The truth about TOSSBERG shotguns

[Quickdraw Limpsalot]

I like guns.
Mossberg makes guns.

Therefore, I like Mossberg guns.

Now I know that brand bashing is a favorite pasttime on the internet, but it's still silly. Both Mossberg shotguns that I've owned have been completely reliable and held up well to a TON of abuse. I also like Remington shotguns, but they don't fit me as well as Mossbergs, so I don't buy 'em.

[colostomyclown]

i need to apologize a bit. as you can understand, it's a REAL downer to put your hard earned money into a product marketed for extreme self defense and have such issues consecutively with it. so at first i was little overwhelmed. but now im finding some hope in switching out the spring. i didn't mean to engage in any brand bashing. im not an 870 vs mossberg guy, i love both and even prefer the mossbergs exterior design but id be lying if i said id had as many problems with the 870s vs the mossberg. although my last 870 express hd 7 shot liked to catch shells in the bolt as they were ejecting if i rapid fired. but that couldve been just an issue of the gun not being broken in.

[inSight-NEO]

i did the same thing with this new one yesterday, swabbed and oiled the barrel spotless, lightly oiled the working parts and cleaned all surface oil off. took the gun out. loaded to capacity. shot ONE round. went to eject, foreend hung up in bottom position. i worked it loose. shot second round, heard a POP. round ejected and heard the remainder of my shells sliding back and forth in tube. another broken gun. at that point i decided i was done with the Tossberg nonsense.

Sounds like a problem with the mag spring itself (the stock spring is known to be sub-standard...buy a different one). Try replacing it with one of the "generic/universal" 12g. Wolff springs. If going with one of these, you will need to use a wire cutter to shorten the spring length.

Now, from what I hear, dont bother buying the "standard" Mossberg replacement spring offered by Wolff as these are of the same shape (tapered at both ends) as the original Mossberg spring. But, as mentioned before, go with the universal 12g. spring (I believe it is 40" in length and labeled as "XP") and then cut it down as needed.

Remember...ANY weapon can have problems, regardless of the name stamped on it or how much was paid for it. Most things can be fixed; for those things that cant be fixed, well...they usually get sold.

Regardless, and this goes for anyone, enjoy the weapon(s) you have. It seems as if many people, myself included, become so obsessed with finding various faults with weaponry that we fail to actually have fun just owning/shooting them. Ive started looking at various faults and/or problems (with weaponry) as a chance to learn more about them and what goes into fixing these problems. It truly can be an interesting and educational experience. Otherwise, Id go absolutely crazy with worry/frustration and would probably end up selling every weapon I own, just in order to avoid the headache(s) of owning them in the first place.

Anyway, good luck with your "issue" and I hope its only a minor thing. Keep us updated on what you find out.

[amd6547]

My own Mossberg 500 came out of a pile of beat riot guns at a gun show, and cost $75.
The wood was missing most of it's finish, and the barrel was half covered with an old coat of green camo paint.
I have owned it now for 10-15 years, and it has never broken a part, has always functioned perfectly. Pretty accurate with slugs, and shoots a nice pattern with buck. The 18" barrel was originally 26" and had been nicely shortened by the previous owner. It came with a steel safety.
I like my $75 Mossberg just fine.

[ritepath]

I'll stick to my Model 12.

[troy_mclure]

I'll stick to my Model 12.

1m surprised one of these guys havent popped up sooner! lol

ive got my grandpa's mod 12, i keep it in the safe. im too rough on my shot guns, and dont want to bust it up.

[TEDDY]

mossbergs:I have 5 mossberg 22 rifles.couple pre WW2.my fathe bought a mod 43B target.$17.50 with $7.50 worth of lyman sights better than a 52 win for accuracy.I have a 500 its fine got for $100 like new.I have a 870 its all right.
NOW TO THE GIST.instead of complaining get ahold of the factory.they are the only ones that should fix it.if no one says any thing they wont know.
springs should run $ 4.00 as I bought from Numrick several.and I would guess that no matter what make you ask for you will get a universal.likely same as mossberg.
mossberg is an american company
cerbrus?(spelling)owns REMINGTON,who owns MARLIN who owns H&R.and I think cerbrus is an Australian financial company.

[colostomyclown]

update - i contacted mossberg support 3 days ago through email. still no response. i was asking for advice should another one of their rpoducts run into problems. i am going to put the wolff spring in sooner or later (sooner if another spring goes bad :>)


regardless, i am taking my mossberg 590 special purpose security (blued with heat shield) replacement out right now and im going to run about 175 rounds through it. will post about results later

[colostomyclown]

gun performed great but the spring is starting to act up again by the end of the 150 shots or so i took today. will post back when it's been replaced/modified and shot again.

[levrluvr]

I think once you get past this little spring thing, you'll enjoy the gun quite a bit. I can understand your sentiments about it- this kind of thing should be caught by the mfg., but at least it's an easy and inexpensive fix.

[kmrcstintn]

to the OP...sometimes a manufacturer has a bad run with metallurgy or other QC problems; my experience was with Marlin lever rifles & the barrel band and threaded pin that holds it in place; first one was a 1894C in .357 mag...threaded pin broke and foreend slid up and down the barrel and mag tube; second one was a 336 in .30-30...pin fit was loose and barrel band swinging back and forth on the pin; both guns were new and purchased within 7 months of one another; kinda turned me away from Marlin's lever guns

my other experience was with a Remington 870 Express...bad QC; the threaded section on my turkey barrel wasn't centered properly and all my stuff patterned high and right no matter what choke was screwed into it; the field barrel I bought had a rough section of unpolished metal in the chamber that rusted no matter how much I cleaned it; the rusty chamber made me inspect the other barrel very closely and discovered the threading problem...basically wrote of Remington 870's;

I have had other problems with several Taurus revolvers bought at separate times from different shops, problems with 1911's from different manufacturers, a Browning BPS shotgun that wouldn't run properly due to rough finishing inside the receiver, et al...sorry about your Mossberg experience...the ones that I have owned on and off were workhorses

[Chuckusaret]

I have a Mossberg 500 that I bought in 1970 at a Rod and Gun Club in Germany. This shotgun has been used, miss treated, and has at least 3,000 rounds thru it, never cleaned, poured solvent in the receiver a time or two, wiped it down with 3 and 1 oil maybe a dozen times in 39 years. It has never had a failure of any type. It is not pretty but it does what it was designed for- it goes bang every time.

[amd6547]

I bought a used Mossberg heatshield for my $75 beater. The heatshield was missing the plastic spacer that goes in the front. I called Mossbergs 800 number and inquired about buying the spacer, and they sent it to me no charge, even though I told them I bought the heatshield used for my very used model 500.

[longcall911]

A busted spring really isn't all that bad.

You can at least stab the BG with it and maybe poke 'em in the eye! :-)

/*tom*/

[ThreeStepsAhead]

Maybe the swabbing technique that you and your friend share is to blame. Seems to be the only consistency in the two weapons.

[lomaxanderson]

made by mossburg has been flawlsssnce 1989...1000's of rounds thru her...NO PROBLEMS AT ALL...just got a mossburg silver reserve o/u..so we shall see about this one

[dgludwig]

a Browning BPS shotgun that wouldn't run properly due to rough finishing inside the receiver,

What! Here I thought all along that the BPS was bomb-proof!

[johnwilliamson062]

I am a big fan of Mossbergs.
They are made well enough I do not worry about damaging mine, a lot less expensive, much lighter, better ergonomics for me, and I really like their marine coat.

I own an 11-87, it is far more Robust, I probably would not have been able to afford it new, it gets a little heavy in the field, and the bluing rusts like a mofo. Obviously they have a version out with a coating similar to mossbergs marine cote, I just can't afford it.

[colostomyclown]

I am reallly, really, really, reallllly loving my 590's now. So glad i decided not to sell. The spring problems have even abated a bit with my further use and maintenance. I've put around 100 rounds through the 590 that had the original spring issue both Sunday and today with ZERO issues. I'm going to wait until absolutely necessary to put in the Wolff's that I ordered. However as I've stated before i would highly discourage those of a smaller frame or stature from the 590 and would recommend and 18 inch rem870 or moss 500.

[ActivShootr]

just got a mossburg silver reserve o/u..so we shall see about this one

Good luck with that. The one I had would fire both barrels every now and then.

[Katrina Guy]

as should everyone in this forum. Here a consumer purchased American and an established American company, in this case a firearms mfg, and his product proved to be unreliable. Instead of the Mossberg owner's defending them (I have a brand new never fired Mossberg Persuader) we should all be shocked by this firearm. I like the Mossberg layout of controls, but have heard that they're how shall I put it, second rate perhaps, not second to Remington, I mean second rate as for as workmanship etc. are concerned, but like I mentioned, I purchased it because of the layout of controls, slide release and safety.
Still makes you wonder, how can an established firearms mfg let something like that go out the door, the automobile industry as well. Just shaking my head as an American consumer, crap, most everything that's out there for sale made here or of course China, seems to be crap OR quality standards go farther and farther down.

[inSight-NEO]

as should everyone in this forum. Here a consumer purchased American and an established American company, in this case a firearms mfg, and his product proved to be unreliable. Instead of the Mossberg owner's defending them (I have a brand new never fired Mossberg Persuader) we should all be shocked by this firearm. I like the Mossberg layout of controls, but have heard that they're how shall I put it, second rate perhaps, not second to Remington, I mean second rate as for as workmanship etc. are concerned, but like I mentioned, I purchased it because of the layout of controls, slide release and safety.
Still makes you wonder, how can an established firearms mfg let something like that go out the door, the automobile industry as well. Just shaking my head as an American consumer, crap, most everything that's out there for sale made here or of course China, seems to be crap OR quality standards go farther and farther down.

I just purchased a Mossy 590 and while I can say that it was dirty as heck and a bit more scratched up than I would have liked for a "brand new" weapon, it still fits the bill (its no Benelli, but heck..I didnt expect it to be) and frankly, Im falling more and more for this thing the longer I own it. In terms of functionality, I believe it is just as good as any shotgun I have laid my hands on up to this point. Now, in regards to the feeding issues, this has been observed as being related to a spring issue mainly; easily cured by the way.

So, its my opinion that the Mossberg, while maybe not as "refined" as other shottys, can be just as reliable and enjoyable as any other shotgun out there. Besides, I have heard countless reports of other shotguns, costing twice the price, having just as many issues if not more than the obviously underrated Mossbergs.

[dabigguns357]

I'll chime in as well,my wife bought me a mossberg 500 2 years ago for Christmas and i've been really happy with it so far.I've fired at least 1,000 rounds with no problems.Heck i even let it go 6 months with out cleaning it,infact it's still got the dirt from my Christmas day hunt on it.I took it out just last week and fired 25 slugs just have alittle fun.

[Katrina Guy]

A real shame, quality control /quality seems to be a thing of the past, overall not just firearms, surely not only Mossberg, as your post clearly indicates.
Let's just all be thankful that ammo doesn't suffer the same low quality standards! (well, I hope that ammo hasn't, I don't shoot that much so I don't really know).
All hail Ralph Nader! (just joking).

[Kmar40]

Instead of the Mossberg owner's defending them (I have a brand new never fired Mossberg Persuader) we should all be shocked by this firearm.

Well, the truth is I have trouble believing his post. He's an anonymous guy on the internet and frankly his post borders on the absurd. People say things for various reasons. True? Maybe but I'll withhold judgment until I see or hear more.

I've owned Mossbergs (and Remingtons) for decades, including a 500 I purchased last fall that was even purchased from Chinamart-- the home of the allegedly inferior seconds. I've watched the military adopt the Mossberg after it passed one of the most rigorous reliability tests. I find it hard to believe that this guy and his buddy happened to get three bad egg Mossbergs. I would think if things had really gotten that bad, a few other people would have noticed too.

As for new Mossbergs being "dirty", they are packed in a type of packing grease and MUST be cleaned before shooting. If you don't clean that out of there, it could be a real bear to get out after you've heated it up. Shipping firearms in packing grease/cosmolene isn't really a new thing.