Range Report- Mossberg 930 SPX

[Electric Factory]

Having just picked up a new Mossberg 930 SPX I thought it might be useful to post some impressions, problems and questions. Before shooting I cleaned and oiled the gun, and as others have reported it was indeed very dirty.
Having read that there is break in period I can confirm that as Ithink I may be experiencing break in blues. Ammo used ;
-Federal Power Shok 2 3/4" slugs
-Fiocchi Reduced Recoil 2 3/4" slugs [ 1350 fps ]
-Federal 7 1/2" Game Loads 2 3/4"

I started with [5] Federal Power Shok slugs in order to help the gun settle in a little. I fed one Fed Pwr Slug round at a time directly into the chamber whereupon I switched to the Fiocchi rounds and tried using the magazine tube. I loaded one round in the chamber and one in the mag and this is where I encountered my first problem, as round#2 hung up, not quite feeding from mag tube to chamber. This happened three times in a row with the Fiocchi Reduced Power Slugs- a function of the gun breaking in ?
And this leads to the second issue; the charging handle is a little loose, is it supposed to be ? Has anyone else noticed being able to slightly 'jiggle' the charging handle ? Is this normal, or is there something that needs an adjustment ?

Overall I'm very pleased with the 930 SPX in terms of ergonomics, fit and finish. Let me emphasize- VERY pleased. My shooting impressions are a little premature as I plan on trying other ammo to discover which the SPX likes best. Also I'll be adding a few xtras- Choate pistol grip stock, mag extension, some kind of sling adapter and a Vang safety. I already bought the Choate but still have to find the mag ext and Vang safety.

I'd also like to know if anyone's charging handle also feels slightly loose,maybe that's normal. If not what do I have to do to 'tighten' mine ? Finally, what ammo you guys are successfully feeding your 930 SPX, and about how many rounds was your break in period was until you were getting consistent function, feeding, extraction ?

More to follow.

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[Smitty in CT]

[qoute="Electric Factory"]And this leads to the second issue; the charging handle is a little loose, is it supposed to be ? Has anyone else noticed being able to slightly 'jiggle' the charging handle ? Is this normal, or is there something that needs an adjustment ?[/quote]
First off... Congrats on the new gun!!!!

Have you taken the bolt out yet?? You'll see you have to "yank" the bolt handle out, once you have it out you will see why there is a "jiggle" it is only held in place by the friction of a small spring...

There are some oversized charging handles available MAX100 sells "The NOB" I've got one and it has been great. Choate also makes an oversized handle but I'm not crazy about the design....

Regarding your ammo problem, If it only happened with the Fiocchi's, it might be ammo related, if it's happening with all the ammo your spring might be bent, some folks have used the Brownells 590 replacement spring with good results...

[Electric Factory]

Smitty,
Thanks for weighing in, I really am pleased with this shotgun, will do some more shooting today.
What don't you like about the design of the Choate oversize charging handle ?
I was about to order one.
Also, are you aware of any on line vids [ none at YouTube surprisingly enough] showing the disassembly of the 930 SPX ?

[Electric Factory]

Well, I guess the break in period is over. I shot 10 Federal '00' buck rounds today at the range, after that I fed it an equal number of the Fiocchi Reduced Power loads and heck, even a few game loads- all of them cycling slick as you know what through a goose- yea !

The 930 SPX is indeed a good buy and pound for pound A LOT of gun for the money. I'll mount the Choate pistol grip stock tomorrow and continue ammo testing and i'll post a few additional pics.

In the meantime does anyone know where I can order a clamp mount w/ an HK-type 'ring' sling attachment ?

[Smitty in CT]

What don't you like about the design of the Choate oversize charging handle ? I was about to order one.
Nothing is "wrong" with them, they just seem too big for my tastes, the NOB seems to find it way into your hand, not your hand trying to manage the handle...
Also, are you aware of any on line vids [ none at YouTube surprisingly enough] showing the disassembly of the 930 SPX ?
No videos that I know of, If I knew how I'd make one and post it, but I don't know how to convert video to digital and then post....

I've figured out how to post still shots so if you need any of them, I can hook you up....:)

[BOXRULES]

Thanks for the heads up on the pistol grip stock. checked with speedfeed directly a few months ago, they acted like i was asking for a smelly french cheese at Burger King. Nice to know i have more options.

Question i have is why and what on the magazine extension ?
Also, how with the mag already at the end of the barrel already ? I'm asking for my own benefit as i have not started dressing mine up yet and need all the help i can get.

thanks,

Box

[Electric Factory]

For me its perfect and I definitely prefer it to the original stock.
As has been noticed there is a very slight 'step' where the receiver meets the stock as it isn't perfectly flush, that said its hardly noticeable and definitely doesn't detract, either in form or function. I like this stock a lot more than I thought I would, tomorrow at the range is the acid test.
I'm adding a sling, extended bolt handle and Vang safety, once I do this baby will be good to go. Oh, did I mention the break in period ending in about 20 or so rounds ? Shot it today, the gun eating everything in sight.
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[Electric Factory]

Just returned from the range for another test run of the 930 SPX. At the beginning of the test I shot [5] Fed '00' rounds and [10] of the Fiocchi Reduced Loads, these all without a hitch.
I then went to Federal 7 1/2" game loads, and of the fifty shot I had one hang up from the mag to the chamber in the first magazine full. A tap on the underneath of the elevator and it popped itself into battery. After that mishap it was smooth sailing with the game loads, no more stoppages.
I'm getting the impression that the mag and mag spring are what require 'breaking in', and I believe starting the shooting session with heavy loads helps.
I wonder if a lighter mag spring would address the occasional hang up w/ light loads ?

[Electric Factory]

Another installment of my new 930 SPX range report, put another 25 rnds of the Fiocchi Reduced Power HP slugs and [5] five Federal full power HP slugs as a warmup. Then I shot 45 rnds of Federal 7 1/2" game loads, all of them but one[ again in the first mag full, a slight tap on the bottom of the elevator sent the round on its way to the barrel chamber ]- fed, chambered and shot without incident.
I added an Eagle butt stock ammo carrier and sling as, at least to date there is no receiver mounted ammo carrier [ Mesa Tactical ]. I like this unit because it has a comfortable cheek pad, a practical and useful addition.

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[Electric Factory]

This gun has now shot 200 rounds in total, all of these with only rudimetary cleaning of the gun. I've added a few accesories which seem to be working well ; a Surefire E2DL Defender light, Nordic Components barrel mag clamp+rail and a VLTor light mount. The mounts have thus far successfully held the light in place without 'drifting' forward from recoil. I considered buying a Surefire tape switch for the E2DL light but am on the fence, as it's a pretty simple move forward of the left hand to engage the push button of the E2DL.
The light and mount do add a bit of weight forward but it actually serves to steady the gun, at least it does for me. The only other add on may be a red dot sight on the rear rail, perhaps the Aimpoint Micro T-1. I must say however that the Aimpoint might prove to be a superfluous addition as the 930 spx ghost rear and fiber optic front sight tower are an effective and easily picked up combination.
Opinions ?

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[Capstick1]

I just bought one of these myself. Mines got the the standard buttstock on it. I'm planning on leaving it that way because I've tried the pistol gripped shotguns and I think they're a little uncomfortable to shoot. Like yours the cocking handle on mine is also a little loose. I haven't had a chance to shoot mine yet but I really haven't heard anything negative about them. I think after the first hundred "Break in" rounds, the ammo feeding problem will work itself out. The only modifications I'm going to make to mine is in the barrel. The barrel has a fixed cylinder bore. This wouldn't be bad for shooting skeet with but I would like to be able to use this for trap as well. I'm planning on shipping the barrel off to Briley manufacturing in Houston, TX, have them tap the barrel for some choke tubes and send me a set of full, mod, and Improved cylinder choke tubes. You can find out more about this at the "Brileys" web site.

[eric55]

i want to order an NOB for my 930 how do i order it i cant find it anywhere online
thanks

[Cougfan2]

Electric Factory I recently got a 930 SPX. I have not put any rounds down range yet and am having a problem with the magazine tube. I had some 2 3/4" remington hi brass game loads and they seemed to cycle in the mag tube fine. I have some RIO 2 3/4" 00 buck (actually they're just a little longer than 2 3/4" but not a full 3") that are extremely hard to feed into the mag tube. Once I figured out how to get them to feed I used the bolt release button to empty the mag tube and the spring seems to be stuck up inside the mag tube. The shells just flop around inside the mag tube now. Haven't disassembled the mag tube yet, but did you have any similar problems? It's kind of soured me on the gun without even firing a shot out of it.

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

Thanks for the report and congrats. I too would like a PG stock like that for my SPX. I prefer the ergos of PGs.

[4thPointOfContact]

NOB
i want to order an NOB for my 930 how do i order it i cant find it anywhere online
thanks

There is a guy named MAX-100 on Shotgunworld.com he is the sole maker of the NOB

[Smitty in CT]

There is a guy named MAX-100 on Shotgunworld.com he is the sole maker of the NOB
MAX-100 is on this board, too or he can be reached @ gunconnect@prtcnet.com

Good luck and report back often......

[kentucky_smith]

Any owners have the canted front sight?

[4thPointOfContact]

I checked for sight cant on mine by laying it upside down on a known-flat surface... Didn't see any gaps at any corner between the front and rear sights :)

[Smitty in CT]

Mine's straight.....

I have it "zeroed" @ 40 yards, if it's off at all I can't tell.....

[bratch]

Any owners have the canted front sight?

My barrel is currently at Mossberg awaiting a replacement. When placed on a flat surface it appeared straight but under closer examination the right side of the front sight didn't sit flush against the barrel as the left side did. At 25 yards I could not get slugs closer than 6-9" high of POA after bottoming the elevation adjustment. I hope my next barrel is good I've got a class in September that I wanted to use it at; if not I'll run my 870.

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

Hey E.F., where did you get that buttstock zippered pouch / shell holder thing?