My new model 500 20 Gauge Bantam Pump Shotgun (Review).
I got the gun out of the box when I got it home and right away, I liked it. I noticed an awful lot of attention to detail, rugged construction, good looking wood and simple, clean design. The barrel has a vent-rib which I don't particularly like, but hopefully I can get a plain, cylinder bore barrel and install it later. I got it cleaned up and put together and intended to shoot it the next day, until I realized that the box of ammo I bought with the gun was a steel shot target load, and I don't shoot steel shot through my shotguns. So I had to wait until today. Today I made a trip to Wal-Mart and bought 100 rounds of assorted lead shot 20 gauge ammo. I got home and grabbed the gun and a box of number 6 shot loads and went to my "private range" (bar ditch) and set up some cans as targets.
Here is where disbelief hit me. You see, I've never owned any shotgun but a 12 gauge. I'm used to the brutal recoil of the 12 gauge, but also I like it's raw power. Then I started shooting the 20 gauge Mossberg. The first thing I noticed was the off-the-shelf shotgun's perfect fit to me, and how easy it was to shoulder and how good it felt there. The recoil was very manageable, not one bit worse than one of my .30-30 lever guns. And the sheer power the 20 gauge was putting out and the effect of it's shot on the targets was impressive. Accurate follow up shots with the 20 gauge were faster with the 20 gauge than with the 12. It stands to reason, less recoil, better fit to the shooter. The short buttstock allowed easy reach to the trigger and the forearm which is also extended to ease operating the action as well. After taking a few preliminary shots I was soon shooting the shotgun amazingly fast and accurately as if It was custom made for me.
The ease of operation, lower felt recoil and more accessible hand-holds, coupled with the ample power and accuracy more than made up for the slight loss of lead going downrange from the 12 gauge. I don't plan on selling my 12 gauge, but I have to say that the 20 gauge is perfectly adequate for almost every purpose the 12 gauge is suited for, and is easier on the shooter and quicker to get familiar with. I really, really like this gun and would recommend it to those who may be new to shotguns, smaller of stature or short of reach, and to those who find the recoil and shoulder bruises of the 12 gauge to be intimidating. I would also recommend it to anyone wanting a good, solid and capable all-purpose shotgun at an extremely reasonable price. I picked mine up for $245.00 plus tax. For the high quality, top notch and very good looking shotgun I got, I consider it money well spent.
There is a school of thought that says the 20 gauge is better suited to home defense than the 12 gauge, especially for women, precisely because of that lessened recoil and consequent greater speed of getting back on target.
There is a school of thought that says the 20 gauge is better suited to home defense than the 12 gauge, especially for women, precisely because of that lessened recoil and consequent greater speed of getting back on target.
I'm not surprised. The 20 gauge is awfully user friendly. There is something to be said for expediency.
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'There is nothing new under the sun. It has all been done before.' -Sherlock Holmes
Congrats on a great purchase.
Many people, like me, do enjoy the twenty gauge.
Many people, like me, learn to appreciate the control and follow up shots with a twenty gauge.
I am baby sitting my sons 20 bantam. Great little scattergun. I even took it on a rabbit hunt this season. Nice to carry all day
Quote:
Originally Posted by nathangdad
Congrats on a great purchase.
Many people, like me, do enjoy the twenty gauge.
Many people, like me, learn to appreciate the control and follow up shots with a twenty gauge.
Best wishes.
Jerry: Yeah and that slightly shorter profile keeps it from banging on trees and getting caught in hanging vines when you're walking through forested areas.
nathangdad: Thank you, sir.
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'There is nothing new under the sun. It has all been done before.' -Sherlock Holmes
Ballbearing: Sir, good review The only thing missing. Sir, Pictures
Neophyte...sir. The Mossberg 500 has been around since 1961. Don't you think everyone on this site knows what they look like by now?
Pictures; they always want pictures. They never believe you until you get out your pathetic camera, take a still photo of your gun, put the pic on your 'puter, run it into a host website, and then post it on your thread...sheesh!
A 20 gauge would probably be a better choice for most shooters. They are certainly a better choice than a 12 gauge for initiating our youth, new shooters, small statured males, or our female friends with. With the proper shell choices they also have very few limitations when it comes to harvesting game or home defense/self defense situations.
A 20 gauge would probably be a better choice for most shooters. They are certainly a better choice than a 12 gauge for initiating our youth, new shooters, small statured males, or our female friends with. With the proper shell choices they also have very few limitations when it comes to harvesting game or home defense/self defense situations.
Makes me want to go buy another firearm.
I held and shouldered the different shotguns at that store, and the Bantam just felt right to me when I brought it up to my shoulder. I am not a small statured person, and I don't have abnormally short arms, but the Bantam felt better than the standard models, it felt "handy", for want of a better expression. I had always picked guns because I liked the look of them before, never because one felt the best and was most comfortable, and I have gotten lucky and found some good ones, but I realize now that several of them just weren't a match to me. I think that's why I had always leaned toward handguns before, because they really don't require much of a "fit" to the shooter, not like rifles and shotguns do anyway. It seems like now, after all those years, that I should have paid more attention to fit, not just how well the gun is put together, but also how it fits the shooter. Now I understand why Holland&Holland measure the shooter for a gun, the way a tailor measures you for a suit of clothes.
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'There is nothing new under the sun. It has all been done before.' -Sherlock Holmes
i have owned a mossberg 500c (20ga) turkey gun for 11yrs and its allways had enough power for what i wanted. never malfunction and with a turkey choke it will kil clay at a good distance away. i have taken three turkeys with it but found i needed a gun with a longer range so i got a 535 with a 3/1/2 chamber. the mossberg 500 is awesome and i wouldnt give it up for anything. ive even broke the original sights clean of the gun and the stock broke the top of the grip off where it attaches to the reciever but i sanded it down and used some gorilla glue and aint had a problem since
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