is this a good choice? (mossberg 500 12 ga.)

[BOOTYMONSTER]

i currently have no fire arms but im about to buy a gun for hunting . here in va some areas are shotgun only and im strongly considering getting a shotgun combo with a slug barrel and regular barrel . id really love to have a 30-06 but given that ill have to hunt public land where ever i can find it i dont want to limit myself to any less areas than whats available . i really have no desire to hunt birds (well.....i may try turkeys ....just maybe ) and im mainly interested in deer , according to remington,winchester and several other ammo makers their high end sabboted slugs are able to be shot accurately up to about 200 yards IF I DO MY PART ,and i dont really forsee a shot that long or longer in the areas that i currently know about . also these slugs seem to be more than powerful enough for even bears should i get that brave or have a chance to .i dont have the income to support me having multiple guns (maybe another in a few years)and im thinking this would be the most cost effective route for me as well as being a firearm that will humanely dispatch the game i'm after .
i know i will need to pratice to hone my shooting skills and i figure i can use cheap slugs for that and use the high end ones for hunting being sure to make my last pratice shots with high end ones to comfirm the sighting .i do plan to get a scope for the rifeled slug barrel .i do have a break barrel pellet gun that i feel im pretty accurate with and i know the shotgun is going to have real recoil (ive shot a few and a 30-06 and im ok with the recoil) .
the gun combo im considering is the pump action mossberg 500 in 12 guage , im not interested in the ability to use 3 1/2 inch shells as every forum ive read about them is not kind to them to say the least .the scope will probally be a bushnell banner series or a leapers TRUE STRENGTH series . i really like what ive read about the H&R /NEF guns and was looking at the new pump action pardner but theres not much info on it .
  do yall think im on the right track or would you recomend a different route . ive been lurking here for a long time and really respect the opinions of most on here . thanks in advance for your opinions .

[dukkillr]

the only thing good about mossberg is the price.  If you can afford a better gun (they don't make any worse guns) you should buy it.  An 870 or a Benelli Nova would be slightly more expensive but of higher quality too.  I love the Browning BPS and will always recommend it for any shotgunning application.  Of course you get what you pay for, and you will pay more to get a better gun. 

You're correct about not trying to get a 3 1/2" EXCEPT if you want to shoot turkeys.  The new fancy turkey loads are awesome. 

My advice:  26" Browning BPS.  Get the rifled deer hunting version.  Buy a smooth bore barrel if you're going to use it.

[MI.sabot]

It sounds to me like deer hunting is your primary concern, with turkey hunting or anything else a remote possibility.

That being the case, since you said you want a rifled barrel and would scope it, the Mossberg Combo is NOT the route to go.

If you scope the Mossberg, then you either need to drill & tap the receiver or go the B-Square route, neither of which is a good choice if you ultimately want to use the bird barrel.  There's no such thing as a cheap sabot or an inexpensive day at the range.  Changing barrels would force you to re-sight the scope each time.

I don't know if the Mossberg combo is available with a cantilever barrel.  That would be a much better option.
Remington 870's are available with cantilever barrels and a bird barrel could always be bought at a later date.
I'm sure you could find an abundant amount of Remington barrels on Ebay for a fraction of the cost of a new one.
Do yourself a favor and pick up a Mossberg and then pick up a Remington.
You'll feel the difference in quality of the Remington for a relatively few $$ more.

My suggestion would be to purchase an H&R Ultra Slug Hunter in either the 12 or 20 gauge, both of which can be had for under $200.
http://www.hr1871.com/Firearms/Shotguns/ultraSlug.aspx
Make this your dedicated deer shotgun.  No better shooting slug gun for the money.

If you find you want to take up turkey hunting or other game, buy yourself an inexpensive shotgun at a later date.
There's plenty to choose from.

Oh yeah, forget about what you read about 200 yd sabots.  They exist but they don't tell you that the recoil will rattle your brain.
They'll fly that far, they can kill that far, but the reality of you or anyone else consistently hitting where you aim is remote.
Realistic slug hunting is inside 125 yds.  The other 75 yds. is marketing!

[RollTide]

I have had really good luck with all the Mossbergs I have (3).  I have a rifled slug gun, a 590 riot gun with the exended mag, and a smooth bore gun with a variety of barrels.  The gun is reliable and strong.  The 870 is a good gun also in the same price range.  The US military uses both the 870 and the Mossberg in combat, so I would say they both are rugged and reliable.

In the function department, where it counts, I don't think there is any difference between a Mossberg 500 and a Remington 870, so then the last determining factor is price and setup options.  Pick whichever suits your needs in all departments.

Roll Tide

[raktrakr]

You can get the Remington 870 with synthetic stock and cantilever rifled barrel for less than $350 and is the most common slug gun out there.
The NEF or H&R ultra slug has a good price and is deadly accurate but, its a single shot and it weights 10 lbs

[Ranger J]

I bought a Mossberg 500 around 40 or so years ago.  It came with a smooth bore rifle sighted deer barrel.  I never could hit anything with the open sights and had it frilled and tapped for a scope.  This combo killed a lot of deer and as I found the smoothbore barrel was also a great quail gun it dispatched its share of them  (minus the scope of course).   I later bought a 30 inch full choke to shoot at ducks and finally added a cantilevered fully rifled deer barrel.  During this time I took up loading shotgun shells and that old 500 successfully digested a lot of pretty rough looking efforts during my learning period.  I can’t say that it ever jammed in all those thousands of shots in all kinds of weather.  Maybe it’s not pretty but rugged and reliable it is.  If I had to get rid of all my guns but two it would be the one I would keep to shoot.  The other one would be my dad’s old J.C. Higgens 20g, just because it was his.
RJ

[John020769]

I have my Dad`s 500 Mossberg 12 ga and my grandfarthers 500 Mossberg 20 ga from about 40 yrs ago ,and a New 870 express 12 ga from 14yrs old until 2yrs ago (37 now) the Mossberg 20 ga was my goto gun small game to deer then my Dad stop hunting with his 12ga and went to only small game hunting a few yrs ago He is 67 and don`t like to sit in the cold any more gave the 20 to my son and Iused the 12 I bought the 870 because I thought the Mossberg was to old and a New 870 would be better ,the 870 has a 26" remchoke barrel  with the rifle choke tube with remington slugger (walmart cheap slug) 3" group 100yrds but you have to keep the tube clean with scope but with the short barrel and mod. choke tube dose not pattern very well with birdshot for small game ,500 mossberg old gun 28" mod.choke it will do all the 870 stays on wall until I can get an old wingmaster 28"mod. barrel or 30" full choke barrel for it .............John   

[elkstalkr]

I recently purchased a mossberg 500 with a rifled barrel.  It came drilled and tapped.

Just sighted it in yesterday at 100 yards.  I shot a 3 inch group with it.  Was VERY pleased. 

Overall I like the gun, EXCEPT it must have a 20lb trigger on it.  NO SERIOUSLY, this trigger I am guessin to be at 15-20 lbs, absolutely horrible.  Will need to get that fixed.

[gray wolf]

i also have a mossy 500. 28" barrel. I think for the money it is a dam good shotgun.
 It came drilled and tapped for a receiver base, which is cheep and is on the gun.  I also put my Nikon v s d red dot on it
and never took it off. Yes if you take the barrel of you must re site it. Big deal!. get it zeroed in and clean from the muzzle during hunting season. open the action put a clean rag into it and close the action. Keeps dirt out while cleaning.
  i can't afford $2.00 + a shot so i shoot regular forester slugs. the gun is ported as bought and comes with 3 choke tubes.
it kicks like hell, but they all do.
  I site in for fifty yards with federal vital shocks and federal tru ball slugs. 2" groups at fifty yards all day long.
they say use the improved Cly. choke tube. I do.
  the last day at the range i had it shooting good and then patterned it with shot shells. the red dot was on , it had my pattern centered perfect.
  then i put the Mod. tube in so i could get a little more range with shot.  perfect the dot is center of pattern.
I had some winchester super X slugs so i tried them with the modified tube.  5 shots cutting each other at fifty yards.
  the federals have better down range ballistics so i may hunt with them.
i will try them with the mod. choke tube, if it is as good as the Winchesters i will definitely hunt with them.
  i think i am good to 75 yards. for me this is fine. up one at 25, on at fifty, about 2 low at 75, and 4 low at 100.
down side: the 28" barrel is a little long. took me about an hour to get use to it.  the Nikon 30 MM tube red dot is very fast for target acquisition.
I don't hunt flying things but if it walks in front of me it is dead.
  there are many more expensive shotguns and of course better made.  but i can't find anything wrong with this gun for the
$199.00 i paid for it.
  this is a smooth bore  my trigger is fine 4.5 Lbs. 

[eye shot]

Mossberg No!
        I got a Mossberg 500 for my son big mistake.We went to range and every 4-5 shots empty slug cases would stick , the exsractor would slide past. We had no time to get another shotgun, went huting. He hit a deer in front leg tried to rack another round and case stuck-Bad! Luckily he dug out case reloaded tracked deer and got him. My other son I got a BPS because he is a lefty, beautiful gun but to lite kicks like a mule. My pump is a 870 exp no problems for years of shooting-trap-deer. The Mossberg also rusted easily.