Mossberg shortage?

[brian1269]

I am looking to buy my first shotgun, mainly for home defense, and I'm trying to find a Mossberg 500 8 shot and can't seem to find any in stock. Anyone know if there is a national shortage and if there will be more in stock soon?

Also, anyone have any opinions on the 500 Persuader as a first shotgun? Thanks.

[Katrina Guy]

for Academy sporting goods near me to get replinished with Mossbergs, and then the only received three of them. I had been calling every day for a month.
I purchased the Persuader model, you'll find in here some love it others considered it a rickity piece of doo doo. I surmise many of the firearms manufacturers cannot keep up with demand presently, the same maybe true regarding ammunition but I'm not sure, both are being gobbled off of store shelves like cabbage patch dolls some time back.

[MYSTERT85]

the 500 is a great first shotgun...and they are hard to come by...when my local dealer got 2 in i went ahead and picked one up

[LucifersPants]

Good luck...I was looking for a 500 for about 6 weeks. The only ones I could find all had field barrels of various lengths and REALLY cheap looking fake wood (looked fake anyway) stocks and forends. Nobody around here has any of the HD models. I finally gave up and got a 590SP I managed to find. I love this thing, it's a tank...if you run out of ammo, use it as a club :D

[zippy13]

Greetings, brian1296, and welcome aboard

Are you aware, the 8-shot Persuader uses a non-standard barrel/magazine combination? With the 5-shot version you can switch to any standard Mossberg barrel and use your gun for hunting and targets. Check the archives, you'll find several threads where owners of the 8-shot versions are disappointed to learn of their gun's inflexibility.

You asked, "Anyone know if there is a national shortage and if there will be more in stock soon?"
The simple answer is YES! It started well before the election with the uncertainty of future gun control laws. As election day approached, sales increased. In some areas, because of threats of civil disorder if Obama wasn't elected. Firearms were jumping off the shelves.

For many first time firearms buyers, the shotgun is their first choice. Thanks to John Wayne (and others)*, America has been lead to believe if you can't shoot a six-gun then get a shotgun. For an entry level shotgun, many selected the Mossberg 500, and they were soon "out of stock."
*El Dorado (1966): James Caan plays Alan Bourdillion Thaherne ("Mississippi") a quintessential knife fighter who's given a "tactical" shotgun before the big shoot-em-up.
Be patient, this shortage will pass.

[cxg231]

Brain, I do not know where you are located, but Big 5 Sporting Goods has the 8-shot Mossberg 500 in stock, and ON SALE for $250 right now...

[Rugerdoug]

Bi Mart in Oregon has some 500's. Depends on where you look. I have the Mariner for HD.

[Katrina Guy]

This too shall pass. He (Obama) won't likely be addressing gun issues right off the bat, and hopefully as stocks catch up on gun store shelves, prices will go down somewhat, then gobble up as much as you can. That's what I'm waiting on, this feeding frenzy has to end sometime. AND this is really all we can do now since we didn't buy before the frenzy. Of course none of us in here were defenseless, sure we all had firearms prior to this. Be patient, hard as it is.

[Ranger Al]

Try Remington 870s, they seem to be everywhere! They are one of the better gun next to Mossberg or Winchester (went belly up).

[hogdogs]

BLASPHEMY!!!! ARG!!!! Thou shalt put no gun aside the MOSSBERG... All hail the BEST ever ... the 500 Mossberg...:D
Brent

[ksmash01]

I work for big 5 and I can tell you as an employee, it is hard for ME to get any american made shotgun. I was lucky enough to get my hands on the mossberg you are looking for(8 shot), but I may trade it for a 7 shot 870.

I do know that once I make my choice, the other will be gone in a flash.
I'll prolly end up selling it myself.

[brian1269]

Thanks for the responses. I think Katrina Guy is right, I'll just have to wait it out. All the alarmists went out and bought everything because I guess they think the democrats are going to try and stop gun sales. That worked out so well for them the last time they passed laws banning certain firearms. I doubt they will try that again.

I went out today and Dick's had one Mossberg Persuader 8-shot that looked like it had been on the shelf for years and was $309. No one else had much of anything in HD shotguns. I guess that will give me more time to make a decision on what to get. It's a tough choice between the 870 7-shot and the 500 8-shot.

For now, anyone breaking in my house will just have to deal with my 1911.

[hogdogs]

Brian, Not to change your idea but I am a fan of versatility and utility... I would love to own an 8 round shotgun but with the limit in barrels I just can't justify it. But heck... what is 2 more rounds? 5+1 or 7+1. So you put an elastic ammo cuff on your 5+1. I am not much of a gambling man but am willing to bet I will find time to stuff a few rounds in the mag during a HD situation...
Brent

[Chuckusaret]

I was lucky and found a wide selection at a gun show this past Nov. I picked up a Mossberg 500 12ga Cruiser with a 20" barrel (7+1) NIB for $265 and Remington 870 Tactical 12 gauge OD Green for $345. The show is scheduled again for the 20-21 of Dec here in West Palm Beach, Fl.

[Chuckusaret]

Both are great guns for the uses that they were designed for and both do that job well. 5, 6, or 8 rounds is not a concern to me, for home defense it should only take one round and a second for what if. if anymore is needed you are in deep do do. I use the pistol grip Mossberg for HD and the 870 for the range. I have found that the pistol grip Mossberg is tough on the wrist no matter what stance/position I use.

[ReadyOnTheRight]

You may want to look around for a used Mossberg right now. You can probably get a plain-jane hunting model much cheaper than an "uber-tactical" model during this current rush to buy a gun. It will be just as effective.

If it does not have the barrel or magazine you want, accessories can be bought via the internet and they are fairly easy to change.

[brian1269]

Hogdogs: Yeah that doesn't make much sense that Mossberg would limit the barrels on the 8-round. I didn't know that was the case until zippy13 pointed it out, but it doesn't really bother me as much as it might others. If I were going to use the gun for hunting, I would probably get a different one alltogether.

I'm still not sure whether to go with the 500, the 870 or something else for HD. I have shot an 870 Express, it was nice. I have not shot a 500, but after handling one it seemed a little less solid than the 870, but there are other things about it I liked a little better.

[Katrina Guy]

$309. is sounding high, may depend on which state etc etc.
To set the record straight, Katrina Guy isn't suggesting that no gun ban will occur, rather that it probably won't occur right away, I'm saying when this arms fear peters out a tad and stores are able to restock, then get what you need/what you can. I'm sure something in the realm of gun control will be on the new administration's menu, just maybe not immediately. That said, we all know the knee jerk reaction Congress has, have another coo coo head shoot up a school campus or something and this topic could push it's way to the forefront.

[ksmash01]

but I may shell out another 90 dollars and get the 870-7 shot tomorrow....choices choices.....

[bottom rung]

I don't know what is going on, but I went to three stores today and couldn't find any Mossberg field models. One store had a couple Persuaders, and not much else. One store owner claimed that people had been buying all the HD guns so Mossberg has been focusing production on those orders. He also stated that they relocated from CT to Texas. He also stated that Mossberg had not sent him a shotgun in three months. Maybe that was an exageration because he was a little angry with them. Too bad, I always liked knowing Mossbergs were made only an hour away from me. At first when this thread was started I thought it was hooey, but now that I have been out and about a bit, I beleive there is a shortage. I am kind of annoyed myself. I was hoping to at the very least make an order and pick it up with in a week.

[Hellbent11]

I had to drive 2 1/2 hours to the nearest place to find a HD shotgun after the election! That's pretty bad because I live by two big cities (one of about 1 million). I ended up with the 870 Home Defense because of price and availability. Life in Obama's America :(

[INMY01TA]

I got my maverick 88 mossberg about two weeks ago and they had prolly a dozen different 500s and 88s.

[markchadwick]

I thought walmart carried mossberg 500s... i was planning on stopping by one this weekend for a look-see.

[Katrina Guy]

if a Mossberg is a good First shotgun. What does that mean, I don't think Mossbergs are some sort of starter gun to see if you like shotguns then get something better. Want a better shotgun then go get one from the get go.
Mossbergs are what they are, inexpensive as shotguns go and they have a following that may or may not have that much to do with cost, after people have had them. Some praise them, some hate them...Nikon and Canon debate of old. One has a more favorable design (most agree on that I'm sure) the other has a tighter fit and a steel receiver. A mossberg 500 is not a 590 nor is a Remington Express a Wingmaster. But to my knowledge a Browning is still a Browning.

[dogngun]

Just bought a used 500 3" 12 ga. with the ribbed accuchoke barrel for !$150.

seems to be from the mid 1980's - just broken in, in great shape.

I'd get something with a real stock for a first shotgun.
Iit's hard to go wrong with a Mossberg.

mark

[brian1269]

Katrina Guy:

I wasn't trying to imply anything about the Mossberg. It means what I said. It will be my first shotgun, I have never owned a shotgun before. That's all.

I think I have decided on the 870 XCS Marine Magnum though. Now I just have to find one.

[Mac12782]

I picked up a Persuader a few months ago from Dick's Sporting Goods for $299. I still see them all the time at Dicks and Bass Pro here in Ohio. Not so much luck on 870s tho.

[nemoaz]

FWIW it's not strictly true that you can't put field barrels on an 8 shot (7 in the tube) Mossberg 500. However to do it you must also change the magazine tube to a 6 shot (5 in the tube) version along with putting on the sporting style barrel (or vice versa).

As much as a I prefer the Mossy, the magazine (and option of easy magazine extensions on the 870 but not on the 500) is the one area (IMO) that Remington has a clear advantage.

[Mac12782]

However to do it you must also change the magazine tube to a 6 shot (5 in the tube) version along with putting on the sporting style barrel (or vice versa).

True. AFAIK, 500 parts are 500 parts... It will all interchange with each other, tho you might have to switch around another part or two to make it work.

[Katrina Guy]

Legions of Remington fans out there can attest to that! I have one of those seven shot short barrel models.

Mac, I had to wait six weeks, me calling Academy Sporting goods daily, when they finally received their shipment, that shipment consisted of three Persuaders!, I bought the first, a couple came to buy the second and third one.
Seems like a Mossberg shortage to me.
BTW, I paid $279. for mine, this about six weeks ago and they had just gone up ten dollars at that time, since then I noticed Academy no longer has any Home Defense shotguns on their website, humm...