Got Mossberg 500 in 12 guage for HD. Need advice on the best mods...

I've seen something that looks interesting, mounting the side saddle with velcro. Easy off and on. The instructor that I observed doing this (can't recall his name but he was ex marine spec ops) really knew his shotgun and the velcro system worked well for him.

I tried the knox stock on my duty 870 and did not like it at all. Standard stock all day for me.
 
Just got back from a local gun store (was trying to find a better bead sight for my Mossberg 500 - something I can see in the middle of the night). One guy was giving me this (I'm sure well-intentioned) advice: "Why worry about the bead sight?! You don't even have to aim your shotgun at home-defense distances. Just rack the pump and bad guys will poop their pants!" I'm completely new to shotguns, but I think I can spot a crappy advice when I hear it. :D
 
Yes, you can ignore that fellow.
At home defense distances, the buckshot pattern is like a very large bullet.
Although the sound of chambering a round causing panic might have some merit.
The folks who owned a business I once frequented kept a permanent coffee maker going, for the local police to enjoy.
Nearby was an old fashioned coin operated candy machine that made sounds just like a shotgun being racked when the knob was turned and the coin dropped.
Whenever someone used it, It always made the visiting cops do a quick turn around.
It was kind of suspicious that folks got hungry for candy about the time the cops arrived. :p
They didn't seem to enjoy the humor, though, especially if they sloshed coffee on their shoes.
 
Last edited:
I'm not an expert, but I just can't think of a situation where I might want to rack the slide of a shotgun in self defense... It momentarily makes shotgun inoperable, plus I lose a chambered round. I think I'd rather give an authoritative verbal command to BG to drop to the floor or leave my house (if BG is unarmed and fully cooperative). But, then again, since I'm just now getting into shotguns, I might change my take on this after learning about shotgun tactics more... What's your take on this, G.W.?
 
I've always felt the sound of the "Rack" was "Over Rated". I say, "Just shoot the SOB, and be done with it!"...;)
 
You don't even have to aim your shotgun at home-defense distances. Just rack the pump and bad guys will poop their pants!
Click to expand...
Only in the movies. Where nobody carries a loaded pump shotgun, and few have a chambered semi auto pistol.
In real life, a gun with an empty chamber is a club or rock!

I put all kinds of "stuff" on my 18" 870. Most of which was just for tacticool looks. The AR collapsible stock is probably the most useful, but certainly not needed. For HD, your Mossberg is fine just the way it is.
 
Never say never, but I also think it not too wise to dump a perfectly good round in hopes of frightening a bad guy with the sound of it. While I don't keep a round chambered for safety reasons, I would chamber one before confronting an intruder. Some may think a gun without one in the chamber is a rock or a club, but my 870 is a damn deadly club.
 
I always interpreted "racking the slide" to be the action of putting the FIRST round in the chamber...not jacking an unused round out on the floor, just so you can make "that sound".
My HD Mossberg stands in the bedroom corner with the action cocked but chamber empty. The 8 round mag is full, though. This will help keep inexperienced folks from accidentally discharging it, but its instantly ready to rack a round into the chamber when I pick it up.
 
I've gone through a couple of HD shotguns and now have a Mossberg 590 with ghost ring sights. Great shotgun but more than needed for HD, (for me it's a combo HD and competition gun.) I found 18.5 inch beed sight very handy for HD loaded up with buckshot. The ghost rings are good but more for competitions than HD. Try the range and pattern your buckshot at the longest part of any room or hallway in your house (probably 10-15 paces.) The bead sight works very well. I had problems with rails mounted on the pump fore end, when shooting the rail or light tended to smack my hand. When mounting a light try different lumen at night in your house. Over 200 lumen is very nice for checking the yard but inside you can get too much light. 100-150 lumen work well inside a residence. Hope this helps.
 
If the stock isn't a comfortable length, get one that is. A stock that is too long can hurt both accuracy and your shoulder. I have short arms which means either a junior/youth stock or an M4-type. After that, it depends a lot on individual preferences. For me, second would be sights you like. For most, a bead works well. However, I like a ghost type sight. Others like a red dot. Third would be a side saddle ammo carrier. Fourth may be a sight. You'll get a lot of debate about a light attached to a long gun (or any gun). Some wouldn't have one and others would make it top on the list.
 
Some don't like a weapons light because they think it gives away your position and/or because you know your own home you can see well enough by ambient light. Perhaps in some or most scenarios, but you don't have to light it up if the case is such that you don't need it or are concerned with revealing your location. But if you need it you don't have the option of flipping it on, if you have none!

I will probably never need a HD gun, as I hope is true of most all of us, but if I need it I need it ready to go in adverse circumstances.
 
For a home defense shotgun, especially as I thought the op said it had an 8 Rd extended tube, a side saddle isn't needed. If you cannot deal the bad guys with 8 rds, more isn't going to help.
Even if you need two each, that's 4 shot people in your house.
If you don't keep the house real dark, you may not want the light. However, it adds options. You can use it for searching, or to just blind them. I wouldn't recommend just walking around with it constantly on. I will say that afte having gotten out of bed in the middle of the night to check on noises, only to find one of the children walking around, a light to verify what you see can be a good thing.
 
Yeah, the only time it makes sense to be racking the slide is to chamber that first round.
There are plenty of other loud noises one can make to try to shake up an intruder.
Screaming "Get Out of My House or I'm gonna' Kill You!" at the top of your lungs should work even better.
Just to see, I'm gonna' test that on my wife when she least expects it. :)
I'll report back, if I'm able.
 
Be careful using a weapons light to verify that what you see is your child. I would never point it directly at someone that I didn't intend to shoot, but pointing it near them should supply sufficient illumination to verify while greatly reducing the risks of an accidental discharge. Even if I think I have them identified as a BG, I still want to hit them with a light immediately before firing, in case I am wrong. Of course, if they are lunging at me there may be not time. Plans are great, but be ready to toss them out when stuff happens.
 
Last edited:
Hi, I'm new around here, also with a Mossberg. But that's not what I wanna talk about.

Lights. I know, I know, it's tacticool to put a light on your gun. And it's awesome. But, there's an easier and better way, in my opinion.

Head mounted lamps. Keep one by your bed, in a drawer, etc. Get up in the night to go to the bathroom, grab the headlamp and put it on. Develop familiarity with it.

Why do I like the headlamp over the shotgun light? Well, it's mounted to my head and it lights up the direction I am looking in. I can look over my shoulder behind me and have light, or look to my right or left and have light. I don't flag(point a gun barrel at) anyone I don't want to shoot with the light. It doesn't add extra weight to my shotgun's front end and doesn't require any tactical rail mounts.

Other advantages: with the light mounted on your face, you can illuminate your action and ammunition.

Basically, forget the damned tacLight, and get a head lamp. They are so much better. Also, if the power just goes out, having a headlamp hanging from the bedpost is useful, while carrying around a mossy with a light on it is too much. You maintain light even if you need to put your gun down.
 
"...rifle in .223 or 5.56..." Equals excess penetration with the resulting extremely high risk of hitting your neighbour's kid. YOU are responsible for where every shot ends up. Kill a kid or his da and you're guilty of manslaughter.
No 20" Mossberg needs anything but you knowing how to shoot it. Hence, there's no need for a light nor anything else that daft. Just you getting out to a range for patterning and regular practice.
"...plus I lose a chambered round..." 'I gotcha' isn't done with a round in the chamber.
 
Ricky, Can you momentarily switch a head mounted light on and off without taking your hands away from a gun and the gun pointed in the general direction of the threat? I would leave it off and only switch it on at the last possible moment, so as not to spotlight my location and presence.

Head mounted lamps. Keep one by your bed, in a drawer, etc. Get up in the night to go to the bathroom, grab the headlamp and put it on. Develop familiarity with it.
Click to expand...

Ambient light is usually enough for that, but if not there is this thing they call a "flashlight".

Yes, I see how the headlamp enables one to better see about and to see their action and reload while not having to resort to a handheld flashlight. For HD, though, I don't see a need for all that and you would be surprised how much you can see all about if you merely bounce light off the ceiling.
 
I opted not to post the obvious, but someone else commented off line regarding using a head lamp and Darwin at work.

The reason for not activating the weapons light until the last minute is not to make a target of oneself. Even a weapons light can present a target to a BG, which is one reason I, a right handed shooter, have experimented with mounting it to the right side of my gun just as some officers armed with a handgun hold a flashlight off to the side of weapon.

At least one expert notes that people tend to shoot at the gun and not the person, which is a intuitive mistake to the threat. One should be trained to shoot at the person, usually center mass, and not the gun. This suggests to me that one would almost certainly shoot at the light when they can't even see a person in a darkened room. If someone shoots at the light I prefer it not to be situated in the middle of my forehead.
 
It is dangerous to search with a light, you could muzzle a friendly. But as noted above you can point the muzzle in a safe direction and search with the ambient light. If you need a light and don't have one mounted it's much harder to work the shotgun.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top