Wondering if anyone has any experience with the Mossberg Model 500 Field/Deer Combo shotgun? I'm considering it in 20 gauge as my first shotgun. I'm new to shooting and new to hunting. In this area, we have a lot of opportunity to hunt various types of game. I plan to hunt dove, rabbit, deer and possibly quail with this shotgun (shotgun required for deer hunting here). Any input on if this would be a good choice? Any pros/cons to this model from folks who've handled one? Thanks!
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Wondering if anyone has any experience with the Mossberg Model 500 Field/Deer Combo shotgun? I'm considering it in 20 gauge as my first shotgun. I'm new to shooting and new to hunting. In this area, we have a lot of opportunity to hunt various types of game. I plan to hunt dove, rabbit, deer and possibly quail with this shotgun (shotgun required for deer hunting here). Any input on if this would be a good choice? Any pros/cons to this model from folks who've handled one? Thanks!
Hey Khahn,
I've owned and used a Moss'y 500 combo in 12 gauge for over 25 years for similar applications. I've gotten my share of pheasant and deer with it, it's a good gun/combo. Last year I got a youth model in 20 gauge for my son's first gun.
Caveats, as I see it (your milage may vary):
Before you buy, if the store will allow, work the action of several guns. Some are smooth as silk right out of the box, some are "tight", stiff and heavy. My action is silky. I inherited my younger brother's (when he married...) and his action is stiff, requiring more effort to work.
After you select a gun, go to the range with several different brands of ammo. I found my gun is finicky with ammo. Some brand(s) will smoke-stack jam, while others feed/eject flawlessly.
As to slugs: smoothbore or rifled? Try as many brands and types of slugs as it takes to find one or two your gun/barrel likes and shoots accurately. My smoothbore tube prefers Winch. Super-X (9" paper plate everytime at 100 yards, ~6" groups) but detests Remington slugs (all over the place at 50 yds). My rifled tube (love the True Glow sights ) hands-down prefers Lightfield slugs over other sabots.
Pros, again as I see it:
Reliable, once I found the brands of ammo it likes and detests, I've rarely had a failure when it counted.
Easily maintained in the field, like that time I dropped it in a salt marsh at 0'dark thirty before the decoys were out...
As an aside, I inherited my dad's Ithaca slide-action (model 37). It's a great gun but I like carrying the lighter Moss'y! Good luck Khahn.
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George...
I cannot speak for all Mossburgs, however, I did find a friends a little on the "unfinished, unsmooth"
side when new. It did shoot in to what I consider
an acceptable action after a few hundred rounds were fired through it.
If this be the case with Mossbergs then do some serious shopping for a Remington 870 Express.
This time of year long guns are on sale so get to looking and check out these 2 sites.
The Gun Source and Bud's Gun Shop These are Internet sites...A.H
I cannot speak for all Mossburgs, however, I did find a friends a little on the "unfinished, unsmooth"
side when new. It did shoot in to what I consider
an acceptable action after a few hundred rounds were fired through it.
Maybe he or you hadnt shot in a long time and forgot how.I do that all the time and always blame it on the gun until I get used to shooting again. sam.
I bought one (20 ga.) for my daughter a few years ago, She harvested her first deer this year with the smooth bore slug barrel armed with remington sluggers. I personally love the 20 gauge for deer and squirrell but if you are considering duck-hunting or trap you should consider the 12 ga.
Hello all. I saw an ad in Dick's that has the Mossberg 500 Field/Deer Combo (12 and 20ga) with scope - for a net $249.98 which seems quite reasonable. Does anyone know what the barrel specifics are, and could this be modified into a good home defense shotgun with a short barrel? If so - is there any market out there to sell the unwanted, not needed barrels etc? Thanks - Nick
i'm not sure but i believe a new 18.5" barrel is around $100. sorry to steal the thread but i just bought one myself in 12 gauge and i put a lot of rounds through a shotgun. it's worked very well so far and my friend has one about 40 years old and who knows how many rounds it had through it before he bought it and we've put thousands through it and still works flawlessly. my question is are the limbsaver pads that good? i'm thinking of putting one on as 400 rounds in a few hours really takes a toll on you! it's fun though. and if it's worth it should i get the replacement or the slip over. i'd prefer the replacement as a slip over would really negetively affect the looks of the mossy oak pattern
$249.98 for the Moss'y 500 combo? GRAB THAT, it's a good deal. My combo cost about that over 25 years ago, and the deer tube is smooth-bore and no scope, just iron sights.
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George...
OldTimer, I think this one has a rifled barrel for deer. I am looking to put together a good home defense shotgun, 1. I don't know if I can fire Buck through the deer barrel, and 2. the "field" barrel is just too long.
I was hoping that for this price, I could get a shorter (18 - 20in) barrel, SELL the other barrels (the deer is cantilevered with a 2.5 x 20 scope) and have a good HD shotgun for LESS than if I tried to buy just the 500 with a shorter barrel. I know this is a bit "calculated" but in this economy, any way to save is worth a thought. Nick
For home defense I am assuming (yeah, I know what it mean to "assume"...) by home defense you mean close quarters/across the room/down the hall purposes; to defend your life and property. Yes you can fire buckshot and birdshot; at close quarters the rifling won't mean much anyway, and I doubt you would notice any difference. Does the slug barrel have rifle sights (or is it dove-tailed/tapped for sights that were removed)? If so, just remove the scope and use/add the sights.
Even without traditional rifle sights I learned that I could accurately shoot slugs in my mod. choke bird barrel out to 100 yards. With a very little practice, you could do the same with a short barrel and buck/birdshot.
YMMV,
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I support PETA: People Eating Tasty Animals
George...
Hey Khahn,
I've owned and used a Moss'y 500 combo in 12 gauge for over 25 years for similar applications. I've gotten my share of pheasant and deer with it, it's a good gun/combo. Last year I got a youth model in 20 gauge for my son's first gun.
Caveats, as I see it (your milage may vary):
Before you buy, if the store will allow, work the action of several guns. Some are smooth as silk right out of the box, some are "tight", stiff and heavy. My action is silky. I inherited my younger brother's (when he married...) and his action is stiff, requiring more effort to work.
After you select a gun, go to the range with several different brands of ammo. I found my gun is finicky with ammo. Some brand(s) will smoke-stack jam, while others feed/eject flawlessly.
As to slugs: smoothbore or rifled? Try as many brands and types of slugs as it takes to find one or two your gun/barrel likes and shoots accurately. My smoothbore tube prefers Winch. Super-X (9" paper plate everytime at 100 yards, ~6" groups) but detests Remington slugs (all over the place at 50 yds). My rifled tube (love the True Glow sights ) hands-down prefers Lightfield slugs over other sabots.
Pros, again as I see it:
Reliable, once I found the brands of ammo it likes and detests, I've rarely had a failure when it counted.
Easily maintained in the field, like that time I dropped it in a salt marsh at 0'dark thirty before the decoys were out...
As an aside, I inherited my dad's Ithaca slide-action (model 37). It's a great gun but I like carrying the lighter Moss'y! Good luck Khahn.
Old Timer, what for groups does the 20 ga youth shoot? Is it good out to 100 yards on a paper plate?
Mossberg 500 Field/Deer Combo 
) hands-down prefers Lightfield slugs over other sabots.
