is a mossberg 500 any good? my mother in law is giving me all these guns and i was wondering about this gun,its got the short barrel 18'' i think and has two butts one is a pistol grip and the other is a reg. rifle butt.im also pretty sure it will take 6 rounds so how do i ( or should i) turn this into a field gun? its a 12 ga. new in box,obviously it needs a longer barrel and a plug (is this correct?),as you can see im kind of shotgun illiterate,im a varminter, small game guy ,but i'd really like to start hittin' the birds.......thank you for the help...i need it
A plug is no big deal, just a piece of wood and a shorter spring. Just remember the law is 3 rounds total for hunting, so the magazine can only hold 2 (+1 in the chamber). Some people are confused about this. Barrels aren't as cheap as you think. It would probably easier and cheaper to sell it and get an 870 and you'll have a better gun. Lots of folks like the Mossbergs, but I have personally been on hunts where the Mossbergs in attendence didn't go the distance. But if its for casual use and you can do it cheap and theres no paperwork or sales taxes, go for it.
If it's one of the older Model 500s, it's a super gun. I shot a 20 ga and a 12 ga for years, and loved them both. The 20 was probably my favorite gun of all time... until it got stolen. I don't have much experience with the newer ones, but apparently they have lots of plastic and poor workmanship. I've hefted a couple of the WalMart specials and they feel really cheap. I doubt I'd buy a new one.
The 18" barrel is fun for quail, and shoots "punkin ball" slugs pretty well too. If that's your game, then you're fine with what you have there. If you want to shoot ducks or other birds, you can pick up a barrel with choke tubes for less than half the price of a new gun if you shop around. Cabelas has them for about $120.
To plug it, you can use a new pencil. Just check it after you put the pencil in, and make sure you can only get two shells in the magazine. Try it with 2 3/4" and 3" shells, because even if you're hunting with 3" magnums, the wardens will check you with the shorter rounds. You can also use an old piece of dowel rod.
As far as the pistol grip.... toss it in the back of a closet and forget about it. It's about the most useless thing you'll ever own.
He has no gallery to applaud or disapprove of his conduct... Whatever his acts, they are dictated by his own conscience rather than a mob of onlookers. It is difficult to exaggerate the importance of this fact.
Aldo Leopold
Gotta say I'd be a little uneasy walking next to an 18" barrel- too easy to accidentaly point in the wrong direction or over swing
I've got my Mossberg 500 plugged with a piece of coat hanger cut to fit 2 2 3/4 shells. it rattles but it works good on dove. mines got the adjustable choke on a longer barrel.
DK, then you'd really like hunting next to my 7 1/2" Blackhawk, huh?
I'm uneasy walking on the port side of anyone with any gun...regardless of barrel length. If it gets pointed at me more than once, I'll say something. After that, I'll find somewhere else to hunt.
Don't care if the barrel is 18" or 32", if you can't control where the barrel is pointing you need to put the gun down and find a new hobby.
He has no gallery to applaud or disapprove of his conduct... Whatever his acts, they are dictated by his own conscience rather than a mob of onlookers. It is difficult to exaggerate the importance of this fact.
Aldo Leopold
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