Bought my first long gun -- an older Mossberg 500

jersey_emt · January 5, 2011, 08:14 PM

Up until now, I've only owned handguns, a SIG Sauer P6, a S&W 59, and a Ruger MKII. I just purchased my first long gun, an older model Mossberg 500 -- 12-gauge, short magazine tube (5+1 capacity), wooden stock, and an 18.5" cylinder bore barrel.

The gun was sold by the Las Vegas PD to a private party, and now, 15 years later, was sold to me. The barrel is marked "POLICE GUN" with a standard front bead sight. Its primary usage will be for home defense and fun at the range.

Now, part of me wants to go all out with an adjustable pistol grip stock (the Knoxx SpecOps caught my eye), side saddle, and light. Another part of me wants to just slap on a nice recoil pad, a wooden "corncob" foreend (the checkered wood forend doesn't have much grip), and call it a day.

Here in New Jersey we are severely restricted on what we can do to rifles -- just one "evil feature" and a 15-round maximum capacity. But pump-action shotguns have no such restrictions. So perhaps I want to get an adjustable-length pistol grip stock on my new shotgun just because I *can*. That's as good of a reason as any, right?

My problem is that I like the way both of these guns look.

(yes, I know it's an 870 but you get the point)

So how do you choose between the two routes to take? Buying a second Mossberg 500 and going both ways isn't an option at this point in time.

Couple of notes:
* Not being able to easily reach the tang safety with a pistol grip stock doesn't really matter to me. The gun is stored with a full magazine, empty chamber, and safety off.
* I'm left-handed, and my girlfriend is right-handed, making a side saddle the only option for extra ammunition on the gun (no butt cuffs).
* How's the weight of the Knoxx SpecOps stock, or just a regular adjustable stock with pistol grip, compared to the factory wood stock?
* I'm generally a follower of KISS ('keep it simple, stupid'), so even if I go the 'tactical' route I don't want to go completely mall-ninja. The *most* I would ever consider would be an adjustable stock with pistol grip, extra ammo in a side saddle, and a mounted light.

DiscoRacing · January 5, 2011, 08:38 PM

I like wood myself

pabuckslayer08 · January 5, 2011, 09:35 PM

Well, it sounds alot like maybe you need to buy another shotgun. You said to turn it tactical cause you can so apparently you have some change so for what will be in all your new parts why not just keep the wood one for fun and buy a tactical. For the stock and light and stuff you basically can buy another gun,
Mossberg, Remington they all make a good cheap protection tactical gun

ripnbst · January 5, 2011, 09:37 PM

If the picture shown is your actual gun I would keep the wood. You have some nice looking wood on your gun.

jersey_emt · January 6, 2011, 03:31 PM

Unfortunately that is not a photo of my gun. But the wood stock on mine still has a nicer grain than most Mossbergs. I think it is actually walnut as opposed to the walnut-stained birch found on newer models, but I admit to not really knowing a thing about wood identification. It's just a guess based on the age of the gun -- it has the scalloped engraving on the bolt.

I went to Dick's Sporting Goods this afternoon to pick up some ammunition, some 00 buckshot (Remington Express 2 3/4", 3 3/4 dram eq, 9 pellets) and a bunch of Winchester AA Xtra-Lite Target Loads (2 3/4", 1 oz #8 shot, 2 3/4 dram eq). I saw a Limbsaver slip-on recoil pad on sale for $30, so I got that.

Which means that for now, I'm probably sticking with the wood stock. With the slip-on recoil pad, should I remove the stock hard rubber recoil pad and slip on the new pad over the bare butt plate? It adds 1" to the LOP, so with the stock recoil pad (about 3/4" thick) it would probably be a bit too long for my girlfriend to shoot comfortably.

Catalyst · January 6, 2011, 03:58 PM

edit - My comment was previously mentioned, and I missed it. Parts are easilly enough exchanged, get the components for both set ups!

January 5, 2011, 08:14 PM	#1
jersey_emt Senior Member Join Date: June 23, 2009 Posts: 440	Bought my first long gun -- an older Mossberg 500 Up until now, I've only owned handguns, a SIG Sauer P6, a S&W 59, and a Ruger MKII. I just purchased my first long gun, an older model Mossberg 500 -- 12-gauge, short magazine tube (5+1 capacity), wooden stock, and an 18.5" cylinder bore barrel. The gun was sold by the Las Vegas PD to a private party, and now, 15 years later, was sold to me. The barrel is marked "POLICE GUN" with a standard front bead sight. Its primary usage will be for home defense and fun at the range. Now, part of me wants to go all out with an adjustable pistol grip stock (the Knoxx SpecOps caught my eye), side saddle, and light. Another part of me wants to just slap on a nice recoil pad, a wooden "corncob" foreend (the checkered wood forend doesn't have much grip), and call it a day. Here in New Jersey we are severely restricted on what we can do to rifles -- just one "evil feature" and a 15-round maximum capacity. But pump-action shotguns have no such restrictions. So perhaps I want to get an adjustable-length pistol grip stock on my new shotgun just because I can. That's as good of a reason as any, right? My problem is that I like the way both of these guns look. (yes, I know it's an 870 but you get the point) So how do you choose between the two routes to take? Buying a second Mossberg 500 and going both ways isn't an option at this point in time. Couple of notes: * Not being able to easily reach the tang safety with a pistol grip stock doesn't really matter to me. The gun is stored with a full magazine, empty chamber, and safety off. * I'm left-handed, and my girlfriend is right-handed, making a side saddle the only option for extra ammunition on the gun (no butt cuffs). * How's the weight of the Knoxx SpecOps stock, or just a regular adjustable stock with pistol grip, compared to the factory wood stock? * I'm generally a follower of KISS ('keep it simple, stupid'), so even if I go the 'tactical' route I don't want to go completely mall-ninja. The most I would ever consider would be an adjustable stock with pistol grip, extra ammo in a side saddle, and a mounted light. __________________ A liberal firearms owner and 2A supporter from New Jersey (yes, we do exist). SIG Sauer P6, S&W Model 59, Ruger Mark II "NRA Endowment" special edition, Mossberg 500 12-gauge. Please check out WhichGun.com, a firearms reference and buying guide.

January 5, 2011, 08:38 PM	#2
DiscoRacing Senior Member Join Date: December 19, 2008 Location: milton, wv Posts: 3,640	I like wood myself __________________ Desert Eagle Alliance Group Launcher Extraordinaire ______ ----Get Busy Live'n.....Or....Get Busy Die'n......Red -------They call me Dr. Bob,,,, I have a PhD in S&W

January 6, 2011, 03:31 PM	#5
jersey_emt Senior Member Join Date: June 23, 2009 Posts: 440	Unfortunately that is not a photo of my gun. But the wood stock on mine still has a nicer grain than most Mossbergs. I think it is actually walnut as opposed to the walnut-stained birch found on newer models, but I admit to not really knowing a thing about wood identification. It's just a guess based on the age of the gun -- it has the scalloped engraving on the bolt. I went to Dick's Sporting Goods this afternoon to pick up some ammunition, some 00 buckshot (Remington Express 2 3/4", 3 3/4 dram eq, 9 pellets) and a bunch of Winchester AA Xtra-Lite Target Loads (2 3/4", 1 oz #8 shot, 2 3/4 dram eq). I saw a Limbsaver slip-on recoil pad on sale for $30, so I got that. Which means that for now, I'm probably sticking with the wood stock. With the slip-on recoil pad, should I remove the stock hard rubber recoil pad and slip on the new pad over the bare butt plate? It adds 1" to the LOP, so with the stock recoil pad (about 3/4" thick) it would probably be a bit too long for my girlfriend to shoot comfortably. __________________ A liberal firearms owner and 2A supporter from New Jersey (yes, we do exist). SIG Sauer P6, S&W Model 59, Ruger Mark II "NRA Endowment" special edition, Mossberg 500 12-gauge. Please check out WhichGun.com, a firearms reference and buying guide. Last edited by jersey_emt; January 6, 2011 at 05:23 PM.

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January 5, 2011, 09:35 PM	#3
pabuckslayer08 Senior Member Join Date: December 18, 2010 Location: South Central Pa Posts: 692	Well, it sounds alot like maybe you need to buy another shotgun. You said to turn it tactical cause you can so apparently you have some change so for what will be in all your new parts why not just keep the wood one for fun and buy a tactical. For the stock and light and stuff you basically can buy another gun, Mossberg, Remington they all make a good cheap protection tactical gun

January 5, 2011, 09:37 PM	#4
ripnbst Senior Member Join Date: November 24, 2010 Location: Spring, TX Posts: 1,552	If the picture shown is your actual gun I would keep the wood. You have some nice looking wood on your gun.

January 6, 2011, 03:58 PM	#6
Catalyst Member Join Date: October 16, 2009 Posts: 64	edit - My comment was previously mentioned, and I missed it. Parts are easilly enough exchanged, get the components for both set ups!