Mossberg 3000 LE?

[niteowl]

I was wondering if I could get some opinions on these? I was getting ready to pull the trigger on buying a used 870 Police for $279, and bumped into another customer in the store who mentioned he had one of these Mossberg's for sale. Took a look at it today, and it's in very nice shape...I'd say about 90% It's got the 20" rifle sighted barrel for 3", park finish, and a speedfast stock. He only wants $250 for it. Might even be able to talk him down another $20-30. It's actually much nicer than the 870 I was looking at. The fit and finish is damn impressive!

Now I know the history on these. They are Howa built guns, and were originally marketed under S&W in the early 80's for Law Enforcement. S&W dumped them onto Mossberg for a couple of years, and then Mossberg dropped them. I don't think either one of them could gain a footfold in the market already dominated by Remington.

I am basically looking at a HD shotgun. I already have some old Wingmasters and Expresses for hunting and such, and didn't want to dedicate any of them to a bedside HD setup.

 

[AcceptableUserName]

it'll work well enough, but good luck finding parts should something break. I was considering one myself but there's just very little in the way of replacements upgrades out there. There's so many good pumpguns out there - High Standard Fliteking, This Mossberg 3000, etc. etc. and even add the Ithaca 37 to the list to the certain extent that I'll probably never acquire because it just isn't worth the headache of obtaining parts should I need to. The Winchester 1200/1300 is even pushing it a little. In my opinion these type of guns should be priced even lower than they are, not because of quality but because of a pretty glaring lack of support should something ever go wrong.


Offer 200 flat for the gun. Tell them it's a great gun but if anything ever goes wrong, you're gonna have an issue for sure. Otherwise, you BETTER snap up that police for 279. You WON'T have any headaches with that, ever.

 

[niteowl]

You are right about the parts thing. I only found a few sources online.

I could care less about upgrades as my intentions are to keep it as a KISS gun.

I spoke to the gentleman last night on the phone, and he sweetened the deal a bit. He said he thought he had an extra barrel for it, and ended up finding it in storage. It's a parked 18" bead sight cyl barrel. This may or may not affect price negotiation.

About the Police 870. I'm an 870 guy through and through. I love 'em. This particular one I was looking at is a typical used police gun. I called the serial number into Remington, and it's a 1991 model marked as "870 Magnum". The park is worn, the wood needs refinishing (which isn't a big deal), and I noticed it has a couple of pitting spots on the barrel and action bars. Other than that, it's typical 870. They won't budge at all on price. It would cost me $279 + tax to get it out the door.

The only reason I'm even considering this Mossberg is how nice of shape it is. It hasn't had alot of lead through it, and it has very little wear. But the thing that gets me the most is the fit and finish of everything. It chokes me to say this, but it rivals, if not betters my old Wingmasters. I know Howa doesn't build junk, but I wasn't expecting this kinda quality on a Japanese built Mossberg. If they were all built this way, I'm surprised they didn't catch on better. Bottom line is that I can get this thing for $250 or less with two barrels.

Decisions, decisions...

 

[AcceptableUserName]

well, you sound like you know what to look for and it sounds like you already know what to do.

if he'll give you the gun with both barrels for 250, just do it. i'd sell the 20" barrel and keep the 18.5" to be honest. unless the gun has a tube that would run flush with the 20" which i doubt it does.

250 isnt a terrible price even with one barrel. i guess i'd just be scared of the what ifs. but 99 pct chance itll serve you faithfully forever so its worth the gamble.

 

[niteowl]

well, I took the gamble. picked up the Mossberg for $225. the other barrel is a S&W. no biggy, as it's all made by Howa anyway. on the drive home, i pulled over and ran 3 shells of 2-3/4 Winchester Super X through it. nothing special, it functioned just fine. it's a nice tight and smooth gun. the trigger is also unexpectedly very good.

i don't feel too broken up about the 870, as I kinda wanted an old blued Wingmaster version anyway...

 

[AcceptableUserName]

ya from what you said you made the right choice.