[itgoesboom]

Back when I was 18, the first firearm I purchased was a shotgun, a Mossberg 500 5+1 with the 18 1/2" and 28" barrels.

Worked pretty nicely. First time out shooting clays I broke 22 and 24 out of 25, and my best previous score was the low teens.

I practiced and practiced with it, slugs, buck, birdshot, everything I could get my hands on. I practiced till my shoulder was black and blue.

Then I installed the sidesaddle.

And this is what I am embaressed about.

When trying to undo the screws in the reciever, one of them stripped pretty badly, and I was never able to remove it, so my sidesaddle is held on by one screw, and a few feet of black electrical tape. :what:

I am so ashamed that I haven't brought it to the range in the last 8 years. It just sits under my bed, jealous of all my other firearms that I take to the range.

I feel like such a bad gunowner.

But the question is, how much do you think it would cost me to get a smith to remove that screw and put in the right sized one for the sidesaddle.

Also, how long does a mag spring last, and how will I know when I should replace it, and can it be replace.

Thanks, and please forgive my neglect.

I.G.B.

[nickthecanuck]

I am assuming that your side saddle is similar to the one I had for my m500.

If its the rear of the two screws couldn't you dremmel a new slot onto the screw head with a cutting disk?

Or, if it is the screw that holds the ejector on, you should be able to take off the plastic part of the side saddle and get at the nut that it attaches to.

[itgoesboom]

Nick, its the screw that you access through the ejection port.

The screw doesn't reach into the plastic on the sidesaddle, cuz it is the mossberg factory screw.

I must say that it was very cheap metel, that think was like melted butter.

I.G.B.

[nickthecanuck]

Are you absolutely certain that it is the stock ejector screw? My side saddle came with a longer screw.

The stock screw is flush with the left side of the receiver and so couldn't possibly be used for attatching anything.

If your side saddle is anything like the others I have seen it consists of a molded plastic shell holder that is affixed to a metal plate via 6 hex heads. That metal plate is what is actually attached to your receiver. You have to take off the plastic part to get at the nut on the other end of the ejector screw. Is that how yours works or is is some totally different design I have never seen? :confused:

[itgoesboom]

Nick,

Thats exactly the point. I was removing the screw that the shotgun comes with so that I could put the longer screw in. However, the short screw that comes stock stripped out while I was trying to remove it. So I can't attach the longer screw (which in the last 8 years has become lost) because I can't remove the standard screw.

I.G.B.

[nickthecanuck]

OK I gotcha. I had it backwards. I thought you had stripped the screw trying to remove the side saddle.

That sounds like work for a gunsmith. I bet they won't charge you more than $20. You'll need to get a new screw from Mossberg or whoever made your side saddle too of course.