Caribou Gear

I just received my pre-owned 1990-vintage Mossberg 500A1 via Internet order today but some bad news!

The first shotgun I ever bought was a good ol' Mosberg 500. I think I paid $89 in 1972. When I stayed out in the rain too long the forearm would swell up to where I couldn't muscle it back no matter how hard I tried. Damn thing fell out of my canoe into the lake sometime in the 80's. If I had known that sometime in the future some damn fool would pay $300 for it, I might have tried to fish it out, Jam a choak tube down the chamber and made a better than 200 percent profit on my investment. Where's that crystal ball when you need it?

Let's go get it this summer. The way our lake levels have been I can almost guarantee I can swim down that far. We can split the profit 60/40.
 
Let's go get it this summer. The way our lake levels have been I can almost guarantee I can swim down that far. We can split the profit 60/40.
Probably wouldn't have to swim. It was in 4 to 5 feet of water in Pelican Bay on Klamath Lake. As dry as it's been over there you could just walk out and pick it up.
 
Man the hate towards mossbergs bums me out. I have 3 and all of them have been flawless. My 500 20g pump ive had since i was 12 when it was gifted to me from my dad. Its put down so many rabbits and birds. My 500 12g pump I got after highschool for bird hunting. Cheap and effective, but i perfer the 20g personally. My first rifle I ever purchased was a mossberg 30-06. It has killed by far the vast majority of my deer deader then dead.

Never had an issue with any of these guns.
I have other shotguns in the safe but pulled out the 500 on Thursday for a duck hunt because it was -10 and I knew it would function well. Shot a limit in short order.
 
I still have my 1984 circa Model 500 in 12 gauge and it works flawlessly. Has killed a boatload of partridge, pheasant, woodcock, rabbits, a couple of deer, a pile of turkeys and even a few coyotes and even dissuaded a burglar who had entered my house with bad intentions.. It never jams shoots every time and fits me pretty well..

It may not be pretty, (it's been more than slightly abused,) but I would trust it with my life and has fired a shipping container of shells over the years.. Keep it clean and the action is smooth as silk and still shows little sign of internal wear.. The 500 is a great gun and is a proven performer.. I even have a 500 in 20 gauge that I now carry to bird hunt with as it's a little lighter with a 24 inch barrel vs the 28 inch on the 12.

I guess to each his own. BTW I've owned a couple of very nice doubles, both LC smith and Fox sxs's and a Ruger Red label as well as a Browning Citori o/u as well as a very nice sweet 16 Browning, however the old 500 has stayed while the others have gone their way.. Maybe because it was the first gun I bought on my own after turning 18 is why I've kept it.. I don't know but I do like it...
 
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Can't believe I just wasted 6 minutes of my day on the thread. :(
I should know better with TT threads.

Oh come on, this was a great thread! The man paid $450 for a "pre-owned vintage" Mossberg 500(!) because he liked the checkering and thinks it was lovingly made by baby boomers and not cranked out of a factory like the (literal) other 11 million Mossberg 500s that have been sold. And then, when it shows up, it's got a choke tube jammed in the chamber! And he gave us pictures. How do you not appreciate the lengths TT is willing to go to for your entertainment?
 
Good news! My local gunsmith saved my barrel yesterday. He pulled the choke tube out of the chamber of the field barrel. It was an Improved Cylinder. No damage to the chamber thankfully. It passed his inspection so its safe to shoot. Is for the scratched on the LH side of the recover. He didn't even charge me. Adam, my gunsmith in Lawton, Oklahoma of Adams Automatics, told me that it's aluminum and can't be touched up with bluing like steel. It has to be sent out and anodized by a specialist to get that factory gloss black finish fixed. He told me it can cost up to $300. He only does Parkerizing and Cerakote and his specialty is machine guns. So, my black Sharpie will have to do for now.
 
Good news! My local gunsmith saved my barrel yesterday. He pulled the choke tube out of the chamber of the field barrel. It was an Improved Cylinder. No damage to the chamber thankfully. It passed his inspection so its safe to shoot. Is for the scratched on the LH side of the recover. He didn't even charge me. Adam, my gunsmith in Lawton, Oklahoma of Adams Automatics, told me that it's aluminum and can't be touched up with bluing like steel. It has to be sent out and anodized by a specialist to get that factory gloss black finish fixed. He told me it can cost up to $300. He only does Parkerizing and Cerakote and his specialty is machine guns. So, my black Sharpie will have to do for now.
I didn't think it would take much to get it out. Now you have an extra choke for it. Aluminum receiver? I guess he checked it out for you. Those didn't hold up well back then no matter who made them. Better alloys these days.
 
I didn't think it would take much to get it out. Now you have an extra choke for it. Aluminum receiver? I guess he checked it out for you. Those didn't hold up well back then no matter who made them. Better alloys these days.
The gun was made circa 1990 according to running the serial number. I don't beat my guns anyway. The extra choke (I/C) he pulled out had a damaged skirt and the smith did not recommend using it so I tossed it at home. He said I could use ordinary automotive grease on choke tube threads if I want instead of buying the costly anti-seize stuff. I have a bunch of car care supplies and and auto tools having been an automobile mechanic by former trade. I do most of the upkeep work on my own car.

I have just one good modified choke for the gun now. For dove, I probably should get an I/C and a Skeet for that field barrel and I need a Mossy choke wrench to boot.

I also need an 18 1/2" blued security barrel for my Mossy 500. Ebay has them but they are listed there at $200+. The normal price is about $120-$125 but they are out of stock everywhere that cheap. Even Mossberg & Sons themselves are out of stock. Everybody and his brother has a Mossy pump and everybody and his brother wants a "burglar" barrel for them to boot. My Remmy 870 Express tactical is doing home guard now but eventually I want to get rid of it. The Mossy is so much nicer on fingers to load and unload shells. I don't see my Mossy with a 28" field barrel on it doing home defense.
 
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Good news! My local gunsmith saved my barrel yesterday. He pulled the choke tube out of the chamber of the field barrel. It was an Improved Cylinder. No damage to the chamber thankfully. It passed his inspection so its safe to shoot. Is for the scratched on the LH side of the recover. He didn't even charge me. Adam, my gunsmith in Lawton, Oklahoma of Adams Automatics, told me that it's aluminum and can't be touched up with bluing like steel. It has to be sent out and anodized by a specialist to get that factory gloss black finish fixed. He told me it can cost up to $300. He only does Parkerizing and Cerakote and his specialty is machine guns. So, my black Sharpie will have to do for now.
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The gun was made circa 1990 according to running the serial number. I don't beat my guns anyway. The extra choke (I/C) he pulled out had a damaged skirt and the smith did not recommend using it so I tossed it at home. He said I could use ordinary automotive grease on choke tube threads if I want instead of buying the costly anti-seize stuff. I have a bunch of car care supplies and and auto tools having been an automobile mechanic by former trade. I do most of the upkeep work on my own car.

I have just one good modified choke for the gun now. For dove, I probably should get an I/C and a Skeet for that field barrel and I need a Mossy choke wrench to boot.

I also need an 18 1/2" blued security barrel for my Mossy 500. Ebay has them but they are listed there at $200+. The normal price is about $120-$125 but they are out of stock everywhere that cheap. Even Mossberg & Sons themselves are out of stock. Everybody and his brother has a Mossy pump and everybody and his brother wants a "burglar" barrel for them to boot. My Remmy 870 Express tactical is doing home guard now but eventually I want to get rid of it. The Mossy is so much nicer on fingers to load and unload shells. I don't see my Mossy with a 28" field barrel on it doing home defense.
I believe Mossberg and Winchoke are the same as original Browning Invector chokes (NOT Invector+). All are interchangeable. A wrench for any of those should work. I actually made a Remchoke wrench work for Invector. Required trimming the nubbins on the wrench a bit with Dremel tool. Lots of those chokes are up on eBay all the time.

A 28" barrel will kill an intruder just as dead as the stumpy door crasher variety.

At the range I shoot 15-18 boxes of shells per week through my Browning A5. Never put any grease on the choke tubes and lucky if I clean the gun once a week. Never had a choke get stuck.
 
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I have a 500 I bought in Nevada probably 30 years ago or so before I moved back home. Drug it all over hunting chukar and quail. Shot piles of geese over decoys and ducks out at Stillwater. Never a problem. Still have it. I'm far from a shotgun snob. If it shoots, great. Hell, I've killed elk with my 870. mtmuley
 
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