A short review of the Mossberg 500 shotgun. I’ve owned this example for a year or so, and find it to be fun to shoot as well as a versatile and useful weapon.
A short review of the Mossberg 500 shotgun. I’ve owned this example for a year or so, and find it to be fun to shoot as well as a versatile and useful weapon.
Good video, and I completely agree with your assessment.
Some notes:
-Unless I’m much mistaken, Mossberg shotguns are made in Mexico. This is one of the reasons for their low price. (Not really a third world country, though.)
-Mossbergs are much harder to put back together than, say, Remington shotguns. For most users, this will be a non-issue.
-I find Mossberg shotguns to be just as slick as the Remington 870 Express shotguns, though far less slick than the Remington 870 Wingmaster and Police shotguns.
-Mossbergs, in general, are lighter than Remington 870 shotguns. This may be a good or bad thing depending on how you intend to use the shotgun.
-I’ve never had any issues with Mossberg shotguns rusting if prepared beforehand with oil or antirust spray. I cannot say the same for the Remington 870 Express shotguns, but I have also had excellent experiences with Police and Wingmaster shotguns (those being obviously far more expensive).
I’m not sure on that first one, this is marked Made in USA…Maybe some of the parts are imported, but I think a good portion have to be made here for it to be considered “Made in US.”
I do plan on an 870 review and then a 500 vs 870 video, but wanted to keep this video to the 500 only.
Of note, Mossbergs use dual extractors as apposed to the single extractor used in the 870. This is a nice feature to have when attempting to cycle through a deformed and/or stuck shell.
Oh, yes, I did forget to mention that.
I’ve never had an issue with Remington shotguns’ dual extractors, but if it’s a major concern for a user, I think the Mossberg has the advantage.
Another advantage of the Mossberg over the Remingtons is the safety. Having the safety atop the tang is fully ambidextrous. This is important to southpaws, those with a cross-dominant eye who shoot lefty (I am in this category), and in households with both left and right dominant shooters.
I have shot a round of trap with my 20″ Mossberg 590 (practically identical to your gun, cylinder bore and factory 8 round tube), and I managed to tag 18 of 25 birds with it if I recall correctly. Granted it was a very easy range with predictable flights (intended for novice shooters) but it was surprising to see how capable my little combat pump really was.
As for the capacity issues, my 590 will hold eight 2 3/4″ shells just fine. It could be a longer magazine follower in the 500s, and that could be why you’re having the problems fully loading it.
I used to shoot clays with an 18″ 870 that had a cylinder bore barrel, in fact, I earned the Shotgun Shooting merit badge with it…but apparently I don’t practice as much as I used to.
I know the feeling… I haven’t shot clays in at least two years. I doubt I’d be able to do that now.
As similar as they are, a 590A1 review would be cool.
Seeing a shotgun review brought this to mind
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/08/as-riots-continue-sales-of-bats-spike-on-amazonuk/243347/
The best feature of the 500 is the loading gate. Mossberg’s design allows you to drop the shell into the gun, parallel to the mag tube, and then press it forward into the magazine tube. It does not try to eat your fingers, like an 870 or 1200 will.
I knew I wasn’t the only one who feels that way! That and the placement of the safety were what made me decide on my 500 over an 870.