1, M1A, and various AR15 platforms, the ghost ring sights are perfectly intuitive on the 590A1. 

Final Thoughts

Overall, I could not be more pleased with Mossberg’s 590A1. Although it weighs a little more than many other shotguns, that extra weight has a couple of advantages. First, it cuts down on the felt recoil that the shooter experiences. Secondly, it’s because the weapon is stoutly made, so it will never fail. 

Reliability with this platform has become legendary, and for good reason. And, of course, the ability of the 12-gauge round to bring hostilities to a speedy halt. Not to mention the versatility that this caliber offers.

The only downside of the 590A1 is the price tag, which came out to around $700 or so. Yes, you can purchase a lesser shotgun for a lesser price, but then you’re just getting…a lesser shotgun. However, when compared to other quality auto-loading shotguns on the market, the 590A1’s price tag quickly becomes much more attractive.

As far as I’m concerned, the 590A1 is at the top rung of the pump action shotgun ladder, and I don’t see it being knocked off any time soon. This one’s a keeper!