[CherenkovBlue]

well, the past couple days i've been taking my mossberg 500 out and running a good amount of rounds through it, only recently, (past week) its developed some problems i cant solve...

1st: after firing a couple shots or after racking the slide hard, the safety slides down just a tad, enough to prevent it from firing another shot. (the screw that holds it down is as tight as i can get it, i cant think of anything else to fix this)

2nd: it wont fire the first two or three rounds cycled through it, but afterwards it works like a charm...(i stripped it down, made sure the firing pin wasnt gummed up or anything, it seems fine)

any suggestions would be great.

[Markbo]

Sounds like it needs a very thorough cleaning.

[CherenkovBlue]

its a very clean gun, its taken care of. this ones nearly brand new too, i also have one thats 5 years old i got from a pawn shop type place, never had a problem from that gun.

i do have a coupon for a free "inspection and cleaning" at gander mtn from when i bought a rifle from them a while back, maybe ill let them have a look.

[7-08WIN70]

i can solve all your mossberg 500 problems...
it involves trading in and a new remington 870 lol

[MCgunner]

There's a little ball detent in the safety. Sounds like it might have come out.

Skip the 870 unless you want more problems. :neener: Remington has gone to crap far as I'm concerned. I bought a recent Remington shotgun, works fantastic, but it's built in Russia...:neener:

[kingjoey]

The safety on the Moss500 has a ball detent on it. Take the spring plate and drill the holes in it out an additional .010" or so and you won't have any more issues. Under recoil the factory detent will sometimes jump and put the safety somewhere in between "safe" and "fire"

[CherenkovBlue]

safety problem is fixed for the most part now, just went out back and ran 15 rounds through it, no problem, although, the first couple not firing has me really worried, this is my home defense gun....er, was.

thanks a bunch guys, really appreciate the help.

[Megiddo]

What did you do to fix the safety (drill it like what was mentioned)? I've a brand new 500 and I'm wondering if I'll see the same thing. The safety seems pretty stiff at the present.

[CherenkovBlue]

yup, just drilled the holes out ever so slightly, seems to be alright now.

[guy sajer]

The safety on the Moss500 has a ball detent on it. Take the spring plate and drill the holes in it out an additional .010" or so and you won't have any more issues. Under recoil the factory detent will sometimes jump and put the safety somewhere in between "safe" and "fire"

Thank you . That's good to know . We've run into this several times recently .

:cool:

[Jaenak]

I've got a Moss. 500 and I've never ever had any of those problems. Strange.

[CherenkovBlue]

about my problem of the first few rounds cycled through not firing, a friend of mine just suggested i should let the bolt assembly soak in a sink of soapy water for a while...it just didnt sound like a good idea to me, what do yall think?

[Yehen]

Maybe I'm Bias.... :)

i can solve all your mossberg 500 problems...
it involves trading in and a new remington 870 lol

[Mr. 16 gauge]

The gun not firing might be related to the safety issue. I, too, had a similar problem, but it was several years after I had bought the gun. I would try the gun again after the safety has been corrected, and see if the problem is still there.

[CherenkovBlue]

the safety issue is corrected, but the gun simply refuses to fire the first couple of shells i put in it...im thinking excessive gunk around the firing pin in places i cant get to / see could be the problem, so after the pin is hit with the hammer a few times it knocks it loose, i dont know... just wondering if soaking it like my friend suggested could harm it, or cause rust problems in the future or anything.

[bensdad]

I hope you are right about gunk in the firing pin channel being the culprit. However, I'll be surprised if that is the problem. If gunk were the issue, the problem would not have such a distinct pattern.

If the cleaning doesn't help, try this. Rack the slide a few times before you shoot. Don't just load the tube, rack one in and shoot. Load the tube, rack a FEW, then shoot.

[kingjoey]

Make sure your takedown screw on the end of the magazine is tight, it may be letting the barrel ride forward far enough to prevent a good firing pin strike.

[CherenkovBlue]

yeah, thats what i thought it was too when it first started, now i got it tight to the point where i cant get it off with my hands anymore.

[foghornl]

Don't over-tighten that takedown screw on the barrel...this is from page 6 of the Mossberg manual:

500®, 505™ 535™ Models:

Slide the barrel into the receiver and tighten the takedown screw, finger
tight only. DO NOT use pliers or a wrench to tighten the takedown screw.
A little space between the magazine tube and the takedown mount is
normal.
WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING

(all models): Check to be certain that the barrel is fully seated into the
receiver by looking through the ejection port. The barrel extension must rest firmly against the corresponding cut in the top of the receiver.

Maybe a field-strip to get the bolt assembly out, then soaking the bolt in solvent/penetrating oil for several hours to clear out any gunk in the firing pin channel. If that doesn't fix it, a call to Mossberg is in order.

[CherenkovBlue]

thanks foghorn.