Mossberg Mav 88 for goose
- Thread starter shiz1
- Start date
- Location
- Blaster land, Okanagan BC
I’m a lefty too, they work just as well if your willing to learn how to use them.
A couple weeks ago a box store had the Maverick 88 with the 28 inch barrel on sale for $279.99 so in a month or two it may go on sale again - to the OP I would buy one if I were you since that is what I will be doing just to get the barrel and a parts gun
Are we arguing about the same thing here? I shoot right handed (thank God). I'm assuming that when lefties shoot the 870, disengaging the safety is the same as when I engage the safety: Roll the firing hand over the top of the stock until you can hit the safety with your thumb, yes? If so, you do have to break your grip on your firing hand.
Why the hell would I bother with a cross bolt safety that's the wrong way for me when I can get virtually the same gun with a tang safety that works great from either hand?
Good for you. I dont like cross bolt safeties when they're the correct hand, nevermind backwards. IMO the tang safety is superior even IF I didn't shoot left. Regardless of which hand I'm using I can flip the safety on or off without breaking my grip, and I don't have to think about which direction is safe and to me is an advantage. (As someone with guns with both right and left hand cross bolt safeties which side is safe isn't always the same)
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- Location
- Blaster land, Okanagan BC
Nope, LH index finger if high and in line with the bottom of the receiver or covering the trigger opening. LH middle finger can reach under the trigger guard to disengage the safety as you raise the gun to your shoulder. You don’t have to break your grip, works the same if you’re already shouldered, I’ve got med sized hands and can easily do it comfortably. Just takes some dry fire practice, then I’m not stuck with a mossberg and a tang safety.
Maverick 88 has the safety infront of the trigger guard, so I don't think your method would work with that.
Also I just tried your method on two of my 22s. On the Marlin 795 it works, but I need to twist my wrist in such a way that I cannot maintain a solid grip with my trigger hand. I don't have to completely remove my hand from the grip, but I definitely have to move my hand from its "normal" position. On my Winchester Wildcat the grip is closer to vertical than my 795, at which point my middle finger hits the trigger guard if I try your method, and I have to change my grip even more to reach it.
So while it might work for you, on your particular gun(s), I would suggest its not as easy as you think it is for everyone with every gun. The Wildcat has a reversible safety, so I don't have to deal with a wrong-handed safety on it. There exists a left-handed trigger for the 795 as well which I am going to look into getting for at least one of my rifles. I already wanted to order the DIP trigger guard, just need to find somewhere that can get me the lefty trigger at the same time...
Interesting. Feels bloody awkward on my 870, but maybe I'd get better with practice. Or maybe my mitts just aren't big enough, or flexible enough. I'll play around with it, I really like the idea of being able to operate the safety both directions without breaking grip.
Me too, thats why I got a 500 with a tang safety lol. (I also prefer the mossberg slide release behind the trigger guard rather than infront like the Remington, so to me the Mossberg wins on two fronts, but of course thats just personal preference).
- Location
- Blaster land, Okanagan BC
The size of your hand will make or break it with not breaking your grip, but as I said I’ve had no problem with med hands. Works even better if you add a jumbo safety to the equation, which is a must have upgrade for any shotgun once you’ve tried one. Doing it from a low ready or as you raise the gun to your shoulder is the best way and honestly its how most people seem to have the gun if the safety is engaged, it’s usually in your hands and not shouldered. Once I’ve got it mounted and I’m aiming the safety is already off and I’m not worried about breaking my grip.
im a lefty and while i liked my bpss for over a decade now i prefer the 870 wingmaster made for rh shooters and it is working great for me but never used the safety so cant say anything about it ...
- Location
- Blaster land, Okanagan BC
Yeah, I can relate to that. I mainly hunt with my shotguns and usually by myself, so I don’t use the safety much either. If I need to set it down I will unload it or open the action part way.
I figured I should get used to using the rh safety as a southpaw though, in case I need to use the thing at some point. A local club was hosting some friendly shotgun events before the whole covid panic hit and I was thinking of checking them out.
I just love the oversized dome head safety on all my 870s.
I even shortened the safety spring to make it easier to engage.
I don’t have to change one finger from my shooting position and to disengage the safety ...
The back of my RH index finder rests on the safety and the front tip touches the trigger ... a slight side ward push with my index finger and the safety is disengaged ... then a squeeze on the trigger and the shot breaks ...
(I am right handed)
I even shortened the safety spring to make it easier to engage.
I don’t have to change one finger from my shooting position and to disengage the safety ...
The back of my RH index finder rests on the safety and the front tip touches the trigger ... a slight side ward push with my index finger and the safety is disengaged ... then a squeeze on the trigger and the shot breaks ...
(I am right handed)
- Location
- Blaster land, Okanagan BC
It’s well worth doing, I look at it as part of the upgrades I do to any 870. I always upgrade the follower and mag tube spring, jumbo safety as well as a machined extractor. If it needs a chamber polish I’ll do that, as well as polish the bolt and action bar. 20-30 mins makes an express action feel like a Wingmaster.
