Old Mosberg Bolt-action 20ga - anything I should know?

[JeanPaul]

I just bought my first shotgun, an old 85D Bolt action 20ga. I paid $50, so I figured I can't really go wrong. Is there anything I should know about this gun before I go shooting with it? Lead only, or can I shoot steel? Slugs? It has just the one choke (Full) screwed on it.

I just want to bang around on it, maybe try my hand at clay shooting before I decide whether I want to get more into it. I heard a comment about old bolt-actions (not this one specifically) having two piece firing pins that could potentially protrude and fire the shell while you're still sliding the bolt home. Anyone care to comment about this?

Thanks in advance.

edit: I missed an 's' in Mossberg. d'oh.

 

[icedog]

Looks to me like the Mossberg bolt action shotguns use a one piece firing pin ... at least the several I have drawings of do. If your choke is a screw-ON, it may be a Vari-choke, or some version thereof, which you should be able to adjust to settings other than full. If it is a screw-IN choke, ie, threads into the inside of the barrel, you should be able to get other screw-in chokes in different sizes such as modified, to fit those same threads. Not very likely you would find screw-ins in an older Mossberg 20g though. You should be able to shoot steel through it, but with a full choke, it may not pattern well, and in the long term it may do some harm to the barrel. As for slugs, you should be OK with rifled slugs. The shotguns I owned as a kid were all full choke guns, and I never hesitated to shoot slugs through them, though I suppose the number I shot through each was somewhat limited ( a box of five every once in a while when I could afford it). That's my $.02 anyway, but I am sure you will get some contradicting opinions and advice from others who respond.

 

[Maritime Storm]

The early models used a choke that screwed on to the end of the barrel like he described, the later ones used the vari-choke system.

 

[icedog]

Thanks MS. I learn something every day. Unfortunately, at my age, I forget most of it by the next day.

 

[JeanPaul]

Well, I took it out and found that it fires well enough, as I was busting stationary clays from 40 yds. The only problem is the magazine doesn't push the shells up high enough, so they get caught on the bottom edge of the barrel.

 

[Bushbum40]

No offense icedog, but i've always heard NEVER to shoot slugs through a choked barrel of any kind. Cylinder bore only!

 

[TheCoachZed]

You can shoot slugs through full choke. I've done it. Read what it says on the side of a box of slugs - usually marked 'safe for any choke."

No offense icedog, but i've always heard NEVER to shoot slugs through a choked barrel of any kind. Cylinder bore only!