My Turn, 1st shotgun purchased

[Rob1035]

Guess I'm in the club now!

I've been kicking around the idea of picking up a shotgun of some sort for a while, after have a great time with my friends Mossberg 590. I wanted something good for home defense, "SHTF" type fantasies, maybe some hunting, and just all around shooting fun. This weekend, I got to shoot skeet with a buddy testing out a new thrower, something i've never done, and I had an absolute blast, so add that sort of thing to the list.

Alas, being a broke recent college graduate, I dont have piles of green to burn, so I wanted something inexpensive. I found a beat up Mossberg 500 (I'm a lefty, so I prefer the mossys after trying all of the 'big 3'), with an 18.5" barrel and beat up furniture, but it works, and thats what I care about. The price was right ($135 shipped), so I'm very excited, even though I'll probably end up buying a barrel for sporting purposes. The gun itself should be at my FFL monday, so I'm very excited, and wanted to share that with you guys!

Enough of me, back to your highly informative shotgun threads (I've learned a friggin TONNE from reading this board)

oh, almost forgot, my first, only, and thus favorite ugly duckling:

 

['Card]

20 years from now you'll be showing off your perfectly-functioning Mossberg to a friend and saying "See that gun? Back in 2006 I paid $135 for that gun! I reckon I got my money's worth outta that one!"

 

[Fred Fuller]

A bottle of Old English furniture polish with scratch hider will do wonders on that furniture (along with a soft cloth and some elbow grease of course).

Good deal, good gun, now GO SHOOT IT.

lpl/nc ("furniture" as in stock and forearm on your shotgun, not picking on you household furnishings...) 8^)

 

[Dave McCracken]

Welcome,Rob, Nice Mossy.

Now, go shoot it. Lots.....

 

[pauli]

that's my kind of shotgun! (i've got one just like it in 20ga)

now you need to call mossberg and find out when it was born!

 

[Rob1035]

ok, i finally figured out what "BA/UU/R" means, and I fully intend to do so.

i'm also brushing up on my "101" classes, I can't wait to get to the range

 

[Larry Ashcraft]

Not the purdiest girl at the dance, but she'll do...

Listen to Dave. And hang around in here, you'll learn a lot!

 

[Rpriestlyjr]

Now you'll just have to get another, and another, and another....

But everything in moderation.....What's your definition of moderation???

 

[STiTkacik]

Ohhhhh, nice!


Have fun with it! You got a great deal!!!

 

[Rob1035]

just a small update-

picked the gun up from my FFL a few weeks ago, and its in fine condition, but I'm a little iffy about the barrel. Its 18-1/8", and the bore is less than perfect (minor pitting), so I might go ahead and buy a new mossy 18.5" barrel, since even then my total investment will be under $200.

 

[danurve]

Rob1035; I bet my Mossberg is uglier then yours
I'm a little confused why your insisting on a short barrel, but that doesn't matter. Most 500's refuse to die, great foul weather guns. Might I suggest if your going to pick up a spare barrel look for a good used vent-rib. They take a crap load of different chokes.
Check out trulockchokes.com & choketube.com

to good shootin`

 

[ABTOMAT]

Great deal, and a nice gun in an ugly way. Now you can get some practing prettying up the wood.

About the barrel, I don't think I'd buy a new 18.5" if this is going to be your only shotgun. Takes the fun out of a lot of things. Maybe keep the old 18-incher for SHTF and get a real barrel for sporting stuff?

 

[Rob1035]

well for now I just want a barrel that I'm comfortable using, to put a bunch of HD rounds through, so the factory shorty fits the bill, plus its cheap. The current barrel is iffy imo. I will be purchasing a 'sporting' barrel in the late summer, probably a 24" with the accuchoke.

 

[nitesite]

My Mossburg 590 is pretty ugly and totally stock. I could care less if it bets bashed about or whatever. You and I both have defensive shotguns (which can also take game) that we don't want to treat tenderly. That's good.

Someday you may own a shotgun you will take extreme measures to prevent marring. But even then your 500 will still be giving you comfort every day as it stands at the ready.

Good shotgun.