Is it worth turning an older 500 field gun into a HD gun? Synthetic stock, 18.5'' barrel, forend grip, ghost ring sights.
That depends entirely on your needs and desires. If I had an old 500 with a hunting barrel, and I didn't need it but did want a home defense shotgun, I probably would.
You could probably just swap the barrel to an 18.5" with a bead rather than ghost rings. Add a light and maybe a magazine extension, and it should be good to go. There are some attachments that can be used to mount a regular flashlight to a mag tube extension, so it needn't be too expensive.
Yes, if that's what you'd like in a shotgun.Is it worth turning an older 500 field gun into a HD gun?
Wait, what?Synthetic stock, 18.5'' barrel, forend grip, ghost ring sights.
Good luck adding a mag extension to a 500.
Yeah looks like you've got a point there. Though it seems other tube options may be available. There are even some barrel and mag tube combo kits.
The magazine tube would have to be removed. It’s a chore involving heat (sometimes a lot) and unscrewing it with a strap wrench. Reinstall is finicky.
Barrels are easily swappable on 500s, not so for mag tubes.