Mossberg 500 Combo Field Deer Pump Action Shotgun Review
To Sykes gets his hands on a Mossberg 500 and puts it to the test on the unforgiving foreshore, besides as doing a star turn on the dirt ground
I have been a fan of pump deportment all my life. There is something rugged about a pump, and that certainly applies to the Mossberg 500.
The Mossberg 500 is an American favourite that has been in product for over 50 years – that's more than 10 meg shotguns and counting. Information technology is a popular gun beyond US law enforcement, war machine, home defence and with the hunting community.
I was bully to encounter how well the Mossberg would perform in my day-to-twenty-four hour period life of wildfowling, clay shooting and pest control. The Hushpower modified version of the Mossberg is popular throughout the UK for a range of vermin shooters, just yous don't oftentimes see many standard guns in operation. I wanted to test information technology to see if nosotros were underusing this gem of a gun. (Have a look at our pick of best jackets for wildfowling.)
The Mossberg 500 has been in production for 50 years and around x meg have been made
Testing the Mossberg 500
I was super-excited when the telephone call came from my local gunsmith that the Mossberg had landed. Gun collected, I assembled it and got an initial feel for its treatment and features. Being a major pump fan, I have grown accustomed to the many dissimilar layouts of rubber catches and bolt releases.
The Mossberg has a different take on the safety-catch placement compared with most other pumps and semi-autos. The rubber is top mounted, located at the rear of the action to a higher place the grip, similar to an over-and-nether and side-by-side. This is a fantastic feature and is the best placement for a safe.
The location means that it is operated by the thumb and does brand the gun far more ambidextrous than most pumps. The bolt release catch is located at the rear of the trigger-guard, similar to my old Winchester pump action, and can easily be operated with the middle finger.
An overall inspection of the dismantled gun showed a rather simple mechanism with very trivial to get wrong. The overall simplicity makes general maintenance a cakewalk. Although pumps like the Mossberg are designed to withstand hard usage, I would e'er recommend taking care of your gear to the best of your ability to increase its longevity and reliability in the field. There are plenty of YouTube videos showing how to dismantle and reassemble for anyone new to pump actions.
All cartridges cycle smoothly through the Mossberg
The other key divergence in design is the lack of a plate for the magazine loading port, but I found the magazine is like shooting fish in a barrel to load without this.
After the initial play at home, it was straight to the clay footing to run into how the gun performed. The Mossberg is correct upward my street because it is light and fast handling but yet very pointable with its 28in barrel. It fabricated light piece of work of pairs and fifty-fifty triple clay targets.
The action is super-smooth and very fast cycling. I found it one of the nicest pumps to shoot for speed and ease of use and I was smitten later on the first couple of stands.
Merely the real test for a pump in my optics is if it can withstand foreshore life. I opted for the Mossberg 500 all-purpose field synthetic. The gun'south rugged synthetic material is perfect for the harsh elements of the foreshore. I went for the one-half-choke out of the three provided – quarter, half and full – as I believe it is the most versatile for the majority of situations.
The Mossberg performed actually well with a range of steel shells. The gun took everything I threw at it in its pace, be information technology standard steel bio wads, loftier-functioning duck loads or fifty-fifty 3in goose loads. I didn't notice much in terms of recoil, despite it existence a rather lightweight gun, when using the larger shells. Then again, I don't usually feel much recoil as I'1000 a large bruiser. All the cartridges cycled smoothly and there were no stoppages nor malfunctions.
The synthetic all-purpose version is perfect for fowling
Flaring teal
The gun shortly became an extension of me and the general mechanics felt similar second nature. Duck flights were an absolute pleasure, with the fast action making the most of the opportunities and shots on offer when packs of teal flared afterward the kickoff shot. Doubles seemed to be very much doable and even the odd triple.
The goose loads teamed with the gun were a dandy combination. The large white bead with a smaller metal mid-barrel bead aided with getting shots on target. A corking feature – and one that should be standard on wildfowling guns – is the low-contour built-in sling swivels. These are fantastic for calculation a sling so the gun can be thrown on your dorsum for the walk out or while organising gear.
The only real downside I could detect for the Mossberg in terms of wildfowling is that I would love to have a 3.5in bedchamber for flighting geese. The add-on of such a chamber would make this a perfect gun for all situations, excluding driven game.
One thing to cover is the aesthetics – I adore the look of this gun. The synthetic version especially looks mean and rugged and is something I believe suits my persona. It seemed to turn heads at the clay ground, especially when people saw how well it shot. I took it to our local wildfowling club clay shoot and it soon gathered a crowd as everyone wanted to have a go with it.
It'due south the trivial things that add to the overall appeal of this gun
Workhorse
I have been immensely impressed with this gun and would highly recommend it to anyone wanting a great workhorse or fifty-fifty a gun for a bit of fun. Having borrowed information technology from the team at Viking Arms, I will be buying this Mossberg to add to my arsenal. With its retail toll of £589, it would exist stupid not to buy a gun that I have had such much fun with. I am sure that it will last a lifetime, which makes it peculiarly expert value for money. I tin't wait to attempt it for summer vermin control.
I believe I accomplished the main objective and discovered a jewel of a gun that will not only practise the job but will do it in style and, almost importantly, won't break the bank in the process. I do like some of the modern guns available, simply in that location is a reason the Mossberg has been in product for so long and and so many have been sold.
Verdict
One of the nicest pumps to shoot for speed and ease of use
Source: https://www.shootinguk.co.uk/reviews/shotgun/mossberg-500-pump-action-shotgun-review
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