Mossberg reliability questions.

[shotgunner]

Okay, I know that on the Remington 870 they have an issue with the shell being ejected too soon and being pinched in the feed ramp.
I'm sure this is a VERY RARE issue... but it's something that concerned me when I was swayed into buying a mossberg instead.

Here's the qeustion.

Which types of issues do Mossbergs have that might prevent them from functioning properly? Anything similar to the 870's bugs??

I hear that Mossberg 500s are the few shotguns to pass stringent military tests.

Thanks!

 

[one-shot-one]

the only "weak" point that i have heard about on the 500 is the plastic shell follower, it can be changed-replaced with a "better" after market one. mine is 10 years old and still stock.

 

[Nitram68]

On the mossy, I've heard the thumb safety is plastic and can break so there's an aftermaket steel (or alloy??) unit for around 12 bucks.

My 590 has had no issues and I don't treat it that well Neither did my 870 wingmaster before I lost it in a bet :banghead:

 

[Fred Fuller]

With any major manufacturer's pumpgun, the "issue" of jamming a shell en route from the magazine to the chamber will almost always be an operator malfunction. Most often it is caused by 'short stroking' or failing to move the bolt all the way to the rear. It can also be caused by lack of maintenance, accumulated crud can cause pumpguns to malf too. In some cases it can be caused by worn or damaged parts. But these are "issues" which all pumpguns are subject to, no one brand of the Big Four is more prone to problems than any other.

In short, IMHO you made that decision based on a fallacy. Not to say that Mossbergs are not good guns.

It was Mossberg's 590 (a beefed- up 500 with a magazine cap) which was accepted in military trials for a purchase contract about 20- 30 years ago. Remington did not submit a sample for testing that time out. The most recent military purchase was from Benelli, and was a semiauto and not a pump.

Stay safe,

lpl/nc

 

[dfaugh]

Well....

In 35 years of gun ownership and shooting, I've never owned anything but Mossberg 500 series shotguns....And I have never, ever had a malfunction of any kind. Includes 12, 16 and 20 gauge models. Some have been shot thousands of rounds...Never had to replace a part on any of them...So, that's not to say a Rem Or Win isn't just as good, but IMHO its hard to beat a Mossberg.

 

[enfwago]

I have had my mossberg 500 with the thumb safety since I bought it in VA back in 1998. It has seen the rain and snow...still no problems.

 

[Zach S]

On the mossy, I've heard the thumb safety is plastic and can break so there's an aftermaket steel (or alloy??) unit for around 12 bucks.

Aluminum. Its a factory mossberg part (off the 590A1).

 

[Gunnutz13]

Mossberg shotguns....

My Mossy Cruiser model has not had a hiccup in the almost ten years I have owned it...I would dare say it has at least 600 rounds of 00 / 000 Buck through it !

 

[MikeJackmin]

The 590 (not the 500) is the one that passed the miltary tests. I'm very happy with mine - I got the version with the ghost-ring sights and the speed-feed stock, and you can't beat it for the price.

 

[foghornl]

I have a Maverick 88 (Mossberg's value-priced line) that I have owned & operated since 1990. No problems. And I have put just as much game on the table as my brothers with their 870 & 1100 respectively.

That being said, I really like the looks of the Classic 870 Wingmaster, but the Maverick/Mossy 'fits' me better.

 

[nickthecanuck]

I had some problems with FTEj in my Mossy 500.
Turned out the screw holding the ejector in place had worked loose somehow. Locktited it back in place, no more problems.

 

[Azrael256]

I had a minor problem with my ejector right from the start. I guess the spring went slack, so the ejector would slide right off the rim of the shell. I expect that one or two defects slip out in each lot. No big deal, really. I sent it in and have had no issues since. It's a quality shotgun, and I have nothing but positive commentary on it.

 

[NMshooter]

It is somehow possible for the saftey to engage under recoil.

Fixed by tightening up a replacement "two way" screw and Loctite.

Do not like the one way screw at all.

Absolutely love how easy it is to reload since the carrier is up and out of the way.

Still can't figure out whether I prefer Mossberg or Remington...

 

[ALPHA9000]

I love the 590. Reliable and a lot harder to short stroke than the 870.

 

[thunderduck2004]

iv had my 500 since i was 12 and have shot trap and hunted in the marsh ever since and have had no probs withit at all by the way im now 36

 

[zorkd]

I just got a 590 in marinecote and I am experiencing sticky extraction, around 1 out of 4 shells get stuck after firing and I need to exert extra force to extract the spent shell.

on one shell, the starboard extractor ripped the rim of the spent shell.

I'm having the gunsmith take a look.

 

[AcceptableUserName]

dead reliable gun. That's the main reason I'm such a big fan of Mossbergs. There's other reasons, but that's the main one.


The main issues I think you can encounter on a Mossberg is a broken plastic safety button (cheap to upgrade with an aluminum sort) or a bound up spring in a 590 20" 8+1 shot (easy to upgrade with an 8 dollar Wolff spring).

Anything else that goes wrong could happen on any pumpgun. These are really the only two brand specific hiccups and they're minor as minor gets.

 

[AcceptableUserName]

Zorkd,, I think you made a smart choice having a gunsmith look it over...when in doubt a qualified gunsmith is always a good idea. Key word : qualified.


Odds are though, your gun just had a really rough chamber. It could've been remedied at home, I'd bet...and quite easily and cheaply. I polish the chamber on every shotgun I get whether it has problems or not. I have honestly never had extraction issues on a Mossberg...believe it or not I only ever had them on an 870. Crazily enough, I had them worst on a 1975 Wingmaster. If it can happen to that...hopefully we can agree it can happen to ANY gun.


When you get that gun in order it's about the toughest a shotgun can get, along with an 870 Marine Magnum.

 

[RandKL]

Nothing particular to a Mossy 500. No probs in over 25 years.

rich

 

[MNPyro]

I polish the chamber on every shotgun I get whether it has problems or not.

What do you do to polish the gun? What parts/areas?

 

[Al LaVodka]

Mossbergs essentially just don't fail to fire, feed and eject. The "beefed up" 500 is a 590 but only today (slightly heavier receiver, lockup, barrel and metal trigger housing and safety). I became Distinguished Expert with a 500. Love 'em. Never saw a plastic follower but wouldn't care, however, the polyresin safety switch s/be replaced with metal but make sure you put it back together right or it could engage after each shot -- that's why Mossberg's have one-way screws on them and don't sell replacement metal switches to amateurs...

Al

 

[1KPerDay]

Zorkd that's like the third 5-year-old thread you've bumped.

 

[Grunt]

I've had a Mossberg 500 since 1993 that was a used police gun when I bought it, I used it HARD as well and I've never had any problems other than the plastic safety breaking which was a $10 fix at that time. Before that I used Mossberg M590s (no 590A1 in those days) in the Marines with no problems as well. I know the 870 crowd will point out the plastic safety being an issue as to why the 870 is superior so let me just say "J-lock" and let's just figure it's an extra $15 price tag on a Mossberg to upgrade the safety button to a metal one. As far as any problems with the cycle of operation, I tried to make my Mossbergs (both my old 500 and newer 590) malfunction and the only thing I could do to induce a problem was to purposely put a shell in backwards in the magazine. That stopped it!

 

[zorkd]

mossberg 590 marinecote - sticky extraction

thank you acceptableusername. after the smith takes a look, i'll do as you recommended, unless he does it for me already.

how do i go about polishing the chamber? just a rag and polishing compound and fingers?

would you know what the dimensions of a mossberg chamber should be?

 

[stevemis]

I took a spent shell, cut 1/4" off of the top (to clean it up) and then dropped a 4-40 screw, nut and washer through the primer pocket. Coated the shell with polishing compound and used a drill with the screw in the chuck.

The chamber was nice and shiny, but it didn't solve anything.

It turned out my issue was crummy shells that expand when fired. I suspect that's your problem, too.