[jmburton]

so today i was showing my 12gauge pump to my brother and when i tilted it downward a rod fell out of the magazine, it's pretty obvious that it's there to only keep 2 shells in the gun at a time.. myquestion now that i can fit 5 in the mag and one in the chamber is it still legal to hunt as long as i only load 3?

[SteelyNirvana]

myquestion now that i can fit 5 in the mag and one in the chamber is it still legal to hunt as long as i only load 3?

If your hunting migratory game birds(Dove,duck,etc) then the answer is no.If you get stopped by a game warden he will check.Another thing to make clear that some people aren't aware of is,that it means two in the mag one in the chamber.The whole gun can't hold more than three at one time.

Brian Craig

[jmburton]

hmm. does that rod just sit freely in the mag. because it kinda just fell out. glad i still have it i'll just have to tape the hole when i hunt. and yes i'm talking about migratory birds. glad i asked. my father in law would have killed me if i got in trouble.

[SteelyNirvana]

What kind of gun is it?. If its a mossberg 500 like mine,it should have two O-rings on it to hold it in place.I am asuming you had the barrel of the gun when the rod fell out?

Brian Craig

[jmburton]

it is a mossberg and i suppose i had the barrel of the gun, not sure what you mean. thank you for your help good to know.

[foghornl]

That rod is the "magazine capacity reducer plug". You MUST have it installed to limit shotgun loading to 2 shells in the magazine + 1 in the chamber...MAX of 3, when hunting "Migratory Birds and Waterfowl" i.e. Dove Duck Goose. Some states (Ohio, for example) limit hunters to shotguns only for deer, again with the 3-round limit.

Mossbergs & Mavericks use a very simple wooden dowel rod with a couple of rubber o-rings to hold it in place. If the 'mag plug' is lost, you can order it direct from Mossberg, or buy a custom 'cut-to-fit' plastic rod...like I did. I somehow lost my mag plug, so I bought one of the orange plastic thingys from Gander Mountain...less than $3.

Takes less than a minute to remove/install the plug in most Mossberg pumps...unscrew the barrel mounting nut/magazine cap, remove barrel, drop in or out as required, re-attach barrel.

[Froggy]

If you don't have an owner's manual for that thing, download one from here:

http://www.mossberg.com/content.asp?ID=520&section=service

It should have illustrations that show you how to install and remove that rod.

[SteelyNirvana]

If its a mossberg 500 like mine,it should have two O-rings on it to hold it in place.I am asuming you had the barrel of the gun when the rod fell out?

:uhoh: I forgot one imortant word :o when I typed this "off".What I ment to say is I am asuming you had the barrel [B]off[B] the gun when it fell out,otherwise how did it fall out? Maybee next time I should'nt reply to somebodys post first thing in the morning:)

[Robo_Railer]

it is a mossberg and i suppose i had the barrel of the gun, not sure what you mean.I think he meant "had the barrel off the gun," meaning the takedown screw (the one that holds the barrel lug to the mag tube) wasn't in the threaded hole on the end of the mag tube, so the rod dropped out when you pointed the muzzle downward.

Edit: Guess I was typing at the same time Brian was.
Hey, Brian, just say that the second 'f' was a squib load, and got stuck in your keyboard. "Circumstances beyond your control." :p

[jmburton]

i figured it out today what you meant two seconds ago and came back haha. meaning the plug wont fall out unless the barrel is off. thanks all.

[Robo_Railer]

Yeah, I forgot to toss in something about "no tape needed." :p

Did you get the manual for it? That and the video on disassembling a Mossberg (somebody posted the link for that on here awhile back) are very handy to have.

[jmburton]

yep have the manual. didnt use it for the mag though heh. guess i should of.

[Master Blaster]

The O rings keep the rod from rattling, they do nothing to keep it in the gun.
Put it back in the magazine when you have the barrel and cap off, it goes in front of the follower so it cant poke out into the receiver, when you cycle the last shell.

[Robo_Railer]

Okay, I guess an O-ring on each end of the dowel would cushion it so it wouldn't rattle.

From the Mossberg Owner's Manual: 500® Model: To remove the dowel, first remove the barrel. Point gun downward and shake it back and forth lightly until the dowel protrudes from the takedown screw hole in the end of the magazine tube. A rubber “O” ring on the dowel prevents it from falling out accidentally. Grasp the dowel and pull it completely out.
The 835® Model (same manual) has a dowel that can be just shaken out.