New Squirrel Gitter! Mossberg 173B

deerslayer303 · December 23, 2024, 08:40 AM

The local Hardware store, where I work a couple days a week had a Mossberg 173B on the rack when I walked in last week. I got excited when I first glanced at it. At first I thought it was the internal magazine fed 183. But to no avail , it was the single shot 173B. I still didn't have the heart to leave it on the rack. So I brought it home for 75 bucks. It is a 3" full choke, the bore is mirror bright, and she functions like she should. The outer appearance is terrible, she looks like she has seen a many a trip to the woods, etc. I may use it this year putting squirrels in the pot for dumplings. Then I may refinish it completely. I usually don't do that to old guns, but in this case I don't think I will be hurting it's SUPER collectible value.

Any of you have or had one of these?

bamaranger · December 25, 2024, 04:31 AM

I had to look up what a Moss173B actually was. What I (we) had was the 3 shot 183, also in .410, with a PolyChoke up front. I shot my first (and second) rabbit with that gun......then the forward section of the PolyChoke flew off when my Dad shot it, to never be seen again. Dad took the little shotgun back to the country store where he bought it, worked out a deal for a replacement gun a, detachable box magazine Savage, which broke an extractor
in pretty short order after a season or two.

The diminutive .410 shell took a truckload of bunnies for us. Dad and I both had .410 guns for rabbit hunting. The shell we used was the 3 inch version with #7-1/2 shot. We never fooled with the short 2-1/2" shell and its tiny payload. We never fooled with any other shot size either. Any load with bigger pellets just did not produce a decent pattern to kill well much past VERY short range. The 3 inch shell and #7-1/2 turned the .410 into a decent bunny gun for where we hunted and ahead of beagles. Good times gone by.

Those old bolt shotguns were pretty common, in all gauges. Most of my school age hunting friends had some version of one. That or a single barrel of some variety, also very common. Much envied was anybody with a Savage 311 SXS or a Mossberg 500 pump. Most kids all started with those cheap barn guns and bought better guns for themselves once they got a job.

deerslayer303 · December 25, 2024, 03:29 PM

Thanks Bamaranger for the great story and field experience with the 410. I have only been buying #6, 2.5" shells for my son over the last couple of years. And while he hasn't had a problem knocking bushy tails out of a tree with his break action single shot. It is good to know that the 3" 7.5 shot shells are good to take rabbit with and I'm sure a squirrel is no different. As of right now those are more readily available than the #6 I have been buying.

bamaranger · December 27, 2024, 12:34 PM

The difference between the 2-1/2"-#6 and a 3"-#7-1/2 are like night and day. Payload is boosted and patterns improved, .....I promise.

I dunno why the 2-1/2" shell persists, especially with #4 and #6 shot, which is what I normally see in the big box stores. (all .410 ammo seems scarce and expensive these days

) The tiny shell and larger pellets just do not render a good pattern, even with the larger 3 inch shell. Honestly, go with 3"-#7-1/2, no larger pellets, and you will not be disappointed.

One 2-1/2" load that may have potential is the AA .410 with #8 shot. I have never hunted that load, but ran into a racehorse deal on several hundred rounds a few years back. Bamaboy shot most of those up on slow (VERY SLOW, like in frisbee's) hand thrown clay birds when he was a kid, but they seemed to pattern well, certainly better than any other 2-1/2 shell. The old mantra is pattern fails before penetration, so I would not worry about #8 shot at the distances we shoot .410's.

Dad is gone now and I got out of the beagle business 20 yrs ago. Sold a Rem 870 Express .410 and really wished I had kept it. Still have a .410 though, an old Winchester M37 single barrel. Bought for $50 dollars from a guys front yard...propped against a tree with a hand painted "4-sale" sign.

You gotta love small town free America!

December 23, 2024, 08:40 AM	#1
deerslayer303 Senior Member Join Date: January 10, 2011 Location: Leesville SC Posts: 2,704	New Squirrel Gitter! Mossberg 173B The local Hardware store, where I work a couple days a week had a Mossberg 173B on the rack when I walked in last week. I got excited when I first glanced at it. At first I thought it was the internal magazine fed 183. But to no avail , it was the single shot 173B. I still didn't have the heart to leave it on the rack. So I brought it home for 75 bucks. It is a 3" full choke, the bore is mirror bright, and she functions like she should. The outer appearance is terrible, she looks like she has seen a many a trip to the woods, etc. I may use it this year putting squirrels in the pot for dumplings. Then I may refinish it completely. I usually don't do that to old guns, but in this case I don't think I will be hurting it's SUPER collectible value. Any of you have or had one of these? __________________ "I prefer dangerous freedom over peaceful slavery." - Thomas Jefferson Last edited by deerslayer303; December 23, 2024 at 08:46 AM.

December 25, 2024, 04:31 AM	#2
bamaranger Senior Member Join Date: October 9, 2009 Location: North Alabama Posts: 8,800	memory lane I had to look up what a Moss173B actually was. What I (we) had was the 3 shot 183, also in .410, with a PolyChoke up front. I shot my first (and second) rabbit with that gun......then the forward section of the PolyChoke flew off when my Dad shot it, to never be seen again. Dad took the little shotgun back to the country store where he bought it, worked out a deal for a replacement gun a, detachable box magazine Savage, which broke an extractor in pretty short order after a season or two. The diminutive .410 shell took a truckload of bunnies for us. Dad and I both had .410 guns for rabbit hunting. The shell we used was the 3 inch version with #7-1/2 shot. We never fooled with the short 2-1/2" shell and its tiny payload. We never fooled with any other shot size either. Any load with bigger pellets just did not produce a decent pattern to kill well much past VERY short range. The 3 inch shell and #7-1/2 turned the .410 into a decent bunny gun for where we hunted and ahead of beagles. Good times gone by. Those old bolt shotguns were pretty common, in all gauges. Most of my school age hunting friends had some version of one. That or a single barrel of some variety, also very common. Much envied was anybody with a Savage 311 SXS or a Mossberg 500 pump. Most kids all started with those cheap barn guns and bought better guns for themselves once they got a job.

December 25, 2024, 03:29 PM	#3
deerslayer303 Senior Member Join Date: January 10, 2011 Location: Leesville SC Posts: 2,704	Thanks Bamaranger for the great story and field experience with the 410. I have only been buying #6, 2.5" shells for my son over the last couple of years. And while he hasn't had a problem knocking bushy tails out of a tree with his break action single shot. It is good to know that the 3" 7.5 shot shells are good to take rabbit with and I'm sure a squirrel is no different. As of right now those are more readily available than the #6 I have been buying. __________________ "I prefer dangerous freedom over peaceful slavery." - Thomas Jefferson

December 27, 2024, 12:34 PM	#4
bamaranger Senior Member Join Date: October 9, 2009 Location: North Alabama Posts: 8,800	shells The difference between the 2-1/2"-#6 and a 3"-#7-1/2 are like night and day. Payload is boosted and patterns improved, .....I promise. I dunno why the 2-1/2" shell persists, especially with #4 and #6 shot, which is what I normally see in the big box stores. (all .410 ammo seems scarce and expensive these days ) The tiny shell and larger pellets just do not render a good pattern, even with the larger 3 inch shell. Honestly, go with 3"-#7-1/2, no larger pellets, and you will not be disappointed. One 2-1/2" load that may have potential is the AA .410 with #8 shot. I have never hunted that load, but ran into a racehorse deal on several hundred rounds a few years back. Bamaboy shot most of those up on slow (VERY SLOW, like in frisbee's) hand thrown clay birds when he was a kid, but they seemed to pattern well, certainly better than any other 2-1/2 shell. The old mantra is pattern fails before penetration, so I would not worry about #8 shot at the distances we shoot .410's. Dad is gone now and I got out of the beagle business 20 yrs ago. Sold a Rem 870 Express .410 and really wished I had kept it. Still have a .410 though, an old Winchester M37 single barrel. Bought for $50 dollars from a guys front yard...propped against a tree with a hand painted "4-sale" sign. You gotta love small town free America!