mossberg necessities

[Fozz]

If you're using it as a home defense gun have some fun and make it "tacticool". Just be sure to practice a lot I've got a mossberg 590 w/ the knox spec ops stock. I love it, I can shoot a few boxes of ammo and not feel like a mule has been kicking me in the shoulder.

[SixPointEight]

A cheap soft case and a slip over shotgun sling are what I've used for the last 30 years or so. The only reason that I use a sling is so that I my hands are free when walking to a blind or casual walking on my way to or from a field. While actually hunting, I remove the sling completely.

The reason to put a PG on a 500 is simple, you put one on if you decide thaat you want to be a mall ninja and/or looks are more important to you than practicality.

I had a pistol grip on mine, and may go back, the LOP is almost uncomfortably long to me.

[sskeeter]

I like the looks of the SpecOps NRS stock on my Mossy 500. LOP feels good and shot nicely in the desert using paper targets and water jugs with 00 and birdshot. I can work the safety with my right thumb.

Research shows the pistol grip is very effective against zombies.

[BigDogatPlay]

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?

Congrats on your pickup. A simple nylon two point sling, assuming your gun has swivel studs, with quick detach swivels is probably best and won't cost you more than ten or fifteen bucks. Speaking personally and as an opinion, I do not leave a sling on my HD shotgun when at home. I only put the sling on if I am going to spend a bunch of time training or out in the world with it. A simple nylon soft case works just fine, and also won't set you back a bunch of dough.

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

It's all about ability to control the gun. There is a school of thought (to which I subscribe) that a standard stock is preferable on a Mossberg because of the tang mounted safety. Some find that to not be an issue. I have a 500, and had a pistol grip stock on it for a while. I reverted it to factory wood.

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

By purchase a sight, I assume you mean a ghost ring and the corresponding front sight to go with it. My opinion only, again, but I find the plain bead to be best on a general purpose or HD shotgun. If it's me, I save the money I'd spend on sights and the gunsmithing to install the front sight, and spend it on ammo and training. Ghost ring systems definitely have advantages in a number of potential applications, but I've found (as have some others) that those advantages don't extend to close quarters at the distances you would expect to shoot in a home defense situation.

The only mods I recommend as essential for an HD shotgun are:

** Ability to carry a few extra rounds on the gun, for a Mossberg a butt cuff on the stock is probably easiest. Side saddles are okay, but sometimes have caused issues with the aluminum receiver found on Mossbergs.

** A good quality light, in a secure mount. A Fenix or SureFire, in a CDM Gear mount with a pressure pad switch applied to the fore end is an excellent solution. The primo solution is a SureFire dedicated fore end, but you might spend more on one of those than you spent on the gun in first place.

Hope all this helps and welcome to the wonderful world of shotgunning.

[Tripper]

What about an equivalent to shotlock my 590 has ghostring sites so apparently the shotlock won't work

[SeaweedMonkey]

thanks everyone for the help, lots of good points made!

[hcbr]

It's all a matter of preference, i ususally say if it ain't broke don't fix it, ususally i'd go with the OE stock than change it out with a pistol grip, but hey if you get used to it, then all the merrier, for sights, you can definitely shoot it out of the box without any mods to the stock sights, and for shotgun, i just have a regular softcase for mine, although my more expensive ones i keep in a hard case.

[Sicarius]

1. Slings I find get in the way of the manipulation of a shotgun unless it is a single point. For home defense, I personally leave the sling off. Just one more thing to get in the way... For a case, I use soft cases for transportation. Hard cases I find to be more cumbersome for taking the guns to the range.
2. Pistol grips are a personal opinion. I peronally am not fond of them. For just a pistol grip and no stock, the firearm is somewhat hard to control and aim. Slower for a followup shot and slower to reload. Pistol grip with a stock is significantly better but I find that using the strong arm for weapon manipulation(which in a shotgun is quite often compared to a rifle) You have to regrasp the pistol grip after taking your strong hand off is not nearly as easy as sliding your hand back on a typical stock... Just my observation. Control is pretty much the same and I find I have better leverage to reload with a standard rifle stock.
3. No need for any special sights for a shotgun. Ghost rings actually get more in the way than you would think. A factory bead or possibly a fiber optic(they do break so I never depend on them) is good. Red dot is very nice but probably costs as much as the shotgun... I personally would go for a weaponlight before I bother with the sights. I highly recommend a side saddle though as a first accessory.
Kevin

[zombiescanlearn]

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

[Unicorn food]

BASIC FIREARM SAFETY RULES

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Learn and understand these Safety rules before you use a firearm


Handling

1) ALWAYS keep your gun pointed in a safe direction
2) ALWAYS keep your finger OFF the trigger until ready to
shoot
3) Always keep the gun unloaded until ready to use

Using or storing

1) Know your target and what is beyond
2) Be sure the gun is safe to operate
3) Know how to use the gun safely
4) Use only the correct ammunition ( marked on barrel )
5) Wear eye and ear protection
6) Never use drugs or alcohol before or while shooting
7) Store guns so they are not accessible to unauthorized
persons

that

[Secret]

How come most people dont recommend slugs?

[CmpsdNoMore]

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

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.

[zombiescanlearn]

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.

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

[Bigdaa]

i dont get thefeeders post, is he just telling me to be careful? just cause its my first shotgun doesnt mean its my first gun. also ive been to ranges and shot shotguns before.

thanks for everyone elses help!

Big brother syndrome (different from the government version which sucks)
It's not a bad thing. Nobody knows each of our proficiency, nor knows us from Adam or Eve.

I saw a reply that was pertinent and stood out like a set of big jugs....

DON'T OVER ACCESORIZE(sp)

I put a simple sling on my most recent riot build. It feels acceptable and I'm not a picky guy with it. The pistol grip by itslef is solesly for concielment and ease of hiding.

Sights...................good point! My latest is equipped as I purposely bought the barrel with rifle sights. Far superior when throwing slugs.

There is nothing out there saying you can't buy another barrel with sights.
If it moves you to do so, you are only separated from this reality by about
$185 including shipping.

For now, go blasting. Try the various rounds in high and low base, 2 3/4 and 3 inch. Be prepared for shoulder abuse in the high base mags in both lengths.

Want to shoot a bunch? Order the ammo on line, by the case.

Post a picture of your new baby so we can all enjoy the glory!!!

Dave

[CmpsdNoMore]

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

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.