First time Shotgun buyer...need some suggestions

[PhilaShooter]

Hey all, I'm new to the shotgun world. I was just at my local gun shop today and I have been really wanting a shotgun for home defense for a while. They had a Maverick 88 12ga for $285 with 2 boxes of ammo out the door price. I was also told it WAS a Mossberg 500, now I know it is not. Is this a good price or can I find it cheaper ??? It is brand new, holds 8 rounds +1 in the barrel, sporter stock comes installed with an optional pistol grip (no stock) that I can replace the sporter stock with, just has a bead sight and IIRC a 20" barrel although it could have been an 18" barrel, not 100% on this. I really like the after-market folding stock with pistol grip but don't know how good they are or if they're reliable and durable.

Also is this a good, reliable, durable shotgun ?? From my understand it is still made by Mossberg...as a less expensive alternative, is that correct ?? Also does that mean it would pass the same US Army test that the actual Mossberg 500 was the only one to pass ??

I don't know much about shotguns at all. I know of the Remington 870, Mossburg 500 and 590 but that's about it, and I don't know anything really about them or what's best for what scenario.

Any and all help is MUCH appreciated, I asked if the deal for $285 with 2 boxes of ammo out the door price could be held until this Tuesday, they said ok so I have until Tuesday to figure this out. Thanks in advance.


P.S. I COULD also have the option of possibly buying a SPAS-12 shotgun from a friends dad. IF he is willing to part with it the price would be like $600, is this better ??


NOTE: Now knowing that is was the Maverick 88 I was looking at they also had a Mossberg 500 there, with just a pistol grip and it was also used IIRC. I believe the price was like $350 or $400. I do not know how much it has been fired, it seemed to be in VERY good condition though.

[rscheckler]

The 590 has been used by the military for years (mainly the US Navy and US Marine Corps). You will be able to find a host of after market parts for it. The only bad thing I can see with the Mossberg is the recoil. I have heard that the Mossberg has one of the hardest recoils of any Tactical Shotgun around.

Also, you never made mention.....is this gun new or used? If used do you have any idea approx how many rounds have been fired? There is a lot to take into account when knowing if the price mentioned above is a "good deal". If it's used I would seriously take a look to make sure the internals are all in good working order. Those tactical shotguns have been known to take a lot of abuse depending on where they came from.

Any other info that you could provide will greatly help with answering the questions you posted.

[PhilaShooter]

The 590 has been used by the military for years (mainly the US Navy and US Marine Corps). You will be able to find a host of after market parts for it. The only bad thing I can see with the Mossberg is the recoil. I have heard that the Mossberg has one of the hardest recoils of any Tactical Shotgun around.


EDIT: Also, you never made mention.....is this gun new or used? If used do you have any idea approx how many rounds have been fired? There is a lot to take into account when knowing if the price mentioned above is a "good deal".

Hey sorry I was wrong about which one it was, called my buddy to double check. It was actually the Mossburg 500 Maverick with just a bead front sight and it was also brand new.

What about the SPAZ then ? Better recoil, reliability, durability ?

[rscheckler]

Hey sorry I was wrong about which one it was, called my buddy to double check. It was actually the Mossburg 500 Maverick with just a bead front sight and it was also brand new.

What about the SPAZ then ? Better recoil, reliability, durability ?

I'm a bit confused....I am familiar with the Mossburg 500. Very nice gun. In fact its the only shotgun to pass the US Army's Mil-Spec 3443E test. What worries me about your last comment is that you followed up the Mossburg 500 title with "Maverick". Mossberg also markets a less expensive shotgun under the Maverick Arms name: the Mossberg Maverick 88, in blued finish, with synthetic stocks. Maverick and Mossberg shotguns share some similar parts, but Maverick shotguns differ in some ways, such as lacking sling swivel studs and having cross-bolt safeties instead of tang safeties. Also, the factory warranty on Maverick shotguns are limited to one year.

Also, Is the "SPAZ" that you are referring to a Franchi SPAS-12?

[PhilaShooter]

I'm a bit confused....I am familiar with the Mossburg 500. Very nice gun. In fact its the only shotgun to pass the US Army's Mil-Spec 3443E test. What worries me about your last comment is that you followed up the Mossburg 500 title with "Maverick". Mossberg also markets a less expensive shotgun under the Maverick Arms name: the Mossberg Maverick 88, in blued finish, with synthetic stocks. Maverick and Mossberg shotguns share some similar parts, but Maverick shotguns differ in some ways, such as lacking sling swivel studs and having cross-bolt safeties instead of tang safeties. Also, the factory warranty on Maverick shotguns are limited to one year.

Also, Is the "SPAZ" that you are referring to a Franchi SPAS-12?

Sorry I am kind of confused myself now, lol. Let me check google for some images real quick on the 2, the Mossburg 500 and the Maverick 88. I do NOT want a cheap knock off ya know. If this helps it comes with a sporter stock installed and in the box was just a pistol grip you could put on, no stock.

And yes it is a Franchi SPAS-12 with folding stock and a hook also.

[smitty56]

Hey sorry I was wrong about which one it was, called my buddy to double check. It was actually the Mossburg 500 Maverick with just a bead front sight and it was also brand new.

What about the SPAZ then ? Better recoil, reliability, durability ?

http://spas12.com/spassafety.htm

FYI,
This weapon was recalled in 1991 because touching the safety could easily FIRE the weapon. The lever was supposed to be replaced but since then, all the companies that touched it have gone out of business. I didn't say it exactly right but the link above explains it pretty well.
For high tech, it is a very cool gun but it is pretty heavy and not easily handled as compared to other suggestions in this thread.
When I shoot the SPAS, I only do so at the range and pretend it has NO safety. Of course I kind of treat all my guns like they might go off if I pointed them unsafely at something I didn't want to shoot.
Smitty56

[Tomcat088]

http://spas12.com/spassafety.htm

FYI,
This weapon was recalled in 1991 because touching the safety could easily FIRE the weapon. The lever was supposed to be replaced but since then, all the companies that touched it have gone out of business. I didn't say it exactly right but the link above explains it pretty well.
For high tech, it is a very cool gun but it is pretty heavy and not easily handled as compared to other suggestions in this thread.
When I shoot the SPAS, I only do so at the range and pretend it has NO safety. Of course I kind of treat all my guns like they might go off if I pointed them unsafely at something I didn't want to shoot.
Smitty56

I'm glad that Smitty posted this up, it was something that I wanted to mention. There's a thread on the forum about the SPAS and the warning, and I'm glad that the link was posted. NOT ALL Franchi SPAS-12 shotguns have the lever safety. It's also hard to tell exactly what kind of condition a SPAS 12 is in, unless you know what you're looking at, some of them don't age very well. There's is a rubber shock absorber in the foldering stock that stops the slide, lots of them don't age well. If the shotgun is fires a lot when these aren't intact, it can damage the slide, or the frame of the shotgun. You also want to check the o-ring in the gas system. I don't know how available these parts are, or what they cost, but it's definitely something that you need to look at. If the rails or frame of the shotgun are damaged, then it may not be a good buy; hard to tell without inspecting the shotgun. It's also hard to tell what the price would be since the demand for them changes over the years, aftermarket parts availability has changed, and safety issues also scare some people.

As far as the Mossberg 500 and the Maverick 88, I want to mention 1 issue that most people don't talk about. You MUST be careful with the elevator assembly. This is the part that picks up the shell when the action is open, and lifts/elevates it up, so that the bolt will chamber the round as the shotgun is pumped forward. It is held in place by 2 holes on the side of the receiver that are OPEN. While this isn't something that could happen under "normal conditions", it CAN still happen sometimes, because I'VE HAD IT HAPPEN somehow. If part of the elevator assembly is pushed in, and it gets out of the hole in the receiver, the gun WILL lock up. I'm talking about COMPLETE lockup, where you have to disassemble the gun and get it apart. If you notice it before the shotgun is pumped at all, you might could use a small object to get the elevator assembly back in the hole. If you did not notice it, and started to rack the shotgun, the elevator assembly willy shift, get cock eyed, and the gun is locked up. Usually you're racking it to eject the empty and get a new one, so you wouldn't even be stuck with a "1 shot gun". I don't know how it happened with my buddy's initially, but we got it out of the pickup, he went to pump the gun, and it locked up. I disassembled it, and if you don't know how it all goes together, lol, it'll take you a while; got it all back together and running fine. I noticed what went wrong though, and if you simply push in the elevator assembly there, it'll do it EVERY TIME. I can see how in a closet, not in a case, or in some heavy brush, how it would be possible to push in the elevator assembly. I'm not trying to knock the Mossberg 500, I just want people to be aware of this issue. It might be enough to make people consider a Remington 870, Benelli, or other. I don't really have a preference, and like them all; I just don't want people to think that the Mossberg 500 is indestructable, it can be easily put out of commission in the way I've stated.

[ByAnyMeans]

I would forget about the SPAS-12 for home defense. Many cheaper and lighter shotguns out their that are jsut as good, now for a range toy that's a different story.

Personally I use Winchester 1300 speedpump as a home defense shotgun. It's very smooth and the fastest pump shotgun I have ever used.

That being said I would buy a Mossberg Maverick if I did not plan on using it much but if I was going to be practicing with it alot then pony up for the Mossberg 500. I bought one recently off Gunbroker used for 200 shipped. That's 225 with FFL fee. It was in very good condition and I used it to create a fun range toy. If I wanted it for home defense then I would stick a shell holder on the stock and it's ready for home defense. I would also have a quick attach sling and pouch with more shells ready for any serious social work that may come up. This and a few thousand broken skeets will have you on you way.

[PhilaShooter]

I'm glad that Smitty posted this up, it was something that I wanted to mention. There's a thread on the forum about the SPAS and the warning, and I'm glad that the link was posted. NOT ALL Franchi SPAS-12 shotguns have the lever safety. It's also hard to tell exactly what kind of condition a SPAS 12 is in, unless you know what you're looking at, some of them don't age very well. There's is a rubber shock absorber in the foldering stock that stops the slide, lots of them don't age well. If the shotgun is fires a lot when these aren't intact, it can damage the slide, or the frame of the shotgun. You also want to check the o-ring in the gas system. I don't know how available these parts are, or what they cost, but it's definitely something that you need to look at. If the rails or frame of the shotgun are damaged, then it may not be a good buy; hard to tell without inspecting the shotgun. It's also hard to tell what the price would be since the demand for them changes over the years, aftermarket parts availability has changed, and safety issues also scare some people.

As far as the Mossberg 500 and the Maverick 88, I want to mention 1 issue that most people don't talk about. You MUST be careful with the elevator assembly. This is the part that picks up the shell when the action is open, and lifts/elevates it up, so that the bolt will chamber the round as the shotgun is pumped forward. It is held in place by 2 holes on the side of the receiver that are OPEN. While this isn't something that could happen under "normal conditions", it CAN still happen sometimes, because I'VE HAD IT HAPPEN somehow. If part of the elevator assembly is pushed in, and it gets out of the hole in the receiver, the gun WILL lock up. I'm talking about COMPLETE lockup, where you have to disassemble the gun and get it apart. If you notice it before the shotgun is pumped at all, you might could use a small object to get the elevator assembly back in the hole. If you did not notice it, and started to rack the shotgun, the elevator assembly willy shift, get cock eyed, and the gun is locked up. Usually you're racking it to eject the empty and get a new one, so you wouldn't even be stuck with a "1 shot gun". I don't know how it happened with my buddy's initially, but we got it out of the pickup, he went to pump the gun, and it locked up. I disassembled it, and if you don't know how it all goes together, lol, it'll take you a while; got it all back together and running fine. I noticed what went wrong though, and if you simply push in the elevator assembly there, it'll do it EVERY TIME. I can see how in a closet, not in a case, or in some heavy brush, how it would be possible to push in the elevator assembly. I'm not trying to knock the Mossberg 500, I just want people to be aware of this issue. It might be enough to make people consider a Remington 870, Benelli, or other. I don't really have a preference, and like them all; I just don't want people to think that the Mossberg 500 is indestructable, it can be easily put out of commission in the way I've stated.

Hey Tomcat, yea I saw the thread you have mentioned from back in 08 IIRC. About the lever safety being a huge problem b/c it could fire when putting it on safe. The fact that anyone who previously worked on these is out of buisness doesn't sound good...unless a gunsmith could do some custom work to fix this. Even if I just keep it as is and don't use the lever GOD forbid I accidentaly hit it or someone else did....that's a big risk.

As far as what you have mentioned about the 500 that does sound like a concern, I have no previous experience with them or any shotgun for that matter. I am researching right now the 500 and the Rem. 870 to see which is more basic and simple to take apart and keep in good working condition.

Do you have to keep these oiled like some rifles ? Also what would be the best home defense round to use for a shotgun ?

[jcabin]

EDIT: I mis-stated the shotgun it was actually the Mossburg 500 Maverick, with just a bead front sight. Also it was brand new

I wouldn't pay more than $150 for a NEW maverick 12 guage.