Is the Mossberg Maverick 88 a good shotgun value for a man with a TIGHT budget?

6 Responses

1. randkl

   March 11th, 2010 at 5:36 pm

   Yes, it is. It’s a rock solid gun in all regards. There’s tons of aftermarket addon doodads, parts are plentiful and cheap, you can get a barrel for *any* type of shooting you want to do, and it’ll outlast you. The Mav 88 is the #1 best deal on a pump gun on the market right now, followed by the Norinco (China) Pardner Pump for about $50 more.

2. Tahoeguy

   March 11th, 2010 at 5:36 pm

   it shoots if thats what you mean. I dont care for the action or the gun, id rather buy a used rem 870 express. Heck, here they go for $240 new at walmart.

3. Irv S

   March 11th, 2010 at 5:36 pm

   Mossberg gives good value/$.
   Not the best, but solid.

4. Butch C

   March 11th, 2010 at 5:36 pm

   You could do a lot worse.
   http://www.centerfiresystems.com/rockislandm5tactical12gashotgunpartac-sgn-m5.aspx
   http://www.centerfiresystems.com/SGN-U87.aspx

5. METROPOLIS1

   March 11th, 2010 at 5:36 pm

   Yes, yes and yes…..

   The Maverick 88 of course is the economy version of the Mossberg 500… Except for the differences in the trigger assembly, safety location and a couple of other details they really are the same gun. They both share the same barrels and have similar receivers……

   In person up close they look quite similar…. Mossberg doesn’t want people to see how similar they actually are…. If you look here at the Maverick 88 website you will note the photo’s are fuzzy and unclear….

   http://www.maverickarms.com/pages/88field.htm

   http://www.maverickarms.com/pages/88security.htm

   Hmmmmm???….. I wonder why they do that?…. Its because they want you to purchase the more expensive 500 shotgun instead…..

   I own many 500 / 590 Mossberg shotguns as well as a Maverick 88…. My 88 has been reliable and a pleasure to use…. I truly do not know if it is as heavy duty as the 500 models for abusive use…. For security work the 500 most likely is a heavier duty model and if you plan on using your shotgun a lot or under abusive condistions like combat shotgun competitions then the 88 may not be what you want……

   If you will only use the Maverick 88 now and then, maybe for a little hunting or to have around to just – well – have around then surely consider it….. The price in most places is pretty decent…..

   Its a pretty decent gun for the money….. If your tight on cash then surely consider one…..

6. akluis

   March 11th, 2010 at 5:36 pm

   Look, a man on a TIGHT budget should go to a gunshop and look in the used rack.

   Back in the 1960s or so, a LOT of stores sold shotguns, and you could buy a shotgun from a catalogue and have it delivered to your door. IOften these were named after the store, but sometimes they carried a different name

   Coast to Coast, JC Higgens, Mongomery Wards, Western auto, JC Penny, Kmart, Sears, Sears Ted Williams, Glenfield, Wards, Hawthorn, Speigel, etc etc.

   Thing is, these were usually shotguns from Mossberg, Winchester, Marlin, Remington, etc etc just made for the store.

   This will give you a real good shotgun for compraratively little money. Pump shotguns never wear out as long as they are kept clean. Heck, even some of the old guns with all the original bluing gone still shoot just fine.

   For $150 you can get a darn good pump by getting one of these off-brands that have been sitting in the broom closet under the stairs for 30 years, but got sold in the economic downturn.

   But there is even a cheaper option. It used to be that a single shot shotgun would cost a blue collar man half a weeks pay, but a pump would cost him three weeks pay. We just don’t have that price differential any more, but when it existed, there was a middle class of shotguns, those built around bolt actions. They generally would cost about a week and a half worth of pay, and were a good compromise for the working man. They don’t have the speed of a pump, but they are very close. Generally most are only 3 shots (most pumps hold 5, except those artificially limited for waterfowl hunting with the introduction of a wooden block into the tube) This was a big improvement over a single shot.

   Anyways, you can find some of these old guns in gunshops. Generally a rough condition one will run about $50-60, an really nice one will run $150, but there are plenty that are at or below $100 that will fire just fine, be internally in great condition, and on the outside be in pretty good condtion. If you are really ona tight budget, this is the shotgun for you.

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