Mossberg 500

[ultimate steve]

Thinking about picking up a shotgun, and I'm leaning toward the mossy for the price and notoriety.

My question is for anyone who owns one of the versions with no buttstock. They look cool as hell but what is the best way to shoot one of those? Might sound like a dumb question, but I can't imagine being close to accurate with that thing. I've shot a 12 gauge before shouldered from a bench rest and it's obviously got some recoil. If I do get one of these pistol grip stockless versions, would I even be able to use it at a range that only allows bench shooting?

I'd really like to get a keltec ksg but I can't find any and they're a bit pricy for a shotgun.

[Obin Robinson]

As part of Navy boot camp we had to qual on the Mosberg 500. Years later I qualified on the Mossberg 500 as part of our pre-deployment to Iraq. We went through a bunch of close quarters combat situations and then had to show proficiency in a high speed target range. Needless today EVERY military Mossberg 500 I have seen has a full butt stock. The ONLY pistol grip ones I have ever seen were for use in vehicles as a last ditch defensive gun.

With that being said I have shot the 18 inch barrel pistol grip 12 gauges with full 00 buck and slug loads. It was quite an unpleasant experience that I really don't care to duplicate. You can't hit a damn thing with them at any range over 25 meters. The recoil makes you feel like someone smashed a baseball bat into your hand. It hurts, bad.

To convert from a pistol grip to a full stock is not expensive at all. I bought a used SWAT team stock for my Mossberg 500 for all of $20. If you get a good deal on the gun then go for it. Just make sure to change the stock. It takes only a few minutes and it is a huge upgrade.

obin

[GTI_2.0T]

With that being said I have shot the 18 inch barrel pistol grip 12 gauges with full 00 buck and slug loads. It was quite an unpleasant experience that I really don't care to duplicate. You can't hit a damn thing with them at any range over 25 meters. The recoil makes you feel like someone smashed a baseball bat into your hand. It hurts, bad.

I don't think the recoil is that bad. It's not soft by any means, but I've never been in pain from shooting a pistol gripped 12 gauge... I agree though, it's not an accurate tool at all. I've swapped grips on my Mossberg's for the fun of blasting out on my buddy's land, but they're nothing I would keep around regularly.

To try and answer the range question - it depends. My range doesn't explicitly prohibit pistol grip only shotguns, but as you are wondering, it would be difficult at best to shoot one from a bench. My range (and many others I would imagine) only allow slugs from the bench as well. We have one station where patterning is permitted, but it would kind of get old I'd think.

You can't go wrong with a 500 though, or an 870 for that matter. They're both tried and true and pretty much the most reliable way to launch shot and slugs. Like Obin said though, I'd get one with a full stock. Pistol grips can be had for 15 bucks or less (the 500 Persuader should come with both stocks in the box too).

[Obin Robinson]

I don't think the recoil is that bad. It's not soft by any means, but I've never been in pain from shooting a pistol gripped 12 gauge.

I was holding the gun like a big pistol and a full tube of 00 buck and slugs suuuuuuucked! One or two shots is okay but after a while it gets to be unpleasant.

obin

[ultimate steve]

Would be nice if they made some sort of under/over folding stock. I'm probably gonna go with the 500 maybe I'll look at the persuader so I can mess around with both.

And a quick google search reveals that they do make over folding and side folders for it. I'm pumped. Pun intended.

[Navydub]

I just bought up a Mossy 500 today actually (picking it up tomorrow).

I went with the tactical model 50589. I too wanted the shorter barrel length and was considering a pistol grip, since I'd be using it primarily for home defense and wanted to be maneuverable with it. After looking at the options, and deciding a straight pistol grip wasn't for me, I decided to go with the adjustable stock, which when fully collapsed still makes it a fairly small package. Though I did go with the 20" barrel vs the 18.5 for the ghost ring sights that didn't come on the shorter barrel.

[Broke]

They look cool as hell but what is the best way to shoot one of those?

It looks cool, you don't need to shoot it.
If problems show up and they aren't impressed with the LOOKS, then just rack it as the sound runs everyone off.

To shoot it accurately I hold it 8" from my face. (I just measured!)

Right hand on the grip, 8" between my face and the back of the shotgun.
Left hand on the pump.
Look right down the barrel and put the bead on what you want.

It's not for reaching out and touching someone at a distance.

With enough practice shooting from the hip you get pretty good at it.
Just under your breast is where it actually is, not as down low as your hip... right hand tucked under the right breast, just off to the side of your ribs so the recoil doesn't punch you in the side.



I can shoot it like a pistol, but the weight makes it impractical to hold out like that.



Oh, if you look in the last pic, you'll see yellow/green colored things in the trees. Those are the bottoms of 2 liter pop bottles I painted inside like a RC car body (using bright RC car paint), we stuck them in the trees there to shoot at from across the pond.

I'm not sure how far away they were, but I was able to pick those out of the trees with the shotgun held out 8" in front of my face (so I could line the bead up on them), and I was able to do it just about as quickly as I could pump it.
I did well enough the redneck on the 4-wheeler who was watching (kin of mine, of course) exclaimed I needed to go deer hunting with him, so I guess I didn't do to badly.

Oh, both pics are of 3" rifled slugs, which do hit pretty hard.
The pistol grip that comes with the shotgun sucks. I would wear a blister into the top of my thumb every time I took it out. It is a hard plastic.
Hogue Tamer grip set (grip and pump) really helped a lot.

The shotgun has been incredibly reliable, and a real joy to shoot. Easy to take apart and maintain as well.
The only ammo I ever had an issue with are the Nobel Sport 00-buck, which didn't want to feed properly. Everything else feeds just fine. I just hung onto the case of Nobel and since picking up a Saiga-12, I've found the Saiga eats the Nobel happily, so no money wasted!

Ha... I was browsing my pics looking for another of the shotgun for this thread... found a pic of my friend shooting it.
I'm no expert, but I think he is fearing the recoil. Something about the way he is leaned so far back that heroin junkies are impressed he hadn't fallen over backwards... or maybe it is the way his face looks, as if someone had just balanced a turd on his upper lip.... something tells me he is anticipating recoil.



Pansy
Anyway, that's how I shoot it for "accuracy", only I don't look quite that stupid or afraid of it.
I wouldn't shoot it like that the very first time, but after a few from the side to get a feel of how much it is going to move you can bring it up and look down the barrel to put it on target.

[VDubby18]

A good grip helps a lot, or the factory Mossberg grip with some padding on it. The factory grip is just hard plastic, and it doesn't take long to hurt the webbing (whatever the area between the thumb and index finger is called) firing high powered loads.



Some people say that shotguns are useless with pistol grips. I wholeheartedly disagree with this school of thought. I do not have a pistol grip on any of my 7 shotguns, but I would have no problems using a pistol grip shotgun to near the same standards that I can use a shotgun with a butt-stock. Pistol gripped shotguns certainly have their conveniences given their smaller size whether their smaller size will come in handy while storing them, or the potential to use them in close quarters, they do have some advantages.

Saying you can't hit anything with a pistol grip shotgun is just stupid. It's like saying you can't hit anything with a handgun versus a rifle.



As far as using a shotgun in a range it will depend on the range itself. None of the indoor ranges that I go to allow shotguns on the indoor range. But, I have seen plenty of videos and such that that is not the case.

[Rabbitguy21]

Here's my mossberg 500, I have a folding stock on mine and love it. The pistol grip is fun to mess around with but that's about it. I use the stock when I'm shooting clay pigeons. If you want a pistol grip I recommend getting one that at least has a folding stock option.

[ultimate steve]

Nice yea I've been looking at that folder. I'd rather go with a stock that I can use a separate hogue grip though if anything exists like that. I've see a few side folders but not sure how they mount.

[976-RADD]

My well-versed dad was in a gun fight, shooting a stock-less shotgun. Ended up with a shiner, not to mention one through his back. When the **** hits the fan, most bets are off. Practice, practice, practice.