Mossberg 500 tactical upgrade

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Greg Koziol

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I bought a standard mossberg 500 a few years ago.. the one with the 24" rifled barrel and a 28" field barrel. It's a great all around hunting gun but I was thinking of making it into a tactical shotgun. Wondering if anyone has has had any experience with some of this stuff. What do you guys think of this? i'm wondering about the brownells mossberg 500 extension if I can take the rear sight off so i can put a nice heatshield on there.

1) Brownells Mossberg 500 magazine tube extension comes w/ 20” barrel and iron sights $150 @ brownells
2) Brownells stainless steel follower $20 @brownells
3) Speedfeed butt stock, black synthetic $75 @midway.
4) Mako tri-rail forend $55 @midway
5) UTG or La Rue rail covers for forend $10
6) Mesa tactical standard profile picatinny rail $45 @midway
7) LPA BAR11W picatinny rail rear ghost ring with D3 tritium aperture and SG6 solderless front sight with tritium M1T dot $200?
8) Enhanced safety button $20 @ brownells and safety button screw $6@brownells
9) Pistol grip stick attachable to forend with battery compartment
10) Mossberg heatshield, marine cote $35 @midway
11) Mesa tactical sure shell ammunition carrier $40 @midway
12) SPEC-OPS ready fire mode, buttstock pouch $30
13) Some type of low price red dot was thinking the bushnell trs-25, parallax free and 3moa, basically an aimponit micro clone but not as high quality still waterproof, shockproof, and fogproof on sale now at cabelas for $100.

Already have a laser the beamshot tri beam laser and will be getting a high power 800 lumen flashlight soon hopefully, the MG Pocket Rocket in SST-50 which can be throw on the gun.

Have a shotshell ammo belt and sling

I figure with this set up the shotgun will be an all around primary weapon from deer hunting to bear hunting or bear defense, to home defense, to even some bird hunting and small game hunting. The versatility would be amazing. Its a lot of money but in the end it will be worth it.

Finally get some practice with buckshot when all upgrades are complete
 
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I would purchase only the items that you absolutely need and use the remaining money to purchase slugs, buckshot and an assortment of ammo which should last a while, if you don't shoot it up at one time.
 
Greg Koziol

Well I think I added up somewhere around $700 worth of accessories, not counting the MG SST50 Pocket Rocket high power 800 lumens flashlight. So you're thinking about buying all these high-tech tactical gadgets, at a cost of something like 3X the price of the shotgun you're going to be putting them on. For that kind of money, you could buy another shotgun (maybe two), that is already set up from the factory in a tactical configuration.

My advice: K.I.S.S., or Keep It Simple Shooter. If you're looking to upgrade your hunting shotgun into something a little more tactical, then get those basic items which improve the reliability, ergonomics, and practicality of your gun. What you're looking for here is a reliable, quick to get into action, HD shotgun. I think you might be overdoing it somewhat with all the tricked-out gadgetry. Do you really need Tritium night sights, a red dot sight, a laser, and a flashlight (along with the extra rails, mounts, and batteries); all on the same gun?

Sometimes less is more, and in a HD situation you want something that is intuitive to use and ready to go, right when you need it the most. Keep it simple and reliable, and practice with it as much as you can.
 
I have a relative who has a Bushmaster M4, exactly like my own. I have a Timney Drop-in AR-10 Trigger assembly (4# set) and a Leupold Vari-X-I 3-9 x 40mm scope on my AR, and the scope has a see-through mount on top of the AR's handle. The scope also has quick-detachable Leupold rings which clamp to the see-through aluminum block base which sits firmly on top of the handle, in the groove.

When I see my relative's "tricked-out" Bushy, and all the different gadgets, buttons here and there to activate such and all 'gadgetry' - including an OEM Bayonette, I cannot help to think about how much of this 'stuff' is in the way - and each item in itself is one more thing to get bumped, knocked out of alignment, not work, etc. When seconds count, do you really want your mind to be on "I wonder if it is the red dot itself, or just the batteries that are causing it to not work?"

I believe the more the gun is needed in a defensive scenario, the quicker one must be at having the gun on-target and ready to fire - quite literally in an instant! So, if the gun is needed in an instant, will the shooter have the time to put all this gadgetry "to work?" If they do have the time, just which piece of gadgetry will be best used for the situation? -- again, more decisions when it would be best to concentrate on only one or two decisions, i.e., whether to fire or not to fire - whether the gun should be on safe or off safe, finger on trigger or off trigger?

When I see a gun with that much on it, all I can think of is, as the previous post stated, better to KISS (keep it simple, shooter)!

Look at all the guns over the years which have become extremely popular. Look at one of the main reasons, if not THE MAIN reason they are so popular -- their simplicity, ruggedness and their ease of shooting coupled with their ease of breakdown for field-cleaning!

I would rather throw my bushmaster into a mud puddle and have to quickly use it against a bad guy than the one with all the gadgets, buttons, etc into the same mud puddle to use against the same bad guy. For every one of these gadgets, there is the possibility that one, or more of them may not work when really needed, quickly, in a home-defense scenario!

Also, consider this - the one with all the gadgets has so many, that, in order to properly clean the weapon and not interfere with solvents, oils, etc, getting onto and into wires, switches, adhesives, battery compartments and into the gadgetries themselves, one would have to take pains to be extremely cautious during cleaning. If that adds ANY time at all to clean the weapon, then most - if not all - this 'stuff' is to the shooter's detriment rather than to his/her advantage.
 
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I'm with the above. You don't need all that, and you're spending more to upgrade your M500 than a new Tactical Shotgun. Buy a Tactical Shotgun already configured that way from the factory, there are tons of good ones on the market.

All you really need for the ultimate tactical superiority in a home defense shotgun is something short enough to maneuver in your home, a good system for targeting at night, and a side saddle with a few extra shells (I really don't even think you need extra ammo). Most important: Speed, speed, speed. Gun up and running quickly.


Get gun, safety off, ID bad guy, pull trigger. Repeat if necessary. Anything that adds extra steps to that is BAD NEWS for you and yours.

See the sticky on fighting shotguns. I don't like some of Dave's posts in those stickies, but he makes some good points about what you really need to protect you and yours.
 
Is this Gecko45? :), sorry couldn't help it.

I figure with this set up the shotgun will be an all around primary weapon from deer hunting to bear hunting or bear defense, to home defense, to even some bird hunting and small game hunting. The versatility would be amazing. Its a lot of money but in the end it will be worth it.
Click to expand...

No gun can do all this. In AZ, you have to take all that crap off before you can hunt, otherwise you look like your blinding wildlife before you take them.
 
im all for tricking out a gun to be fun or a conversation starter but if you plan on useing this honestly as a HD shotgun do yourself a favor

buy an 18-20 inch smoothbore barrel

get a 2-3 shot extention if you absolutly HAVE to have the tube match up with the barrel

get a SIMPLE light mount and 200-300 lumen light any more is pointless

buy tons and tons of ammo and go pattern and practice untill your shoulder hurts so bad you dont even like shotgunning any more (if your anything like me youll never find that point lol)

the add ons are "cool" but 90% of the time they will just get in your way

the red dot (especialy an aimpoint styled "scope tube") will be counter intuative to use deffinatly at night with a light if you have to go holographic with a window like the eotech style you can at least "bracket" your target even if its off

ghost sites take ALOT of practice and again at night they become a hindrence

the ammo carriers are not good in an HD situation because they add bulk and lets face it if you have to reload its not that you dont have enough ammo its because you have too many badguys

the stock follower in the mossbergs is fine but if you HAVE to replace it get a wolff spring as well and just keep it untill the stock one actualy does break or malfunction (itll be a long time)

pistol grips on mossbergs make the saftey harder to reach

the safety (and trigger houseing) are plastic but trust me they will do the job just fine

all the techno gadgets you add will just add up against you unless you really learn to use the shotgun in a defensive manner
 
Do yourself a favor. Buy one of these:

mossberg590fullhousesmall.jpg

As I recall, it comes in a standard and heavy barrel version. Get the standard unless you plan to do a lot of bayoneting.

Add a simple light.

This would cost a lot less that all the pieces you propose and you'd still have your original shotgun for hunting. You are not going to want to be switching back and forth. Defense is not a contest won by the guy who can hang the most crap on his gun. You don't need any more pieces so you don't need a rail. You don't need rail covers because you don't need a rail. You don't want to put a pistol grip on a Mossberg because it keeps you from manipulating the safety and slide release, which are things you might want to be able to do in a hurry and without looking. Making your shotgun look like an AR15 isn't going to make you safer. You don't need extra ammo on the gun, unless you have a verified zombie attack, in which case OK. You don't need a laser sight, heat shield or hot dog cooker, either.
 
Greg, I think you're on the right track. Just a few miles past where you want to be! :)

Back the train up a bit and start again:

1) Brownells Mossberg 500 magazine tube extension comes w/ 20” barrel and iron sights $150 @ brownells
This is fine, if you really want to convert your perfectly fine shotgun into another perfectly fine shotgun. For probably about $100 more you could have a second shotgun set up this way from the factory, but that's your call. If you don't need this one for hunting anymore, go for it.

2) Brownells stainless steel follower $20 @brownells
My mossberg followers have been perfectly serviceable. If you want to spend the extra $20, that's fine. It won't hurt anything.

3) Speedfeed butt stock, black synthetic $75 @midway.
These seem pretty cool, but for maybe $70 less you could just buy an elastic butt cuff shell holder and actually carry MORE spare shells.

8) Enhanced safety button $20 @ brownells and safety button screw $6@brownells
Some folks have had their stock safety buttons break. Can't fault you if you really think this is worth $26.

11) Mesa tactical sure shell ammunition carrier $40 @midway
Sidesaddle shell holders are fine, though they do throw off the compactness and balance of a shotgun a little. If you've got a butt-cuff with 5 or 6 shells, and a mag full of seven, I'd say you're good to go. But if you really want the side saddle, too, no problem.

Do add that white light. Target identification is very important. I wouldn't ever go with more than a couple hundred lumens at most. Beyond a certain point, more light starts to work against you.

Take the extra hundreds of $$$ and buy ammo, use it up, and repeat.

Effective home, bear, bad-guy, etc., defense is 95% about YOU, your mindset, and your ability to run the gun, and 5% about having a gun set up well enough to execute your skills with.
 
bannockburn said:
Greg Koziol

Well I think I added up somewhere around $700 worth of accessories, not counting the MG SST50 Pocket Rocket high power 800 lumens flashlight. So you're thinking about buying all these high-tech tactical gadgets, at a cost of something like 3X the price of the shotgun you're going to be putting them on. For that kind of money, you could buy another shotgun (maybe two), that is already set up from the factory in a tactical configuration.

My advice: K.I.S.S., or Keep It Simple Shooter. If you're looking to upgrade your hunting shotgun into something a little more tactical, then get those basic items which improve the reliability, ergonomics, and practicality of your gun. What you're looking for here is a reliable, quick to get into action, HD shotgun. I think you might be overdoing it somewhat with all the tricked-out gadgetry. Do you really need Tritium night sights, a red dot sight, a laser, and a flashlight (along with the extra rails, mounts, and batteries); all on the same gun?

Sometimes less is more, and in a HD situation you want something that is intuitive to use and ready to go, right when you need it the most. Keep it simple and reliable, and practice with it as much as you can.
Click to expand...
I already have a laser.. well a laser is good at night cause you don't have to aim it helps you point the gun. The enhanced safety button is nice. The tritium sights are nice to have especially at night. It is a lot of money but maybe it will pay off in the long run
 
Sam1911 said:
Greg, I think you're on the right track. Just a few miles past where you want to be! :)

Back the train up a bit and start again:

1) Brownells Mossberg 500 magazine tube extension comes w/ 20” barrel and iron sights $150 @ brownells
This is fine, if you really want to convert your perfectly fine shotgun into another perfectly fine shotgun. For probably about $100 more you could have a second shotgun set up this way from the factory, but that's your call. If you don't need this one for hunting anymore, go for it.

2) Brownells stainless steel follower $20 @brownells
My mossberg followers have been perfectly serviceable. If you want to spend the extra $20, that's fine. It won't hurt anything.

3) Speedfeed butt stock, black synthetic $75 @midway.
These seem pretty cool, but for maybe $70 less you could just buy an elastic butt cuff shell holder and actually carry MORE spare shells.

8) Enhanced safety button $20 @ brownells and safety button screw $6@brownells
Some folks have had their stock safety buttons break. Can't fault you if you really think this is worth $26.

11) Mesa tactical sure shell ammunition carrier $40 @midway
Sidesaddle shell holders are fine, though they do throw off the compactness and balance of a shotgun a little. If you've got a butt-cuff with 5 or 6 shells, and a mag full of seven, I'd say you're good to go. But if you really want the side saddle, too, no problem.

Do add that white light. Target identification is very important. I wouldn't ever go with more than a couple hundred lumens at most. Beyond a certain point, more light starts to work against you.

Take the extra hundreds of $$$ and buy ammo, use it up, and repeat.

Effective home, bear, bad-guy, etc., defense is 95% about YOU, your mindset, and your ability to run the gun, and 5% about having a gun set up well enough to execute your skills with.
Click to expand...
Good point on the speed feed stock, maybe i'll opt for a plain synthetic stock instead
 
The light has the capability of 800 lumens, but it has a low and mid mode too for 100 lumen and 400 lumen... which is a nice feature.
 
i'm not gonna get a pistol grip. Maybe i'll ditch the ghost ring sight, and instead leave the front bead and put a burris fast fire or similar reflex sight

what do you guys thinks of the burris fast fire or similar type of sight. That seems fast and reliability, the housing is made from steel and you can get a protector mount fo rit. The battery supposedly lasts a long time too
 
I could probably still use it for hunting if i wanted too, i'm not a big bird hunter but I could probably still use this gun for birds if i wanted too, and for small game too. I'm not a fan of putting scopes on shotguns so even with my rifled barrel I still shoot only 100 yards or less which should be not much a big change in accuracy to the 20" smoothbore if I use rifled slugs. Hunting season is only 25% of the year, otherwise the gun sits in my house 75% in a closet somewhere collecting dust, and i've had a few close calls with intruders.. i live in a wooded housing development and we've had robbers and looters come by many times. during that 10% time period i could just convert the gun back to hunting mode then when hunting season is over usually 4 weeks out of the year i can convert it back to tactical mode
 
I'm not gonna be able to afford this all at once obviously, this is just a project list, which i will be slowly acquiring each item over the next few months
 
Thanks Sam, i'm gonna ditch the speed feed and just get a regular stock and put a buttcuff like i have on my .45-70 holds 9 rounds on that one
 
Sam, thanks for the advice on the mindset, I assure you my mindset is where it should be. I've worked at some of the worst nightclubs imaginable for a good portion of my life dealing with the worst scum of the earth and I had no weapons other then my hands...
 
If you must have a tactical Mossberg, consider the following:

Base: Mossberg 590A1 (20" barrel, 8+1 capacity, ghost ring sights)

- Mesa Tactical stock/grip adapter kit
- Surefire weapon light pump

Then rig a homemade side saddle carrier out of an Esstec shotgun card and some loop Velcro. That gives you 8+1+7 rounds of ammo of your choosing.
 
Agreed on the 590A1 (with speedfeed stock), but I went with the 18.5" instead of the 20", and, to get it up to 7 + 1 capacity, I got this:

590A1-3-1.jpg

from Gun Connection, Gray Court, SC (864) 876-0260


and the Surefire Shotgun Forend Weaponlight:

621FA_45L_medium_852.png

I've got 7 #1 buckshot shells in the tube, and 4 slug shells in the Speedfeed stock. It's mounted in The BackUp Bedside Gun Rack (no kids in the house):

4.jpg
 
I had a 590 20" 9 shot for years, went with something more simple with a Knoxx Stock, and love the Spec Ops stock. Shoot all day and your should never complains. Love it. What they say about the knoxx stock is 100% true

Mossberg500withKnoxxSpecOpsstock8-10.jpg
 
The light has the capability of 800 lumens, but it has a low and mid mode too for 100 lumen and 400 lumen... which is a nice feature.
Click to expand...

I am curious what weapon mounted light is capable pf 800 lumens. Can you provide a make and model? I have a Surefire fore end I just upgraded from it's original 80 lumen head to a 200 lumen head.

How about run time at 800 lumens? Weight?

A light capable of that output would seem to be large and heavy enough to make the weapon very muzzle heavy.

Can you elaborate?
 
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What they say about the knoxx stock is 100% true
Click to expand...


Yep, especially about how it malfunctions and slips the rides in cold weather, and about how cheek weld is a painful impossibility with it
 
Personally, I would take the budget for all of those unnecessary accessories and buy ammo and get some lessons. The more doodads and gizmos, the more that can go wrong or break
 
Quote:
What they say about the knoxx stock is 100% true

Yep, especially about how it malfunctions and slips the rides in cold weather, and about how cheek weld is a painful impossibility with it
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Click to expand...

You find opinions on both sides of the fence. It's the old saying about opinions are like eyeballs, we all got a couple.

"In my opinion the greatest aftermarket stock on the market. I love mine, since I've installed it I've shot 200 rounds of high brass 7 1/2 shot at clays in 1 afternoon. The only reason I stopped was that i was out of shells, my shoulder wasn't even close to sore"
http://www.gunandgame.com/forums/shotguns/29745-knoxx-spec-op-stock-review-rem-870-a.html


"Overall, I'm very impressed with this stock. It's certainly going to stay on my HD-oriented shotgun"
http://www.thehighroad.org/archive/index.php/t-185747.html

You could do that hundreds of times over and over.

My personal experience is on my HD and my skeet gun......I like it. 110 heat index days, 8 rounds of clays on the range, when i pack up and I have scored a few 23 rounds and no bruise. Then I am GTG.

So opine, and malign ..... its just an opinion. You are welcome to yours.
 
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