The truth about TOSSBERG shotguns - Page 2

rantingredneck · February 22, 2009, 10:05 PM

Quote:

And I keep a sawed off Mossberg as my shop defense gun

WildthatsthefactjackAlaska TM

And see all this time I had this image of you leaping over the counter to confront a badguy dual wielding Nagant revolvers and wearing a Budyenny helmet.

Rantingmyimageofwildisnowshatteredredneck........

CAP1 · February 22, 2009, 10:08 PM

My Mossy 500 had been 100% reliable to date.

Wildalaska · February 22, 2009, 10:10 PM

Quote:

We're dealin' with a whole new breed here, fella. They've mutated. Somehow, the effectiveness of tinfoil has worn off and the buttons have popped on the mall ninja outfits due to sudden growth of a spare tire.....I mean, fourth BUG....

Bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

WildcongratstuttlethatssignatureoftheyearAlaska TM

Scattergun Bob · February 22, 2009, 10:25 PM

6 Remington 870s and 1 Mossberg 500. I really don't have an agenda it is a Chevy / Ford debate always has been. Just trying to be fair.

The problem with the plastic retainer is the same with the plastic safety button. The teeth do as badly when over tightened as the safety lever does when slammed forward too hard "they crack".

Best to Ya, Good Luck and Be Safe

colostomyclown · February 22, 2009, 11:40 PM

i really wanted to keep my 590s, i really did. But when i got the 2nd bad one, and with my friends 500 breaking, really how can i? i love the mossberg's setup - slide release, safety location, etc. but i've just seen far too many questionable things related to it. ive also owned the 7 shot express and its done better than my 590s (a parkerized ghost ring special purpose thats done well for about 35 shots but which im now afraid to keep and the broken security model in question) but it seems like its prone to going bad too.

in hopes of going somewhere constructive with this thread maybe someone can recommend an alternative or what they think of my 870 Wingmaster w/ remington 7 shot extension or choate 7 shot and 18.5 inch barrel either shortened or a full new barrel. has anyone had any experiences with feeding issues with the mag extensions on a wingmaster or older 870 magnum?

also how hard are a metal trigger guard and a mag extension to order direct from remington to my local gunsmith? i want my shotguns to be reliable, smoothe and durable as hell shooting light lead and steel shot for practice and 2 3/4" 00 buck and the occasional slug and nothing else. i'll sacrifice 2 shots in the mag and a good safety location and slide release for that any day of the week.

Tatsumi67 · February 22, 2009, 11:49 PM

Not that I don't value your opinion, but I still want a 500 persuader

Scattergun Bob · February 23, 2009, 12:47 AM

To answer your latest question, I believe that all Remington triggerplates "including Police models" are plastic these days. I guess if you just had to you could find one at some parts house. The plastic ones have stood the test of time and seem to be very durable. One of my 870's has one and I see no apparent difference.

Mag extensions, my preference is to the Scattergun Tec/Wilson one, only because I was part of the R&D for it. The Remington extension is good, I sometimes question their mag nut. As long as the interior of your magazine is baby butt smooth and free of rust and debris any 870 wingmaster "with the exception of the special field model" should sport and function a mag extension just fine. You should be able to order the mag extension direct, or Brownells will provide you with one.

870's are great scatterguns and I had the fortune of shepherding several hundred thru their service lives. If you are planing to purchase a used 870 wingmaster please check that the ejector rivets are still tight, it's about the only problem that needs factory/armorer attention.

Good Luck & Be Safe

colostomyclown · February 23, 2009, 01:16 AM

thanks for your input i appreciate it. you know far more than i do. my main object here is to have a few shotguns for self defense that will stand up to severe punishment and any kind of inclement weather if needed and cycle powerfully and smoothe while giving me some decent buckshot patterns and do these things for under 800 dollars provided i care for them properly. theres a lot of strong and weak points to the mossbergs and remingtons but in light of current events i am being drawn towards the 870, even though i don't care for the slide release location and the safety position (what originally led me to go in the mossberg direction in the first place). i am being picky but i have the right to be - i dont want shotguns to dress up and take pictures of on the internet. i want them to save my life and the lives of my family if called upon in ANY circumstance.

Sarge · February 23, 2009, 01:46 AM

Interesting thread.

I've seen a chit-ton of both run pretty hard over the past 30 years (often by people who were just learning to run one) & I ain't seen Mossbergs break, other than the safety buttons. They rattle and clatter but they seem to work. I bought a half-dozen 590A1's for a small Dept. in '91 and last I heard, they were still giving flawless service.

I'm not real hot on plastic trigger plates/housings and won't have them on my personal shotguns. Remington and Mossberg both agree at least in spirit, because their military & LE guns don't use them either. Still, if the plastic ones were breaking, we'd likely be hearing about them and I ain't heard of any yet.

Clown, either you boys are hard on equipment or Mossberg let some sorry springs and followers get out. I'm inclined to suspect the latter.

If puppy cops and soldiers can't break something- then it can't be broke.

colostomyclown · February 23, 2009, 01:17 PM

Does anyone think I should keep my 590s but switch out the springs for the Wolff variety? i was a little hastry in judging them. The fact remains I shouldn't HAVE to change any components on a gun out of the box for it work adequately in a reliable manner. But i like the gun other than this issue and i suspect the jamming ios very much due to the mag spring deficiency...?

Super-Dave · February 23, 2009, 01:32 PM

change the damm spring. While your at it buy 2 so when the first spring wares out you got a second.

Spring should fix the problems. Then you will be happy. If not I have a remington 870 with rifles sites (brand new never fired) I could trade you for.

Scattergun Bob · February 23, 2009, 06:44 PM

Quote:

Does anyone think I should keep my 590s but switch out the springs

As I said way back in post #7, I am "good to go" with Mossberg 500 and 590 scatterguns, and have seen many deliver years of tough service. The plastic safety switch is a problem, replace it with steel! I WOULD try a new mag spring before flushing the gun down the hole!

The real problem for you is one of "loss of confidence" in a defensive gun. I could share with you a list of folks under my care whom experienced failures of their duty shotguns on the range and in the street then pleaded with me to replace the weapon. Other folks who experienced similar failures simply tossed me the pump gun and asked for a fix. It is an issue of the first water for you, as for all, can you regain confidence in this weapon if you sucessfully fix the problem and are able prove its reliability. If you can not take it to the gun show and try a new one.

Good Luck & Be Safe

wyobohunter · February 23, 2009, 07:36 PM

Against my better judgement... I'll chime in.

WyoboFordiswaaaybetterthanChevy.orghunter

I've had some mossbergs, they did what they were supposed to do. The only reason I got rid of my 835 ulti-mag is because it can't shoot slugs. If I'dve known that I'dve bought a 500 (at the time). I now have a little more coin so I went w/th BPS upland. Still, never had mechanical a problem w/a Mossy, not to say they couldn't mess up and make a string of bad guns; even Sako could do that.

bigghoss · February 23, 2009, 07:37 PM

never had a problem with mine, nor have I heard of any problems with the four we have at work.

colostomyclown · February 23, 2009, 07:49 PM

You're right bob. i need to get to the bottom of it. it is a real pain though and really did indeed make me lose confidence getting two bad guns consecutively. As it stands i have two mossberg special purpose shotguns, one the security model w/ heat shield blued, the other the ghost ring sight w/o heat shield model. The ghost ring version has about 50 rounds through it without a problem. i am going to try and make it to 200 rounds through them apiece. When a spring either goes bad, or i am at the 200 round mark. I am going to put the wolff spring in both and give it another 100 or 2 rounds and see how it does. i love the 590's design/safety placement/slide release location so i at least owe it to the gun and myself to give it a true fair shot.

if i bring the guns to my local gunsmith, will he be able to order an aluminum trigger housing and safety direct from Mossberg?

Vince1911 · February 23, 2009, 08:23 PM

I have 2 new Mossberg 500's a Persuader and a Mariner with three months of heavy use no problems from either. I have a ooold Mossberg I got when I was a kid aside from being a heavy sonofabitch it to has been a 100% reliable gun.

I dont care what you buy, top of the line or bottom of the budget sometimes you get a lemon from the higher end guns and sometimes you get a completely reliable gun at a deal and its been my experience with Mossbergs that they are very reliable. the new safety is the only thing I read complaints about.

Im still laughing at Nates Molex comment

Death from Afar · February 23, 2009, 09:26 PM

I thought people were only allowed to have inexpensive guns.

4thPointofContact · February 23, 2009, 09:43 PM

Change the spring.

I changed the spring on my Mossberg SPX two weeks after buying it and there wasn't a thing wrong with it, technically. Why did I change? Because I found out that for a few bucks I could increase my magazine capacity by +1 by exchanging a SPX spring for a 500 spring when shooting Federal LE132-00 buck. Didn't really cost anything except a few dollars to do it.

My safety hasn't done anything it shouldn't, yet. I'm undecided about changing it out for a metallic one. I might, but it's not exactly a high priority. Finding a purple ink pen is higher right now.

troy_mclure · February 23, 2009, 10:37 PM

i own a few 500's and 1 870. i just like the safety better on the mossys. i have however broken 2 shottys on deployment. knocked the safety off a 500, and bent the mag tube on a 870

Lee Lapin · February 24, 2009, 08:55 AM

cc,

Just install a Wolff magazine spring and run the gun until you are confident it will work for you. IMHO 100 rounds isn't enough to prove a gun reliable, but that's just me 8^).

You wouldn't trade cars if you had a flat tire, would you?

lpl (still an 870 fan, but there's sure nothing wrong with a 590)

Huey Long · February 24, 2009, 09:25 AM

Even good manufacturers will let out lemons every now and them. The real test of a company is how they treat you when they do. Mossberg is a reputable company, and I'm sure if you contact them and tell them about this, they'll make it right.

hogdogs · February 24, 2009, 10:05 AM

I have great dealings with them for CS. They sent me a long (reg stock) bolt at no cost and thru in a couple window decals I asked about. No shipping, postage or costs...
Brent

mnw42 · February 24, 2009, 01:42 PM

I know more than a few people with Mosbergs who are very happy with them - I've never owned one so I won't bash Mossberg. I will say they feel cheap compared to other brands, but they seem to get the job done.

I do own an 870TB Wingmaster with 250k through it and I just picked up a 1918 vintage Winchester Model 1912 - I know what I like and what I trust. For the money I think the 870 is a better shotgun all around and the M12 is the best pump ever made; if you buy a Mossberg I won't bash your decision.

onthejon55 · February 24, 2009, 01:57 PM

Its not a Remington but my Mossberg has done jsut fine

Lineage2 · February 24, 2009, 05:21 PM

"If puppy cops and soldiers can't break something- then it can't be broke."

Just for S&G's, I asked a friend of mine about the ones they used in the military , and he said they do kill the springs fast but thats about it, the 590A1s. Thats really all I need to hear. How much does a spring cost? 5 maybe 10?
lol.

February 22, 2009, 10:25 PM	#29
Scattergun Bob Senior Member Join Date: February 29, 2008 Location: Nine Mile Falls, Washington Posts: 1,186	Ken 6 Remington 870s and 1 Mossberg 500. I really don't have an agenda it is a Chevy / Ford debate always has been. Just trying to be fair. The problem with the plastic retainer is the same with the plastic safety button. The teeth do as badly when over tightened as the safety lever does when slammed forward too hard "they crack". Best to Ya, Good Luck and Be Safe __________________ First, with the most, WINS! Regards, Scattergun Bob

February 22, 2009, 11:40 PM	#30
colostomyclown Senior Member Join Date: February 22, 2009 Posts: 613	i really wanted to keep my 590s, i really did. But when i got the 2nd bad one, and with my friends 500 breaking, really how can i? i love the mossberg's setup - slide release, safety location, etc. but i've just seen far too many questionable things related to it. ive also owned the 7 shot express and its done better than my 590s (a parkerized ghost ring special purpose thats done well for about 35 shots but which im now afraid to keep and the broken security model in question) but it seems like its prone to going bad too. in hopes of going somewhere constructive with this thread maybe someone can recommend an alternative or what they think of my 870 Wingmaster w/ remington 7 shot extension or choate 7 shot and 18.5 inch barrel either shortened or a full new barrel. has anyone had any experiences with feeding issues with the mag extensions on a wingmaster or older 870 magnum? also how hard are a metal trigger guard and a mag extension to order direct from remington to my local gunsmith? i want my shotguns to be reliable, smoothe and durable as hell shooting light lead and steel shot for practice and 2 3/4" 00 buck and the occasional slug and nothing else. i'll sacrifice 2 shots in the mag and a good safety location and slide release for that any day of the week. Last edited by colostomyclown; February 23, 2009 at 12:00 AM.

February 22, 2009, 11:49 PM	#31
Tatsumi67 Senior Member Join Date: December 30, 2007 Posts: 575	Not that I don't value your opinion, but I still want a 500 persuader __________________ "Do what you can, what you want, what you must,feel the hunger inside, just don't lose your trust" - KMFDM, Trust. NRA Member,Minnesota State Safety Certified, Eagle Scout Currently schemeing on an AR-15 build.

February 23, 2009, 12:47 AM	#32
Scattergun Bob Senior Member Join Date: February 29, 2008 Location: Nine Mile Falls, Washington Posts: 1,186	colostomyclown To answer your latest question, I believe that all Remington triggerplates "including Police models" are plastic these days. I guess if you just had to you could find one at some parts house. The plastic ones have stood the test of time and seem to be very durable. One of my 870's has one and I see no apparent difference. Mag extensions, my preference is to the Scattergun Tec/Wilson one, only because I was part of the R&D for it. The Remington extension is good, I sometimes question their mag nut. As long as the interior of your magazine is baby butt smooth and free of rust and debris any 870 wingmaster "with the exception of the special field model" should sport and function a mag extension just fine. You should be able to order the mag extension direct, or Brownells will provide you with one. 870's are great scatterguns and I had the fortune of shepherding several hundred thru their service lives. If you are planing to purchase a used 870 wingmaster please check that the ejector rivets are still tight, it's about the only problem that needs factory/armorer attention. Good Luck & Be Safe __________________ First, with the most, WINS! Regards, Scattergun Bob

February 23, 2009, 01:16 AM	#33
colostomyclown Senior Member Join Date: February 22, 2009 Posts: 613	thanks for your input i appreciate it. you know far more than i do. my main object here is to have a few shotguns for self defense that will stand up to severe punishment and any kind of inclement weather if needed and cycle powerfully and smoothe while giving me some decent buckshot patterns and do these things for under 800 dollars provided i care for them properly. theres a lot of strong and weak points to the mossbergs and remingtons but in light of current events i am being drawn towards the 870, even though i don't care for the slide release location and the safety position (what originally led me to go in the mossberg direction in the first place). i am being picky but i have the right to be - i dont want shotguns to dress up and take pictures of on the internet. i want them to save my life and the lives of my family if called upon in ANY circumstance. Last edited by colostomyclown; February 23, 2009 at 01:21 AM.

February 22, 2009, 10:08 PM	#27
CAP1 Senior Member Join Date: June 14, 2002 Posts: 205	My Mossy 500 had been 100% reliable to date.

February 23, 2009, 01:46 AM	#34
Sarge Senior Member Join Date: May 12, 2002 Location: MO Posts: 5,457	Interesting thread. I've seen a chit-ton of both run pretty hard over the past 30 years (often by people who were just learning to run one) & I ain't seen Mossbergs break, other than the safety buttons. They rattle and clatter but they seem to work. I bought a half-dozen 590A1's for a small Dept. in '91 and last I heard, they were still giving flawless service. I'm not real hot on plastic trigger plates/housings and won't have them on my personal shotguns. Remington and Mossberg both agree at least in spirit, because their military & LE guns don't use them either. Still, if the plastic ones were breaking, we'd likely be hearing about them and I ain't heard of any yet. Clown, either you boys are hard on equipment or Mossberg let some sorry springs and followers get out. I'm inclined to suspect the latter. If puppy cops and soldiers can't break something- then it can't be broke. __________________ People were smarter before the Internet, or imbeciles were harder to notice.

February 23, 2009, 01:17 PM	#35
colostomyclown Senior Member Join Date: February 22, 2009 Posts: 613	Does anyone think I should keep my 590s but switch out the springs for the Wolff variety? i was a little hastry in judging them. The fact remains I shouldn't HAVE to change any components on a gun out of the box for it work adequately in a reliable manner. But i like the gun other than this issue and i suspect the jamming ios very much due to the mag spring deficiency...?

February 23, 2009, 01:32 PM	#36
Super-Dave Senior Member Join Date: February 1, 2008 Location: Florida Posts: 795	change the damm spring. While your at it buy 2 so when the first spring wares out you got a second. Spring should fix the problems. Then you will be happy. If not I have a remington 870 with rifles sites (brand new never fired) I could trade you for. __________________ If you want a vision of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face - forever. George Orwell

February 23, 2009, 07:36 PM	#38
wyobohunter Senior Member Join Date: August 21, 2008 Location: Back in Wyoming Posts: 1,125	Against my better judgement... I'll chime in. WyoboFordiswaaaybetterthanChevy.orghunter I've had some mossbergs, they did what they were supposed to do. The only reason I got rid of my 835 ulti-mag is because it can't shoot slugs. If I'dve known that I'dve bought a 500 (at the time). I now have a little more coin so I went w/th BPS upland. Still, never had mechanical a problem w/a Mossy, not to say they couldn't mess up and make a string of bad guns; even Sako could do that.

February 23, 2009, 07:37 PM	#39
bigghoss Senior Member Join Date: September 15, 2006 Location: Pueblo, Colorado Posts: 2,664	never had a problem with mine, nor have I heard of any problems with the four we have at work. __________________ I don't collect guns, I accumulate them.

February 23, 2009, 07:49 PM	#40
colostomyclown Senior Member Join Date: February 22, 2009 Posts: 613	You're right bob. i need to get to the bottom of it. it is a real pain though and really did indeed make me lose confidence getting two bad guns consecutively. As it stands i have two mossberg special purpose shotguns, one the security model w/ heat shield blued, the other the ghost ring sight w/o heat shield model. The ghost ring version has about 50 rounds through it without a problem. i am going to try and make it to 200 rounds through them apiece. When a spring either goes bad, or i am at the 200 round mark. I am going to put the wolff spring in both and give it another 100 or 2 rounds and see how it does. i love the 590's design/safety placement/slide release location so i at least owe it to the gun and myself to give it a true fair shot. if i bring the guns to my local gunsmith, will he be able to order an aluminum trigger housing and safety direct from Mossberg?

February 23, 2009, 08:23 PM	#41
Vince1911 Member Join Date: November 8, 2008 Location: Alabama Posts: 44	I have 2 new Mossberg 500's a Persuader and a Mariner with three months of heavy use no problems from either. I have a ooold Mossberg I got when I was a kid aside from being a heavy sonofabitch it to has been a 100% reliable gun. I dont care what you buy, top of the line or bottom of the budget sometimes you get a lemon from the higher end guns and sometimes you get a completely reliable gun at a deal and its been my experience with Mossbergs that they are very reliable. the new safety is the only thing I read complaints about. Im still laughing at Nates Molex comment

February 23, 2009, 09:26 PM	#42
Death from Afar Senior Member Join Date: November 7, 2004 Location: Living the dream in Christchurch, NEW ZEALAND Posts: 1,635	I thought people were only allowed to have inexpensive guns. __________________ "Beware of the Man with one gun...he probably isnt into guns enough to be safe with it".

February 23, 2009, 09:43 PM	#43
4thPointofContact Junior member Join Date: September 22, 2007 Posts: 197	Change the spring. I changed the spring on my Mossberg SPX two weeks after buying it and there wasn't a thing wrong with it, technically. Why did I change? Because I found out that for a few bucks I could increase my magazine capacity by +1 by exchanging a SPX spring for a 500 spring when shooting Federal LE132-00 buck. Didn't really cost anything except a few dollars to do it. My safety hasn't done anything it shouldn't, yet. I'm undecided about changing it out for a metallic one. I might, but it's not exactly a high priority. Finding a purple ink pen is higher right now.

February 23, 2009, 10:37 PM	#44
troy_mclure Senior Member Join Date: November 17, 2008 Location: gulf of mexico Posts: 2,716	i own a few 500's and 1 870. i just like the safety better on the mossys. i have however broken 2 shottys on deployment. knocked the safety off a 500, and bent the mag tube on a 870 __________________ There is only one tactical principle which is not subject to change. It is to use the means at hand to inflict the maximum amount of wound, death, and destruction on the enemy in the minimum amount of time."

February 24, 2009, 08:55 AM	#45
Lee Lapin Senior Member Join Date: September 7, 2004 Location: SE NC Posts: 1,239	cc, Just install a Wolff magazine spring and run the gun until you are confident it will work for you. IMHO 100 rounds isn't enough to prove a gun reliable, but that's just me 8^). You wouldn't trade cars if you had a flat tire, would you? lpl (still an 870 fan, but there's sure nothing wrong with a 590)

February 24, 2009, 09:25 AM	#46
Huey Long Senior Member Join Date: December 22, 2008 Posts: 239	Even good manufacturers will let out lemons every now and them. The real test of a company is how they treat you when they do. Mossberg is a reputable company, and I'm sure if you contact them and tell them about this, they'll make it right. Last edited by Huey Long; February 24, 2009 at 02:00 PM.

February 24, 2009, 10:05 AM	#47
hogdogs Staff In Memoriam Join Date: October 31, 2007 Location: Western Florida panhandle Posts: 11,069	I have great dealings with them for CS. They sent me a long (reg stock) bolt at no cost and thru in a couple window decals I asked about. No shipping, postage or costs... Brent

February 24, 2009, 01:42 PM	#48
mnw42 Senior Member Join Date: March 3, 2008 Location: Bucks Co., PA Posts: 210	I know more than a few people with Mosbergs who are very happy with them - I've never owned one so I won't bash Mossberg. I will say they feel cheap compared to other brands, but they seem to get the job done. I do own an 870TB Wingmaster with 250k through it and I just picked up a 1918 vintage Winchester Model 1912 - I know what I like and what I trust. For the money I think the 870 is a better shotgun all around and the M12 is the best pump ever made; if you buy a Mossberg I won't bash your decision.

February 24, 2009, 01:57 PM	#49
onthejon55 Junior member Join Date: October 23, 2008 Location: Evansville, IN Posts: 411	Its not a Remington but my Mossberg has done jsut fine

February 24, 2009, 05:21 PM	#50
Lineage2 Junior Member Join Date: February 20, 2009 Posts: 9	"If puppy cops and soldiers can't break something- then it can't be broke." Just for S&G's, I asked a friend of mine about the ones they used in the military , and he said they do kill the springs fast but thats about it, the 590A1s. Thats really all I need to hear. How much does a spring cost? 5 maybe 10? lol.