Shotguns, by their very nature, always seemed like the hammers of the firearms world. Beefy and packing a serious punch, they are serious tools for serious people that need such tools.
And, in the case of the pump-action versions, shotguns speak an international language with a simple hard racking.
That racking is the universally recognized message of ‘you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time.’
Mossberg has emerged as the king of the shotgun makers. It has a long history of designing and making shotguns. Most probably recognize Mossberg as a sporting shotgun maker with its well-earned reputation for reliability and durability in the duck blinds, goose pits, upland fields and deer blinds where hunters have depended on Mossberg for decades.
In the past, Mossberg’s presence in the professional arena of shotguns was not as commanding. There was a time back when Remington shotguns were a thing, before Cerberus Capital/Freedom Group expanded Remington’s portfolio into the realm of bankruptcy. Big Green, as it was once known, had about 75% of the law enforcement shotgun market with Mossberg claiming the other 25%.
That was then. This, is now.
Mossberg has a growing catalog of very popular tactical and personal defense shotguns. I have one of their 590A1 Magpul editions, which is definitely my ‘wrong place, wrong time’ negotiator…should the need arise.
The 590A1s are workhorses, and I wouldn’t fault you for arguing they’re hard to improve upon. That would probably be my position on the issue. That is until I, along with several other writers, got an early look at their new Professional Series.
Over the last three years Mossberg’s design team has been hard at work to deliver law enforcement officers and agencies a new hammer to protect and serve, and when needed, mete out 12 gauge justice. These are their Professional Series shotguns.
Riding herd over the process to insure the needs of the officers are met has been Mossberg’s Jeremy Stafford. Stafford, a former law enforcement officer with actual hands-on, been there, done that experience in the professional use of shotguns, kept the design focus on what today’s officers need.
As Stafford explained, “It’s an evolutionary change, not a revolutionary change, as there is only so much you can do with a fighting shotgun.” But, oh, what an evolution we’re seeing.
The Professional Series will have a few models to choose from that are mission specific. There is the 590A1 Professional Series which will come in 9 variations, all with an K footprint optic cut (for the Holosun 407K or 507K) and the new Mossberg low-profile metal ghost ring rear sight and front fiber optic sight with protective wings.
These new sights are non-adjustable so they won’t come off. Since the barrel on the Professional Series shotguns is optimized for the LE132 tactical buckshot load, accuracy is driven by the barrel with the sights directing aim.
There will be two 9-shot 20” barrel versions, six 7-shot 18.5” versions, and one 14” NFA model.
The 590A1 Professional Series model has standard furniture, and 18.5” bbl and a Cerakote finish which is done in-house. A Dark Gray color was chosen so the Professional Series would have a distinct identity separate from the other Mossberg products, but there is also Orange for less lethal and Marinecote finishes.
There are four models of the 590M in the Professional Series, including an LE Breacher with improved grip, box magazine, tang safety…plus a QD cup on back. The mag-fed 590M gives officers more capacity as well as the ability to change magazines to a different less lethal round.
The Professional Series shotguns also will have a short stock with comb designed for a low cheek weld. The length of pull (LOP) with butt pad is 12 inches. And that butt pad is designed by people who understand shotguns, rounded at top and pointed at the bottom.
Stafford explained the decision on the stock dimensions this way, “Everybody can shoot a short stocked shotgun, but shorter stature people cannot shoot long LOP guns properly.” We proved that to be true out on the range at Gunsite. I hate short LOP shotguns but I can certainly shoot them without any issue.
He also stressed that the Professional Series guns are not cobbled together from parts. With Mossberg’s deep catalog and experience making shotguns one might assume this was the case. But ‘parts is parts’ was not the design parameters the team worked under. Instead, every design and feature choice was made with a purpose.
The final element that goes into the Professional Series shotguns is an added level of quality control inspection from the factory. Similar, or maybe identical, to how Mossberg inspects their military contract shotguns, each gun is gone over with the proverbial fine-tooth comb. The Professional Series are absolutely fighting shotguns, though one hopes it doesn’t come to that, but should it, officers on duty can go to their shotgun with confidence because it’s been built for business.
Now, to the new models I was most intrigued by…because bright, shiny objects and all that.
Mossberg’s new 590R (standard tube fed style) and 590RM (the Mossberg magazine fed version) are consumer shotguns that feature several key upgrades that are a departure from what you find on traditional Mossberg shotguns.
First, and perhaps the most notable to longtime Mossberg fans, is the ambi AR-style rotary safety selector. The safety design pairs well in terms of the manual of arms for anybody that is already familiar or trained to deploy AR-15 variant rifles. The ergonomics of the safety makes its use intuitive for AR shooters.
The next most noticeable change is the incorporation of a flat trigger. Flat triggers have grown in prominence across ARs as well as pistols, particularly through aftermarket upgrades. Having shot the new Mossberg factory flat trigger in the 590R I can tell you I love it. I am a fan of flat triggers and Mossberg’s definitely performs.
As for the furniture on the new shotgun, the stock is 5-position Mossberg model, adjusting from 12 to 15.25 inches, that has been used on a few of their other models. It has QD cups for sling placement and an oversized shock absorbing butt pad which is a very welcomed feature when shooting buckshot and slugs all day long.
The Stock Adapter is a single piece design with left and right QD cups and is a steel reinforced polymer. If you look closely you’ll notice what looks like slight wings at the back of the receiver with is an integrated rotary safety switch protection. I never really noticed them, which probably speaks to a solid design.
The grip is a Magpul MOE pistol grip which most shooters are going to be familiar with. The bolt release, though not ambi, is optimized for the pistol grip so the shooter doesn’t have to break their grip to operate it.
The loading port in the 590R is enlarged and beveled and has an extended follower. This incorporates some of the user-friendly functionality found in the JM Pro model, proving once again that features developed in competition can contribute beyond the trophy race.
Topped by a Picatinny rail, the receiver itself is an electroplated aircraft-grade aluminum, but the bolt to barrel lock up is steel to steel.
The forend is a new patent pending 4-piece ergonomic short design that reduces left and right movement. The action bar design lowers maintenance cost for end users, and it’s likely we’ll see this new design integrated into the existing 500 and 590 models in the future.
Finally, over the 18.5” barrel is a single piece heat shield which I think we all found to be quite effective. I never noticed an issue handling the 590R, even after a long day of shooting.
The new 590R will be available in two versions to start. Each with the 18.5” barrel and a 6+1 tube. One will come with the MBUS 3 sights and the other with a stand-off devise. The same goes for the 590RM.
Which one you go with is up to you but either way you won’t be making a bad choice. And the best thing to come from all this work on the new shotguns is that we’ll see many of these features make their way into other Mossberg models. So, more evolutionary change is one the way.
As for the new Professional Series shotguns, officials at Mossberg made it clear that these will also be available to consumers. So, maybe look for these in your favorite retailer’s shotgun display.
— Paul Erhardt, Managing Editor, the Outdoor Wire Digital Network