Mossberg 500a problem

[fullrearview]

My stock big-5 forend fell apart after about 300 rounds. The retaining pins that keep the slide action bars onto the forend itself popped out and got lost at the range. Piece of crap.

I have put a couple thousand rounds down the tube( at least 500 slugs) and I don't have that problem... Mine was bought from walmart at least 10 years ago though...

[The Cable Guy]

thanks for the info... are these pretty easy to install??

EDIT: do any of you folks have any experience with www.havlinsales.com they have a great selection of parts..

Yes, if they have the part in stock, they'll ship it in an appropriate time. I think it took them maybe a week or so from date of order to have it to my doorstep.


edit: the forend is very easy to install. You might have a little trouble getting it onto the gun at first, but everything just needs to be lined up correctly. Once you get the hang of it, it'll glide in like butter on a hot pan.

[The Cable Guy]

I have put a couple thousand rounds down the tube( at least 500 slugs) and I don't have that problem... Mine was bought from walmart at least 10 years ago though...

I'm sure the old Wal-Mart forends were not the junk they're selling now.

[The Cable Guy]

hey folks, just keeping anyone that had a crack in the forearm like i did, i just called mossberg and they said they would send me a new one. no charge of course, at least thats what the customer service agent said. but considering that i have seen with my own eyes 4 shotguns with the same crack and other members here and on other forums with similar cracks, i am for sure investing in a different forearm in the very near future. thx to everyone for the insight and info

I would request the metal slide action tube, not the synthetic crap originally mounted on the gun. It'll add a little weight to it, but it will be much more reliable and won't break apart after several hundred rounds.

[mtnfolk mike]

Yes, if they have the part in stock, they'll ship it in an appropriate time. I think it took them maybe a week or so from date of order to have it to my doorstep.


edit: the forend is very easy to install. You might have a little trouble getting it onto the gun at first, but everything just needs to be lined up correctly. Once you get the hang of it, it'll glide in like butter on a hot pan.

TCG-- thanks for all of your help.. i appreciate it...

probably sometime next week, i'll be ordering the 7 5/8 action slide tube and probably another forend..

are the action slide tubes fairly easy to install as well,or will it have to be taken somewhere??

[The Cable Guy]

TCG-- thanks for all of your help.. i appreciate it...

probably sometime next week, i'll be ordering the 7 5/8 action slide tube and probably another forend..

are the action slide tubes fairly easy to install as well,or will it have to be taken somewhere??

No, very easy to install, my previous post was meant for the slide action tube. Attaching the forend to the tube is very easy as well.

[scr83jp]

Hello all, I just purchased a Mossberg 500a, black synthetic, 12gauge, pump combo at Big 5. it is my first shotgun, actually my first gun of any kind and i have a problem. upon cleaning it i noticed that it seems the forearm grip is cracked a little on the inside portion near the back end of the forearm, when i brought it back, i was told that i could exchange it for another, but i would have to wait another 10 days, not a real big deal as i didn't need the gun right away, upon inspecting the other 3 shotguns at the dealer all 3 shotguns had the same crack in the same place. i have attached a pic sorry about size and focus, only have a phone cam. anyways it should give a good idea of where the crack is. and the question i have is if this a manufacture defect that is known and is on all and will have no effect in performance and such... or is it something that is gonna be potentially dangerous, like it explode and take some digits with it, or something in between, any info would be great thx in advance

I don't know if this will work with synthetics but it does with wood stocks & forends my gs showed me how to stop a crack by drilling a small hole at the edge of the crack to stop it from progressing or if it's centered in the wood drill at both ends. I had a Mossberg 9200 3 inch mag semiauto grenade while firing my Win AA 2 3/4" hunting loads that was my first & last Mossberg.I have a all steel 870,11-87,Win Mod 12 12g & Ithaca 16g featherweight shotguns.

[Ezekiel2000]

Your original picture was so small I couldn't see it, but I'm assuming it looked something like the pictures of mine below? Did you ever put that new stock on it? If so, do you have any pictures? I'm about to put a wood stock on mine, just ordered one, curious how it's going to look...crappy that all the synthetic forends are broken!

[an actual gun]

From the looks of the crack I doubt it will inhibit function in any way. Not excusing the lack of quality control on Mossberg's part that so many got out like this, but it should be noted when you buy the combo package you are getting an extra $100+ barrel almost entirely free. Not having a genuine 500 forend and action tube kinda sucks, but if that's all they do to the combo shotguns that sucks (and it is; I can tell you that with 100% certainty), it's hardly worth complaining about.

A genuine action tube won't go for more than 60, maybe 70 bucks on the market right now. I think I've seen a few 55 dollar ones. The tube should have the action bars on it, and you should make sure it is one with dual (two) action bars instead of one. The single action bar is either for the much older Mossberg 12 gauges or some of their current 20 gauges. You can get a fore end of great quality for substantially less than 40 bucks. I think the factory Mossberg ribbed synthetic forearm for the standard 500 is like 15.

It's a simple process. The fore end screws into place onto the slide action tube. After you have done that you have a completed fore end assembly, and reassembly of the gun is no different than it was with your old fore end. Simply put the fore end assembly over the mag tube, work the action bars into the cuts in the receiver, and line them up with the bolt slide.

[HondaMasterTech]

The combo deal with two barrels is not the 500a, to my knowledge.

[Ezekiel2000]

The combo deal with two barrels is not the 500a, to my knowledge.

I hope you are wrong because I have the combo and just bought some wood furniture for mine that came off of a 500a. I specifically purchased that set because I was under the impression mine was the same and because of that I wouldn't have to buy any action tubes or anything for fitment. Guess I'll check again when I get home, but I've always thought it was a 500a.

The crack doesn't hinder performance in any way. Not only does the gun still function fine, but you obviously can't even see the crack unless you are changing or otherwise remove the barrel. Still, you know it's there and for me at least it annoys me slightly...and I do mean only slightly!

[tba02]

The combo deal with two barrels is not the 500a, to my knowledge.

The combo is a Mossberg 500. The "a" suffix indicates the gauge (a=12, c=20, I forget the others off the top of my head).

[yelohamr]

I've had my 500 combo for over 20 years. I've never used the long barrel, so I'm going to have it cut to 20" and rifle sights and scope mount added to it. About a month after I bought it, I replaced the fore end with a pistol grip.

[HondaMasterTech]

The combo is a Mossberg 500. The "a" suffix indicates the gauge (a=12, c=20, I forget the others off the top of my head).

Cool, thanks for the clarification.