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
Cary Kieffer
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Mitch, as far as the “door breacher” I dont know how that’s attached. I dont have one. I do like the idea though as you have one more weapon at hand. I like to call those the “face smashers” Boy would that sting:)
The sling was an excellent question and I had to sit and think about my response. I never really thought about a shotgun sling in the Home Defense roll. I do NOT use one. An HD situation will probably be short in timespan. I never saw myself putting the thing down. I guess I always thought the situation would resolve itself one way or the other but I would be clutching the gauge like it was my life’s blood. (which it just may be).
As far as steadying for a shot, your so right you do have to aim. It was refreshing to hear somebody say that. Well if you have a good light on it (and you should!) I dont see the need for a sling to steady inside a house. A good well focused beam of say a TRL-1 HP from Streamlight is an awesome aiming tool. Just lite em’ up and fire. Your pellets will follow that beam. It’s not like we’ve got to be super precise like you need to be at 1000 yards with a rifle. The goal is to just get 9 pellets into the upper torso of a “POSITIVELY IDENTIFIED” badguy, the light will be much more useful than a sling for that. The longest shot in my house being about 32 feet before you either have a wall or have to turn a corner, so I dont think a sling is needed for steadiness.
Now where you got me thinking on this sling thing is from a “weapons retention” point of view. If you were clonked in the head, ran right into your assailants, got into a physical struggle it might very well benefit you to have the gun strapped to you. It might make the difference in hanging onto it and losing it to the badguys. I would also have a buddy come wrestle with me a bit to see how well I could manipulate the gauge with and without a sling while trying to not only fire it but keep it out of his hands. You dont want a tangled mess either….thats a tough call on that. I’d just try the training thing with/without a few kinds of slings, thats the best way to see what works for YOU.
Last thing I would consider is are you going to be a “two gunner” for that HD scenario?? If you are then yes I would use a sling. If you think you may transition to a handgun you dont want to leave your gauge loaded and leaning against the wall. Personally I have extra shells on my gauges and expect I can end the fight with 8 in the tubes and sideshell carrier of 6 more but if you intend to investigate that bump in the night with a gauge AND a pistol then I would want a sling.
Sorry theres no definitive answer, I’m going to continue to roll with no slings. Hopefully all this gets you pointed in the right direction for YOU. Thats all that matters is it works for you. Theres several good articles on weapon lights here on TGR. Check them out. It’s the next most important thing after your mindset and a good clean gun. Thanks for the great questions. Cary
I have bought a 500 tactical with a adjustable butt stock it has the breaching tool on it already…my question is how is it attached to the barrel i.e screw on like most or is it done at the factory? This is also my first home defense shotgun I have been to a few gun shops and asked if a sling is a needed one showed me some tactical slings and they were not what I suspected they looked more like something a swat team would use can a simple sling be used just like on my hunting rifles to steady my shot you still have to make a aimed shot with a shotgun unlike leading upland birds with a shotgun…I would like your opinion…thank you Mitch Moberg