Mossberg Home Defense

[firesafety3]

Friday afternoon I decided to stroll through one of my regular gun stores to see if anything new was out there. At my first stop he walked to the back and came back with a Mossberg box and pulled out a "Tactical" 500, of the Persuader flavor. I had not seen this particular setup before.

I didn't let out an "ohh" or "ahh" but the configuration intrigued me. 18.5" barrel, barrel shroud (I'm not sure how handy that would be), pistol grip, collapsable stock with 5-shell saddle. The forearm had a rugged nylon strap affixed that made sense in a home defense weapon, whether you pulled the trigger on the last round or used it as battering ram to get in/out a door or window.

I handled the gun a bit and at $319, walked out with another bedroom gun. I stopped by one of the law enforcement/hunting supply stores and picked up a few boxes of the Remington "Tac 8" rounds.

Got home, broke it down, removed the plug, and performed ceremonial wipe down and fresh oil and took it south for a little break in. I had some other buckshot at home so I grabbed a few boxes to compare with the Tac 8 rounds.

The gun handled and cycled all rounds (2 3/4") without incident and it wasn't unpleasant to shoot. I ran 40 or so rounds of various buckshot through it and I did note that the Tac 8 did pattern better than the other 00 buckshot (Remington and Federal) at 15 and 30 yards.

I have a mount that slides between the mattres and box spring on my side of the bed that cradles the Mossberg nicely and covers with the fancy "dust ruffle" that my wife bought.

No need for the "tacticool" red dot, ghost ring, or tangling sling on this one.

I think this is a pretty well thought out design on a home defense shotgun with basic features and a decent price.

 

[Gnarly]

Nice Choice!

I've been looking at similar guns,but will prob'ly buy the basic Maverick 88- only because I had to replace a LOT of outdated/rusty/obsolete stuff before I can resume any handloading- it's been awhile-and my budget now dictates a less-expensive gun!
Have you ever tried any Federal F127's w/#1 buck?Several friends w/ Mossys or 870's report good results-16 pellets vs. 9. I dunno.
----Gnarly

 

[SiG357]

Nice shotgun. That was my first choice.

 

[foghornl]

Pistol-grip stock...OK I was confuse-ed untill I saw the pic...for some reason thought you meant pistol-grip only...couldn't see how a PGO could be used as a battering ram....

Hey, it is still early, and I'm about a gallon low on coffee....

Mossbergs, while not quite as nicely finished as a classic 870 Wingmaster, are still very solid serviceable shotguns, and will go BOOM! on request every time....I have both an OLD Mossy 500A and a 1990-vintage Maverick 88.

Maverick has the 18-1/2" cylinder bore barrel, 500 has the 28" Mod choke for "Woods-n-Water" use.

 

[firesafety3]

I've had an 835 for quite a few years now and love slinging 3 1/2" at ducks and geese. The 835 and the 500 I just picked up are built like a tank and are very solid guns.

The only complaint I have is that it takes a while to loosen up the safety slide on the Mossbergs.

On another note, I wouldn't have bought a "pistol grip only" shotgun. Looks great in the movies but if you're ever tempted to buy one...go shoot one.

 

[tenbears]

The Mossberg 500 is a good choice, I have fired one before on a combat shooting range. I almost bought one but was lured in by the Remington 870 pump with a 18.5" barrel, along with a nice side by side 12ga. couch gun.
It's all good.

 

[Mannlicher]

Back in the early 90s, I picked up a Mossberg 500 Cruiser in 20 Ga. The little shotgun had the 18.5 inch barrel, and a pistol grip. It has been a great little shotgun, handles well, and I feel it would be effective.
As time went by, I kept buying things for it, and now, I can switch out the pistol grip for a sythetic stock using the same barrel, or change the barrel to a 26 inch vent rib barrel for use as a hunting shotgun.

 

[guntotinguy]

Got one (500 tacticool)...and man is it NICE!Took it to the range (had to fire 12 slugs) and put it through some pretty heavy pump and fire...worked real sweet!Looking to take it out in the desert and compare it to my Saiga 12 (for distance,etc).