Mossberg 535 Turkey/Waterfowl combo

[Hodgie]

Turkey Season is almost upon us and I am excited to get out there this year. I have secured 2 new spots one within walking distance and both have had turkey all over in the past so it should be a successful season. I own only a HD shot gun which wont due so it's time to invest in a Turkey gun. I handled a few today in a local sporting goods store both were Mossberg 535's the 1st was the Turkey/Waterfowl combo which is very light weight comes with Tru-Glo high Viz front and rear sights and 2 barrels 22" and 28". There was the other 535 combo which had a scope railed 28" ported rifled slug barrel and has a 24" standard smooth barrel with a few chokes.

The Camo Turkey/waterfowl combo is around $350.00 the other was $375.00 checked all the best online stores and those prices are actually better which surprised me. Anyone have any experience with the 535 line in general. Read some user reviews and it's the typical everything Mossberg sucks buy a Remington, or Remington sucks buy a Mossberg or both Mossberg and Remington suck buy a Benelli or Beretta. I have too little time or patients to sort out the fanboy/hater comments and arguments these day's I just want solid user opinions.

http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/p...2XXF28ACCU+MOI

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Mossb...bos/706421.uts

[Hobbs4421]

I had the 535 and it was a great gun! It shot great and pulled up beautifully with the fiber optic sights! I loved the power of the 3.5 mag turkey loads! It kicked like a mule but that was expected from a light gun with 3.5 inch chamber. I killed two turkeys beyond 50 yards with it(one was at 53 and the other was 62), and I killed a couple between 20 and 30 with it also. The only complaint I had was the heavy recoil.

I just purchased a Mossberg 835 with the Mathews Damper recoil system. It looks awesome, and I am excited to shoot it tomorrow.

Good luck with your decision. You cant go wrong with Mossberg, that safety is in the perfect spot!

[Hodgie]

Great thanks for the REAL user feedback it's looking more and more like it's the way to go and the best overall value for the money there is. It will be my 1st time out with a family member showing me the ropes so I am looking for entry level equipment to start off with.

Thanks again.

[zswartley]

My comments posted on link listed below.

http://forum.pafoa.org/shotguns-43/2...-any-good.html

Curious how Hobbs bagged so many birds since February with a 535, but never the less I would agree with the comment left above.

Recoil is a non-issue in the field. You will only ever feel it at the range. Just my .2 cents.

[Hodgie]

Thanks for the link and your personal experience with the 535. I ended up picking it up Friday night and I like it. I have not been able to put any shells through it yet. Hopefully I can get some cheap bird shot through it sometime this week.

[zswartley]

Awesome. Congrats.

I saw it in the "what did you buy today" thread.

Now you need some photos like this with your new girl...

[tollster]

I think you'll be pleased, I have the 835, and had it since its first year of induction, its been a good all round performer, and a good handler in tight quarters. Be sure to pattern it before heading out with a variety of loads at various yardages Hodg.. I purchased a box of those new Winchester turkey loads this past winter I want to pattern in mine, I think they are Winchester long beards, with some sort of engineering wonder in the wadding to help keep the load together for a longer distance after leaving the barrel..

Ohhh, and don't lay it down in the woods, you'll never find it! LOL

[win67]

Not a direct reply, but... Shotguns are my favorite of all types of firearms, and I have quite a few of them. At least one for every conceivable shotgun occasion. It has been my experience that any one of them can be used to do the job of any of the others- which, really, is the biggest reason to own a 12ga if you ask me. My clay gun has killed dozens of deer, my HD gun has broken hundreds of clays, and my deer gun has killed at least one of just about anything that's legal to hunt. But I just bought a second deer gun, a Mossberg of course, because a man can never have enough slide-action Mossbergs.

I think you'll enjoy your 535, and I think it will do what you want with less training on your part than would be required if you used a different scattergun. I'm a big fan of the shorter (22" and down) hunting barrels they offer, which for some reason I don't grasp, seem to be produced in very small numbers and are perpetually out of stock. To me, the biggest plus about Mossberg's pump guns is the number of cheap accessories available for them. It's like Barbie (R) for men!

[Hodgie]

Not a direct reply, but... Shotguns are my favorite of all types of firearms, and I have quite a few of them. At least one for every conceivable shotgun occasion. It has been my experience that any one of them can be used to do the job of any of the others- which, really, is the biggest reason to own a 12ga if you ask me. My clay gun has killed dozens of deer, my HD gun has broken hundreds of clays, and my deer gun has killed at least one of just about anything that's legal to hunt. But I just bought a second deer gun, a Mossberg of course, because a man can never have enough slide-action Mossbergs.

I think you'll enjoy your 535, and I think it will do what you want with less training on your part than would be required if you used a different scattergun. I'm a big fan of the shorter (22" and down) hunting barrels they offer, which for some reason I don't grasp, seem to be produced in very small numbers and are perpetually out of stock. To me, the biggest plus about Mossberg's pump guns is the number of cheap accessories available for them. It's like Barbie (R) for men!

Thank you for that information. I have a few shot guns already but they were 18" ex police models one Smith & Wesson 3000 and a Mossberg. The 2nd barrel this came with is a 28" field barrel that I was hoping to use for deer with rifled slugs. I am guessing that this will be okay to use for that purpose going by your post.

[win67]

That will work well.

Every shooter is different, but what I do with my main hunting gun is just leave the turkey barrel on it all year. The short barrel is very nice in the woods, and that way I don't have to pattern and train on two barrels. It kills deer just as dead as a longer barrel.