Need some help selecting a utility shotgun.

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pearsonm

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This place was a great resource while researching handguns. Now I have trap shooting fever – defined as lazy afternoons at a public range with a block of Walmart ammo (as opposed to a country club setting with $1500+ over/unders). So far I’m having a hell of a time getting started.

I shoot long guns lefty so I gravitated towards the Mossberg 500 and Browning BPS because of their tang mounted safety. I really liked the versatility of the Mossberg platform and the price was right so I bought one. Problem is within three shots it failed to eject. One spent round got wedged so tight I had to tap it out with a cleaning rod.

I’ve been going round and round with Dick’s Sporting Goods and Mossberg for the past three weeks. My patience is gone. Tomorrow I hope to put an end to this ridiculous comedy.

My problem is I don’t know what direction to go next. Handguns are comparatively easy because you can rent the most popular models at almost any indoor range. There were a few I didn’t care for but they all functioned properly. The only pistol ammo I’ve seen absolutely not work is Tula steel case.

My last two purchases were through local dealers. I paid a little more but the service and peace of mind has been worth it. Neither had what I was looking for this time. From what I’ve read 500 reliability is supposed to be legendary so I bought from a Big Box. It’s been the worst decision I’ve made in quite a while.

So with that does anyone with experience have some free advice for me? About the only thing that’s gone right so far is the Trius One-step thrower I bought – two tosses and it was set. I prefer an ambidextrous firearm but I’m open to a righty as long as I can change out the safety.
 
It’s been the worst decision I’ve made in quite a while.
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What was? Buying a Glock?

I'm lost.


As for your shotgun question, you certainly cannot go wrong with a Mossberg 500. I prefer the Remington 870 for a pump gun, but the 500 is so similar that the right answer for you is nearly subjective, save for the placement of the safety facilitating your lefthandedness.
 
Dude, on the Mossberg, mail it to them with a paper in it explaining your problems. This is how it is explained here:

http://www.mossberg.com/customer-service/
Should your firearm or any component of your firearm require service, kindly ship the entire firearm (not just components) to our Product Service Center postage paid, via your chosen carrier. We do not accept C.O.D. shipments.

Shipping Address:
Mossberg Product Service Center
Eagle Pass Industrial Park
1001 Industrial Blvd.
Eagle Pass, TX 78852

Shipping Instructions:

Make absolutely certain your firearm is unloaded.
Do not send ammunition with your firearm.
Remove all accessories (scopes, slings, etc).
Ship your firearm in a suitable container, packaging it securely to prevent parts from shifting and/or damage during shipping.
Include a note with a clear description of the service you wish us to perform, your complete return shipping address (no P.O. Boxes, please), your daytime telephone number and your e-mail address (if available).
It is advisable to place your correspondence inside the shipping container when shipping.
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Trust me - you do not need to "go round and round" with them. I have done this, with a Mossberg, and was extraordinarily impressed at the customer service, the speed, and some extra goodies that came out of it.

Mail it FedEx in a box, there are no legal concerns with this and they mail it directly back to you as well.
 
Cheap walmart 100 packs of ammo is notorious for not ejecting I don't waste my money on it anymore . Call Mossberg they didn't get as big and as popular as they are by neglecting customers
Roy
 
Go to that local club where those folks shoot those $1500 O/U (at least the cheap ones) and borrow as many as you can.

As to the safety, as another LH, it is a non-issue for a target gun. Have never needed or used one for that.

Do not buy the Winchester Universals or Super Speeds - they just suck. If you must shop there, get the federals; or better yet, buy online by the flat.
 
Trust me - you do not need to "go round and round" with them.
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As the guy who paid full price for a supposedly bulletproof shotgun I can tell you with absolute certainty that I am in fact going round and round with both Dick's and Mossberg. Mossberg has the gun. After three weeks I've noticed a pattern - neither do what they say they're going to do. I intend to move on.
 
Do not buy the Winchester Universals or Super Speeds - they just suck
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What makes no sense is my buddy's Winchester 1500 eats it like candy. If anything should have problems it's an old autoloader. Maybe an 870 Express but 500's supposedly have mythical reliability.
 
I've owned 2 Mossberg 500s and was very satisfied with them for quality. Both digested anything I fed them without a hiccup.

Give it a chance an I think you'll be pleased.
 
Give it a chance an I think you'll be pleased.
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All I want is what I paid full price for, which is a new, functional pump shotgun. If they give me one more line of B-S tomorrow then I'm going to Plan B.

What I'm reading is that some manufacturers are skipping steps such as polishing and deburring to meet price points. If that's true then I'll pay more for something done right, I just don't want to guess.
 
If the cheap shells you have been shooting are Winchester with steel base hulls, that is your problem. That ammo is terrible, I wouldn't expect them to function 100% in any gun. If you are still having issues shooting Winchester AA, Federal, Remington, Fiocchi, Rio, or anything else your chamber needs to be polished. That is something you can do yourself, or a local gunsmith can take care of easily. Mossberg 500's are as close to problem free out of the box as anything, but occasionally a rough chamber slips past QC. I'm sure they will take care of it if you decide to send it to them.
 
As others have said, you are having an ammunition problem, not a gun problem. Shotgun shells with steel bases can be problematic in the best and most expensive shotgun.

Buy a target load shell designed for trap and skeet shooters like Winchester AA target, Federal Gold Medal, or Remington Gun Club. Save the hulls to reload or sell to a reloader. Best to standardize on one brand if you want to recoup some of the cost since shot shell reloaders will usually pick one type shell to use as components are not universal across the different companies shells.
 
Quit whining on the internet. Get some Winchester AAs or some Remington Gun Clubs and try those. If you still have a problem, CALL Mossberg. The Mossberg 500 is the second most popular civilian shotgun of all time, for a reason, and they have excellent customer service, if you need it.
If you want to shoot the cheapest shells made, expect issues or HONE the chamber.
 
I appreciate the ammunition information and recommendations SteveC but I'm not convinced that's the entirety of the problem. There have been zero issues with the very same ammo in my buddy's ancient Winchester 1500 or the two Remington's - 870 Expresses of all things, one also straight out of the box - that I shared the range with on two occasions.
 
Those are not the same gun; akin to saying my 1911 chokes on a certain brand while my Glock and revolver don't

If different ammo still doesn't work, then do as suggested and CALL them; remembering it IS Christmas week
 
I know they're not the same gun, oneounce. That's the point. To use your analogy, the Winchester 1500 - the autoloader - is your 1911. The defective 500 - that has been with Mossberg for over a week - is your Glock or revolver. On the autoloader shotgun/1911 side you have firearms that can be picky when it comes to ammo. On the pump shotgun/Glock/revolver side you have firearms with reputations for eating any name brand ammo.

And I HAVE called Mossberg. Twice as of today. The particular rep had nothing but excuses each time.

I realize it's now Christmas because I'm going home to see friends and family tomorrow but without a working shotgun which I paid full price for over three weeks ago. Thus my frustration.
 
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If it makes OP feel better I watched a new production 870 run through a 100 shells of that Walmart stuff this weekend with no problem. Zip, zilch, zero.... Nada.
Maybe it's not the ammo? Maybe it's operator error? The guy that ran that 870 with success this week has a particular ability to cause extraordinary mayhem to all mechanical things.... Trap thrower... Any shotgun know to man... Even a single shot. Twist off bottle caps... You name it.
Just how much experience do you have with a pump... Shotgun?
 
Just how much experience do you have with a pump... Shotgun?
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Grew up walking all over Kansas with a 20-gauge M37. My dad had a Ted Williams 12-gauge. That was a long time ago but I know how a properly functioning shotgun operates. This ain't one of them.

My shooting buddy - career military and LE - got the exact same FTE's as I did with the gun. The kids next to us, who were new to shooting, had an out-of-the box 870. They went through 100 rounds of the exact same ammo with the same outcome as your friend's - zero problems.
 
Gotcha.
I too have a 500 with ejection issues that I feel are completely unrelated to the OP. I've emailed mossberg without response but no matter. It is the holidays. Before I send it to them (after a phone call... After the holidays) I'm honing the chamber just to be certain.
In the case of OP I truly believe honing would solve the problem. There is an outside chance that the ejector could be out of spec but I doubt it. I'm sure that mossberg will work this out. I've sent a few guns back to the manufacture in the past and all was made right in the end.
 
They might be going "around and around" with you because it's really not the gun, but the dirt cheap garbage ammo you were putting through it. You didn't say, so I assume you didn't try better ammo.

As far as Dick's, well, I feel their name is well earned. I stopped shopping there years ago.
 
Some guns don't like some ammo. That's just a fact.

Once upon a time I had a Hi Point .45 that just loved cheap, dirty steel cased ammo, but struggled with aluminum cases and one particular brand of brass case.

I've shot higher end 1911's that choked to death on steel cases.

I vet my carry guns on all types of ammo before I strap them on. I'll say it again, some guns just don't like some ammo. That's not necessarily a reflection upon the gun itself, especially when we're considering the ammo with a reputation of being problematic.
 
You didn't say, so I assume you didn't try better ammo.
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That's an incorrect assumption. All you had to do is ask. I'm here for information, not an e-argument.

My buddy had some old assorted name brand ammo he wanted rid of, including brass. It performed Less Bad, for lack of a better term. I'm not talking a little notchy, I'm talking it catches and you have to put the butt on your leg to get enough leverage to eject. His half-worn autoloader ate that stuff up too. We didn't pass any to the guy with the new 870 since he was running just fine on the mythical Winchester Jammomatic ammo.

Mossberg's lead technician claims to have been on the case for the past three days. He still can't provide an answer what the problem is, much less the solution.
 
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