Mossberg Maverick 88, good starter SG?

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scradster

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Hello everybody, im new to the forum and am looking for a decision for first SG:shotgun:. im 6' 1" weigh 170lbs...and im 14 :) any way the puspose for it would be: skeet/trap shooting (casual), bird hunting (snow geese, grouse,etc) and closish range gopher blastin :) i was thinking the 28" barrel version (im buying this most likely from prairie gun traders, really its going to be my fathers gun, but im going to be using it) because im unlikely to need it for 'security' reasons' :rolleyes: (im not trying to offend im meaning the fact tht im 14). Has any one had bad experiences with this SG? :D
 
How about one of the Mossberg 500 combo's. It's basically the same gun but nicer IMHO and for not that much more money you get a field and deer set up. The Remmy 870 express can be had for not a whole lot more than that as well.
 
thx for the fast reply, what do you guys also thing about the mossberg 535?
i know the 870's great but the maverick is better in my price range (= more shells) and i doubt this will be my last SG. and i dont need the shorter barrel be cause i dont need it for defense :D:shotgun::ninja:
 
Get the mossberg 535 combo from SIR for 310$ I got the 500 and I kick myself every day that I didnt spend the extra 20 bucks to get an extra barrel and a 3.5'' chamber
 
the maverick is a good starter gun, you can get a combp model for well under $300 and that would include both a 18.5" and a 28" barrel, the 18.5 will be fixed cylinder choke and the 28" will come with one choke tube.

my main problem with the maverick is the injection molded forend which is mounted on a dual action bar forened, "if" the foreend ever broke then you would have to replace it with a mossberg 500 dual bar forend and such (about $100 US for the complete item with synthtic forend)

the other thing is the shotgun is LIGHTWEIGHT..... alloy reciever, thin wall barrel and so on.... this is perhaps one of the lightest pump actions I have shot, so if your recoil sensitive get the remington 870 or a 500/590

other then that the maverick is a great gun, takes the same buttstocks as the 500, takes the same sling adapters as the 500 and so on, including side saddle.

for an econo build it is worth it, and about $50 cheaper then an 870 express which only comes with the single barrel, and about $200 cheaper then a combo express model.
 
thanks for all the quick replys. Im always a person who likes to modifie so i would porbably be getting full new stock and forend sometime in the future anyway. Im not recoil sensitive at all so i always like lightwait for packing out in the field :) i also like the sound of the 535 as it has the 28" and sounds to be made of slightly better materials. I think ill wait for that though until i get to handle one. what range for gophers can you get out of the 28"er? they make for great practice targets wile helping out the local farmers.
 
geez thats one seriously fast pump-action, how does it work, some of the gas helps you rack it? and where can i find one! :D
 
I've had a 500 and a Maverick for the last 25 years. I bought the maverick in 1984 for 200.00 bucks......the price has not changed since then. I put lots of boxes of shells through both. My preference is the maverick. 28" vented rib barrel good which is good for chicken. I bought a mossberg trophy slugster barrel for the 500 and prefer using it on my maverick. Only thing I don't like about the 535 combo deal is the slug barrel is open sight and not cantilever (welded scope base) however it still gets you out there in deer season. Though the 3 1/2" would be nice for knocking those Canada's out of the air instead of hearing the pellets bouncing off them.

I've never had an issue of the synthetic stock breaking however I've never fallen on the gun. The maverick with the rifled slug barrel is one of my favorite deer guns. Punches through willows and knocks em' off their feet.:D

BTW.....The deer in my avatar was shot with that maverick
 
I have both a 500 and an 88, the 500 is a crown grade sporting a 28" vent rib with accu choke, the 88 has the 18'5 cylinder bore.

You can get an 88 with 28" vent rib for under $200 through SIR.

I was in the same boat you were, had to pick between which pump shot gun I wanted with in my budget, I am very pleased with my 500, I picked to 88 up later in life as I wanted a synthetic 18'5 shot gun as well.

I chose the 500 initially over the 88 and 870 express mainly because of the top tang safety, was the easiest to use.

No experience with the 535, but too me that looks like the one to get over the 500 or 88.
 
:dancingbanana: sounds like most of these lower priced SG's have fair reputations, and ill definitely keep that in mind Westicle, thats an amazing deal:D Nice deer Sosume. What kind of ammo do the moosberg prefer or is it more the barrel you have on there? id probably be using a fair bit of tht cheap federal 100 packs from can-tire for just shooting sh1t (gophers, cans, etc)
 
scradster said:
geez thats one seriously fast pump-action, how does it work, some of the gas helps you rack it? and where can i find one! :D
Click to expand...

Winchester 1300? They're ubiquitous, and have been sold longer than you've been alive.

Pretty much any gunshop will carry one or more of the models, or will quote you, or you'll be able to get one in the EE, that's where I got mine. I paid $275 used, and but I got mine with aftermarket cool parts like recoil pad, side saddle shell holder and and buttstock shell holder.

You should be able to get one without the extras for $200-$250, though I did once see somebody trying to hawk his for $325....:p

I'm not sure what exactly makes them so damn fast. I've disassembled mine several times right down to bare parts, and empty reciever and can't quite figure it out.

It has dual action bars, and so the pumping arm evenly distributes the force across the bolt, but so do some other shotguns. It has a lightweight alloy bolt, and that's kinda cool, and the bolt uses turnbolt cocking, which kinda pops it unlocked after, and the bolt has the mulitple small AR-15/M-16 style locking lugs.

I don't think it's actually any one thing, I think it's actually a combination of all the things they incorporated into the design that just happened to make the gun fast acting; but like I said, I really just don't know.

I do know that it has to be well lubricated, especially the action bars or it starts to get slower. I use moly grease.
 
so any cheap amoo this gun likes, and are there any legal problems with my father buying it on his pal, but that its essentially mine??? and, last thing, what would i have to change to get it shooting slugs with the 28" barrel?
 
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