Mossberg Shotguns?
Should i get a mossberg 500 or a mossberg 535? I will be hunting birds (doves.phesant.exc), deer, squirrel, and some other small game. I want the combo because of the rifled deer barrel. I want a 12 gauge. i have a 20 and a 16 already. Anyone ever shot both or have both? help me out!
I was leaning towards the 500 anyway. But 3.5 shells are those the ones that are like 8.00 a box? I would like to also turkey hunt.
how much is an 870 express combo. How much is a Mossberg 500 or 535 combo? I have been told that 870 are better but, the Mossbergs are LOTS lighter.
Tagged with: 12 gauge • 870 express combo • birds • deer • doves • hunting • mossberg 500 • mossberg 535 • shells • small game • squirrel • turkey hunt
Filed under: mossberg shotguns
You can buy the 500 and a deer barrel and still be under the retail price of that 535 combo, though. But….and this is a big but….535’s (nib) often turn up on the auctions for less than 500’s (nib). Their resale value isn’t too terrific.
The *only* thing the 535 has going for it over the 500 is the extended chamber. You can fire 3.5" shells. Trust me when I say that sounds great but it’s the next closest thing to worthless you’ll ever spend your money on. If you go for the 535, you’ll most likely be like every other shooter and fire maybe three 3.5" shells in the entire time you own the weapon.
3.5" sounds grand….it ain’t.
On the downside, if you go 535, you’ll not be able to switch out all the neato 500 addons that your shooting buddies can. No blackpowder barrel. No extended mags. No shorty home defense barrels etc. All you have is sporting and nothing more.
I’m a big Mossy fan. Own eleven 500’s of different types and four Maverick 88’s. My suggestion, based on my own personal tastes, is the 500 line.
The 3.5" shells run from a buck a shot up to $5 per pop. If you saw some for $8, it was for a box of 10.
Folks did just fine hunting turkey with 2 3/4" shells long before 3" ones were available. Turkey’s aren’t rhinos. if you can’t kill it with a 3" shell, you don’t need to be shooting at it.
A 3 1/2" shell can throw 2ozs of lead down range per trigger pul….a 3" can throw 1 7/8". There’s not much diff there.
Addendum re Auburn: A Mossy 500 has a spring on the action bars at the forearm that specifically prevents wobbly forearms….if yours is loose, I suggest you have it serviced.
Instead of the Mossberg 500, I would opt for the Remington 870 in 12 gauge. If you have a Mossberg 500 AND a Remington 870 you will immediatley be able to tell the difference in quality. My brother has an M500 and I have a Rem 870. The forend of his Mossberg is extremely shaky and wobbly feeling. My Remington is extremely solid. Get a Remington 870 with around a 26-30" barrel with Rem Choke. This way you’ll be able to change out the chokes w/o having to buy new barrels.
Remington makes fine shotguns. But I myself am partial to Mossbergs. I love them. And had great success with them.
I recommend the Mossberg 835 Ulti-Mag. It has all the features. Over bored, chambered for 3.5 inch shells, ported, etc. And you can pick them up for around $300 with a camo paint job.
Good luck with whatever Mossberg you decide to get.
Miketyson26
I have a Mossberg 500 and an 835 Turkey Tactical. I shot with the 500 for about 3 years with no problems. Its a great all around gun. But it had a 26" barrell and thats great for reducing recoil and increasing accuracy but ever since I bought the 835 my 500 has just been collecting dust in my gun safe. I love the pistol grip and the telescoping stock that the Turkey Tactical has. It allows my to set the gun to my arm length instead of trying to shoot something uncomfortably, and the pistol grip is, in my opinion, the best thing that ever happened to the hard hitting 3.5" chambered shotguns. Im not a big wing shooter so I don’t know how the grip would handle out in the dove field but as far as turkey’s go, you can’t beat it.
Mossberg 500 is all you really need for your purpose.* You can still shoot rifled slugs from it for Deer.* Don’t waste your $$$ just get the 500.* I use Remington Brand Sluggers in mine.*…
I bought a used Mossberg 835 Ulti-mag for $150… a few dings on the stock but the action was super-smooth. Don’t disregard the value of a used gun. I like it a heck of a lot more than any Remington I’ve ever shot.
Unless you plan to do lots of waterfowl hunting, I believe the M-500 will be your better choice.
Doc