Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Any Mossberg owners on the 🔥?

Mossberg 500 wearing the Western Field stamp from Western Auto hardware stores.

Best Christmas present I ever got at 14yo, and I still consider the best ever.

Patriot 350 L. took a management buck last month

This 70 year old Mossberg Mod 46 with adjustable peep seems to out shoot almost any modern/pricey sporter .22 (must be one great barrel). But, now has a bolt opening problem that has stumped me, and others, and can't find a replacement bolt anywhere. Can anyone help?

As for shotguns, after a lifetime of owning/shooting some more expensive and more highly developed/polished shotguns, a number of years ago I got rid of all others and settled on a Mossberg Model 835 Ultra Mag in camo with chokes for quail/ducks/geese/turkey etc. and a Mossberg 500A (12 ga) with long and short barrels for all else.

Nothing but satisfaction there - one of the best moves made.

Truly the best resource for rimfire rifles is rimfirecentral.com. There is a Mossberg specific forum. They are experts there and will have you sorted out quickly.

Got a model 500 home defense or whatever it's called. It's the only Mossberg I've ever owned.

Can anyone give more review on the Patriot rifles from Mossberg? I handled a Patriot Bantam in 7-08 a couple of days ago, considering it for a small new hunter’s first rifle. I was surprised at how well I liked it, surprisingly good trigger as factory set, liked the carbine length and the way it handled. How has the plastic magazine held up? Other pros and cons?

I have the Mossberg Maverick 88 12 gauge 3” magnum with two barrels. With the same barrel length and choke it kicks me more than a Remington 870 Express when shooting shells from the same box, which has to be due to stock design.

I have a MVP Varmint 5.56 that I really like. Have had many 22’s and shotguns over the years that never gave me any issues.

WesternField was Montgomery Wards house brand. Western Autos was "Revelation".

500 and 930, just to balance out the 870's

Check with these folks, they may be able to help you with a replacement bolt - https://www.havlinsales.com/

drover

I think I have a .22 SA rifle somewhere. It's so ugly with such a bad trigger pull I hid it.

I've had a 500 Mossberg 12 guage for years, never failed. Also an 800A in 308. The 800 uses the trigger as the bolt stop, not the best design. It was free. Given to me years ago by a lady down the street, after her husband died. It shoots fair when you get used to the trigger. It's killed coyotes and deer since it's been with me.

I bought a Patriot in 6.5 CM for one of my son's friends to use on his first deer hunt and I like it much better than the Savage Axis. Other than the trigger, I think that it is a pretty good rifle. It shoots MOA 3-shot groups with the Hornady American Whitetail 129 grain factory load. My experience seems to be the exception, as many people have posted Youtube videos about their negative experiences with the Patriots that they bought. I've never thought highly of the 4th(?) generation Raptor until I bought this one, but this one has worked well.

Thanks grouseman and drover - appreciate your suggestions. A while back I put the message on Rimfire Central - good folks there - they mainly pointed me to some available bolts, but all were for the next one or two models of that 46 and will not fit the original design. They also suggested Havlin - seems to be the main source for Mossberg .22 stuff - but already had talked with them and they said "no bolt available".

Am thinking the "will not open/cock" issue has to do either with some problem with the internal spring or with the current slope of the bolt twist facing, which may be worn. That face seems soft compared to the hard pin that rides on it.

Have taken the entire bolt assembly apart more than once (a bit tricky) and cannot find an issue with that spring - so? Am about ready to try "building up" that softer cocking slope a bit to change the angle of engagement. Any thoughts?

A lot of the young redneck duck hunters I checked 15 or more years ago were shooting Mossberg 3 1/2 inch magnum 12 gauges and they usually only shot them for one season and got rid of them because of punishing recoil. They claimed the recoil was terrible with 3 inch loads also. Probably were shooting steel out of full chokes.

My first shotgun was a 20ga bolt with poly choke.
The sleeve was split when I got it, Dad tightened it up as tight as
it could get and shot it. Just got a glimpse of it going out of sight.
A piece of EMT in the garage seemed right, so he cut a chunk and
drove it on. Killed a bunch of squirrels with that POS. Found a Poly-Choke sleeve at a gun show and fixed it later. Hasnt left the closet in years.
It's not worth the space in the safe.


A little bolt 22. Has the pivoting forearm. Sling swivels through the stock to side mount the sling. 141K, I think.

It was Paps summer/winter deer rifle. Has killed more deer than most
centerfires. Only feeds if you push up on the mag as you work the bolt.
It lives in the safe. One of my more valuable rifles!


Had a New Haven 12ga pump with the twisty choke.
It worked reliably only
had it awhile and traded it. One gun of 4 I've ever left go of.
No remorse.


Everyone brags up the reliability of those pumps. From what I have
seen, i was astonished when the military adopted one.
Have seen more folks have issue with them than 870s or Winchesters.
Maybe it is just who had them.

On my 2nd 835 traded off my other a few yrs ago like a dam fool.A few years ago I had a “whitetail” lightning 270 I picked up cheap like $150 cheap.Birch stock push feed REM clone it did the job but I felt like a cheap whore using it moved on to better things sold it and doubled my profits.

Mossberg 4X4 in .30-06 and Maverick in .270. Both are accurate with the 4x4 being my favorite deer rifle.

Have a 500 and a 930, love them. Back in the 70's and 80's I sold a bunch of 395K's Bolt action "barn guns"

quote=KFWA]I've always figured a Mossberg 500 was part of a gun starter kit, along with a Ruger 10/22 and a Marlin 336 (in .30-30)

Just assumed everyone had one at one point or another.[/quote]


That's actually a good list.