My Mossberg 500 vs. Benelli Supernova....my findings...

[lvcat2004]

So I needed a relatively short barreled, high shot shell capacity shotgun for my "tactical shotgun class" next month, and all I have is a Benelli Supernova 26" that I use for hunting, so I went out and bought a Mossy 500 Persuader (I think) with 20" barrel and 8 shot capacity at Big 5 for something like $260 on sale, that was the good part.

I went out to the range and shot some skeet, 100 shells total, about 30 in my Benelli and 70 in Mossberg.

After the first shot, it failed to extract, I mean, it wont' pump back....I don't know what was going on, but I took the barrel out, took the empty shell out and pushed the bolt back and it finally worked....I was worried....I realized that I have to pump it back pretty forcefully, but as I shot more, it became smoother. Mossy is a bit lighter and doesnt' have the fancy shock absorbing stock that Supernova has, so recoil was a noticeably more, but all in all, it worked ok after the first incident.

Clean up...my goodness. I did shoot about twice as many shells, but it was DIRTY!! In addition, taking it apart was a PITA....unless all the stars were lined up, it won't come apart, and putting it back together was even worse. It has so many parts in there that I had to line up to make it "come together", bolt, bolt slide, 2 cartridge stops and everything just have to be lined up right. Then I cleaned my Benelli, or so I thought, but it was so clean that I really didn't have to. It has two parts....you take two pins out, all you have is trigger assembly and bolt assembly...that's it!! and it disassembles/reassembles in no time, no fussing around. I've cleaned my Benelli many times before and I guess I was spoiled...Mossy is about 10 times more difficult to clean and re-assemble. I know that a lot of you like Mossberg 500, but I'm not so sure about this....it is nice and slim/light, but I just find the fit/finish/engineering/build/design of the Benelli to be far superior for not THAT much more money....am I alone....?

 

[CaptMac]

Benelli

Any excuse to buy a new gun os good. Why not buy a second Super Nova with short barrel and magazine extention, or a magazine extention and a short barrel and use the one you have for the class, and then put the 26" barrel back on take the magazine extention off and put your plug back in for hunting?

 

[jmr40]

I think the Nova and Supernova are the best designed pumps out there. If I was just starting shooting I would probably buy one and be happy. I have used the 870 too long however and the Benelli just does not feel right to me. It is too thick. I tried the Mossberg as well and did not care for it at all.

 

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

I tend to lump Mossbergs and Savage rifles in the same catagory---workable and give decent service---but I just can't get past the overall cheapness of them---even the cheap 870 Express is ten times the gun a Mossberg is.

Had one of the original Nova's--was a decent working gun--just the thickness and rattles didn't really let me take to it like others.

 

[GTSteve03]

I had a Supernova Tactical for a short time. It was a nicely built gun, and had a smooth action. However, the stock's LOP was WAY too long for me. And, since Benelli for some reason doesn't offer a shorter stock and I can't find any aftermarket short stocks, I sold it. If it doesn't fit, I can't use it.

 

[9x19sig]

"even the cheap 870 Express is ten times the gun a Mossberg is."

The things people pick up from the internet never fail to amaze.

 

[Cosmoline]

I only cleaned my Mossy after each season. Never had a jam or other problem with it. Just leave it dirty. I remember after the 2004 fishing season when I'd done a lot of river fishing silt poured out of the action when I cleaned it. Still worked though.

 

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

Nothin internet about it----have owned all 3. Mossbergs are junk---that's why they're gone.

I was being nice in the first post.

 

[Ghost Tracker]

The things people pick up from the internet never fail to amaze.

Heyy...wait a second. How come an opinion (oddly not aligned with yours) is so casually dismissed as internet scuttlebutt? I like Remington 870's & don't care for Mossburgs. But that doesn't mean I believe Mossburg fans are internet handicapped...they're just mis-guided.

 

[9x19sig]

Saying that an 870 express is ten times the gun a Mossberg is pretty ridiculous and childish, regardless of what brand you favor.

I have owned a Remington 870, a Winny 1300 and Mossbergs. They are all good shotguns and they are all easy to maintain.

 

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

I own and favor a Beretta 471.

The only reason I touch a pump is to keep my pretty gun pretty.

 

[stevereno1]

I've never had any problems shooting, or cleaning my worthless, junky, terrible, unrelible, Mossberg Persuader. I've shot over 500 rounds through it, and I still have had no problems with this troublesome piece of scrap metal. Every time that I load a shell into it and press the crappy trigger, the pos shoots just fine. I have had no problems in cleaning this crummy shotgun, and cannot find any reason that they sell more pump action shotguns than anyone alse in the country! I must be MAD to trust my family's safety on such a poorly designed, non-functional shotgun.

 

[stevereno1]

Savage rifles are accurate, and reliable, but they are ka-ka too. Spend the extra money and see if they can out-shoot a savage. Should be easy for ya'll.

 

[johndoe1027]

I've never had any problems shooting, or cleaning my worthless, junky, terrible, unrelible, Mossberg Persuader. I've shot over 500 rounds through it, and I still have had no problems with this troublesome piece of scrap metal. Every time that I load a shell into it and press the crappy trigger, the pos shoots just fine. I have had no problems in cleaning this crummy shotgun, and cannot find any reason that they sell more pump action shotguns than anyone alse in the country! I must be MAD to trust my family's safety on such a poorly designed, non-functional shotgun.

Same here except I've only got about 350 through mine so far. That POS always goes bang and I've never even stripped it down yet. I just spray mine out with Gun Scrubber and shoot some Hoppes to it. Now that I think about it, only done that once.

Granted, I don't hunt or shoot skeet so mine doesn't get a lot of abuse, I have a hard time finding a place to shoot it.

Still, works for me.

 

[lvcat2004]

hmmm....so some of you Mossy owners hardly clean it?? Perhaps I'm a bit OCD...I clean/lube my firearms after I shoot them, and I sort of enjoy it. I'm not so sure if I enjoy cleaning this Mossberg...but I'll keep it...I'll see how it goes after a few hundred more shot shells.

 

[throdgrain]

500 round lmao you're hardcore

 

[1911 guy]

Huh? Model 500 difficult to clean?

Maybe I'm a bit more mechanically inclined than the average bear, but this seems like one of two things. Either the "new" pump guns are designed to let the average third grader think they got it clean, or somebody didn't RTFM and is trying to do things the hard way. Just to put things in perspective, Uncle Sam uses the 500 and expects the average guy to use and maintain it. Uncle Sam also defines the average guy as having a tenth grade education.

A little opinion here, if your Benelli doesn't allow you acess to the "guts", you're not getting it clean. Junk gets back in the action when you use it, regardless of action type. Not allowing you to dismantle everything to clean it out occassionally is a design flaw in my book, not an advantage.

Just for the record, you'll find that the 500 is easier to run in a tactical course due to the topstrap safety. 870 is easy, 500 is easier. Left hand shooting should be included and it's easy to booger up your motions on a crossbolt safety when using the opposite hand.

The real question is stock fit. Personally, I appreciate the quality of an 870, but can't hit anything with one. It's also heavier than the 500. Give me a 500 and I'll start bustin' clays again. Or bunnies, or birds, or...

 

[9x19sig]

lvcat2004-After a few times cleaning the Mossberg it will be like second nature. As long as the bolt is placed exactly where it needs to be, it will go back together like clockwork. Watch this video and you will see what I mean:Mossberg 500 Disassembly

 

[ArmedBear]

Geez!

Arguing over pump shotguns is like arguing about monkey wrenches.

Use what you like and what fits you.

I kinda like US-made pumps, in part because they are US-made. There are precious few great or really desirable US-made shotguns currently in production, other than pumps or stuff I can't afford. US pump guns, though, are "best in class" or tied for best. So I figure, why not buy American when I can get something good. But I won't tell anyone else what to do.

 

[tmajors]

I've got an 870 express that I use for chukar hunting. Thing is BEAT UP and half held together with duct tape. Shoots and handles great. Had it for about 20 years now.

I tried to replace it with a Mossburg 500, didn't survive a season and I went back to my beat up 870.

 

[lvcat2004]

Huh? Model 500 difficult to clean?

Maybe I'm a bit more mechanically inclined than the average bear, but this seems like one of two things. Either the "new" pump guns are designed to let the average third grader think they got it clean, or somebody didn't RTFM and is trying to do things the hard way.

Yeah, whatever smart-ass guy 1911. I'm a surgeon, that means I can disassemble and aseemble things while it's running I'm not saying that I can't do it, I'm just saying that it's a "much" poorer design compared to a Benelli, unless you have never seen/disassembled a Benelli Supernova, then it might enlighten you a bit. Perhaps you have never seen an intelligently engineered "new" shotgun.

What does it matter that Mossy has armed forces contract?? That's because no one but Mossberg bid on that contract and doesn't mean a thing about the firearm. Please keep your unconstructive comments to yourself.

9x19sig, thanks for the vid. I know that it will be simpler as it's done many times, but the awkwardness compared to the Benelli was astouding IMHO for two firearms that basically do the same things.

 

[Ash]

Ivcat, I'm only a Forestry Consultant and published writer but have no problem with the Mossberg. Calling one of the most popular shotguns junk is silly. Mossberg sells more 500's in 6 months than Benelli sells in 2 years. 500's have been issued to law enforcement agencies and the US military for decades - and continue to be issued. The 500 has been a major seller for 45 years now. If it were junk or a mere tithe the shotgun that the 870 is, it would not have such a long and successful career.

Now, folks need not like Mossberg 500's. Fine by me. I don't like Winchester 1300's nor do I really care all that much for the fantastic plastic Novas. But, I'm not so unconstructive as to call something well established junk. But then, I am not a surgeon.

Ash

 

[guntotinguy]

Well to be fair and honest here,I never fired a Benelli Supernova so I couldnt make a proper comparison,but I DID watch that self-same vid after I got the Mossberg 500,yes it took me a few times of trying/effort to get it down right but it was eventual.

The Mossberg was a pain to get clean the first few times...recoil was 'felt' a little more than I expected...yet I do like it and will keep it for my HP collection's (3 12 guages,2 20's and a .410).

Hey,it can only get better,right?

 

[lvcat2004]

I have not used the word "junk"...please read...I thought writers read. I said it's poorly engineered. I don't care how many they sell, that says nothing about the quality of a product. Do you see how many Ford and GM cars are out there?? They are not well engineered or put together compared to some of their competitors, there is a reason why their share is shrinking and losing billions. So you think BMW's are not well engineered because you don't see as many of them, like Benelli's?

Having said that, I think my Mossberg is useable, but it's no Benelli. I'm surprised as to how many people have them and love them, perhaps they have never owned a Benelli or BMW's....or they just want to suport domestic product and are not open to new or foreign designs. Personally, I don't care where it comes from as long as it's a well engineered, quality product. Useable will do for now, but I probably won't purchase another one.

 

[Ash]

Come now.

Ash