Mossberg 500A - Stock, Forend, & Short Barrel Conversion

[davhed]

Hello all, this is my first post at CGN. I was referred by my buddy Evmo who posts here as well. I'm a fairly new gun owner, but have been shooting for about 10 years now.

I have a Mossberg 500A hunting shotgun. It was my father's and has the original wood stock and forend and 26" barrel. My intent is to use it at the trap range on occasion, but otherwise it will be my primary home defense tool. So, I'd like to shorten the barrel and also probably update the stock/forend.

It seems that the 18.5" barrel is the right choice since any shorter in CA would be illegal, but I'm not sure what to do with grip setup. I have seen some nice Hogue combo kits with stock and forend and was wondering what other 500A owners have found to be reliable and comfortable. If possible I'd like the stock to be useful in both home defense and trap shooting scenarios, since I don't want to be constantly switching parts.

Sorry if this has been a topic of discussion a million times before, but thanks for any current opinions you might offer.

Thanks,

-Dave

[rromeo]

In my opinion, all you need is the short barrel. They're for sale here now and then for about $60, or $80-90 new.

[BigDogatPlay]

+1 on the above.

I have a 25 year old + Model 500ATP. Came with relatively decent wood furniture, an 18.5 inch barrel, a comfortable butt pad and it fits me pretty well. A year or so ago I picked up a 24 inch vent rib, ported with choke tubes barrel that I now use for shooting clays and hunting. The only thing I change out is the barrels, and I remove the sling that I normally keep on it when the short barrel is installed.

While I am sure to get roasted a bit, there really isn't a lot of point to completely tricking out a home defense shotgun. If you have to fight with it, simpler is better. Tacticool looks nice, but sometimes isn't always functional and makes the gun heavier. Stocks with a vertical pistol grip can be problematic with Mossbergs solely because of the placement of the safety on the top of the receiver.

My suggestion is to buy an 18.5 inch barrel and call it good. You'll have a gun that you can do just about anything with, and the ability to change it from one to the other in less than a minute.

[ojisan]

^
^^

[davhed]

Great advice, and thank you.

I don't think that I'm interested in "tricking out" the gun, but maybe give it a more modern and comfortable feel. The rubber coating on some of the aftermarket stocks seems like it might be worth it as an additional look/feel/comfort addition.

Does anyone have experience with a stock/forend combo for the 500 that they really like? Not necessarily with pistol grip since I hadn't even considered the placement of the safety and that makes a pistol grip seem a bit unnecessary (thanks BigDogatPlay).


-=Dave

[Rob454]

Just go buy a shorter barrel. You never know when you wanna do some bird hunting or shoot some skeet/trap. Depending on what tube youhave there are different barrels so make sure you get the right one.

[BigDogatPlay]

For my money, the Hogue overmolded stocks and fore ends are a great solution at a relatively inexpensive price point. You can pay a lot more and get a lot less.

[rromeo]

+1 on the above.

I have a 25 year old + Model 500ATP. Came with relatively decent wood furniture, an 18.5 inch barrel, a comfortable butt pad and it fits me pretty well. A year or so ago I picked up a 24 inch vent rib, ported with choke tubes barrel that I now use for shooting clays and hunting. The only thing I change out is the barrels, and I remove the sling that I normally keep on it when the short barrel is installed.

While I am sure to get roasted a bit, there really isn't a lot of point to completely tricking out a home defense shotgun. If you have to fight with it, simpler is better. Tacticool looks nice, but sometimes isn't always functional and makes the gun heavier. Stocks with a vertical pistol grip can be problematic with Mossbergs solely because of the placement of the safety on the top of the receiver.

My suggestion is to buy an 18.5 inch barrel and call it good. You'll have a gun that you can do just about anything with, and the ability to change it from one to the other in less than a minute.

Very similar to my setup. Even the 25 year old Mossberg.

[Tavern Keeper]

Mossburg 500 parts

PM sent

[Doheny]

Big 5 sells the Interstate 982 every few weeks for $190ish. Rather than spending $60-$90 on a new barrel for your Mossberg, just buy an Interstate for a hundred dollars more and you'll have a dedicated HD SG. The 982 has been discussed a bunch; it's a 870 clone and lot of people are happy with it.

Actually, with this coupon you don't have to wait for the sale, you can it 20% off now.

Good luck.

.

[davhed]

Thanks all!

I will post pictures of the final product.

-=David