[Quintin Likely]

The latest addition to my not-quite-as-tactical-as-some-folks collection:

Parkerized 590, Ghost-rings, 8 shot magazine :) Now, a few questions from this newbie scattergunner:

-The plastic safety has got to go. Who do I get a metal one from and for how much buckage?

-Any advantage to the high visability followers, besides being easier to make sure the weapon is clear? Is the stock follower a reliability problem in the 590?

-Is it just me, or does Mossberg size their stocks for people with 6' long arms?

-This thing's got a smoothbore. Are slugs okay or no? If okay, what kind of accuracy could I expect?

[Quintin Likely]

Hm...where'd my picture go...

[MOAMike]

Brownells should have a replacement safety to replace the plastic.

Scattergun Technologies HiViz follower is nice for a quick visual check (florescent green), plus has a sizeable nub on it for a feel in the dark. That, combined with a Wolff spring is a nice addition for a piece that is kept loaded for long periods of time.

Slugs are ok in the 590. There are some slugs that are specifically for rifled barrels, but most are not. Just be aware of which ones to use.
Accuracy on a slug is decent out to 100yds. Not a one-hole shooter by any means, but you should be able to maintain a 6" group at that distance with good technique and good slugs. A rifled barrel and Rottweil slugs will give you a ragged one-hole at that distance, just for comparison. Expect optimum accuracy with slugs to be at 25-75 yds with a smootbore.

Good luck and congrats on your new guard dog!

Cheers,
Mike

[Sisco]

Local dealer has one in marinecoat, no ghost rings though. It would follow me home for $150. Already have a blued one, might have to see how he'd trade.

[Dave McCracken]

Among others, Brownell's carries that metal button.

The stock follower works.

Try Mossie's Youth stock.It's about 1.5" shorter.

Get a variety of 5 packs of divers slugs. Bench test until one shows better accuracy in THAT shotgun, then stock up on that, preferably all from the same lot. 2-3" at 50 yards is common.

And burn up lots of light loads, an oz will do for practice and fun. End each practice session with some "Duty" ammo, whatever that is.

Good shotgun, enjoy...

[Quintin Likely]

Thanks for the replies folks.

This shotgun will probably see buckshot of some type or another most of the time for "serious" use, I was just kinda curious whether slugs were okay or not. Hopefully, I'll be able to get down to some reliability testing next weekend.

Thanks again.

[foghornl]

Once again, Mr. McCracken has nailed it. Mossberg does offer a shorter Length of Pull youth stock, Mossy calls it the "Bantam". Hogue's also offers the shorter stock for most of the Mossbergs.

A308 has it right. Mossy stocks to seem to be a bit longer than most other "out-of-the-box" stocks. I am a fairly tall guy (almost 6'-4"), but I had to put on the "Bantam" stock before I felt my Maverick 88 by Mossberg "fit" me right.

[Quintin Likely]

On a side note, Sunday evening we lost power for a couple of hours on a stereotypical dark and stormy night. While we do live in a nice, small (pop. 2000-something) rural neighborhood where most everyone's on a first name basis with everyone else, it felt awful reassuring having the "Watchdog" nearby whilst things were dark. After being a juror today and hearing of some of the crazy things that I never thought happened down here, I'm talking stuff that happened down the street from the house :eek: it just reaffirms my need to be proficent with what I'm gonna use to defend me and mine.

I think I've been smitten by the power of the scattergun... :)

[C.R.Sam]

it just reaffirms my need to be proficent with what I'm gonna use to defend me and mine. That's a biggie.
Include in that, whatever ammo it will be stowed with is ammo that you have tested in YOUR gun.

Sam

[Dave McCracken]

Amen to Sam. Expertise with a shotgun is not that hard to acquire, doesn't cost all that much, and is a great comfort when things get hairy.

[Nightcrawler]

In firing the 500s of my friends, I too have noticed that the stocks seem overlong, and I'm tall (6'2"). I've seen that on some other shotguns, too. Oddly enough, it's usually the synthetic stocks, whereas wooden ones are shorter.

Put a bantam stock on there and you should be all set.