Info on Mossberg 500ATP 5 shot?

[Noah]

My Dad has a nice Mossberg 500 marked ATP that has a 5 shot magazine and an 18.5" barrel with flip up notch and blade sights. It has wood furniture and a blue finish with a matte black receiver. So far as I can learn, my uncle secured some sort of deal where he would give my grandfather a "really nice shotgun" for my grandfather to use to hunt deer in OH as opposed to Michigan. My grandfather told me he was afraid it was illegal when he first saw it (1980s standard of a "black" gun?). Due to age and life complications, my grandfather got out of hunting not long afterwards. A year or two ago, my Dad was on the lookout for a house shotgun, and my grandfather gave him the Mossberg. Now my Dad has a handgun or two and the gun just sits in the safe when I am not shooting and cleaning it.

So my questions are: What is a 500ATP (A = 12 gauge, TP = "Tactical Persuader" or "Tactical Police"?) From what I was able to find, it was the Mil-Spec/Police 500 before the 590. Is this correct? All the examples I can find are 20" 8 shot.

Are the flip up sights after market or original? If they are original, why don't any models have them any more? I like them.

Might post pics later, the gun is in great shape (except the wear marks around the pump, but that's a good thing) and the wood has a beautiful tiger stripe pattern when seen at an angle.

 

[Fred Fuller]

The Mossberg 500 ATP 6S (blued 18.5" CYL bore barrel, rifle type sights, 6 shot) dates back to the mid to late 1960s, I'm not sure when your particular example was manufactured. This was one of Mossberg's models made to appeal to the law enforcement and security market, and was very successful in that role. The Model 500 still is .

The sights are original, as is the 18.5" barrel. Both make a lot of sense, why Mossberg doesn't still offer that barrel with sights I don't know. Too busy making shotguns with Chainsaw forearms, fake silencers, .50BMG muzzle brakes, etc. I guess.

I don't know what the ATP stands for. The .mil guns Mossberg makes have always been parkerized, as I understand it- the earliest .mil gun I can find a record of was cataloged as the 500 ATP-8SP, apparently from the early 1970s.

Great little shotgun, with family history attached to boot - sounds like you got a real treasure. Treat it accordingly...