Purchased a Mossberg 500A

[dak0ta]

Hi guys,

So I sold my Remington 870 Express back in March because I wasn't a big fan of the finish. The gun worked well and fit me well and was reliable, but the rough gritty sand blasted finish tore up my gun rags and was annoying for me to clean/oil.

Today, I received my Mossberg 500A in the mail. It's the wooden field version, standard. I picked it up, and was impressed by how light and compact it felt compared to the 870. The stock LOP feels shorter and the girth of the stock is thinner I believe. Furthermore, being a southpaw, the ergos were convenient for me, especially the tang safety. I also like the blued finish, it's smooth and appears to be decently applied. The wood stock is nicer than the photos as it shows some grain, and the checkering is much more tactile than that of my previous Express 870.

I just learned how to disassemble and reassemble it, and this process is more detailed than an 870, but after the second time, I had it memorized and performed it flawlessly. My only complaint is that the magazine follower is not too visible, so I swapped it with a orange DuPont Delrin mag follower, which solved that.

The action out of the box is rough and clunky, but I'm not too worried because that will resolve itself with shooting and lube.

The twin beads on the barrel are a nice feature, and it helps with checking alignment.

The recoil pad is a lot stiffer in my opinion than what they put on the Express, but I doubt it'll make too much of a difference.

Nice benefits include 3 chokes, modified was already in the barrel, and a gun lock. Mine didn't come with any extra stickers except for the Mossberg one that's on the stock already. Is it supposed to?

Other than that, I really like how the shotgun is put together. I like the Remington 870, and plan to rebuy one, but next time it will be a used Wingmaster.

Having owned both, I recommend, get BOTH!

 

[janobles14]

i will agree with that assesment. i prefer wingmasters for field work but my HD shotgun is a mossy 500 due primarily to the lack of shell lifter at the bottom. it saves some finger pain when doing rapid reloads imo.

 

[NOLAEMT]

if you're not happy with the stock, i have a mossy 500a, it was a gift from a non-shooter that inherited it. it came with a pistol grip, and i changed it out for a houge overmolded stock. it fits perfectly, feels great in the hand, and does a great job cutting down on the recoil. even full power 00 buck is comfortable to shoot. it is plastic though, if that kind of thing bothers you.

just a thought

 

[dak0ta]

Are the wood stocked 500's supposed to come with swivel studs? Mine didn't, but the pictures on the website do.

 

[dak0ta]

UPDATE- I emailed Mossberg CS regarding the swivel studs, and they sent them for free to me

 

[glwanabe]

I went to Academy today to put my hands on some of the SG's that I have been reading about here, and on a few other forums.

NEF Pardner Protecter, and Field type. 189.00-199.00

Both models seemed well made and cycled well. The wood of the field gun was nice, and had decent grain. I would be happy with either gun. The biggest downside is not having replacement barrels available as easily as Rem, or Moss.


Remington 870, 28" field type laminate stock. 270.00

Overall, a little better fit and finish than the NEF, but only by just a enough to be noticeable. Heavy use would have them looking identical in no time. The Rems laminate stock was quite nice though. I liked it, and would be happy to own it. I could not tell a big differeance in how it cycled compared to the NEF. I'd pay the extra for the Rem for the ease of buying a spare short barrel, and having a gun serve dual purpose.


Mossberg field, and Maverick 88 security. .

Mav 88, 169.00 500 was a 20ga 160.00

This really surprised me. I did not expect to like the Mav 88. I thought I would find it to feel cheaper, and less well built than the other guns. This was not the case. I really liked it. It felt solid, and cycled well. The foregrip was as good as the other guns, in the pictures it looks a bit cheap.

The 500 field I looked at was a very nice gun overall. The wood was solid, but not quite as nice grainwise as the NEF field gun. No matter it appered to be a well cut piece of wood.

The placement of the safety was fine for me on both guns. I'm left handed, so I kinda prefer to top of the reciever safety a bit more. I've always shot right handed weapons, and learned to deal with shooting a right handed M-16 while in the Army.

Overall I have decided that a Mossberg will be coming home in the next few weeks. I'm not totally set on which model I will get, but after putting my hands on the Mav 88 It has moved up to a higher position than I previously gave it. Number one is still the basic 500 with a field barrell.

I need to go back, and eyeball a bit more between those two Mossy's.

My Brother has had a 500 for about 20 years. He has put a lot of rounds through it, and never had an issue with it. He just keeps feeding it shells, and the gun keeps digesting them.

 

[DHart]

I'm glad you're loving your Mossberg. I sure do love mine. With the blued finish. Smooth finish that looks great new, looks great with wear, and is so easy to clean. (Doesn't catch on rags!) Lifter out of the way for topping off. Safety easy to see and operate without having to move your trigger finger. Two extractors instead of one. Slide release really convenient and easy to operate with the second finger which is positioned just below the control. Sweet. Reliable. Tough. Love 'em.

My 500 and 590 were both all black and had synthetic stocks as long as I have owned them until just recently. Once I went with the short LOP Bantam stocks, my appreciation for these guns went even higher. The solid hardwood stock feels so much better in the hand than hollow plastic and the 12.75" LOP (vs. 14.25" with synth stocks) makes the guns shoulder really quickly and easily without the recoil pad getting caught on my clothing around the chest/shoulder area. From here on out my Mossbergs will be wearing wood Bantam stocks. Wood ribbed forearms are on order. I do think I will strip the finish on the stock set and refinish with a dark oil finish.

 

[BADUNAME37]

Mine is all black.
I like the looks of the wood better than mine.

Last fall, I purchased a 28" Rifled Slug Barrel (rifling in the barrel) - with adjustible Hi-Viz sights on the front and back.

That will be my deer gun for close shooting (brush gun?) - that is, when it is not sitting next to my bed with the OEM 18.5" barrel.

 

[Al LaVodka]

Great choice -- congratulations. The only change I'd really recommend is carefully changing the safety button to metal.
Enjoy a lifetime of shooting with it!
Al