Who will confess to owning a bolt shotgun?

essexcounty · June 6, 2005, 11:47 AM

I've had a good number pass through my hands over the years and currently own a mossberg 20 gauge and another in .410. Bought both in excellent condition for next to nothing. I view them as truck guns and admire their reliability and usefulness. What do you have and what are your opinions? Essex

Guy B. Meredith · June 6, 2005, 12:34 PM

When I was 19 and had little income I decided that the Mossberg 195K with C-Lect (?) choke at $49 from Sears and Roebuck was the ideal all around gun for someone of my meagre means. I put a 1X Weaver scope on it (questionable move) and have it still 40 years later.

For the most part I used it for target practice with slugs and developed the mother of all flinches. Training might have helped. I was out of shooting for years and have done only handgun shooting since getting back into the sport so it and my Remington 514 rarely leave the closet except for maintenance check every three or four years.

Last weekend I finally got to shoot the first long gun purchase in 40 years, a Mossberg 500 Persuader. The flinch is alive and well. Ouch!

bergie · June 6, 2005, 10:37 PM

Don't own one, but a bolt action 20 was the first shotgun I got to carry in the field. It belonged to an older cousin who was in the Air Force, stationed somewhere in SE Asia about 1971.

bergie

Romulus · June 6, 2005, 10:54 PM

I'm actually looking to start a bolt-action shotgun collection...just wondering, is it a mark of shame to own these?

Eghad · June 6, 2005, 11:02 PM

I have two that need some work..that my pa in law had....I have em now...

joab · June 6, 2005, 11:09 PM

My grandfather had several bolt action goose guns
Had what looked like 6ft barrels. I was supposed to get a couple when he died but I was away in the army and his collection was picked clean before I got home

beenthere · June 7, 2005, 01:37 AM

I've got one inherited from my wifes uncle. After reading a warning about J.C. Higging bolts I checked the website and found there is a recall where you send in the bolt, they send you a check and you then have the rest of a shotgun you can't use.

Guy B. Meredith · June 7, 2005, 08:23 AM

Romulus,

No shame in bolt action shotguns. They fill a unique niche. Of course the o/u elitists at the skeet/trap range who would sneer at my pump action might have something different to say.

In my case I haven't had a whole lot of use for long guns in general. I picked up the pump shotgun for the specific purpose of being an evidence locker queen in the event I need to dischcarge a weapon in my home for protection. Better that than my 686+ with its sentimental value.

essexcounty · June 7, 2005, 12:29 PM

Guy, it sounds like we think along the same lines. A bolt shotgun represents VALUE....other things that pop to mind are....a flat bottom skiff and Zebco tackle...an 8.00 compass...a single-shot.22 and all sorts of cheap stuff..........Essex

willsjeep · June 7, 2005, 01:00 PM

I have a Mossberg 183T in .410. I like it for around the house. It has been seeing a good workout around here during the spring. Works great to keep pesky grape, mulberry, and pecan thieves down to an acceptable level.
Will

RonnieB · June 7, 2005, 01:46 PM

I was handed down a Stevens .410. It has dispatched many thousands of animals (or so the stories go).

gfen · June 7, 2005, 10:12 PM

I didn't know that bolt shotguns were considered lowly, I kinda thought the one I just inherited was pretty clever, actually.

Not that its all that thrilling of a firearm, its an old Higgins 583.1101. Belonged to my wife's grandfather. I guess I should find out if its in the recall list to determine if I'm ever going to try it out at the trap range, even if its unsafe, it's something that'll live in the cabinet as something to smile at...

38splfan · June 7, 2005, 10:18 PM

I will proudly admit to owning a Mossberg bolt-action .410. It was my first "real gun" after the Norinco ATD (Browning copy).22 rifle. It has dispatched more than it's share of small game and even the wood duck in the thick cover on granpa's pond.

arcticap · June 8, 2005, 02:17 AM

I'll confess that I once bought a Mossberg .410 by mail order and sent it back after I discovered that it wouldn't cycle ammo. I wondered whether they were all that dysfunctional, but this thread shows otherwise. Some of the slug models had appeal as well as the Savage Turkey, but alas, I haven't yet again taken the plunge.

foghornl · June 8, 2005, 10:46 AM

Brother has an old 20-ga bolt gun...Mossberg, IIRC. I don't have one.

Guy B. Meredith · June 8, 2005, 11:16 AM

Seems like most of the bolt action owners have 20 GA or .410. The Mossberg 195K that I mentioned earlier is a 12 GA.

Edward429451 · June 8, 2005, 11:36 AM

I have a buddy who owns an old Mossberg bolt. He has to hold up on the mag to get it to cycle. We both figured it is just on old pos, but from what you guys are saying, it might not be.

Does his problem sound mag related or gun related?

Guy B. Meredith · June 8, 2005, 11:44 AM

The magazine is a stamped steel thing with a 'seam' along the side that locks into the well. Mine began bending open with normal use and I had a weld put on the seam. Still a bit awkward, but it works.

Edward429451 · June 8, 2005, 11:55 AM

Thanks Guy, it's been awhile since I seen it. He don't bring it anymore because of the problem and he has others. I'll have him dig it out and we'll check into it further.

jerryd · June 8, 2005, 03:47 PM

Savage and Tar heel i think make the most accurate bolt action shotguns.

Skeetin'870 · June 8, 2005, 08:51 PM

I dont have one but i would like to have one just to show the stuck up people at the skeet field that you dont need some fancy pump gun or

a o/u or god forbid a semi-auto. I also plan to take my old sbs for some fun

RoyG · June 9, 2005, 07:23 AM

My dad had the Mossberg in .410. It disappeared from my mom's house after he passed away though. I found it at my grandmothers a couple of years ago in some of my uncle's stuff. Asked if I could have it. Was told by him it was not the same gun. That my dad's gun was all beat up and was "lost" during a coon hunt.

I pretty much called him a liar and told him I wanted it back. Short of me stealing it I don't think I will get it back.

I wish I could get that gun back.

Lawyer Daggit · June 9, 2005, 06:48 PM

After WW2 Australia was flooded with Lee Enfield rifles and sporting shotguns were comparatively expensive.

A lot of farmers acquired Enfield .410 shotguns as a snake or similar gun to hang on hooks over the back door.

Many of these would still be operational.

CajunBass · June 9, 2005, 07:41 PM

I've never owned one, but back in the pre-68 days of my youth, I spent many an hour drooling over them in the Sears-Roebuck catalog. They were cheap. I didn't have a chance of ever owning one of those fancy "Ted Williams" automatic's or even a pump, but a kid picking tomatoes for $5.00 a day could dream about a bolt action 12 ga with a C-lect choke.

Never did get one. Ended up with a Sears double, 12 ga., 2 3/4" chamber, 30" barrels, mod/full, with a "hardwood stock". Man! I was in high cotton.

magnum2005 · June 14, 2005, 03:31 PM

Mossberg and sons 20 ga. with an external choke. Nice gun been in the family for years. However it wasn't until a trip to a gun-parts auction that i was able to get two full sets of choke tubes for it. And for only $16.75 Man I love gun auctions.

June 6, 2005, 11:47 AM	#1
essexcounty Senior Member Join Date: May 15, 2005 Posts: 646	Who will confess to owning a bolt shotgun? I've had a good number pass through my hands over the years and currently own a mossberg 20 gauge and another in .410. Bought both in excellent condition for next to nothing. I view them as truck guns and admire their reliability and usefulness. What do you have and what are your opinions? Essex

June 6, 2005, 12:34 PM	#2
Guy B. Meredith Senior Member Join Date: August 29, 1999 Location: Salem, Oregon Posts: 1,581	When I was 19 and had little income I decided that the Mossberg 195K with C-Lect (?) choke at $49 from Sears and Roebuck was the ideal all around gun for someone of my meagre means. I put a 1X Weaver scope on it (questionable move) and have it still 40 years later. For the most part I used it for target practice with slugs and developed the mother of all flinches. Training might have helped. I was out of shooting for years and have done only handgun shooting since getting back into the sport so it and my Remington 514 rarely leave the closet except for maintenance check every three or four years. Last weekend I finally got to shoot the first long gun purchase in 40 years, a Mossberg 500 Persuader. The flinch is alive and well. Ouch! __________________ Smart Gun + 1 Battery + 3 Wires = Dumb Gun PC = Agenda driven groupthink filter on reality. Apostrophes denote ownership or missing letters NOT plurals!

June 6, 2005, 10:54 PM	#4
Romulus Senior Member Join Date: January 18, 2001 Location: Kettle Moraine country Posts: 897	I'm actually looking to start a bolt-action shotgun collection...just wondering, is it a mark of shame to own these? __________________ I knew Thomas Jefferson, he was a friend of mine...Governor Clinton, you're no Thomas Jefferson Ti faccio vedere come muore un italiano

June 6, 2005, 11:02 PM	#5
Eghad Senior Member Join Date: May 28, 2005 Location: Texas Posts: 6,231	I have two that need some work..that my pa in law had....I have em now... __________________ Have a nice day at the range NRA Life Member

June 6, 2005, 11:09 PM	#6
joab Senior Member Join Date: November 17, 2002 Location: Orl Fla Posts: 3,254	My grandfather had several bolt action goose guns Had what looked like 6ft barrels. I was supposed to get a couple when he died but I was away in the army and his collection was picked clean before I got home __________________ Joab the Bugman Founding member- Lords of Pomposity It's a Yankee Doodle thing

June 6, 2005, 10:37 PM	#3
bergie Senior Member Join Date: April 19, 1999 Posts: 567	Don't own one, but a bolt action 20 was the first shotgun I got to carry in the field. It belonged to an older cousin who was in the Air Force, stationed somewhere in SE Asia about 1971. bergie

June 7, 2005, 01:37 AM	#7
beenthere Senior Member Join Date: November 16, 2004 Location: NE Indiana Posts: 460	Bolt - Shotgun I've got one inherited from my wifes uncle. After reading a warning about J.C. Higging bolts I checked the website and found there is a recall where you send in the bolt, they send you a check and you then have the rest of a shotgun you can't use. __________________ The weak, and those unwilling to make the struggle, soon resign their liberties for the protection of powerful men or paid armies; they begin by being protected, they end by being subjected. Louis L'Amour

June 7, 2005, 08:23 AM	#8
Guy B. Meredith Senior Member Join Date: August 29, 1999 Location: Salem, Oregon Posts: 1,581	Romulus, No shame in bolt action shotguns. They fill a unique niche. Of course the o/u elitists at the skeet/trap range who would sneer at my pump action might have something different to say. In my case I haven't had a whole lot of use for long guns in general. I picked up the pump shotgun for the specific purpose of being an evidence locker queen in the event I need to dischcarge a weapon in my home for protection. Better that than my 686+ with its sentimental value. __________________ Smart Gun + 1 Battery + 3 Wires = Dumb Gun PC = Agenda driven groupthink filter on reality. Apostrophes denote ownership or missing letters NOT plurals!

June 7, 2005, 12:29 PM	#9
essexcounty Senior Member Join Date: May 15, 2005 Posts: 646	Guy, it sounds like we think along the same lines. A bolt shotgun represents VALUE....other things that pop to mind are....a flat bottom skiff and Zebco tackle...an 8.00 compass...a single-shot.22 and all sorts of cheap stuff..........Essex

June 7, 2005, 01:00 PM	#10
willsjeep Senior Member Join Date: February 8, 2005 Posts: 180	I have a Mossberg 183T in .410. I like it for around the house. It has been seeing a good workout around here during the spring. Works great to keep pesky grape, mulberry, and pecan thieves down to an acceptable level. Will

June 7, 2005, 01:46 PM	#11
RonnieB Junior Member Join Date: February 27, 2005 Location: Garden City MI Posts: 3	Stevens Model 59A I was handed down a Stevens .410. It has dispatched many thousands of animals (or so the stories go).

June 7, 2005, 10:12 PM	#12
gfen Senior Member Join Date: January 3, 2005 Location: Lehigh Valley, PA Posts: 817	I didn't know that bolt shotguns were considered lowly, I kinda thought the one I just inherited was pretty clever, actually. Not that its all that thrilling of a firearm, its an old Higgins 583.1101. Belonged to my wife's grandfather. I guess I should find out if its in the recall list to determine if I'm ever going to try it out at the trap range, even if its unsafe, it's something that'll live in the cabinet as something to smile at...

June 7, 2005, 10:18 PM	#13
38splfan Senior Member Join Date: November 19, 2004 Location: Ft. Lewis/Tacoma, WA. Posts: 1,034	Mossberg I will proudly admit to owning a Mossberg bolt-action .410. It was my first "real gun" after the Norinco ATD (Browning copy).22 rifle. It has dispatched more than it's share of small game and even the wood duck in the thick cover on granpa's pond. __________________ "I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted, and I won't be laid a hand on. I don't do these things to others and I expect the same from them." - John Wayne

June 8, 2005, 02:17 AM	#14
arcticap Senior Member Join Date: March 15, 2005 Location: Central Connecticut Posts: 3,166	I'll confess that I once bought a Mossberg .410 by mail order and sent it back after I discovered that it wouldn't cycle ammo. I wondered whether they were all that dysfunctional, but this thread shows otherwise. Some of the slug models had appeal as well as the Savage Turkey, but alas, I haven't yet again taken the plunge.

June 8, 2005, 10:46 AM	#15
foghornl Senior Member Join Date: March 18, 2002 Location: Ohio Posts: 1,354	Brother has an old 20-ga bolt gun...Mossberg, IIRC. I don't have one. __________________ Load your weapons and 'Stand Ready'. It will be a bumpy ride.

June 8, 2005, 11:16 AM	#16
Guy B. Meredith Senior Member Join Date: August 29, 1999 Location: Salem, Oregon Posts: 1,581	Seems like most of the bolt action owners have 20 GA or .410. The Mossberg 195K that I mentioned earlier is a 12 GA. __________________ Smart Gun + 1 Battery + 3 Wires = Dumb Gun PC = Agenda driven groupthink filter on reality. Apostrophes denote ownership or missing letters NOT plurals!

June 8, 2005, 11:36 AM	#17
Edward429451 Junior member Join Date: November 12, 2000 Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado Posts: 9,494	I have a buddy who owns an old Mossberg bolt. He has to hold up on the mag to get it to cycle. We both figured it is just on old pos, but from what you guys are saying, it might not be. Does his problem sound mag related or gun related?

June 8, 2005, 11:44 AM	#18
Guy B. Meredith Senior Member Join Date: August 29, 1999 Location: Salem, Oregon Posts: 1,581	The magazine is a stamped steel thing with a 'seam' along the side that locks into the well. Mine began bending open with normal use and I had a weld put on the seam. Still a bit awkward, but it works. __________________ Smart Gun + 1 Battery + 3 Wires = Dumb Gun PC = Agenda driven groupthink filter on reality. Apostrophes denote ownership or missing letters NOT plurals!

June 8, 2005, 11:55 AM	#19
Edward429451 Junior member Join Date: November 12, 2000 Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado Posts: 9,494	Thanks Guy, it's been awhile since I seen it. He don't bring it anymore because of the problem and he has others. I'll have him dig it out and we'll check into it further.

June 8, 2005, 03:47 PM	#20
jerryd Senior Member Join Date: May 21, 2004 Location: Ct. Posts: 131	Savage and Tar heel i think make the most accurate bolt action shotguns.

June 8, 2005, 08:51 PM	#21
Skeetin'870 Senior Member Join Date: April 11, 2005 Location: Tulsa,Ok. Posts: 288	I dont have one but i would like to have one just to show the stuck up people at the skeet field that you dont need some fancy pump gun or a o/u or god forbid a semi-auto. I also plan to take my old sbs for some fun __________________ Mental prep for skeet 1 Look for the Bird 2 Gun speed to target speed 3 Head on the gun 4 Follow Through

June 9, 2005, 07:23 AM	#22
RoyG Member Join Date: January 4, 2005 Posts: 66	My dad had the Mossberg in .410. It disappeared from my mom's house after he passed away though. I found it at my grandmothers a couple of years ago in some of my uncle's stuff. Asked if I could have it. Was told by him it was not the same gun. That my dad's gun was all beat up and was "lost" during a coon hunt. I pretty much called him a liar and told him I wanted it back. Short of me stealing it I don't think I will get it back. I wish I could get that gun back. __________________ NSDQ

June 9, 2005, 06:48 PM	#23
Lawyer Daggit Senior Member Join Date: December 5, 2004 Posts: 1,181	After WW2 Australia was flooded with Lee Enfield rifles and sporting shotguns were comparatively expensive. A lot of farmers acquired Enfield .410 shotguns as a snake or similar gun to hang on hooks over the back door. Many of these would still be operational.

June 9, 2005, 07:41 PM	#24
CajunBass Senior Member Join Date: May 6, 2005 Location: North Chesterfield, Virginia Posts: 4,767	Bolt action shotguns I've never owned one, but back in the pre-68 days of my youth, I spent many an hour drooling over them in the Sears-Roebuck catalog. They were cheap. I didn't have a chance of ever owning one of those fancy "Ted Williams" automatic's or even a pump, but a kid picking tomatoes for $5.00 a day could dream about a bolt action 12 ga with a C-lect choke. Never did get one. Ended up with a Sears double, 12 ga., 2 3/4" chamber, 30" barrels, mod/full, with a "hardwood stock". Man! I was in high cotton. __________________ For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16 (NKJV)

June 14, 2005, 03:31 PM	#25
magnum2005 Junior Member Join Date: May 1, 2005 Location: Central Illinois Posts: 6	I own one. Mossberg and sons 20 ga. with an external choke. Nice gun been in the family for years. However it wasn't until a trip to a gun-parts auction that i was able to get two full sets of choke tubes for it. And for only $16.75 Man I love gun auctions.