Put a 500SPX in layaway,did i do as good as i think i did?

[DasFriek]

Ive been needing a HD SG and my main goal was 12 gauge short barrel, collapsible or folding stock and high capacity.

They had these items on sale,and mainly the 500 only interested me since both 870's would require buying a separate stock.
870 HOME DEFENSE $280 after MIR of $30
870 EXPRESS TACTICAL $370 after MIR of $30
500 TACTICAL PERSUADER $369

Then i saw a 500 SPX used but like new,they were asking $299 and i talked them down a whopping $10 so its $289 lol
http://www.lipseys.com/eImages/MB51523.jpg
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=150993849

Most i see are $500 and up anywhere online especially the SPX model.
http://www.impactguns.com/store/015813515238.html

I love the gun but wouldnt mind an extended ammo tube,they make those for higher capacity on this gun?
Besides what i paid i think i did real well,but how good is the $369 price on the normal Persuader? if thats really low it tells me i did much better since this is a more expensive model.


Do they make tube extensions for higher capacity? and what about adding a laser pointer since its a HD gun? Since this has the upper sights that are wonderful i want to retain those,so i need a side of barrel or under barrel type.
How about a good Mossberg accessories site?

[DasFriek]

Come on guys im a SG noob and only owned one 20 years ago,wich was a MOssy 500 Bullpup wich i can still kick myself for getting rid of.

Ive thought of more questions also.
Walmart a good place for cheap range ammo? i know i see those 100 rounds bricks cheap.
For HD ammo 3" 00Buck my best bet?

[hogdogs]

If you like it... price was fine...

If it is a 500, no you cannot extend the mag as it has a barrel lug with small hole that takes bolt rather than the large "cap" nut on the 870 and 590.

Walmart is usually hard to beat for cheap bricks of ammo. But it is worth offering your local shop a shot at the ammo business...

HD ammo needn't be more than 2 3/4" 3 inch has a few more pellets but can produce more recoil thus increasing your "return to target" time span.

You have field stripped it and cleaned it, correct?
Best vid for me to use and suggest to others...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9qfF3mvWRI
Brent

[hogdogs]

but how good is the $369 price on the normal Persuader?
IMNSHO, TOO HIGH! It is the fact that demand is high for tactininjacool short barrel PGO guns... When I got my 500 20 gauge 18 inch with PGO, I got it as it was cheaper than the long barrel nice wood field gun. I needed the short barrel for wife to use at home and to tote in the dump truck. I immediately bought the choate AR style stock.

This was 20+ years ago... Less metal and black paint on wood fore stock made for a cheaper price but demand as increased to crazy numbers since then...

I, too, miss my 500 bullpup I bought at walmart for $289...
Brent

[DasFriek]

The gun is still in layaway until the 1st when i get paid,ill go threw and clean and lube it then.Its used but only slighly as i see hardly any wear marks anywhere.

My local shop has low priced ammo in bulk also so ill try there first.
The Normal Tactical 500 at $369 seems cheap as most of GB is well over $400 and over $500 for the SPX
But GB can and will take advantage of supp;ly and demand as much as possible.

[hogdogs]

I personally do not use any add on devices...
If you feel the desire, candewman has mounts for lights lasers and other things. There are many others but I remember his name as he is a member here.
http://www.candewman.com/
Brent

[zippy13]

I personally do not use any add on devices...
Amen, Brother Brent

[DasFriek]

98% of the time i would agree,all my handguns are all bone stock except for some upgraded grips on my 1911.
But this gun will be 100% used for HD and alot at the range for practice.If it weren't for practice i would have passed on a stock of any type and just got a pistol grip and use as a POA belly gun.
Being most encounters at home will be in low light conditions i see a laser to have an advantage.
Professional training would be much more effective if you ask me,but thats not possible.

I think some people would look at this gun as a Tactikool mall crowd control device just from its looks.But seriously everything on it makes it a more useful weapon to me.

I did ask about accessories sites,yes.But who here doesn't look to see whats available to buy for thier new toys? It doesn't mean ill be buying them.

A 4-6 round shell holder added to the rear stock may be nice if it doesn't get in the way or add to much weight.And a barrel heat shroud could be useful at the range.

It may seem im arguing against your advice,im not.Im just stating my thinking and will be making decisions as i go and your advice will be fully looked at before i buy and hang ANYTHING off of it.

I think i read i can replace the ammo tube spring with a standard 500 spring and it may allow 1 more round to make 7 in the tube?
Also ive read there is an unneeded spacer of 3/4" in the stock that can be removed to make it more compact,True also?

[hogdogs]

I did ask about accessories sites,yes.But who here doesn't look to see whats available to buy for thier new toys? It doesn't mean ill be buying them.
Don't take what I post as knocking what you ask about...
I do know a bit about various farkle gizmos but have no use for them personally.

Actually I have had standard stocks, AR style and PGO at one time or other. I have found that the mossberg controls are all best suited to a standard style rear stock.

As for HD... A laser may help in total darkness. Short of a new moon, I always have a touch of light and no one knows my home like I do. For me, laser is just one more battery draining device that will fail when I need it most. Me and Murph ain't the best o' buds.

I don't follow the attitude of many as far as HD... If anyone is in my home uninvited, I am in fear of the health of my family. I will make little noise (including threats) and, if needed, do not fear flipping on a light for final target ID.
The downside to a laser is it makes it easy to ID the POA without ID'ing the target positively as foe.
A pressure switch light would serve me better than a laser IMO...
Brent

[hogdogs]

A 4-6 round shell holder added to the rear stock may be nice if it doesn't get in the way or add to much weight.
I don't use them as I got to despising them for hunting... stretched out elastic and lost shells...

Consider that you already have as many as 6 ounces of lead on board in 6 rounds of 00 buck... I figure my 6 rounds is good for 5 targets as the first is likely gonna get 2 before I even realize I have others to deal with... if they are stupid enuff to stick around when the ears start ringing...
And a barrel heat shroud could be useful at the range.
I burned my self one time on a barrel... I was trying to melt a barrel with rapid fire... I didn't burn myself until I set the gun down to cool and didn't open the action nor was there any wind and in over 100* heat, it never cooled much...

In my heavy use practice I learned to flip the gun upside down at the receiver and load... I rarely handle the barrel or mag tube at all... Being in the heat and humidity of Florida has broke me of that rust inducing bad habit...

It may seem im arguing against your advice,im not.Im just stating my thinking and will be making decisions as i go and your advice will be fully looked at before i buy and hang ANYTHING off of it.
And don't think I am knocking your plans... But I am quite frank to share my opinions of things I have already BTDT with in hopes of saving folks cash and storage space of gizmos relegated to a life rotting away in the parts bin...

I still have my original 20+ year old PGO grip:D In the parts bin of course...
Brent

[DasFriek]

Oh i understand people being frank about things here,no sense in beating around the bush.

If you look at the pic in the OP its a plastic 4 shell holder thats screwed to the stock,looks sturdy and is made by ATI for that stock as they make it also.
The gun may have one as i said,i forgot to ask about if it had a box and anything in it as it did originally come with that on it.

My Local outdoor range i dont think the barrel shroud would be all that useful,but the local indoor range is cramped as hell in the stalls.Plus i haven't shot a shotgun in many years so dumb habits very easily could start and happen.
Im not sure but the one made for the Mossy may not work without modification as i think i read somewhere those added sights make the shroud not mountable,but nothing is impossible as we both know.

I too see reasons why a PG can be a not so good thing on a SG,especially with the reaching the slide button.But i dont like full stocks for being so long when im trying to keep it as short as possible.

[DasFriek]

Just how bad of an idea is it to use a SD slug like this?
http://www.doubletapammo.com/php/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=21_80&products_id=341
Again id say this will be used 95% of the time in a house,and i know it will over penetrate.But i also feel any 230gr +p .45 round i use in the house will over penetrate also.

Just thinking.....

[hogdogs]

If I were to resort to slugs, I would use the cheap soft lead Winchester Super X i use for deer just 'cuz I am familiar with them and they are cheap enuff to use for practice any time... The birdshot versus buck versus slug will rage on for infinity and ad nauseaum... For me I will not trust bird shot to do the trick and slugs may still have too much energy if they pass thru a thinner softer part of my target... I figure the best of both of worlds is the 00 buck option...

If this load penetrates torso, it will likely have separated the shot load so that even if they hit a wall, they will have lost a great amount of energy so individual pellets will have really had their energy soaked up by the drywall.

A motto I have coined and will live by is... "Nothing mitigates the risk of over penetration like a warm squishy torso...:D
But slugs carry tremendous energy that needs things like heavy bone and thick muscle tissue to shave off.
Brent

[DasFriek]

00Buck sounds best still then,been a good 20 years since i played with shotguns.Much appreciate the help also!

[Dave McC]

A couple things....

First, nice gun. However, the nicest shotgun in the known universe means little if one cannot operate it like it's a body part.

We, not the hardware, are the crucial weakest link.

Good fighting shotguns are not rare nor expensive. Good shotgunners are.

Spending more on doodads than ammo is living in an illusion.

You cannot bolt expertise onto a gun.

Now, you do say you're going to practice at an indoor range. Good, but....

Are there no Trap,Skeet or Sporting Clay ranges in your neck of the woods?

Nothing builds expertise like a high round count.

And while few of us have to defend ourselves from attack by little frisbees, hitting small, fast targets at distance means hitting slower, larger, closer ones is easier by far. Especially when the targets come in doubles, surprise launches and flurries.

Hit one of those ranges and rock out. Practice has rarely been that much fun.

As for ammo, the bulk packs will work, and your friendly local gun shop may give you a better rate on larger quantities.Trust me, there's no such thing as too much ammo.

And for defense, check the archives. It's hard to make a one size fits all pronouncement on best ammo, but 00 covers lot of bases and has an impressive track record.

Finally, some of us cogniscienti are leery of anything on our life and death stuff that needs batteries.

HTH....

[Carusomv]

Lots of good info has been given so far. The ammo debate will rage for ever since everyone knows what the perfect load is. The moderator is right that 00 has a great record, you may also want to look into some #4 buck since in the event of ovepenetration or a miss in a domicile they carry less energy and will therefore penetrate fewer walls but still will prove to be highly lethal out to 20 yrds.

I would advise the addition of a light over a laser if you feel the need. Identificaton of (and temprary disorientation of ) your target is your first order of business and a laser won't help you do this or truly help you aim at distances commonly found in a home. A Surefire G2L costs about 60 bucks, has an LED illuminator which is recoil proof, and can be mounted to your barrel from $20

Consider the light in your home as well, turning on the light in your room when the suspected intruder is in the hall or another room only serves to backlight yourself and make you easier to hit. Being able to turn on the lights in the other parts of the house remotely is worth considering and not neccessarily expensive. Remote switches for outlet powered lamps can be had for around $20, this allows you to light up and surprise the intruder and prevent you from making a fatal mistake such as shooting a loved one or a friend coming over to surprise you or some other similar situation.

As many others have said, practice until you can't get it wrong, but the operation of the weapon is only one aspect of home / self defense.

[Carusomv]

Regarding the inability to extend the mag tube on your 500, the only way to increase the mag capacity is to get a 'Home and Field Combo' (about $150)for it which comes which I believe gives you a 7 round mag for the short barrel and gives you a hunting barrel as well. If you need a front sight that matches your rear ghost ring sight, MMC manufactures a clamp on banded front sight (about $70) that I have on mine: http://store.ptnightsights.com/index.php?p=product&id=73&parent=0 . This is certainly not a cheap solution and you could almost get another shotgun for the total cost, but is is doable.

[DasFriek]

Thanks for the answers everyone.I picked her up today and im very happy.
The salesman who pulled the layaway who wasn't the original salesman pointed out this gun was never fired,i verified that when i completely disassembled for cleaning and inspection.
Im sure some dope made his wife mad when he brought that gun home and told to return it if he likes sleeping in his bed.They only take back guns as new within 24 hours so im sure he had to resell it as used and take a 50% beating.

I did find a burr on a part of the bolt i cant recognize what it did,but i pulled it and just kinda cleaned it up a tad to let it wear in itself.And a good lube job.

I did add a vented barrel gaurd that i installed backwards at first and then put small scratches in it while making it fit right the second time.Still looks good and its gonna be a user and not a looker anyhow.
I also put on the 5 shell holder on the shoulder stock as that was missing also.I had a $40 under barrel light/laser combo in hand made by BSA when i noticed it said "designed for low caliber .22 rifles and air rifles under 1000fps" and that when i noticed that was the one they had installed on about 5 Remington 870 tactical also.
I handed it back and said i didn't think my budget could afford it,more like my budget couldn't afford paying $40 for something that was gonna break in 2 shots and have to buy something made for a shotgun.
Really i didn't have the extra money,but i did have enough for more shells.

So as you can see your comments dont go wasted.I have about 150 rounds of everything from slugs,00 buck in 2 3/4 and 3" and some 6 shot and 3" BB shot.
I LOVE the Ghost sight and fiber optic front sight from the factory,maybe not so useful in HD but will be more than adequate for the range.

I do have a question tho,my grumpy 65 year old dad doesn't approve of my style of how my guns are loaded and stored.So i didn't sit and discuss it with him like i would love too.NO KIDS will be around my guns,just for reference.
Anyhow with my handguns im a cocked and locked guy,and my DAO guns are chamber loaded also.
I told him im gonna keep it basically cocked and locked also with 3" mag 00Buck. blah blah blah i go upstairs...
Chambered and safety on seems correct to me,am i right?

If i lived alone in the country with no neighbors id have 3" mag rifled slugs in it,but i dont so i wont.

Cleaning? How far does a anal handgun owner who field strips after every time a gun is fired and well lubed should he do the same with a shotgun?
Field stripping isnt all that easy on this thing like a handgun.I think i may do a full barrel pull and clean and lube and just use Tri-flo on the bolt and receiver.
Does gunpowder and dirt get very far back into that area alot?

I still may add a laser/flashlight combo way later if i have to much money and cant find anything to waste it on,but i have a S&W M&P 15-22 i just put in layaway for next month so it wont be anytime soon.