Getting a Mossy 500 Slugster

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Aug 13, 2011
Messages
2,392
Location
Waveland, MS
I have an 870 Wingmaster already that has a 28" barrel and is pretty good for bird hunting. I found this Mossberg 500A with a smoothbore 24" Slugster barrel and I know you can't have too many guns but does anyone have much experience with this gun? I put it on layaway at $175 used for it. Has a screwed in sling and rifle sights - seems to be pretty solid.

There's a little tiny bit of what I thought was rust in parts of the stock but the guy said it was just bluing salt. It's very minimal and about as thin as a fingernail. Can it turn orange like that?

Just wondering if the Mossy 500 is a good shotgun, or back up shotgun. I'd probably use it for slugs and HD.
 
I have one with two barrels, one with cylinder bore and choke tubes, and the other barrel is a rifled barrel with open sights.

I prefer the rifled barrel for accuracy with the 300 gr. saboted loads.
 
Last edited:
My buddy uses one for coyote hunting, its his gun for the dogs that come in without notice.

He has a scope on his, 5inch pattern at 100yards. BUT, he makes his own slugs with special sabots
 
The Mossberg 500 is a real no frill workhorse, but its a solid design. The very similar model 590 (very few differences) was the shotgun of choice for the U.S. Army for many years until the semi auto Benelli started replacing it.

It will be a very good backup or primary gun for you. I cut my teeth hunting upland game with a 500 Bantam. Never had a jam and it got me a lot of meat before I outgrew it and got a Browning A5 Light 12ga.
 
It's a well built shotgun and will last very long for its intended use. I recommend some serious cleaning. You just don't know what previous owner did or didn't do. Include the trigger assembly when taking it down. If you need any help PM me they are pretty easy to work on.

Once you are thoroughly clean you can begin to know what you are working with slug and accuracy wise.

I'd try Rem Slugger's first. They can surprise you and pretty cheap considering slug costs these days.
 
I have a 500 with the smooth bore 24" deer barrel. Shoots great( i.e. accurate )using Federal or Winchester rifled slugs out to 100yds. I replaced the factory iron sites with hi-vis ones and it is really a great gun for the deer woods.
 
Last edited:
I have a 500 with a 20" barrel and pistol grip for home defense. I also have shot it using the regular wood stock; very fun to shoot either way. I've run a few slugs through it, but it kicks pretty stout. I keep different shot in it for home defense use.
 
Nothing wrong with Mossberg 500. For Home defense get an 18" barrel or saw your 24" down. You might want to put an extended mag tube on it as well to hold some more shells but I think it may require some gun-smithing with a Mossy.
 
My 500 has been a great gun so far, been very happy with it
thumbsup2.gif
 
Originally Posted By: GMFan
Everything right with Mossberg 500.
Fixed it for ya. Much better shotgun than a Rem 870 for several reasons. Good choice.
 
I would not say everything about the Mossy 500 is better than the Remy 870. For instance the plastic trigger housing is not better than the metal ones on the 870. Now if you are comparing the Mossy 500 to the 870 Express you have a valid argument, but compared to the upper end Wingmaster, there are areas where the Remy will trump the Mossy.

But as I said, you cannot go wrong with either for a hunting gun.
 
not getting your finger slammed by the elevator is one reason the Mossberg is better. Dual extractors is another. Lightweight alloy receiver is yet another.
 
Originally Posted By: dwcopple
not getting your finger slammed by the elevator is one reason the Mossberg is better. Dual extractors is another. Lightweight alloy receiver is yet another.


To play devils advocate my Wingmaster, like my Mossy 500 never missed a beat so it really did not need a second extractor. For some, blued steel is always preferred to anodized aluminum for its added strength, especially in a receiver. And not everyone has had ergonomic issues with the shell elevator.

Both are exceptionally well proven guns. Now if you really like to neglect your gun, the dual extractors are nice, and that is probably why the Mossy 590 was so loved by the military. It that added feature that could be useful in adverse conditions. But if you are a civilian and properly maintain your gun, as you really should, the differences come down to taste more than anything and often budget. I would take a Mossy over a Remy express anyday, and definitely over the Winchester 1300 I also had for a time.
 
Originally Posted By: Robenstein
I would not say everything about the Mossy 500 is better than the Remy 870. For instance the plastic trigger housing is not better than the metal ones on the 870.


The plastic trigger guard is pretty much a non issue. The plastic safety, well that's a different story. The aluminum safety as supplied on the military model is available from Midway, Brownells, and others. There are a couple of interesting aftermarket solutions also. I'd encourage any Mossberg 500 owner to consider replacement. That's the only true weak point on a 500 or 590.

Ed
 
The plastic trigger can be an issue if you are like a certain someone I know who kinda melted a plastic housing by using non traditional cleaning methods/chemicals. He ended up needing a new trigger housing. Some cleaners are not plastic friendly.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top