MichaelJay
New member
This past weekend my wife and I were able to get out and enjoy my new Mossberg Shotgun. It is a Persuader model, 20" smooth bore barrel, pistol grip, parkerized.
I used the information given to me when I was looking to purchase on how to get acquainted with my new SG. We replaced the pistol grip with a shoulder stock, for comfort and consistency. We got two of the bulk packs of Winchester and Federal from Walmart, 100 shells @ $15.98 each. Some butcher block paper and firing strips from Home Depot.
We setup by yardage: 7, 12, 15, 25 and 50. Overall the pattern seems to be an oval, majority of the pellets landing centered left and right and squished top to bottom, center a ragged hole about 2x3 inches. As the distance grows out to 25 yards, it becomes more egg shaped. Narrower at the top, even distribution in the bottom 2/3rds, center was a hole about ½ x 3/8 inch. At 50 yards I was useless. I don't know if I it was bad aiming, landing short, too much cross wind or what, but there was very little on the paper to mark my attempts.
Well that was informative and necessary, but hardly the fun a person would associate with a warm afternoon and shotgun. Soooo we put the pistol grip back on, out came the tin coffee cans, AOL CDs (we knew we would find a use for them!), and various other things to "blast."
Four hours, two hundred shells, two sore shoulders and a bunch of debris to clean up marked our first outing with this fine shotgun.
Lessons learned:
1.We would have been very frustrated to shoot for "fun" without the patterning first. We knew where the bulk of the shot was going to go.
2.The shoulder stock is preferable for "learning" to place shots. Trying to hit the 15 yard target with the pistol grip from the hip was amusing to watch, but really not very practical.
3.We stuck with a limited ammo brand selection to try to keep things consistent.
4.Next time we'll try some other brands of shells or different loads.
5.A little extra padding on the shoulder would make Monday morning a happier experience.
6.We wore eye and ear protection. We fired it once without the ear protection and even outdoors it is loud.
7.Even out in the country, on private property, the deputy sheriff will eventually find you. If he is a hunter, he'll give you tips and then tell you to be careful and have a fine day.
8.A pad of paper and pencil are indispensable when recording shot information and and what the pattern looks like.
9.Plan enough time to make the experience enjoyable. This same activity at a range where you pay by the hour would have made us rush. We went down and looked at each shot and planed the next one.
10.Rapid fire is a relative term with a shotgun.
Thanks for everyone's assistance in selection and tips for getting to know the capabilities of the Mossberg 500.
Michael.
I used the information given to me when I was looking to purchase on how to get acquainted with my new SG. We replaced the pistol grip with a shoulder stock, for comfort and consistency. We got two of the bulk packs of Winchester and Federal from Walmart, 100 shells @ $15.98 each. Some butcher block paper and firing strips from Home Depot.
We setup by yardage: 7, 12, 15, 25 and 50. Overall the pattern seems to be an oval, majority of the pellets landing centered left and right and squished top to bottom, center a ragged hole about 2x3 inches. As the distance grows out to 25 yards, it becomes more egg shaped. Narrower at the top, even distribution in the bottom 2/3rds, center was a hole about ½ x 3/8 inch. At 50 yards I was useless. I don't know if I it was bad aiming, landing short, too much cross wind or what, but there was very little on the paper to mark my attempts.
Well that was informative and necessary, but hardly the fun a person would associate with a warm afternoon and shotgun. Soooo we put the pistol grip back on, out came the tin coffee cans, AOL CDs (we knew we would find a use for them!), and various other things to "blast."
Four hours, two hundred shells, two sore shoulders and a bunch of debris to clean up marked our first outing with this fine shotgun.
Lessons learned:
1.We would have been very frustrated to shoot for "fun" without the patterning first. We knew where the bulk of the shot was going to go.
2.The shoulder stock is preferable for "learning" to place shots. Trying to hit the 15 yard target with the pistol grip from the hip was amusing to watch, but really not very practical.
3.We stuck with a limited ammo brand selection to try to keep things consistent.
4.Next time we'll try some other brands of shells or different loads.
5.A little extra padding on the shoulder would make Monday morning a happier experience.
6.We wore eye and ear protection. We fired it once without the ear protection and even outdoors it is loud.
7.Even out in the country, on private property, the deputy sheriff will eventually find you. If he is a hunter, he'll give you tips and then tell you to be careful and have a fine day.
8.A pad of paper and pencil are indispensable when recording shot information and and what the pattern looks like.
9.Plan enough time to make the experience enjoyable. This same activity at a range where you pay by the hour would have made us rush. We went down and looked at each shot and planed the next one.
10.Rapid fire is a relative term with a shotgun.
Thanks for everyone's assistance in selection and tips for getting to know the capabilities of the Mossberg 500.
Michael.