So, was it worth it?

[WaltonS]

I've been wondering. I took an old Mossberg 500 that I paid about $90 for and went to town "fixing" it. It was a little scratched, and had some minor surface rust, but no serious problems, no pitting. The bore was clean, the wood looked like it'd been through hell and back, and it was missing the front sight bead.
So I figured I'd make a pointless range gun. Nothing horribly practical, but at the same time, a decent gun just to take out and vaporize cheap sodas and old bottles with.
I cleaned the CRAP out of it (in several aspects) and took some leftover Duracoat and refinished it after cleaning off the rust, put an ATI collapsible sidefolder on it, and stuck a 5 position folding grip on the forend. Lastly I cut down the barrel to 21", filed it square, touched it up with a Birchwood Casey Super Black pen, and put a cheapo hi-vis bead on it for the sake of having some sorta sight until I decide if I wanna drop more money into it.
It shoots well, the recoil with 2.75" 00bk, even PG only, is more than managable, and I rather like the prospect of the "one size fits all" shotgun that I can stick in a duffel bag with the stock folded.

Did I put lipstick on a pig, or am I justified in putting the time and effort into my "tacti-cool" gun?

 

[eastbank]

maybe not lipstick,but a little eye liner. eastbank.

 

[The-Reaver]

I'm actually quite curious.. any pictures?

 

[DNS]

Yeah, pictures.

I'm considering doing a similiar project, possibly with a new Maverick 88.

 

[RaceM]

Turning a 90$ beater into a fun shooter? Sounds like a fine idea from here.

 

[rallyhound]

I did the same with a POS 870 I got for free.

 

[rromeo]

I don't see anything resembling a POS there, rallyhound.

WaltonS, if it makes you happy, it's well worth it.

 

[Dave McCracken]

Sounds like a good thing to me. You rescued a pump from durance vile and turned it into a fine tool. Your PETP dues are paid in full....

We do need pics......

 

[El Mariachi]

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=612364

 

[mgkdrgn]

I did the same with a POS 870 I got for free. ]

Bite me!

 

[rodregier]

I never seem to be hanging around when they're giving away free 870's either

 

[WaltonS]

ok, ok. Per everyone's requests... pics. I slapped a QD light on the side just to see if I liked it or not. Still on the fence.

 

[WaltonS]

Ye gods, sorry about the bad resize there.

 

[El Mariachi]

Nothing quite says Ansel Adams like a beige gun.......on a beige carpet.....

 

[JEB]

thats pretty sweet actually! well done!

 

[WaltonS]

JEB, glad I haven't been met with disapproval yet.
Mariachi: Yeah. I hadn't considered that. D'oh. Don't ask me for a justification for the desert tan other than... well. How many desert tan pump guns have YOU seen?

 

[Dave McCracken]

Desert Tan is cool, and it's your shotgun, so if you had chosen florescent pink it's still cool.

And I get so tired of Matte Black guns....

 

[WaltonS]

Dave: That was kinda the point. Wood's nice, but the wood on that thing was beyond refinishing... when I took the forend off, chunks of it fell away. My original intention WAS to just refinish the whole thing and be done with it.

 

[Dave McCracken]

Walton, up in the old TFL stickies is one,"A Kitchen Table 870" where I chronicle a build. The original stock on that one was so beat up and ugly I spray painted it flat black. It has nicer wood now and a better pad.

You had a little mission creep. No prob. And the results are very good.

Now go shoot it plenty....

 

[straightshooter9]

Unnnnnnbelieveable!

I'm about to spend $500.00 on a shotgun and yours was $90 BUCKS?!? :banghead:

I like everything about it, especially the "desert" camo!

 

[WaltonS]

$90 for the gun itself, yeah. The Duracoat was free since I happened to have some leftover from refinishing something for a friend. The 5-position grip I got from CDNN for $20. The stock and forend, from ATI, were $110. So in all, I've "invested" $220 in it. That said, what's your $500 gun?

 

[Shadow 7D]

Yeah, sucks doesn't it...
take a 'junker gun'
less than $200 of 'lip stick'

and now you have the SAME gun that retails at your local "MALL NINJA'S R US" for just under a grand, less if you buy the stuff second hand or on sale and paint it yourself.

 

[Shadow 7D]

Wait, he missed the "entry stand off devise/ Flash suppressor/ tactical cookie cutter"

 

[WaltonS]

You forgot to mention the laser and bayonet as well.
I never thought I'd see the day I'd put a vertical grip on ANYTHING, but with the stock folded, the vert grip gives better access to the forend (otherwise you've got to reach around the stock) and with the PG it actually feels slightly more natural.

On a side note, I'd like to mention that the ATI furniture has served me well thus far. Again, my "test run" was with 00BK, so there y'go. My only real gripe is that the "adapters" for both the forend and stock needed some Dremel work to fit right. In fact, it was my call to them asking "Why do you market this stock as being compatible with these models if it doesn't fit right?" that compelled them to revise their descriptions to disclose the potential need for "some" fitting.

 

[straightshooter9]

$90 for the gun itself, yeah. The Duracoat was free since I happened to have some leftover from refinishing something for a friend. The 5-position grip I got from CDNN for $20. The stock and forend, from ATI, were $110. So in all, I've "invested" $220 in it. That said, what's your $500 gun?

I'm thinking MOSSBERG 590A1!