Picked up new-to-me Shotgun today!

[Phaedrus/69]

Without trying to start another 'what gun for bear' debate again I am taking a trip to Montana very soon and will be camping and hiking in an area that's pretty thick with bears. My brother and I will both be packing bear spray and since my Enhanced Permit is honored in all the states I'm going through I will be carrying my regular CCW sidearm, probably either an HK VP9 or P2000. The only difference is that I'll be loading it with 147gr +P+ FN-FMJ from Underwood. Not ideal I'll admit but behind the bear spray it will probably do.

But while browsing the LGS today I happened upon a really nice used Mossberg 500 in stainless steel. It's the 18.5" version so fairly handy and compact. This is the first Mossy I've ever had! I have always been an 870 guy but presently I don't have one and they didn't have any decent deals on one.

Primarily I'll keep the Mossy for camp duty, something to have in my tent. My plan is to keep it cruiser ready loaded with Brenneke K.O. slugs. I may be able to have it on the trail, not sure. Legally I can where I am going, just comes down to the bulk and weight vs the actual risk. Bear attacks aren't very common and I will have spray and a 9mm, so we will see.

 

[RPRNY]

Spray seems to prove out much more effective than most of us gun folk like to admit. I don't think 9mm is an effective defence against large bears (Phil Shoemaker's escapade notwithstanding), but you are clear that you're going with what you've got, so I'll leave that there. Your new Mossberg will be a very handy camp gun. I too love older Wingmasters, but your new shotgun sounds right for a woods gun and may even be portable enough that you could trail carry if you felt the need. Great find. Brenekke slugs are a good choice. RIO Star Slugs are as well. I found a great deal on an 18" Benelli Nova earlier this year and that's my new truck and camp gun.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[Phaedrus/69]

Bear spray is extremely effective. Except when it's not. I know there was a well known study that showed bear spray was much more effective than a firearm. There seems to have been a little controversy about their methodology but I will assume for the sake of argument that it's pretty sound. However there have a been a few high profile failures of bear spray. While I am not an expert on bears my research indicates, in broad strokes that when grizzly bears attack it's usually territorial or because they felt threatened. When black bears attack it's because they're hungry and intend to eat you. That squares with conventional advice (eg play dead vs a grizzly, fight for your life vs a black bear) and some recent anecdotal evidence seems to bear this out, no pun intended.

Stopping a charging bear with a firearm has be quite a gut check! They can easily outrun Usaine Bolt and can smash any bone in the human body with a flick of their paws. If a bear charges from cover at close range you have very little time to hit a vital target and lots of pressure. That's one point in favor of spray; the cone is several feet wide and the end making it easier to deliver an effective hit. Handguns aren't easy to hit with when you have all day (relative to a long gun).

I have shot at least hundreds of thousands of rounds through handguns and long guns but while I am pretty decent with a sidearm I know my limitations. I don't have a big bore bear stopper like a .44 Mag, .460 or .500 and I don't plan to buy one. Partly it's money I really can't spare for something I won't get much use out of. And just buying a blaster like that isn't enough- it takes practice to shoot them well. Heck, even +P in a light snub .38 Special takes practice. Even if I had the cannon I don't have the time nor the extra cash for the ammo it would take to be confident shooting it in life-or-death earnest.

So handgun wise, that leaves me with going with a gun I have or going incrementally bigger. Locally I can get either a 1911 or a Glock if I want a 10mm and neither option is appealing to me.

Realistically I think the 12 gauge is the best option for me. It's cheap but reliable, relatively light and portable but pretty powerful. Brenneke K.O. slugs pack quite a wallop, and of course I'll take along some 00 Buck and some lowball trap stuff to blast away with (visiting a pal out in the area and we plan to do some shootin' while I'm there).

I'll play it by ear but yeah, I think if I do much for hiking I'll tote the shottie. My brother has a "bum wheel" and can't hike very far though so probably we'll drive in on a logging road and stick pretty close to the vehicle. I can't blame him for having a bum foot but it's kind of a bummer that he isn't up to any serious bushwhacking.

 

[Phaedrus/69]

Spray seems to prove out much more effective than most of us gun folk like to admit. I don't think 9mm is an effective defence against large bears (Phil Shoemaker's escapade notwithstanding), but you are clear that you're going with what you've got, so I'll leave that there. Your new Mossberg will be a very handy camp gun. I too love older Wingmasters, but your new shotgun sounds right for a woods gun and may even be portable enough that you could trail carry if you felt the need. Great find. Brenekke slugs are a good choice. RIO Star Slugs are as well. I found a great deal on an 18" Benelli Nova earlier this year and that's my new truck and camp gun.

Enjoy your trip!

BTW, I agree that the 9mm is far from ideal. But my CCW is honored by every state I'll be going to and ultimately humans are the biggest danger (next to a car accident). While in the woods I'll be loading my 9mm with loads that penetrate very similarly to the Buffalo Bore stuff. Not perfect but it's what I have. That and the 'gauge.

 

[bannockburn]

Phaedrus/69

Nice pick-up with the used stainless Mossberg 500. I have a Maverick 88 that I use primarily for home defense and it's been a very reliable performer for me for many years. Only things I have added to it are a Limbsaver slip-on recoil pad and a shell holder sleeve.

 

[Phaedrus/69]

Before the trip I do need to get a sling and maybe that same kind of slip on shell holder. Maybe a flashlight mount if I can find one. Normally I'd order one online but there's no time since I am wanting to leave by Sat.

 

[Dave Markowitz]

...

But while browsing the LGS today I happened upon a really nice used Mossberg 500 in stainless steel. It's the 18.5" version so fairly handy and compact. This is the first Mossy I've ever had! I have always been an 870 guy but presently I don't have one and they didn't have any decent deals on one.
...

Assuming it's a Mossberg 500 Mariner, it is almost certainly electroless nickel plated, not stainless steel. I have one as my house gun.

Before you rely on it run a box of ammo through it. I had occasional sticky extraction because the nickel plating inside the chamber wasn't as smooth as it should've been. If you have this problem you can fix it with a 12 gauge brush on a section of a cleaning rod, a cleaning patch or section of an old T-shirt, some Flitz or Simichrome metal polish, or JB Bore Paste, and an electric drill.

To polish the chamber, first remove the barrel. Wrap the patch/t-shirt scrap around the brush and put a blob of metal polish on it. Then run it in and out of the chamber while it's chucked in the drill and spinning. Spray the chamber and bore down with WD-40 or your favorite cleaner and then swab it out well. If the chamber is very smooth, you're done. If not, repeat.

 

[Phaedrus/69]

The receiver is aluminum so it's either plated or anodized. The barrel could be nickel plated, have not had a chance to try a magnet on it. Certainly I will run several boxes of various types of ammo through it before I will rely upon it but that's SOP for any firearm imo. I bought it used and it feels well broken in but time will tell.

 

[bearman49709]

A magnet wont tell you anything, stainless steel used in guns is magnetic.

 

[Phaedrus/69]

It doesn't really matter much to me what the gun is made of, I can only say it's matte silver! As long it goes BOOM! I'll be happy.

 

[Phaedrus/69]

I got a light mount today that hopefully will fit and work. I'm hoping to stick my Elzetta Bravo on it in case of any bumps in the night.

 

[sappyg]

Sounds like a good plan to me.
I wonder if anyone has tested bear spray on people? A tazer might work but I haven't seen much talk of them on bears. Regardless, you got a good shotgun. Might as well use it. I like dave's advise. Run some shells through it and make sure it's gtg.

 

[Phaedrus/69]

I dunno, I suppose it would suck to be a human sprayed by the stuff! But it's actually weaker than the stuff sold for use against humans. My view is that the bear spray has a good track record so it makes sense to use it first. Well, common sense and avoidance is first. I'll try to make a lot of noise so as not to sneak up on anything bigger than me, no food in the tent, etc. I bought two big cans of Counter Assault, one each for my brother and me. Probably we won't see a bear up close, and if we do the spray will probably run it off. Layer two will be sidearms or the shotgun depending on where and how it goes down.

Today I got a light mount. It was tricky for me to install as the barrel had to come off; this is the first Mossy I've ever had so I wasn't sure how to do it. YouTube to the rescue! Now I have my Surefire X300 Ultra mounted on it. If a bear sticks his nose in the tent at 4:00 am at least I'll have light to blast him by or he'll have light to dine by.

When I get out to MT I'll unlimber the guns and so some shooting well in advance of heading out to the bush. Definitely have to make sure the gun works, especially since that's my first time putting a Mossberg back together!

 

[Phaedrus/69]

I'm presently in Idaho Falls on my way home from Montana. Never saw any bears so the bear spray and Mossy stayed cased. I did shoot it with a buddy and it ran fine. The Brenneke K.O. slugs are no fun to shoot though!

 

[Phaedrus/69]

Now that I'm on my home computer I'll post a quick follow up. When I got to Montana I went to a buddy's place to do some shooting. The Mossy would only feed 4 of the 5 rounds with that last one sticking in the mag tube. After dinking around with it a bit I noticed that the buffer spring in the mag tube was very weak. Luckily there's a good 'smith in town that installed a new spring for me overnight for just $25! I didn't want to try it myself as the tube is Lok-Tite'd in, etc.

Now it runs like a top! And it goes to show why you never use a firearm with giving it a good shakeout first!