I had an 870 and then a 500 on embassy duty. The 870 had an 18" barrel and a folding stock and was wood. The 500 had a 14" barrel and a solid stock and was plastic. They were both good guns--about the same mechanically. Equivalent retail, I think. I really liked the little 14" barrel, though. Nice to have something you could keep in your shoulder going over the top while entering a room.
I personally have a 590--which is a trench gun version of the 500. It has a bayonet lug and a heat shield so you can blast 9 rounds (which it can load) and then grab it and stab a bunch of people with an M9 bayonet, which it accepts. My defense gun, though, is a Remington 11-87 Premier I bought in 1991 and have since fitted with an 18" cylinder bore police barrel with iron sights--parkerized so it doesn't match the receiver. It's a wonderful autoloader. There may not be the classic schunk-schunk when you jack it, but there is a nasty szchink when you let the hold go home. It doesn't punch your shoulder--and we had to shoot hundreds of #4 Buck rounds per day in training with the pump guns so I know something about bruises. The 11-87 has a big push, but no punch. You can pop off 5 rounds as quick as thinking about it. It never jams. I have several barrels--a 28" anti aircraft barrel and a rifled deer barrel among them.
I have messed with an H&R recently and I would steer away from that $200 abortion if that temptation is preying on your mind. Using that for anything would be like an eye surgeon using a pipe wrench. It's a piece of crap. But it is cheap. If it's all you can afford, it's better than nothing.
