For today, I become a man.

[Darrin]

Because today, I now an owner of a shotgun. It's not just pistols and rifles for me now!

Monday I ordered a Mossberg in the marinecote finish. (A fund put together by a combination of eBay and some side work... ) It wasn't suppose to be in until Monday or Tuesday. However, my cell phone rang at about 11:30 AM with news from the gun shop, my shotgun was in! Needless to say, I took a long lunch and went to get it! I thought I ordered the 500, but noticed today it's the 590. Not sure if there is really a price difference or not.

I'm waiting for my P22 to get back from Walther America before I take a nice family shot, but here's an idea of what I got, and what I plan to do with it:

It's this gun with 20" barrel and 8 shot tube.

I'm still trying to decide if I want this stock:

or this one:

(I will keep the factory forearm, not the pistol grip pictured above.)

For anyone who doesn't know, the Mossberg 500 and 590 come with butt stock and pistol grip. I don't like having "just" a pistol grip, but prefer the feel of a pistol grip. This is why I want a pistol grip with a butt stock. I'm thinking I want the folding stock for a home defense perspective. Keep it short and easy to grab kind of thing. However, if I'm going to shoot clay, paper, water jugs, etc..., I want the butt stock on there.

Are the top folding stocks flimsy? Will they break? Should I just get the pistol grip/butt stock and be done with it? What are some recommendations from the experienced crowd?

btw, I'll be 'checking it out' on Sunday! This is my fourth gun and the first one I've been this excited over!

 

[Andrew Wyatt]

mossbergs and Pg stocks aren't a great combo, due to the safety location. folding stocks have poor ergonomics as a rule, and generally serve no purpose, unless you absolutely need the room.

 

[Coronach]

Get the mossy, skip the stock. It looks WAY COOL, but thats about the limit of its utility, I'd imagine.

Mike

 

[HSMITH]

There is a pretty good price difference between the 500 and the 590.......

Try the stock, worst case you end up ebaying it off and lose a couple bucks on it. I don't like them either like the guys above, but you might. Never gonna know till you try it...

 

[Darrin]

HSMITH, whever that price difference is, I got the 590 for the price of the 500.

Something else I plan on adding to this gun will be a 26" or 28" barrel.

So, no mossy fans around here, eh? Oh, well.

I notice how Dave McC puts Mossberg in the top 4, does this mean the mossy is 4th on that list?

 

[Andrew Wyatt]

I didn't say i wasn't a mossy fan. the mossberg is the bees knees, as far as a lefty friendly shotgun goes.

the mossy has a wonderful tang mounted safety, which becomes an awkward, top of the reciever safety when you put on a pistol grip stock. if you're going to do that, you might as well get an 870.

 

[sm]

Darrin, it is not the fact some are not fans of Mossy, IT IS , well noted that many have other criteria that define their choices.

I'll pick on myself...Oh I'm sure others will pick on me too.

Personally, I'm big on gun fit. Truth is some mfg guns fit me off rack better than others. Meaning it requires less to fine tune that fitting.

I'm big on pattern boards, and practice. Which means after the fit , I want to know where the POA/POI and what loads work for what. I will tweak this if need. I does ME no good to havea shotty sitting around that I have no idea if the darn thing fits, patterns, works, has any quirks that need ironing out...trigger pull for instance.

The one more uses something, the more 'gooder' they are with it.
Well IME I have had to teach armored guards to shoot shotguns, they are REQUIRED to qualify with a PG shotty. NOT much room to manuever inside an armored car.

I will ususally start them out with a regular stocked shotty like a 870 or 1300...the drop is different, so we can get a closer fit to student then get some range time ( trigger time). It is easier to shoot , gives understanding to nuances of shotguns, patterns, trigger, less likely to ingrain bad habits. Gun handling is easier and safer. Finger off trigger for instance is better ( muscle memory). Is the safety top tang, fore or aft of trigger on trigger guard?

You with me so far? I mean all blazes erupts and ond one gets dead because they don't know where the safety is, how the shotty does anything, not used to recoil. I have seen students fumble, push prod and realize they would be dead because, "who put the darn safety up there?" ( tang safety on a mossy).

If a student will practice with a regular stocked gun, and shoot it, be it clays from a thrower down on the farm, skeet, trap...heck even tin cans...the human computer...eye and hand dealie sets in memory...memory when under stress which is invaluable.

Then we progress to the PG < click-light bulb on> the brain, eye/hand can better transition. Then I usually hear..." ok I need to practice more...but a darn PG wears me out quicker, recoil is harsher...and I don't hit so well." " I think I'll practice more with a regular stock--unshouldered-- to get the feel and used to snicking off safety".

Give me a student that has hunted, shot at clay games , dry fired his shotgun ...and I assure you he can transition quicker, they hate the limits of PG, and they hate anything tacked on as gadgets.

There is saying, " Beware the man whom shoots one gun".
I think it should be a law unto itself, " Don't buy until you try".
Perhaps, one needs to be required a certain # of rounds before they purchase, change anything, or tack any goodies onto a firearm. I believe ammo purchase is just part of a new gun before accessories.

BTW old buddy of mine right fond of his mossy 835 , he won it shooting trap as a joke. He can use a tang safety...but he shot bbl sets for years and has 15 medals from World Shoot.

He took this 835 -won as a joke- ran 50 straight in Trap , changed chokes, rand 50 straight in skeet...right out of the box...mfg stickers still on the gun. He has trigger time though. We used to partner up. He didn't like being hungry as kid. He has guns that fit, but he can "get by" with anything...hunger is great motivator he still quips.

 

[HSMITH]

I am a fan of the 590 and 835's, the rest are not adequate IMO.

 

[CleverNickname]

Are the top folding stocks flimsy? Will they break?

I had an ATI top folder (like in your 2nd picture) on my 870 awhile back. It was junk. The all-polymer construction didn't feel sturdy enough. I replaced it with a metal Choate top-folder which I like a lot better.

 

[Kevlarman]

Hey, if the Mossy came with the pistol grip from the factory, couldn't you convert it to an AOW or something?

 

[Snaps]

Here's mine, you can probably guess which stock I'd suggest

 

[Dave McCracken]

Darrin, the Big Four are presented in no particular order.

Re PG only shotguns, if you're auditioning for Miami Vice II,they're a great prop. If your butt's on the line, use a standard stock.

Folders aren't much better.Anyone disagreeing is invited to a shootout, mano a mano.

Your COF, ammo choice, distance.

After 4 years of throwing down that gauntlet, no takers.

 

[Guyon]

Anyone disagreeing is invited to a shootout, mano a mano.

Errr.... Dave.... You do mean at targets and not at each other. Right?

 

[Darrin]

Dave, what are your thoughts about the 3rd pic I posted of the pistol grip w/buttstock?

Reason I ask is because of my ongoing battle with carpal tunnel in my right wrist. Having my hand on a pistol grip feels more natural to my wrist.

Thanks to everyone on the input so far!


FYI- I shot it on Sunday and experienced an epiphany: My whole life I've been a "rifle person." This weekend I started to consider myself a "closet shotgun person."

 

[Andrew Wyatt]

if you're going to put a PG stock on a shotgun, get an 870 0r a 1300.


putting a PG stock on a mossberg utterly defeats the purpose of having a tang safety.

 

[Correia]

There is nothing wrong with a pistol grip with a fixed buttstock, like in your last picture. However Andrew is correct in that it totally sucks with a tang mounted safety.

Pistol grip only sucks. It sucks beyond all comprehension. It is absolutely horrible in just about every way you can think of. You can't hit squat. It hurts to shoot and therefore you will practice less. I have nothing positive to say about PGO.

The folder can go either way. But here is the single most important point. Can you still get a good comfortable cheek weld? If the answer is no then the stock is not for you. If you can't get a good weld then you won't shoot good, or even worse with a folder you will gash yourself in the cheek.

Cool looking takes a back seat to performance any day of the week. I say go buy a couple cases of shells, shoot them all and then see if you want to change anything.

 

[Battler]

About folder compactness:

I considered a folder for coolness.

Just where would you be stashing this folder anyway? What compartment is so small that the full stock would not fit? I certainly think that a regular stock gun, without a pistol protrustion, is EASIER to get in and out of a lot of places, and I find it EASIER to shoulder than a PG/Fullstock as well.

Certainly, if the gun can fit in this compartment, you can pull it out and get it into action, at full capability, MUCH faster than a folder that's folded up.

 

[Snaps]

I got my folding stock just because I didn't have one of those. I juts use it for playing around. Blasting cans of bottles. Stuff like that.

 

[Bruce626]

I fired over 1000 rounds with the standard full stock on my Mossberg 500 before installing the ATI Full-Stock-With-PG on it.

I agree that the tang-mounted safety is more difficult to operate with the pg on the stock, but I have practiced enough to become proficient (fast and smooth) with it, so it is not a reason to reject the full stock with pg.

I now have fired another 1000+ rounds using the full stock with pg and am convinced that it is far easier for me to do fast reloads with the stock at my shoulder and the muzzle on the target while using this stock with pg.

After a long day of intense social shooting I can barely hold the muzzle on target while reloading with the standard stock, but have no problem doing so with the stock w/pg.

YMMV.

 

[tlhelmer]

I have the Mossberg Mariner 500A. Great gun, but the top safety does make a pistol grip more difficult to use.

I think the action on my department issued Remington 870 is smoother.

 

[Dave McCracken]

Guyon, of course. A disagreement of this sort hardly calls for a duel to the death.Shot for time and score, it would definitely settle the issue once and for all.

Darrin, I've used full stocks with PGs on rifles and some on shotguns, as well as thumbhole stocks. No great advantage or disadvantage that I see. If it works for you....

I've two thread projects right now. One is Wingshooting 101, and the other is on the Cool Factor. Coming soon...

 

[Darrin]

tlhelmer, I'm planning a side-by-side comparison of my own. Hopefully in a couple of weeks I'll be able to do this.

Dave, (and everyone else), thanks for the input! I'm going to order the pg/buttstock in a couple of weeks. I think my wrist will thank me.

 

[justice4all]

I'd leave it exactly how it is. That's a beautiful, functional shotgun.

 

[Darrin]

justice, there's always a chance it will end up with just the factory stock. For the sake of my wrist and the angle it's held, I have to at least buy the cheap-o pg/stock (not the folding) to find out if it will be more comfy. If the pg/stock becomes more of a burden, I'll throw it on eBay! However, if it does help, I'll get a lot more enjoyment out of the gun without my wrist hurting (as bad).