I hve an old mossberg 500. What should I update/ add to it to make it worthy of a fighting shotgun
Thanks for the information on the Hornady One Shot lube. One niggling comment: The 870 Express finish, at least on the vast majority of them, is NOT Parkerized. It is a bluing process of a very rough surface. It is almost as if Remington bead blasts the metal with a really coarse blast media that contains rusted steel.
Remington did and does Parkerize some 870 models, notably the 870P and the original 870 Special Purpose guns. I have a pair of Parkerized 870SP guns with oil-finished wood stocks that need no more attention than the 870P, while the 870 Express next to them in the safe needed the WD-40 treatment to stop it from turning into a giant pile of rust.
Learned something. I just assumed anything that dull and rough had to be parkerized, and also figured Rem went to it on the Express because it seems to be generally cheaper than bluing. Manganese phosphate (the generic term for parkerizing) doesn't have much corrosion resistance on its own, but it's basically a sponge grown on the surface of the iron. You can load it up with oil and it holds it really well, and it burnishes down to a nice, slick surface with use. But it's also soft, so it can be burnished away completely, too.
It's actually a fact that any blast media in service on steel does contain steel particles, and if the moisture in the air isn't controlled, they will be rusty. That's why it's necessary to completely sanitize a blast system that sees steel before using it on stainless or aluminum. You can embed microscopic bits of carbon steel in the surface of the other metal, which will turn into non-microscopic orange rust spots. It's best just to have separate, dedicated systems.
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Not another dime.
I'm sure the experts will chime in soon, but......
I found that the factory safety button was too slippery, especially with gloves. There are several replacement options but I like this one:
http://www.brownells.com/shotgun-par...prod26966.aspx
Replacing the magazine spring is a common recommendation, but it's harder on a 500 than a 590.
A white light.
A detachable sling.
There are all sorts of sight options if you don't like the standard bead -- everything from a Big Dot bead to ghost rings to red dots.
Unless there has been a recent change, the Express does not have a parkerized finish. It's merely rough and thinly blued.
I think the best suggestion was the one suggesting hitting the pawn shops, used racks at the gun shops and look for a older used 870 Wingmaster. I'd also suggest looking for something made prior to 1995, from what I've read, that seems to be about when Remington's quailty started to decline. Luckily, there are date codes stamped on the barrels so one could figure out when one was made. I'd look for a 870 made in the 70's or 80's, and as was mentioned before send it to Wilson Combat, and have them go through it. When yougot it back, you'd have a reliable well made shotgun, that should hold up for a long time. Seeing how Remington has made about 3 million of these things since the late 50's it should'nt be too hard to find a older Wingmaster in really good shape, seeing how most folks only used them a few times a year, and basically shot them very little.
Last edited by ralph; 09-09-2017 at 06:59 PM.
If everything was in-spec and working previously... I would replace both extractor springs (or keep a fresh set on hand), magazine spring (I used the WOLLF generic spring and cut it myself), remove ejector screw and re-torque with loctite.
When you replace the mag spring you will need to remove the magazine tube... use a heat gun and a strap wrench.
Vang Comp safety is a great upgrade. Also their magazine follower is great.
All this info is based on things I've had go wrong with my current Mossberg 500.
Last edited by warpedcamshaft; 09-09-2017 at 10:55 PM.
While you say that, I really, really recommend spending the $20 or so on a snap on Hi-Viz fiber optic bead. Makes a pretty big difference with a pretty small investment of money.
Sorry for going a bit off topic. Just thought it was worth mentioning.
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IDPA SSP classification: Sharpshooter
F.A.S.T. classification: Intermediate
Kind of a long shot, but does anyone have experience with Mossberg model 52134?
https://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/...51209/redirect
Seems decent for the price and comes with a short stock which I like, but I couldn't get an answer from Mossberg on if it was a parkerized finish or the shitty finish Remington puts on Express guns. They just kept repeating matte blue from the spec sheet at me until they beat me into submission.
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