Mossberg 500 - Problem or not.....

[viking499]

Recently picked up a like new 500 12 gauge from my LGS. Wood stock and almost perfect blue. 24" ported accuchoke barrel. Can hardly tell it has been used. Has a short stock on it, sort of reminds me of a youth model or mane a Bantam. Fits my short arms nicely though.

Everything about it I like except for one thing. And I don't know if it is a problem or if the gun is not broken in yet. When you pump or work the action, it will sometimes hang up or get real tight to slide. I stop pulling the slide towards me, push it back for and pump again. Sometimes it will cycle, sometime,e I have go forward and repeat. Does not happen all the time. Once or twice every 10-12 shells.

Any of this sound familiar with the 500's? Not broken in yet and needs some extra lubrication or is it something specific I need to look at?

 

[Fred Fuller]

Doesn't sound normal to me... doesn't sound like a break-in issue either. Sounds as if something is wrong.

Is it hanging up on a FIRED shell, or on unfired shells? Will it cycle cleanly when empty without hanging up?

If it's fired shells that it 'sticks' with, try cleaning the chamber thoroughly, and if that doesn't work, try changing ammo brands. Cheap Winchester shotshells are a frequent culprit where this problem is encountered.

 

[viking499]

Happens more after a shell is fired. Also has happened once on an unfired shell.

 

[Carne Frio]

That is not normal for any pump shotgun.
Have you taken it apart and inspected the
parts ?

 

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

Put a little lube on it and shuck it with authority.

Sounds like its the 12ga youth model they have out there.

 

[viking499]

That is not normal for any pump shotgun.
Have you taken it apart and inspected the
parts ?

Not yet.

 

[AI&P Tactical]

It sounds like you are describing an extraction problem and this can very often be the ammo you are using. Cheap target loads with steel bases are most often the culprit. Winchester Universal is the worst offender. What ammo is this happening with?

 

[BADUNAME30]

Sounds like it just needs a thorough internal cleaning and lubed.
Check the bolt ways closely.
I've never heard of a 500 having 'digestion' issues with any ammo.

 

[viking499]

All ammo shot so far had been Remington.

 

[Uniquedot]

These are the issues i had with a 500 in the early eighties and with an 835 when they were introduced. I swore to never buy another, but was planning on trying a newer version in the future. Your post has saved me the trouble of wasting more time/money. The problem (if i remember correctly) that you are having is due to the elevator.

 

[Hornet24]

Never seen or experienced that with any of mine or the hundreds of 500s I have handled.

 

[riflefan]

Had the exact same issue with my 20 gauge. A good check of the actionbars and their track in the receiver will probably show an exceptionally tight fit. My solution was to "gently" file away the casting marks on the action bars. The casting marks were on the top and bottom of both action bars. This took 20 minutes with my sharpening stone and totally solved the problem. Good luck.

 

[Presto]

When I purchased my first Mossberg 500 it had a problem similar to yours, but much more severe. The extractor was ripping through the rim of the shell. The chamber was very tight and rough. I just used a little automotive sandpaper with some light machine oil to remove the machine marks and open the chamber just a little, and am still shooting that gun over fifteen years later without a problem.

With a Mossberg the solution to most problems are very simple to track down and fix. These are simple and basically bulletproof mechanisms.