Mossberg KaBoom....

L

liliysdad

New member
I am trying to become an open minded guy, I really am. In this endeavor, I purchased a New Haven 600 AT, which is nothing more than a Mossberg 500A 12 gauge. It wore a 28" slick tube, and hardwood stocks. All in all, it was a solid gun. I initially bought it as a beater bird gun, but quickly found that it was too rough for me. I prefer the smoothness of a 870, but thats really nothing more than personal preference. It killed quite a few birds, and even a pig. All in all, it was a decent gun for what it was.

After I decided it was not for me, I bought a CZ 712 auto shotgun for my bird needs, and could not happier. I looked at the Mossberg, and thought that it would make a good spare HD/Truck shotgun. I cut the barrel, and reset the bead. All is good.

I took it to the range yesterday to run some buck through it to pattern it, and intended to run a few slugs through it, just so I would know what it would do. The first round shot well, a bit high at 50yds. No biggie. I had a hard time extracting it, but assumed it was a combination of a dirty gun, sticky chamber, and old ammo. Once cycled, I tried it again.

This time, all was not well. Upon firing, the forearm slammed rearward about halfway, and felt something smack my knuckles. Looked down, and the slide release lever was hanging about an inch out of the trigger group. The receiver had bulged slightly near the trigger group, and the trigger housing was broken nicely. The bolt would cycle ony halfway, and then locked up tight.

Best I can figure, somehow the gun fired out of battery, before the slide lock could release, forcing it rearward. Luckily, no damage was done to me. I think that all it will need is a new trigger group, but I havent torn into it yet, so I am not sure.

Was wondering, has this happend to anyone else, or even heard of it? I am willing to give the Mossberg another chance, as it seemed to be a seriveable gun up until now.
 
Is it possible that when you cut the barrel you created a burr on the inside of the barrel that caused an overpressure with the slugs? I've had the same model since 1979 and never had a problem. It's been my only hinting shotgun other than an H&R 20 guage I use as a camp gun.
 
No, there were no burrs, definitely smooth, this is not the first barrel Ive cut, shotgun or otherwise. Even though I am an amateuer, i feel I can cover the cutting of a shotgun barrel. Hardly the work of a rocket scientist.

As for the bulged receiver, perhaps bulged is the wrong word. Near the trigger group the aluminum is swollen in in a small area roughly the size of the slide release, where the lever was initially deflected off of the trigger group. The receiver as a whole seems to be intact, with no ouwardly visible damage.
 
Liliysdad,

You mentioned this weapon would be for H/D, you mean now you'd rely this Mossy to save your life and Liliys? Think about it.

T-Out
 
No, the HD use is out, but I cant stand having a broken gun.


For my uses the 870 is where its at, and always will be. I never had a use for a Mossberg, seen far too many of them fail on the firing line and in the patrol car. However, I ran across this one for a c-note, and couldnt pass it upi. I will have to tear it apart, and see what the deal is. I am banking on a defective trigger group, but we will see when I crack it open.
 
I'll sell my 500a right now for 10 times retail. The reason is, it must be the only one to come off the production line that is reliable and never fails! Funny how I keep getting these sub-standard guns and they work fine for me....

Kind of strange, don't you think. Maybe I'm just lucky........
 
It's possible you had something obstructing the bore.

Possibly, the first round you fired left something behind in the bore just in front of or actually in the front of the chamber, and when you fired it, you had a blow-out.

It's also possible you had an fire-out-of-battery condition.

In any event, strip it for parts and sell them on Ebay or to Gun Parts Corporation, then use the proceeds to fund a Remington 870 of your choice.
 
worthless.gif
 
This gun is worthless and most of the parts should be considered dangerous.

You don't know what parts were tweeked slightly and you just found out how critical it is to have parts in synch.

Save the stock and do yourself and your insurance company a favor, destroy the action.

Jeff
 
1. I'm glad you are OK.

2. I'd like to see pics too.

3. It sounds like a developing problem, with one round difficult to extract, and then the kaboom. I'm wondering if the first round did some damage that wasn't noticed, perhaps a cracked or weakened chamber, that allowed the second round to destroy the gun.
 
I think I am inclined to agree. I very well may strip and sell it on the bay.

never liked the damn thing anyway. It does have pretty wood though.
 
Did you shoot a 3 1/2" shell in a 3" chamber? That's what it sounds like since the first round was hard to eject. What choke were you shooting? Shooting slugs through very tight chokes is not a good idea either. Either way, you have a screwed up gun that needs to be thrown away.
 
No, I did not. I am far from retarded. Ive been shooting shotguns a long time.

I dont even own any 3" shells, let alone 3.5" shells.

I am certain its a defect with the trigger group that alloed the gun to fire out of battery. What caused it, I have no idea. Hopefully I will be able to break it open tomorrow and see. Until then, its all conjecture.
 
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