Shockwave-brief range report (with pics)

[Vonderek]

After mounting a Raptor grip on a Mossberg 500 I changed my long-held belief that pistol-grip shotguns are useless. I decided to treat myself to a Mossberg Shockwave and took it to the range for the first time today with a couple of different loads I have on-hand.


The loads used were some older Sellior & Bellot 00, Asrmscor Reduced Recoil 00, and Aguila Mini Shell slugs.


My use for this shotgun is home defense (and perhaps travel) and the longest distance in my house is about 10 yards so that's where I put the target. First up was the Armscor. I was aiming center mass so I obviously need some work learning this gun. Still a bad day for Mr. paper home invader.


Next up were the Aguila mini shells. Interestingly I don't have the feeding adapter for these but they fed and functioned just fine without it. Still hitting high.


Finally time for the S&B stuff. I wasn't looking forward to this. These are longer than standard 2&3/4" and have a pretty stout recoil in a full-size shotgun. However, they were very pleasant in the Shockwave. I attribute this to the arms absorbing recoil as opposed to an immobile shoulder. Note the 12 pellets in this load.


Just out of curiosity, I moved the target up to 7 yards.


As a totally unrelated topic to this post I had a hankering to get some trigger time on a S&W 3" Model 13. I only shoot 38 Special and 38+P from this gun. All-in-all a fun afternoon at the range!

 

[Sistema1927]

How were you holding the Shockwave?

I have found the same thing with the Mini Shells. Even though I have the Opsol adapter, I recently fired a tube full of the Aguila shells without it (by mistake), but they functioned perfectly. I added a rail and a Center Mass laser to mine, and it works great.

 

[Vonderek]

How were you holding the Shockwave?

Similar to shooting a handgun...dominant side leg back and body bladed toward target. Right hand holding the shotgun about a foot in front of my face and pushing forward while pulling back with my left hand on the slide. Upon firing, this slight isometric tension pretty much automatically operates the slide. The strap on the slide is crucial as I found my left hand wanting to slide forward and the muzzle is right there with no room for error. Without the strap I can see where it would be easy to lose part of a hand.

 

[444]

I have one of the Serbu Super Shortys and the first thing I noticed about it is that it shoots much higher than where I thought I was pointing it. I noticed the same thing when I watched Hickok45's videos on the Shockwave and the Super Shorty. So I guess very short "shotguns" shooting high is a common thing. Or maybe it is the pistol grip ?

I want to get a Remington Tac14 but so far I have been unable to locate one.

Looks like you are having fun.

 

[armoredman]

Nifty, thanks for the report and pics!

 

[MarkDido]

I just picked mine up the other day. I picked up the Aguila mini shells and the Opsol adapter as well. Looking forward to taking I to the range.

 

[bannockburn]

Vonderek

Good report and photos! Thanks for posting!

 

[Fiv3r]

I think the shockwave is next on my list unless a 590 falls in my lap. Even then I might still be tempted to put a raptor grip on it.

I don't need either at the moment, but they sure look like fun.

 

[22250Rem]

Vonderek

Good report and photos! Thanks for posting!

............. That's what I say, too!........ Nice to get some real world feedback & impressions from those who own one. I'm not planning on getting one but those things are so unconventional and different that my curiosity has been working overtime wondering what it's like to own and shoot one.

 

[wally]

noticed the same thing when I watched Hickok45's videos on the Shockwave and the Super Shorty. So I guess very short "shotguns" shooting high is a common thing. Or maybe it is the pistol grip ?

I put a rail and a red dot on mine, problem solved and no more worrying about punching myself in the face after trying for better sight alignment

Mine is just for fun at the range so I'm not bothering with the $1+ minishells, the cheap 7/8oz #6 "promotional" loads ($5-6/25) knock down the steel plates and make plastic bottles "dance". But for defense I'd look into getting one of those "spread" multi dot lasers for shotguns.

 

[DPris]

Notified by my gunsmith today that the bill on a near-rebuild on mine is just over $200, and that's just the gunsmithing charge. I took him the parts.

Dropped it off originally to have the plastic trigger group replaced by the military-grade metal version, do a lengthened forcing cone & barrel back-bore, install & de-horn a Brownells steel safety, and toss a Talon grip decal on it.

When he got into it, found the chamber was rough, it had virtually no forcing cone, parts were binding, and he had to get much more into the gun than we'd expected.

And the Brownells steel safety turned out not to be a drop-in. He had to finagle that to get it to run right.
Denis

 

[Fiv3r]

Notified by my gunsmith today that the bill on a near-rebuild on mine is just over $200, and that's just the gunsmithing charge. I took him the parts.

Dropped it off originally to have the plastic trigger group replaced by the military-grade metal version, do a lengthened forcing cone & barrel back-bore, install & de-horn a Brownells steel safety, and toss a Talon grip decal on it.

When he got into it, found the chamber was rough, it had virtually no forcing cone, parts were binding, and he had to get much more into the gun than we'd expected.

And the Brownells steel safety turned out not to be a drop-in. He had to finagle that to get it to run right.
Denis

Does he seem to think this is indicative of scaling down the 590 and cutting manufacture corners to meet demand or is it common place for the 590 in and of itself to behave in such a way?

I'm planning on adding a Mossberg of some flavor to my stable fairly soon. I've never had one. I've had 2 870s and currently an old Ithaca 37. I want to keep the Ithaca "nice" as it's probably 50 years old or better.

I'm not a high volume shooter. Maybe 300 rounds though a shotgun in a year. I have no practical use for any shotgun beyond recreation and potential outdoor defense. I don't want to buy a cheap gun since a couple hundred dollars over a few years won't bother me. However, realistically I'll never wear one out to the point it will need much of anything replaced.

Slop in a 500/590 doesn't bother me if it runs, nor do plastic parts. I'm just more curious about what a gunsmith thinks is going on.

 

[DPris]

His opinion has long been that the Mossberg pumps are good designs, but over-priced for what they are.
That's the extent of his BROAD opinion regarding their pumps.

We've discussed it before, last time around on a full sized 590.
Good gun, just overpriced for what it is, he thinks.

This does not mean that he or I suggest not buying a Mossberg.

The thing on these new PGOs is that both Mossberg and Remington are building them on their "economy-grade" bases.
The Tac-14 is built on Remington's Express model.
The Mossberg is built on their equivalent.
Both companies use plastic triggerplates, instead of the metal ones used in the "serious" models.
By serious I mean top-end, as in LE (Remington) and military (Mossberg).

Both companies could put more quality into the guns.
Remington has a custom shop that really goes to town on the Tac-14, with wood furniture, a honed action, an aftermarket trigger, a bigger bead, bigger safety, extended forcing cone, Cerakote finishes, an alloy triggerplate, and so on.

I don't think Mossberg, at the moment, offers a custom treatment, or any upgrade at all, beyond switching out the triggerplates if you send your gun back to them. I confirmed they will do that. I chose to have my local guy do it instead.

Both companies are building these guns to a price point.
Neither company, as far as I'm concerned, is building them to potential.
But, most of the market doesn't care & doesn't want to pay for that potential, so you can't blame the makers for it.

My sample was perfectly functional, but very stiff.
My gunsmith was surprised I had no extraction problems, as rough as he found the chamber to be.
He was astonished to find almost no forcing cone.

My experience with Mossberg shotguns is limited to a 930 that was a phenomenal performer, a 590 that was perfectly fine, and this Shockwave.

The Shockwave may use a heavy-walled 590 barrel, but it's not built to the same standards.

Once I decided to keep mine, it simply needed more work to "finish" it.
Where most "upgrades" I see involve bolting on accessories that detract from the slim nature of the beast, my upgrades involve functional aspects.

The Talon grip decal was chosen to add traction to the grip.
You can't call yourself a true Shockwaver till you've drawn blood with your hand riding forward under recoil and sliding into that edged thumb safety.

The steel Brownells safety was added to replace the cheap plastic safety.
The steel safety was de-horned, just in case.

The action was very stiff, as mentioned.
I don't recall what he said was gouging the receiver, but he had to do some clean-up internally.
I'll get a full list of the work done when I pick up the gun next week.

The alloy military-grade triggergroup was installed to replace the plastic triggergroup, because I just choose not to have plastic there.
I don't believe it's as strong or as durable as a metal version.
My opinion.

The chamber work he did was unexpected, but necessary.
Forcing cone work was originally planned, but creating one to begin with was not expected.
Extending the forcing cone & back-boring the barrel aids in recoil reduction, something the gun benefits from (and so do I).

This is my idea of turning the thing into a "serious" contender for longterm use in my hands as something more than a weekend pop can blaster.
I'd rather spend the money in that direction than in lights & lasers.
This is just me.

In all of this, I don't mean to suggest that you don't buy a Mossberg shotgun.
The plastic in their models that use it is functional, and if you don't care or plan heavy use, it'll stand up fine.

I have no personal experience with their hunting guns.
I don't know how often they need internal clean-up, or how rough they come.
I'm not knocking Mossbergs.

My gunsmith was surprised at what he found inside THIS sample, and I have no idea if it's representational.
And his opinion on their pumps being overpriced for what they are does not reflect quality, merely pricing.
That's just his overall opinion, which I relay in response to your question.
He's never questioned their viability as usable shotguns.
Denis

 

[wally]

The thing on these new PGOs is that both Mossberg and Remington are building them on their "economy-grade" bases.
The Tac-14 is built on Remington's Express model.
The Mossberg is built on their equivalent.
Both companies use plastic triggerplates, instead of the metal ones used in the "serious" models.
By serious I mean top-end, as in LE (Remington) and military (Mossberg).

Both companies could put more quality into the guns.

Most of the debate on these things is along the line of "what's the point?" or "what would I use it for?" etc. Seems to me that the point is to have a fun gun -- sorta like a sawed off shotgun, at a price point that is pretty easy to justify especially since there is no NFA tax required. Looks to me they have done their market research pretty well and I'd wager there would be a lot less than half the interest in these things with better quality and twice the price!

 

[DPris]

That's what I was obliquely getting at.

The majority of the market on these is for the toy department, and they're built to that level of quality.
They have limited utility, they're meaner looking than they actually are in real life, and much of the reason for buying one is "because it's cool", not "because it's the best defense gun you can find".

They are built to function.
My bent is built to function WELL.

I am not in any way criticizing those who are happy with the gun as it comes.

For many years I've regarded most new guns as raw material.
Manufacturers across the board build to varying degrees of "OK", to stay competitive & to sell.

I take mine & generally do something to make them at least what they SHOULD be, and in many cases what they COULD be.
That's the deal here, in this Shockwave discussion.

Vonderek posted his experiences, Rem said it was nice to get some real world feedback, and Fiv asked for a gunsmith opinion.
So, open discussion.

I see the market for these guns as divided into the following segments:
It's COOL! (Hey, no tax stamp!)
It's FUN! (Watch what it does to this 2-liter soda bottle!)
It's a great truck/HD gun! (Fits under the seat just fine/all I have to do is point it in their general direction & it's all over!)
And those like me who won't ever run a mini-shell through it, won't ever blow up a soda can, are not impressed by "cool", understand there are better truck & HD propositions, and who still buy it for certain niche purposes, but require better than out-of-box performance.

All of those segments are perfectly valid, and I do fully recognize that mine may be the smallest, but that's where I am.

As I said- both companies build to a price point, and most of the market's quite happy there.
Denis

 

[DPris]

Picked mine up today from the gunsmith.
It'll never be an 870, but it came back much better than it left.

The elevator arms were overly bowed out & had two sharp corners that were scraping into the receiver.
He had to correct that, slick a couple other internal parts.
The metal triggerplate went in with only minor fitting.

He described the transition from chamber to barrel as being like a revolver cylinder chamber, with the very abrupt shoulder step-down from chamber to chamber throat.
That should have been a forcing cone, but wasn't.

What he did now looks like a correctly machined extended cone that should make a noticeable difference in recoil.
The chamber, as noted before, was very rough & had to be cleaned up.

The Brownells steel safety turned out not to be a straight drop-in swap, if you're considering one.
He had to do some magic to install it.
It's much better under the thumb, and it won't break like the plastic one can.

The biggest immediately noticeable benefit was the Talon grip decal.
This SHOULD be mandatory from the factory.
I chose the rubber texture, not the sandpaper texture, and I can't see me sliding around on the grip now.
Money extremely well spent.
Denis

 

[DukeConnor]

I have one. Cost under 380 bucks. It shoots shotgun shells.

Guns are fun.

 

[DPris]

And if that's all you want, I'm very happy for you.
Otherwise, for those who may want more....
Denis

 

[1KPerDay]

Sounds like a real POS. That is disappointing.

 

[DPris]

Naw, not all THAT bad, just not up to snuff for what I wanted it to be.
The gun has potential as it comes, it can just be a shade better.

Also got in a Mossberg Cruiser today, but have not gotten around to taking it out of the box yet.
It may have the same forcing cone set-up, could be standard from Mossberg.
It'll have the same plastic truggerplate & safety, I just have a personal aversion to those.
Denis

 

[DukeConnor]

And if that's all you want, I'm very happy for you.
Otherwise, for those who may want more....
Denis

Not sure you want from it. It is what it is, a scatter gun. It cycles and shoots every time. it's not for 1000 yard precision shooting.

It is a range toy or a get off my porch weapon.

Lets not forget, guns are fun.

 

[DPris]

That's the thing, if you missed it.
I don't want "what it is".
I want better than what it was.
And I've got it.

It was a lesser-grade scattergun.
Now it's a better-grade scattergun.

Less recoil.
Non-slip grip.
No-break steel safety, with a better peak profile.
Stronger metal triggerplate assembly.
Smoother cycling.

Not a toy, for me.
Not for fun.

That's to be ridiculed?
If yours is a toy for you, I don't ridicule that.

Open discussion, for those who may want to take a Shockwave further than the factory did.
If you don't, perfectly fine with me.
Denis

 

[DukeConnor]

That's the thing, if you missed it.
I don't want "what it is".
I want better than what it was.
And I've got it.

It was a lesser-grade scattergun.
Now it's a better-grade scattergun.

Less recoil.
Non-slip grip.
No-break steel safety, with a better peak profile.
Stronger metal triggerplate assembly.
Smoother cycling.

Not a toy, for me.
Not for fun.

That's to be ridiculed?
If yours is a toy for you, I don't ridicule that.

Open discussion, for those who may want to take a Shockwave further than the factory did.
If you don't, perfectly fine with me.
Denis

No ridicule intended. Any pics of the mods? I love learning.

 

[DPris]

I'm pictorially-challenged.
The rubber decal isn't very visible anyway, and you can find the safety on the Brownells site.
Denis