Hello to all - - A gently-aged "senior" guy checking in.
I'm a retired career LEO recently re-located from the SE U.S. to the Pacific NW, to be nearer family. I'm not new to scatter guns, having used 12 gaugers most of my career (Rem 870's & Winch 1200's - but NO Mossbergs). Until recently my personal "closet gun" was a 12 ga, but my old and creaking joints were suffering from the kick, so I decided to drop down to 20 ga. Local FFL's being empty of good used shotguns I went onto GB and managed to pick up a really nice "Western Field" (Montgomery Wards) M550CR 20 ga for a decent price. The gun bore no manufacturers marks at all (!) so before making an offer on it, I determined its heritage thanks to this site >http://www.hoosiergunworks.com/catalog/cross_reference.html < and, TA-DA - here I am, the proud owner of what turned out to be a Mossberg 500. For its age the gun was well cared for and minimally used. Bright shiny bore - no rust/corrosion - mostly scratch/dent free wood and only a little wear showing on the bluing. It has a 26" bbl with a C-lect choke on it, and the original magazine plug was still in place.
I subscribe to every site specific to the make of gun I own, and I'll probably mainly just be a 'lurker' here. I find that most of what I learn is from current and previous posts and from the to-and-fro among the members. Anything I'd like to know or ask (especially about older pieces) has usually already been covered, or will be, eventually.
My current quandary is; This will replace an 18" 12 ga 870 as my "closet gun" and since it's a mass-production gun of relatively minimal overall value, what say you about the advisability of shortening the barrel to a more manageable length, say 20"+/- (???) and sacrificing a few inches of barrel and the built-in C-lect choke??
I'm happy to be "eligible' to join the group, and thanx in advance for any feedback.
Bob G. .
I'm a retired career LEO recently re-located from the SE U.S. to the Pacific NW, to be nearer family. I'm not new to scatter guns, having used 12 gaugers most of my career (Rem 870's & Winch 1200's - but NO Mossbergs). Until recently my personal "closet gun" was a 12 ga, but my old and creaking joints were suffering from the kick, so I decided to drop down to 20 ga. Local FFL's being empty of good used shotguns I went onto GB and managed to pick up a really nice "Western Field" (Montgomery Wards) M550CR 20 ga for a decent price. The gun bore no manufacturers marks at all (!) so before making an offer on it, I determined its heritage thanks to this site >http://www.hoosiergunworks.com/catalog/cross_reference.html < and, TA-DA - here I am, the proud owner of what turned out to be a Mossberg 500. For its age the gun was well cared for and minimally used. Bright shiny bore - no rust/corrosion - mostly scratch/dent free wood and only a little wear showing on the bluing. It has a 26" bbl with a C-lect choke on it, and the original magazine plug was still in place.
I subscribe to every site specific to the make of gun I own, and I'll probably mainly just be a 'lurker' here. I find that most of what I learn is from current and previous posts and from the to-and-fro among the members. Anything I'd like to know or ask (especially about older pieces) has usually already been covered, or will be, eventually.
My current quandary is; This will replace an 18" 12 ga 870 as my "closet gun" and since it's a mass-production gun of relatively minimal overall value, what say you about the advisability of shortening the barrel to a more manageable length, say 20"+/- (???) and sacrificing a few inches of barrel and the built-in C-lect choke??
I'm happy to be "eligible' to join the group, and thanx in advance for any feedback.
Bob G. .
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