Pump-action shotguns in our country became known in the late 80s and early 90s, when militants began to flicker on television screens in which âgood guysâ cracked down on âbad guysâ using, for example, the Mossberg 500. By the way, it was this gun that recently celebrated its half-century (!) anniversary.
Since 1961, when the first trunk of this brand was released, more than ten million Mossbergs have already been produced. Why did the usual, seemingly
pump action shotgun become a real symbol of the era? Let's figure it out.
Distinctive features
A distinctive feature of this particular gun is a fuse located on the back of the receiver. In addition, even from other pump action shotguns, the Mossberg 500 has an exceptionally loud sound when jerking the shutter. Moreover, the gun is capable of significantly clanging with any movement, for which he was nicknamed the "rattle".
Initially, the weapon was created as a simplified and cheaper remake of the
Remington 870 shotgun. The latter, in turn, is exactly the same ersatz of the Ithaca Model 37 shotgun. Clang and crash are largely explained by the total savings on materials and technology: everything that could be cheapened and simplified ( and even throw it out of the structure), has long been simplified. But this does not mean at all that the quality of the Mossberg 500 is comparable to some domestic carbines. No âfile refinementâ is required. If during assembly some part doesnât fall in size even a little, it is simply sent for re-melting.
Some disadvantages
Nevertheless, the savings give tangible side effects. After all, this is a sophisticated pump-action shotgun. To simplify and reduce the cost of assembly, part tolerances are made such that even AKM 49 years old can be envious. Sometimes itâs not at all clear how, when fired, this whole clanking structure does not fly apart! The cartridge is a 12-gauge global standard, so there will probably not be any problems with ammunition.
However, guns of other calibers are sold in the USA, but for obvious reasons they havenât received much distribution in our country. Both the high cost of such ammunition and the very mediocre quality of their domestic counterparts played a role in this.
What can it be used for?
Suitable for almost all types of tasks, for which firearms may be required: hunting, self-defense, police and military operations. However, there is an opinion that this model is still a weapon of self-defense and the police, but not a hunting one. This attitude is due to the fact that this gun is seriously "rattling", and therefore you will not get close to a sensitive and careful beast. But the colossal stopping power may well come in handy for wild boar hunters.
In addition, it is quite suitable for hunting waterfowl. The peculiarity of this gun is that it was specially created as the most reliable and unpretentious. Given that when shooting at ducks you can repeatedly dip your weapon into the water, this is a very important quality. Unlike much more expensive competitors, this Mossberg will work perfectly even under such conditions, there will be no perekidinivaniya, nor problems with the extraction of spent cartridges.
Of course, this shotgun is just perfect for trap shooting. Inexpensive, reliable, heapy, picky about the quality of ammunition - what else does a lover of mass plate shootings need? Of course, someone can grin contemptuously, but the tuned Mossberg is no worse than the much more famous brothers, and in terms of accuracy and accuracy of the battle, it is not inferior to them in the stock version.
About patents
Even at the beginning of the design, the companyâs lawyers rightly noted that some important changes were required to be introduced into the design of the gun so as not to âfall intoâ the lawsuit from Remington. For this, the Mossberg 500 received an extremely modified trigger mechanism. In addition, it was here that the fuse appeared, by which today you can recognize all modern "Mossbergs". The first sample was released at the end of August 1961.
Since then, this model has been the leader in the segment of cheap pump-action shotguns almost unconditionally. Despite some shortcomings, the gun gained fame as a solid and reliable, and this is confirmed by dozens of awards around the world. In addition, the reliability and slaughter of these weapons have long been appreciated by police and military units, as well as their opponents. However, for the "male work" the company has long been releasing special versions that are distinguished by a better fit of parts, a bunch of mounts for body kits, as well as a slightly different store.
About tuning
In addition, adherents of the Mossberg 500 Custom are prevalent throughout the world. Speaking in Russian, these are people who are engaged in tuning this kind of guns. And their success, frankly, sometimes really amazes! From the cheapest gun (with proper straightness of arms), we get such a weapon that is not ashamed to put into service the special forces!
Of course, financial costs also vary. It is one thing to manually pick up and fit the parts so that they do not rattle, and another to do the same, and also manually make mounts for the body kit, put tactical lights, target indicators, and other âtinselâ. The price of such a custom can be three times higher than the cost of the regular version, but this does not stop enthusiasts.
Design Basics
What is the structural difference between the Mossberg 500? There are not so many features. This is a classic pump action shotgun, with a tubular magazine under the barrel, which (depending on version) fits from five to nine rounds. Manual reloading is carried out by juggling the movable fore-end, through a window in the lower part of the receiver. The cartridge case is thrown to the right side. The fuse can easily be thrown with the thumb of the hand that holds the handle. Locking the trunk is also no special frills: for this, a swinging larva is used, hooking on the breech barrel.
The receiver itself is made of aluminum alloy. Dozens of different versions are on sale, and even civilian modifications with a pistol grip are found among them. There was even a bullpup version, in which the store was located behind the trigger! Currently, there are about 17 varieties of this weapon.
But the barrels for this weapon differ in a special assortment. As a rule, in the standard version they are drilled with a cylinder, but for some problems there are models with constant muzzle contractions. In addition, interchangeable chokes can be purchased for the same purpose. But at the same time, do not forget that you really will not come across really police or military options in conventional weapons stores. In general, the same can be said about the options for stores.
The main advantages of weapons
The main advantages are cost and excellent ergonomics. The weapon is perfectly balanced. Since plastic and aluminum are widely used in the construction, the weight of the gun is not the most monstrous. The chamber and the barrel are made according to different technological cycles, with different hardening modes. Actually, this was done to reduce the cost, but as a result, it was possible to increase reliability as well. A very convenient and intuitive fuse, by which you can immediately understand whether the weapon is ready for shooting.
Endurance and reliability
Even the ârattleâ is far from always a drawback, as the dirt just falls through between the huge gaps of the parts. When reloading, many people like clanking, as it sounds very impressive. Because of the huge allowances, there are practically no problems with the incorrect extraction of swollen cartridges, and therefore the quality of the cartridges is the tenth thing. In conditions of domestic prices for ammunition - an undoubted advantage.
In addition, even the Mossberg 500 Tactical, not to mention simpler modifications, eagerly âburstsâ even the old brass sleeves for repeated reloading. Given that even the domestic "Saiga" is not famous for such, this is another reason for the purchase.
However, the company itself recommends using only the recommended types of ammunition, but with such reliability of the gun it does not really matter. Of course, for such a popular weapon accessories are produced in literally thousands. There are also models directly customized in the factory, produced by dozens of weapons companies privately and under license.
For example, in America itself, the Mossberg 500 shotgun with an adapter for a sector store is very popular. The police also willingly buy it, since during the shootout it is much more convenient to stick a âhornâ rather than messing around with pushing cartridges.
disadvantages
Well, the "rattle" the gun was called for a reason. Everything staggers, and the apertures in many aesthetes cause a real cultural shock ... In addition, because of the extreme lightness, the return is simply brutal.
Various improvements are also very difficult to make. In this regard, "Rem 870" is a real designer! On the contrary, the Mossberg 500 barrel, for example, just cannot be changed for sure. In addition, if you bought a model with an initially short magazine for five rounds, you canât stick the extension cord in there. No way. Well, if only you yourself make half the parts again. So when buying, immediately decide what kind of capacity store you need.
Difficulties only temper!
Of course, true enthusiasts are only teased by such difficulties. There are even such originals that are attached to stock Mossberg by sector stores, even if only for this they had to remake half of the gun themselves.
With the pistol grip installed, using a fuse becomes very inconvenient. Given that military modifications have been very popular lately, this problem is quite common. But there is a way out! On sale there are versions with a handle, located as if on an old gangster sawn-off shotguns "Tommy Gana." In this case, there are no difficulties, but such a Mossberg 500, whose butt is not very convenient, is practically unsuitable for the same hunt.
Development prospects
In 2013, the company celebrated the sale of the 10 millionth gun with fanfare. The copies with the jubilee numbers left at auctions for huge money. This once again proves that this weapon has many fans in all corners of the world.
And let some gun lovers contemptuously call the Mossberg 500 pump rattle a ârattleâ. The advantages of this shotgun are incommensurably greater than the disadvantages. Some experts say that this model is the fastest to sell. In a word, a classic of the genre. Excellent, unpretentious, reliable and inexpensive pump-action shotgun Mossberg 500/590. What else is needed for happiness?