Welcome to review 48 I think. Today’s topic is really quite unremarkable in that it’s just a pistol gripped Mossberg 500. Blue finish, 6 shot, 12 gauge I just picked up for well under $200 While they’re like 90 billion of these on Earth we used to use this exact model for door breaching in the desert. It was simply carried slung on your back with a piece of 550 cord. Loaded with door breaching rounds, carried in addition to an M4 rifle. I picked it up for a few reasons. One being it reminded me of the old days and I smiled when I saw it. Two, for the $$ it’s a reliable piece of ass kicking machinery. Three, when you can almost pay for a decent gun with the change in your ashtray and center console you should buy it.

So I got it home and gave it a scrubbing it really needed. Works just fine as expected. There’s nothing to say as far as accuracy or reliability, it’s a short barreled shotgun, it works and lots of little pellets fly out really fast. So much for a range report. For home defense this is an ideal tool. It’s short, scary to people on the receiving end and packs a punch. I can attest personally how much co-operation can be gained when people just hear the slide. That’s not an urban legend, EVERYBODY, speaks 12 gauge pump. I would not hesitate to use this as a defensive weapon anywhere. If you can handle it yourself then there’s no reason you can’t handle it with a weapon like this one.

So if you have read some of my reviews you know I can be an “accessory whore”. Sometimes I find myself loading down my weapons with ton’s of overpriced, super modern lights, lasers, sites, bi-pods, rails and a microwave if anybody made one that would bolt on. So before long some of my stuff weighs more than a M60 machine gun. I had to really fight this urge hard with this shotgun. If you read any other of my reviews then you might be saying “what no light??” “no side shell saddle??” and you’d be right. Leaving this as is goes against everything I believe in but I’m going to fight hard to keep this as is. It’s really handy, you can twirl it on a finger. By the time I’m done with it the thing would weigh 17 lbs. NOT doing it this time. This little thing is dangerous as is. As soon as I find where I hid my 550 cord she will get a piece for a sling and that’s it.

So what else can this really inexpensive gauge do? Well we talked about door breaching, not a need for most of us, self defense is a good one for sure! I think though we should mention for the nominal weight it weighs to the power it has loaded with 3 inch magnum slugs that this would make an excellent choice for hunters as a back up defense gun. Do you skin a deer or elk in the woods?? A lot of people do and then they talk about bears showing up for lunch and their rifle being 25 feet away leaning against a tree. This little baby won’t weigh you down and can stay on your person and handy if something hairy and angry comes looking for chow. It’s a ton lighter and shorter than your 9000 nuclear  ultra-magnum you use to hunt with. It cost a hell of a lot less than a 44mag or larger handgun too!

So I won’t blather on any longer about this simple old Mossberg. It has some important uses for sure. It’s cheap, lite and totally reliable. It will drop bad-guys in their tracks and stop an angry bear. A lot of times we get really hung up on high tech. I do it all the time, sometimes simple just might be better. That’s up to you but I sure wouldn’t feel under gunned in most situations with this thing. There’s a million of these gems out there, pick one up cheap and you can’t go wrong.

As always thanks for reading and happy shooting.

By: Cary Kieffer

The following two tabs change content below.

Cary Kieffer

USMC Infantry/Combat Veteran/MUESOC/Sniper School - Med Retired LEO w/ 8yrs on job before Iraq wounds caught up with me.

Latest posts by Cary Kieffer (see all)