Shotgun advice

[kalash]

I've been looking for a Mossberg 500 but I keep debating the barrel length. The gun would mostly be for trap/skeet/fun and it wouldn't be used for HD in the near future (I have roommates so leaving a shotgun unlocked is a no-no, as well as illegal, and having it locked up defeats the purpose of having it for HD). Trouble is, a long-barrel gun won't fit in my car - a 500 with a 24" barrel is the longest that would fit. My choices are:

1) 18.5" or 20" barrel that won't be ideal for trap/skeet. However, this will easily fit in my trunk and can serve for HD in the future, if need be.
2) 26" or 28" barrel that would be stored dismounted and I would have to attach it every time at the range. I realize that this is a very quick and easy process but does removing and re-attaching the barrel frequently put a lot of wear and tear on the gun?
3) Guns with the ideal 24" barrel are basically impossible to find but I can always just buy a new barrel from Mossberg. This is a more expensive option, given that the barrel is ~$160, plus the cost of the gun itself.

Thoughts?



(yes, I've settled on the 500 platform. I have my reasons for choosing it over the 870 and double-barrel guns are more expensive)

 

[mac1911]

Ok, what kind of car do you drive? Unless your going with a fixed choke there is no reason why you cant shoot trap, skeet, sporting clays with a 20" barrel. Ideal ? Maybe not. Although if the gun shoots where your want it to it should be fine.
Your trying to cover a lot of ground with one shotgun. I did much the same with my 870. Once I got the trap bug I purchased a dedicated trap gun.
As for breaking down the barrel often. Should be fine as long as you just do it nicely. Don't worry about wear you should be shooting it often enough to put wear on it anyway!

 

[kalash]

Ok, what kind of car do you drive?

A Miata. Nothing fits in the damn thing. I had to get an M38 Mosin because I got tired of hauling my 91/30 in the passenger seat

Unless your going with a fixed choke there is no reason why you cant shoot trap, skeet, sporting clays with a 20" barrel. Ideal ? Maybe not. Although if the gun shoots where your want it to it should be fine.
Your trying to cover a lot of ground with one shotgun. I did much the same with my 870. Once I got the trap bug I purchased a dedicated trap gun.
As for breaking down the barrel often. Should be fine as long as you just do it nicely. Don't worry about wear you should be shooting it often enough to put wear on it anyway!

Good points, thanks.

 

[Enzo]

I'll second the, what kind of car do you drive.......?
I believe some Mossberg models come with two barrels, one you could use for trap/skeet/fun and an 18 1/2" you can use for HD.

 

[whacko]

It takes 2 seconds to remove the barrel on a mossy 500.......can you just break it down to fit in the car for transport? Then you can get any barrel length you want

 

[GaryW]

I have a Win 1300 (20" barrel) and that works great. You can shoot 2-3/4" or 3" magnum through it, great shottie!

I have #7-1/2 skeet loads for it, as well as #00 buck and 1 oz. slugs. They all fire great.

I picked up a case for it when I bought it and it fits like a glove. I do need a side-saddle to store extra ammo, that will come in time.

 

[mike01824]

It takes 2 seconds to remove the barrel on a mossy 500.......can you just break it down to fit in the car for transport? Then you can get any barrel length you want

This. Easy to remove and attach. No wear of anything I can think of. Mine just threads the top and you're good to go.

 

[mac1911]

I think you should re think your problem....... What car should I get to fit my guns in! will a mosin even fit in the passenger side,,,,,seat back maybe. The moss or rem pumps break down very easily and there are some decent cases out there for them.

http://www.amazon.com/Bagmaster-Bre...31244&sr=8-15&keywords=breakdown+shotgun+case

 

[pupchow]

As mentioned, a pump-action is able to be quickly broken down. And, you'll have a lot of options for an inconspicuous transport container.


First 40 seconds:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNyxgawQUig

 

[Palladin]

 

[dcmdon]

Three points.

1) The Miata is a great car, don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
2) breaking it down won't hurt it. Get a break down soft case. It has one pocket for the bbl, and another for the action.
3) there's no legal reason you can't carry it in the car. Assuming you are in MA, only large capacity long guns need to be either in a trunk or a soft case. You could legally drive with that thing across your lap, as long as its unloaded.

I realize that may not be prudent. But consider putting it in a case in the passneger seat. If you want to be even more conservative, consider a locked case.

Also, if its in the trunk it doesn't need to be in a locked case. I'm not sure if you are just rying to fit the gun in the trunk or a cased gun. But a gun sock on the gun would be fine in the trunk. (or across your lap for that matter)

Don

p.s. Citation follows. Notice the words large capacity whenever it puts restrictions on how you must transport a rifle or shotgun:
https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXX/Chapter140/Section131c

 

[dcmdon]

This case that Mac1911 suggested looks very nice for the money:

http://www.amazon.com/Bagmaster-Bre...31244&sr=8-15&keywords=breakdown+shotgun+case

Don

p.s. before we had kids, my wife had a Miata. God I loved that car. I had a Subaru STi. God I loved that car.

Now we have two Volvos. Blaaaahhh. But the S80 has a very very secure trunk. So its a great gun car. Once the youngest is out of her car seat, we can get smaller cars again.

Ok, what kind of car do you drive? Unless your going with a fixed choke there is no reason why you cant shoot trap, skeet, sporting clays with a 20" barrel. Ideal ? Maybe not. Although if the gun shoots where your want it to it should be fine.

I couldn't disagree more. A 20 inch gun doesnt' have nearly the mass to smooth the swing of a new trap or skeet shooter. If you are a proficient shotgun shot, a 20 inch gun will be fine. But for a new shooter, its a terrible idea.

 

[MisterHappy]

OP.

Don't buy a shotgun, until you've shot one of the model(s) you're considering. The fit (physical and psychological) is all important. If it does not "feel right," you will not be able to keep your attention on the target.
Go to your Club, and see what others are using. You'll likely get offers to "Try mine!"

As for barrel length.....meh. Choke is the more important thing. An 18" barrel with a full choke will pattern jus about the same as a 28" barrel with a full choke. The people to your left and right will like the longer one more, though!

 

[kalash]

Thanks all.

Three points.

1) The Miata is a great car, don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
2) breaking it down won't hurt it. Get a break down soft case. It has one pocket for the bbl, and another for the action.
3) there's no legal reason you can't carry it in the car. Assuming you are in MA, only large capacity long guns need to be either in a trunk or a soft case. You could legally drive with that thing across your lap, as long as its unloaded.

I realize that may not be prudent. But consider putting it in a case in the passneger seat. If you want to be even more conservative, consider a locked case.

Also, if its in the trunk it doesn't need to be in a locked case. I'm not sure if you are just rying to fit the gun in the trunk or a cased gun. But a gun sock on the gun would be fine in the trunk. (or across your lap for that matter)

Don

p.s. Citation follows. Notice the words large capacity whenever it puts restrictions on how you must transport a rifle or shotgun:
https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXX/Chapter140/Section131c

That's the problem I ran into with my Mosin 91/30 - it has to go in the passenger seat, which means I can no longer have a passenger. It's also not exactly subtle, even in its case (case is mandatory for me because I have lots of neighbors close by and I park in the street).

p.s. before we had kids, my wife had a Miata. God I loved that car. I had a Subaru STi. God I loved that car.

STi is a fantastic car! I've been kicking around the idea of getting a second car but I certainly don't see myself getting rid of the Miata - it's too much fun.

OP.

Don't buy a shotgun, until you've shot one of the model(s) you're considering. The fit (physical and psychological) is all important. If it does not "feel right," you will not be able to keep your attention on the target.
Go to your Club, and see what others are using. You'll likely get offers to "Try mine!"

As for barrel length.....meh. Choke is the more important thing. An 18" barrel with a full choke will pattern jus about the same as a 28" barrel with a full choke. The people to your left and right will like the longer one more, though!

I've shot an 870 and didn't think much of it - nothing bad, nothing great. I've handled several 500s and they've all felt good, for what it's worth. The 870 just has certain features that I dislike, such as the slide release location, cross-bolt safety, and the fact that the shell lifter stays in the down position. The 500 also tends to be cheaper.

 

[dcmdon]

OP.

Don't buy a shotgun, until you've shot one of the model(s) you're considering. The fit (physical and psychological) is all important. If it does not "feel right," you will not be able to keep your attention on the target.
Go to your Club, and see what others are using. You'll likely get offers to "Try mine!"

As for barrel length.....meh. Choke is the more important thing. An 18" barrel with a full choke will pattern jus about the same as a 28" barrel with a full choke. The people to your left and right will like the longer one more, though!

I completely agree with your first point.

But regarding your second point . . . Have you ever played any of the shotgun games? Barrel length is not about patterning. Its about balance and swing. Novices tend to stop their swing when they squeeze the trigger. They benefit from some weight out front to remind them to keep swinging.

I own a few shotguns. At the extremes are a 21" Benelli M2 and a 32" Remington 1100 Special Trap. The Benelli is far far too whippy and stock heavy to be useful as a skeet or trap gun. I'm not in any way saying all benellis. Just 20" benellis. My 26" Benelli SBE II is actually a pretty good sporting clays gun.

 

[dgrafton]

I've been looking for a Mossberg 500 but I keep debating the barrel length. The gun would mostly be for trap/skeet/fun and it wouldn't be used for HD in the near future (I have roommates so leaving a shotgun unlocked is a no-no, as well as illegal, and having it locked up defeats the purpose of having it for HD). Trouble is, a long-barrel gun won't fit in my car - a 500 with a 24" barrel is the longest that would fit. My choices are:

1) 18.5" or 20" barrel that won't be ideal for trap/skeet. However, this will easily fit in my trunk and can serve for HD in the future, if need be.
2) 26" or 28" barrel that would be stored dismounted and I would have to attach it every time at the range. I realize that this is a very quick and easy process but does removing and re-attaching the barrel frequently put a lot of wear and tear on the gun?
3) Guns with the ideal 24" barrel are basically impossible to find but I can always just buy a new barrel from Mossberg. This is a more expensive option, given that the barrel is ~$160, plus the cost of the gun itself.

Thoughts?



(yes, I've settled on the 500 platform. I have my reasons for choosing it over the 870 and double-barrel guns are more expensive)

I also prefer the Mossberg over the Remington, if only because I try not to add to the coffers of The Freedom Group.

I have an older 'turkey special' with 24" barrel that I love. It is the old woodland camo, and before they came with fiberoptic sights.

I got it for duck hunting, which for me is walking a lot and jumping ditches in the saltmarshes. Light weight and rust resistance were important. The camo finish is easy to take care of.

I have shot a ton of trap and skeet with it and the shorter barrel is not as much a negative as people say. Of course, I'm not busting 25 straight, but consistently 18-22.


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[mac1911]

Fitting into the OPs original intent trap/skeet/fun andmaybxhome defense plus fit in his car.... 20" barrel seems like the closest fit.....but now that he sees the potential of having a easily removed barrel system and discreat cases that can carry 2 barrels.... the door is opening for opptions.
PS. No one said anything about the miata other than its lack of gun fitting space.

 

[dgrafton]

^I figured the Miata was kinda like the old moped and fat girl joke.


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[kalash]

I've heard all of the jokes more times than I can count

 

[dcmdon]

I had more fun with my wife's 140 hp miata than I did with my almost 400 hp STi.

With the miata I could attack an entrance ramp, slide the back end run it to red line and when I got on the highway, I was going 75 mph.

With the same entrance ramp, the subaru would just hunker down and stick with the AWD clawing for traction. The back end would slide some but its limits were so high, I didn't dare approach them on the street. When I got on the highway I'd be going much much faster than in the miata.

The miata gave more visceral, fun than the STi, and did it with less risk. Legal or otherwise. More modern cars with more horsepower than my STi but also more electronic babysitters would be even faster but less satisfying.

My mother in law (yes, I know) has a red 0 3 with a 6 speed that I'd really like get when she is ready to sell it. It gets used daily in the summer but sits in the heated garage with a cotton cover on it all winter. Its never seen rain or snow. (Thats what the Caddi is for, ha.)

 

[kalash]

That's exactly it. I love corvettes and I respect their immense performance but you have to go incredibly fast in order to use that performance. I remember riding in my friend's vette in a group of cars and while the "slow" cars were singing at redline with the drivers heel-and-toe downshifting into turns, the big Chevy just sat in one gear the entire time. In the same light, one of the most fun cars I've ever driven was an old Ford Festiva - you had to concentrate on driving it as fast as possible just to keep up with traffic. If I ever live close to a track, I'll have a corvette for sure. On the street, a toy car is just plain fun.

Anyways, about them shotguns...

 

[Cap]

If its for trap/skeet/fun, just get the 24 or 28 inch (as long as you can change the chokes). Taking the barrel off is like a 15 second process.

That being said, I shot skeet with a 18.5" cylinder bore a couple of times and did alright.

 

[dcmdon]

Kalash,

Do what I did for my first shotgun. Get a used 870 with a 28" barrel and switchable chokes.

I got a new gun, but that was 1989. Rem stuff is garbage these days. Try to find something pre-freedom group.

I got a cheapie express with a birch stock. I used it for everything from pheasant hunting, to trap, to duck hunting to even sporting clays. i got really fast shucking that thing in sporting clays. All I did was round the heel of the stock to smooth the mount.

I still have that gun. Its now my salt water duck gun. I can't bring myself to take the Benelli out to bang around in the waves in an aluminum boat and get covered in salt spray.

Don