Mossberg 500 vs Maverick 88?

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"J" man

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Hi, a friend is selling me his fully rifled slug barrel that came off of his Mossberg 500 combo he purchased for waterfowl. He is selling it real cheap to me, so I'm basically looking for a bare bones model of either the Maverick 88 or Mossberg 500. The stock is of no importance to me either as I will be upgrading to a Hogue set. I believe most parts, including barrel are interchangeable between the 2, is this correct? My question is whether the 500 is worth the extra premium? I know the trigger group/safety is different, but is that it? Is the quality the same? Which one would you go for and why?

Thanks,
"J" man
 
krchov said:
the maverick is very cheap go with the 500 way better quality
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I have owned both. Absolutely false. The Maverick 88 is identical to the 500 with the exception of the crossbolt safety. The Maverick even wears a 500 barrel. I currently have a Mossberg 500 waterfowl.
 
the Maverick is a no-frills version of the Mossberg shotguns. The differences are: Maverick has crossbolt safety instead of tang safety, not drilled and tapped for reciever rail, action bars pinned to a 1 piece synthetic forend, blued steel and gloss black finish on reciever. The Mossbergs have a matte finish on tactical models, better bluing on sporting models and a steel forend tube that accepts aftermarket forends. They are the same shotgun otherwise and your friends barrel will screw right on no problems. The Maverick 88 is quite a bit cheaper than the Mossberg 500, but the price savings are in less features rather than lower quality. Decide which one you prefer and go from there.
 
I had a Maverick 88 got it during the summer time as a back-up hunting or clay bird shotgun for a friend. You know what’s the best thing about the Maverick 88? It’s like an iPhone vs a Nokia Classic. Which one would you rather throw at the wall? Or in the hunting case, which one would you rather have your friend drop into the lake never to see it again.

Anyways, in the time that I had my 88, it was a very likeable shotgun. It looked cheap but ran just as well as any Mossberg 500 I’ve ever seen.
 
My 88 has been put side by side with a Rem 870 for thelast 20 years ... I use an 88, my hunting partner has the 870. The guns spend their hunt seasons in the same boat, same brush, dirt, snow, ice, etc.. runnning the same ammo. With the exception of both guns freezing up in severe conditions and being rather hard to pump, never had an issue with either that a wash in river water wouldn't fix. Only difference is the his 870 won't cycle 3" shells and mine will.

I don't think a person could go wrong with an 88. Expecially for the price of them. Mine has far exceeded all my wildest expectations. I bought it fresh out of high-school and hoped it would last me a couple seasons until I could afford something "better" ... 20 years later, I've never found a reason to replace it - and if I ever have to, it will be with another 88.
 
Or in the hunting case said:
I would leave those friends at home. Please don't tell me that happened to you.
:) If so, a Golden Retriever would be a more reliable companion in the future.
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All good points, and I was going to go with the 88 until I checked out what wholesalesports.com had to offer and I saw this: http://ca.wholesalesports.com/storefront/firearms/pump-action-shotguns/500-jic-ii-pump/prod297567.html

For $300 I moved on it quick. It's perfect cause I was really just after the receiver/mag anyway. If my 20" rifled slug mossy barrel will fit into the case, BONUS! It's just 1.5" bigger than the one that came with it so there's a very good chance. Not to mention it's cantilever so I can take it on and off without affecting zero. Also comes with tools so I can mount a full Hogue stock in the field! I'm pretty happy for the money I spent cause I was going to upgrade to a full Hogue stock anyway. I did like the 88, but I was always partial to the top tang safety of the mossy 500. It just feels right to me. The first thing I'll do is take that pistol grip off, wouldn't wanna be caught dead with that on.

Good choice for the money? If I could fit that Hogue stock in there which I doubt (you never know), I would be completely satisfied. Pretty much got a free 5.11 case with some tools.

THX guys!
 
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