mossberg necessities

[Tripper]

might wanna take a break, or are you really arguing with yourself here.
or, maybe i'm just trippin'

Tripper

[Tripper]

I can see it being possible, seeing as shells, barrels and chokes vary, so I'm not saying it's possible.

hmm, yah, i'm trippin'

[santamonica9]

I agree with this EXCEPT.....

I'm planning on getting a Mossberg as well.

1. A simple two point sling is ideal if you want to carry it out on the field. A cheap Plano rifle case is good enough to transport it in your vehicle.

2. I say nay to the pistol grips. I'm getting a Hogue 12 inch LOP stock. Perfect for tight areas like hallways but also allows for a traditional hold for better control of the shotgun.

3. I'm getting the ghost ring model because thats what I'm used to. The bead is fine for just about everything you want to do with a shotgun. Just look at what Hickock45 does with his Mossberg 590A1 with bead sights on youtube. Pretty impressive if you ask me.

The 500 is a great shotgun. Please don't overdo it with too many mods. Keep it simple and master the 12 guage.

1. Sling: I prefer a single point or a 3 point, any basic sling will work

2. Pistol Grip: I hade one & I dont use it anymore - due to the the location of safety on the mossberg 500 series it is a bit harder to reach up to the top when using a pistol grip. the traditional hunter style stocks are much better. The Hogue rubber ones are very comfy and LOP (Length Of Pull) is nice for Home Defense (HD)

3. Sights: learn to use the bead stock BEFORE you go changing it up. Just like a rifle learn the iron sights first before you scope it out. I use my bead for everything....slugs, skeet, etc

Welcome to the shooting sports. If you follow the rules and regulations with firearms at all times they are very safe and fun sport. I suggest taking a Shotgun class or clinic before you think your Rambo when something goes bump in the night. No GUN is a toy period. Im a young Gun guy and this sport is no C.O.D. bull - Your more than welcome to come shooting with me and some other CalGuners this mon. at Los Angeles Gun Club near downtown L.A. at about 8pm. PM me so I'll bring my 12G

[CmpsdNoMore]

hmm, yah, i'm trippin'

Lol. It was supposed to quote him quoting me, but it took his out.

[zombiescanlearn]

Just to make things clear, are you saying you've actually tried this or just that you've heard it?

I'm not saying it isn't possible, seeing as shells, barrels and chokes vary. But, I have never fired a shotgun that spread buckshot that far apart. End, even then, you run the risk of not getting all the pellets on target at longer ranges, if it spreads that much in a few yards.

Just heard about it from people who say that they know better

I'll test it out as soon as my waiting period is over and I can actually touch my moss 500

[diirk]

I'll throw in my .02.
I just picked up my 500 Tactical about 2 weeks ago. I blew through at least a hundred rounds on the first weekend and just finished tactical sg training for another 200 rds.

With that said...

Sling: I'd want something with qr's. The sling gets in the way when doing reloads, etc. Only useful for transporting or training imo. In an HD environment it seems like it would increase the risk of hanging up on something, like a door knob or banister.

Pistol Grip: Do you mean a pg only? or a stock with pg? I have the latter, with collapsible stock and I like it. Yes, it takes a little practice to use the safety, but it's really not any worse then the others, just different. It allows easier manipulation of the rifle and cuts the recoil to the shoulder by allowing you to absorb some through your hand.

Sight: The bead sight is ok, but I'd go with something a little brighter, especially for HD. One of the tritium bead sights would be perfect and are relatively cheap.

As already said, throw a bunch of rounds through it and get used to it. Birdshot is $23/100 rds at Walmart. And get a few boxes of 00 and slugs just to see how they kick and maybe to zero in your gun to get used to how it shoots.

[MossbergMan]

KISS - Keep it simple shooter

The 500 is a perfectly good gun as is. If you add a 2 point sling DO NOT get one that holds any ammunition. The added weight swings and sways when you don't want it to.
The QD (quick detachable) sling attachments are the way to go. Put it on when you need it, take it off when you don't.
Shotguns are designed to shoot SHOT loads, slugs extend the useful range of a shotgun, they do not make it a rifle. A bead sight is just fine for general purpose shooting and competition. You only "need" Ghost Ring or Rifle sights if you are going to shoot alot of slugs (i.e. hunting) otherwise use the and embrace the bead, they are fast to acquire when the shotgun is mounted properly.
With the money you save on worthless additions to your new Blaster, get some professional training. That will serve you better than all the gee-whiz mall ninja, tacti-cool gizmos you can hang on your gun.

[diirk]

Oh yeah, I forgot the bag...

I picked up a Voodoo Tactical double rifle soft case. Can fit a couple of rifles and handguns plus ammo. Very happy with it. It was about $60 at Sportsmansguide.com

[SeaweedMonkey]

thanks for the massive help on this thread everyone!

[inbox485]

hi everyone,

i bought my first shotgun and will be picking up a mossberg 500 soon and was wondering

1) what sling and bag most people used to transport it. do some just carry the shotgun in the open?

I have a home brew sling for range use, and a $20 plano case for transport. I find both useful.

2) can someone explain the benefits of a pistol grip?

It is so that you can't reach the safety without taking your hand out of a firing grip... I'm half kidding, but they are not really a good idea on a Mossberg IMO. The benefit to them is they make holding a shotgun one handed more manageable. That is a pretty limited benefit compared to having lousy ergonomics for your safety.

3) do you really need to purchase a sight or can you aim relatively well on a stock gun?

Anything other than a bead sight or an express sight will slow you down. I have no problem hitting targets out to about 50 yards with a bead and slugs. Beyond that, on a dedicated slug gun, ranch gun, etc things like red dot sights, ghost rings, etc start making sense. If it is for home defense, I'd consider XS sights or mepro light nightsights. It gives you a slightly larger bead to focus on and you can still see it in the dark.

thanks for helping a newbie!

[inbox485]

You DO still need to aim with buckshot! With my 500, shooting Fiocchi 00(?) Buck that up to 10 yards it stays pretty tight and even at 20 - 25 yards it's still on a man sized target.

If I get going too fast and don't aim correctly, even with it shoulder and looking down the barrel, it's easy to get a few pellets off the target; and with projectiles that small you need to make sure you're as effective as possible.

Point shooting with a long gun at close range isn't rocket science. Does take a smidgin of practice, but missing at indoor ranges is like falling off a bike. You might miss when you are first trying it, but you would pretty much have to try to miss once you get the feel for it.

Maybe your house is mansion. When that dude is coming around the corner in my house he's 3 to 5 yards in front of me in a hallway and if he's in my bedroom, we're 1 yard from each other. Hold 90

To CNM's credit I've seen videos of people that missed an intruder less than 3 yards away. But to your credit the guy said that he bought the gun, loaded it and never fired it until that day.

The truth is all you need is the right ammo and lots of practice for HD. A friend of mine who had been deployed to Iraq recently told me that with a shotgun in a CQB scenario all you have to do is hold 90 and you'll hit somebody. All the other stuff is just for fun

This is why I refer to the "you can't miss with a shotgun" bit a trueishism. Get the feel for it, and you can't miss with any long gun at close ranges. The barrel forms an arrow, and any adult with reasonable hand eye coordination can figure out how to point an arrow and have it line up with something in the same room as them. But that falls a bit short when telling that to a person that thinks they can buy a shotgun as their first gun, load it, stuff it in the closet and then magically figure out how to shoot the thing and expect the pellets to guide themselves.

[zombiescanlearn]

I did say get "lots of practice" and the scenario is your target is in the same room or down the hallway in your house

[wizard101]

hi everyone,

i bought my first shotgun and will be picking up a mossberg 500 soon and was wondering

1) what sling and bag most people used to transport it. do some just carry the shotgun in the open?

2) can someone explain the benefits of a pistol grip?

3) do you really need to purchase a sight or can you aim relatively well on a stock gun?

thanks for helping a newbie!

You need the following:

At least 2 or 3 rails
Leather sling
Recoil reducing replacement stock
High intensity flashlight (at least 500 lumens)
Green laser
Bayonet
Red dot optics
Bandolier that can hold 25-50 shells


Make sure you post a pic of your rig once you're done.

[The Undertaker]

I have two Mossbergs. One an 8+1 M590 and the other an 8+1 M590A1.

Configuration depends on what uses you intend to put your shotgun towards. Personally, I use my M590 as a range gun only. I got the version with the ghost ring sights because I grew up shooting rifles - shotguns are a relatively recent development for me and I am not used to the bead sight at all, plus I shoot a lot of slugs. The stock is the bog-standard version that lack a pistol grip or speed feed, both of which I see as unnecessary on a range shotgun. Since I go to outdoor ranges a lot, I use an Uncle Mike sling on my shotgun, handy for keeping my hands free when I'm done shooting. I added an ATI side saddle to carry six shells.

The one thing I advise against are slings that carry shells. Those are heavy and unwieldy, two things you don't want with a sling. You also don't need a fancy single-point sling - a regular old fashioned two-point one will do just fine. A heat shield is up to you, depending on how much you plan on using your shotgun. I plan on getting one since when I use my M590, I use it A LOT. The barrel gets pretty hot and I like to avoid burns.

The M590A1 is another story. That gun I use as an experimental platform. Again, I use ghost ring sights. That gun will soon get a Mesa Tactical upgrade package, including an M4-style stock and grip kit and a side saddle carrier. That's the gun I plan on using eventually in tactical shotgun classes.