Mossy .410 500 and parts

[Diggers]

So here is the deal. I'm looking at buying a mossy 500 .410 for HD AND for me to play around with in the field.

I know I know I have read / heard all the arguments about using a .410 for HD. My reasons are this: its mainly for my wife and I'm not sure she could handle a small (light weight) 20 ga. AND we live in a condo so the limited shot count (3 or 5 pellets of buck) is actually a good thing for our situation.

AND I want a .410 to play with in the field. Actually the last reason is why Im posting this question.

Can I buy and put on a mossy 500 a longer or shorter barrel in .410?

I would like to get the bantam model which has a 24 inch barrel and it has a shorter LOP which would be good for my wife. The youth 505 has a 20 inch barrel (ok for the HD situation) and a really short LOP.

Can I buy just a barrel from the youth 505 model and put it on the 500 model?

Obviously this way I would have a field and HD set up.

Any info or suggestions here would be helpful. Thanks

Oh and for those who are still dwelling on the .410 for HD I give you this balistics test.
http://www.brassfetcher.com/Winchester 3 inch 5 pellet buck.html

 

[Guns and more]

You don't have to convince me of the .410 for home defense. I think it's ideal.
Can't help on the interchangeability though. Good luck.

 

[mnrivrat]

Mossberg Home Defense number 50359 might fit your need with a 18.5 inch barrel . It is a .410 as well, and perhaps their new Model 510 in .410 has something to offer . I think all .410 receivers are the same so barrels should be able to be swapped between them. I would look closly however as the 505 may have a different magazine capacity which would not allow a straight swap with the 500 in .410 ? I would look at the 18.5 inch barrel for HD .

Perhaps the new ammo being produced for the Judge would also be interesting to look at for HD usage.

 

[Diggers]

Yeah I've been wondering about that new .410 ammo. I have been assuming it has faster burning powder for the pistol but it wold be interesting to try out.

About the 18.5 inch barrel on the home defense gun .410, I read (for what thats worth) it can not be put on other mossy .410s for some reason.

Perhaps its mossbergs way of making people buy that model .410 and not making their own HD .410 out of the .410 they already have. Just a guess.

It would be nice to have the capacity of 9 2.5 inch shells though.

The 505 does have a very small capacity of 3 2.5 inch shells and that is with on in the chamber.....so 2 shell capacity really.

 

[mnrivrat]

The magazine capacity is the key issue in swapping barrels. The regular .410 Model 500 I think holds 6 rounds, the Bantum and 505 only hold 5 rounds , and the 510 holds something like three rounds. The HD holds more rounds.

Since the barrel lug that holds them on is set on the barrel at the location of the end of the magazine, you can't just swap barrels between models with different magazine capacity without changing the magazine as well. Since the magazine screws into the receiver, this can however be done without too much work.

 

[Diggers]

mnrivrat thanks, this is interesting information. I did notice that the barrel lug was located in different spots along the barrel depending on the lenght of the mag tube. I didn't think of replacing the mag tube as well...interesting indeed.

Here is my new angle, buy a regular sized 500 .410 (it come with pretty wood not the black plastic stuff.) And IF I can change those parts I could buy the barrel from 500 Cruser .410, 18.5 inches, which has the same capacity of 6 shells as the regular 500, so in theory it should fit, if not I buy the mag tube also. Then get a bantam sized stock and there I go.

OR I could just buy two .410s.

LOL It may really be cheaper to just buy two different guns I will have to price it out.

About the new judge .410 ammo, I read some online reviews by people who have used it (all in the judge) The one that got good reviews (Federal?) has made the new .410's with smooth hulls so they dont stick in the chamber and put 4 000 buck into them. Interestingly out of very short barrels the buckshot reportedly does not spread out hardly at all until 15 yards out and them goes wide quickly. They seemed to like this, I thought the point of buck is to have a spread.... Reported results said all 4 balls in a two inch group at 7 yards out of about 3 inch barrel.

The nice thing about the judge is its caused .410 buckshot shell to be produced at a higher rate and thus price is coming down, box of 20 of this ammo was about 14 bucks. Cheaper then buckshot for the 20 ga interestingly.