Question for experienced Mossberg 500/590 owners

[Milkmaster]

I have a question for you Mossberg owners. Recently I did a holiday purchase for myself of a new Mossberg 590. It is my first Mossberg shotgun in all these years. This 590 is the first firearm I have ever bought out of probably 100 or so that did not have a shiny polished finish in the chamber and bore! Is this the standard finish on the inside of a Mossberg shotgun barrel? I have cleaned with brushes and even steel wool on a drill to make sure it isn't just new gun residue. The Mossberg appears to have the same parkerized finish on the inside of the barrel as the outside. Do all Mossbergs come with the unpolished bore? This picture is after my attempts to clean it well. What am I missing?

 

[.45Coltguy]

Call Mossberg and send that picture. That bore isn't right.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

This is a pic from my 5yo 590. It looks pretty smooth.

 

[12Bravo20]

Along with calling Mossberg, I would also try running a bronze bore Bruch with your favorite cleaner down the barrel to see if it just didn't get cleaned before being shipped.

 

[Milkmaster]

Along with calling Mossberg, I would also try running a bronze bore Bruch with your favorite cleaner down the barrel to see if it just didn't get cleaned before being shipped.

I used a drill on a rod with a bronze brush, then I ran a bronze brush with a piece of green scrub pad outside of it, thirdly a ball of of steel wool, all items soaked in Hoppes #9. Then I even sprayed some brake cleaner to try and dissolve and wash out anything left. As I said, this is the first firearm I ever bought than didn't have a shiny bore. I just didn't know if that was a normal thing for a Mossberg shotgun. You can feel the less than smooth bore with a finger down the end of the barrel. It feels just like the outside of the barrel surface. Lastly I was even wondering if the barrel being a the tactical 18.5" mattered at all. Certainly be hard to clean if this rough surface is normal. I sent Mossberg a message on the website. Who knows what will come of it. It's my first Mossberg.

 

[edwardware]

What am I missing?

My $18.79 Wranger jeans from the WalMart's have untrimmed threads hanging off the seams inside the pant legs. Should I call Wrangler?

You bought a 'functional not beautiful' shotgun and behold, it's not beautiful. The lack of polish will not effect function in the slightest. None of my Mossbergs have polished bores, and I appreciated that, because it reduced the purchase price.

Buy an extra box of shells for the money you saved and go shoot.

 

[SwampWolf]

My $18.79 Wranger jeans from the WalMart's have untrimmed threads hanging off the seams inside the pant legs. Should I call Wrangler?

Hardly an apropos analogy. Guns aren't pants and having frayed britches isn't the same thing as having a rough bore in a firearm, no matter how much the purchase price was reduced. The gun needs to be returned to Mossberg to be assessed and the obvious manufacturing defect fixed.

 

[Boattale]

I've never owned a Mossberg anything. That bore doesn't look like anything I've seen on a shotgun either. I'd be wanting to talk to them and send it back for a look see by the factory.

 

[Milkmaster]

You bought a 'functional not beautiful' shotgun and behold, it's not beautiful. The lack of polish will not effect function in the slightest. None of my Mossbergs have polished bores, and I appreciated that, because it reduced the purchase price.

If I wanted a bargain basement shotgun I would have purchased the Maverick. The 590 isn't a bargain firearm. Out of the 14 shotguns I own of differing brands and setups, this is the only one with a unfinished bore. Go figure!

 

[12Bravo20]

You bought a 'functional not beautiful' shotgun and behold, it's not beautiful. The lack of polish will not effect function in the slightest. None of my Mossbergs have polished bores, and I appreciated that, because it reduced the purchase price.

None of the Mossberg shotguns I have ever owned looked like the OP's barrel. And even the cheaper Maverick 88 has a shiny and smooth bore.

I used a drill on a rod with a bronze brush, then I ran a bronze brush with a piece of green scrub pad outside of it, thirdly a ball of of steel wool, all items soaked in Hoppes #9. Then I even sprayed some brake cleaner to try and dissolve and wash out anything left. As I said, this is the first firearm I ever bought than didn't have a shiny bore.

I would definitely be calling Mossberg to let them know. I wouldn't want to shoot it like that. If it is rough at all then the plastic wads can stick to it.

 

[Milkmaster]

I would definitely be calling Mossberg to let them know. I wouldn't want to shoot it like that. If it is rough at all then the plastic wads can stick to it.

That's my plan. Meanwhile I have the barrel soaking in Hoppes overnight for good measure. I will scrub it one more time for my own conscience. I ran a borescope through it tonight. Maybe they didn't finish the barrel at all. It is still black inside with some sort of coating on it. There is no bare steel showing at all. The only marks I see are from the scrubbing I did earlier today best I can tell. Borescopes are worth it and don't cost a lot anymore.

 

[Cvans]

All of mine had shinny bores and the chambers looked the same. That gun needs to go back. Hard to believe it got out of the factory that way.

 

[.455_Hunter]

Remember- YOU are the QA/QC inspector.

My vote is that your barrel missed at least one production step and that they will send you a new barrel to replace it free of charge, or perhaps, a shipping label for you to send in the whole gun.

 

[edwardware]

. . . and frayed britches isn't the same thing as having a rough bore in a firearm. . .

It IS the same thing; a completely benign lack of beatification that has no effect on function. There's always a tradeoff between form and function, and Mossberg's products tend hard toward the function end. That's why I buy them.

Of course you can complain to Mossberg, and they'll try to make to happy. . . just don't act surprised.

 

[Milkmaster]

Mossberg's response was...

Thank you for your email. Our shotgun barrels are not lined so it will not have a polished looking finish.

Sincerely,
Customer Service Team
O.F. Mossberg & Sons, Inc.

 

[crestoncowboy]

Mossberg's response was...

Thank you for your email. Our shotgun barrels are not lined so it will not have a polished looking finish.

Sincerely,
Customer Service Team
O.F. Mossberg & Sons, Inc.

They aren't. But they usually aren't that bad. I have old ones and new ones.
Did you include a picture

 

[Milkmaster]

Yes I sent the same picture.

 

[.455_Hunter]

Mossberg's response was...

Thank you for your email. Our shotgun barrels are not lined so it will not have a polished looking finish.

Sincerely,
Customer Service Team
O.F. Mossberg & Sons, Inc.

Wow! There is a BIG difference between lined (like chromed) and properly finished/polished. Very disappointing- I would ask to speak to a CS supervisor and offer some of the comparison pics shown on this thread.

 

[.455_Hunter]

It IS the same thing; a completely benign lack of beatification that has no effect on function. There's always a tradeoff between form and function, and Mossberg's products tend hard toward the function end. That's why I buy them.

Just asking- Do your Mossbergs have dull rough barrels, or are they properly finished?

 

[usaral63]

The only Mossberg I own currently is a .12 Shockwave...........it's bore is absolutely the equal of my Browning A/5..........................Damn me if I'd take that MBCS reply, you ought to call again and demand a supervisor!

 

[.38 Special]

The bore in mine is not "see-your-own-reflection" shiny, but it is quite a bit better than the one in the picture. Sounds like perhaps Mossberg has a range of "acceptability".

 

[edwardware]

Just asking- Do your Mossbergs have dull rough barrels, or are they properly finished?

Of the three barrels I can recall looking down: the Shockwave is surprisingly polished, the mid-80s cylinder bore is matte with some discernable machining marks, the 2000s 28“ barrel was very matte and parkerized-looking like the OPs.

 

[.45Coltguy]

Surprising. My three mossberg's, two 500 combo's and a 930 Field, all have polished looking bores. Someone mentioned that rough appearing bore would play hell on wads.
I agree. Get a hold of someone different in CS.

 

[Frostbite]

Don't own Mossberg, can't help with this, but reading the thread brings to my mind this question: does shooting eventually polish the bore?

My Winchester is chrome lined, it's shiny polished and it was like that from day one (both 18" and 28" barrels).

 

[12Bravo20]

My 410 Mossberg 500 made around 1985, My 12 gauge Model 500 made around 2000 and my 410 Shockwave made in 2018 all have smooth and shiny bores.

I definitely would not accept Mossberg's reply that a barrel like that in normal.