Mossberg 500 - 20 gauge combo

[180splitg3]

Hey guys. I'm looking to buy my son his first gun. He is 11 years old and I am planning to take him Turkey and deer hunting next year. I am looking at the Mossberg 500 20 gauge combo. My concern is that this is a pretty cheap gun - is it junk? I feel like it would probably be OK for a starter gun to get him into hunting and I like that it comes with the smooth bore and the rifled barrel. I was originally thinking of the same thing but in a Remington 870 20 gauge - I can't find one of these offered right now though. I feel like a 12 gauge is just going to kick way too hard for him starting out. Thanks for your input!

 

[Kobuk]

The Mossberg is a very affordable shotgun and it is also a very reliable shotgun. I think it would be a great setup and another great thing with the 500 is that there is a ton of options to customize it, both to him and to whatever you are hunting.

 

[Skerhunter]

500 is a good shotgun, just like the 870. I would stick with a 12 ga. personally

 

[Newtosavage]

I bought that same combo for my son when he was about the same age. He shot his first ducks with the smooth barrel. But when it came to shooting the 20 ga. slugs, he wanted no part of it. That is a very light gun, and those slugs kicked like a damn mule. I didn't even want to sight it in for him to be honest. My advice is get him a .243 or something comparable for the hunting rifle, and a dedicated shotgun.

Hey guys. I'm looking to buy my son his first gun. He is 11 years old and I am planning to take him Turkey and deer hunting next year. I am looking at the Mossberg 500 20 gauge combo. My concern is that this is a pretty cheap gun - is it junk? I feel like it would probably be OK for a starter gun to get him into hunting and I like that it comes with the smooth bore and the rifled barrel. I was originally thinking of the same thing but in a Remington 870 20 gauge - I can't find one of these offered right now though. I feel like a 12 gauge is just going to kick way too hard for him starting out. Thanks for your input!

 

[007hunter]

I’d stick with the 20. No point in creating bad habits from flinching early on.

 

[180splitg3]

I bought that same combo for my son when he was about the same age. He shot his first ducks with the smooth barrel. But when it came to shooting the 20 ga. slugs, he wanted no part of it. That is a very light gun, and those slugs kicked like a damn mule. I didn't even want to sight it in for him to be honest. My advice is get him a .243 or something comparable for the hunting rifle, and a dedicated shotgun.

Thank you for your input. We can't hunt with rifles in SE MN which is why he needs a shotgun for deer. I am planning to get his younger brother a 22 that they can both practice shooting with...

 

[180splitg3]

I'm assuming that a 12 gauge would kick way more than a 20 gauge - is that true? I have never shot a 20 gauge slug gun or smooth barrel, only 12 gauge...

 

[Squincher]

I'm assuming that a 12 gauge would kick way more than a 20 gauge - is that true? I have never shot a 20 gauge slug gun or smooth barrel, only 12 gauge...

It is true a 12 will kick more with a heavier slug, but a 20 ga slug is still going to be pretty stout in a 500.

 

[Newtosavage]

I'm assuming that a 12 gauge would kick way more than a 20 gauge - is that true? I have never shot a 20 gauge slug gun or smooth barrel, only 12 gauge...

Yes. way more. But IMO even a 20 ga. slug is too much for all but the biggest kids. So many 20 ga. shotguns are so light that those slugs kick the hell out of them. I'd put my son's mossberg 500 with the rifled slug barrel, shooting standard sabot slugs, on par with any 30-06 I've ever shot.

My first "gun" hunt was toting my single-shot H&R 20 ga. with slugs when I was probably 10 or 11. I still remember shooting that damn thing at that age. Nearly took my head off, and I was the biggest kid in my classes in grade school.

It's very unfortunate that states like MN and others limit kids to shotguns with slugs. What a deterrent for the kids. If they have a muzzleloader season, I'd get one of those and load it light for your kid - to whatever they can handle well - then let them hunt with that instead.

I did that for my daughter when she was 11. I think I loaded 50 grains of Triple 7 under a saboted 200 grain pistol bullet. She really enjoyed shooting that thing, and shot it very well. It was perfectly capable of taking a deer inside 100 yards.

 

[180splitg3]

I have thought about having him use my muzzeloader for deer. 50 grains seems like it would not be enough for a deer but I really don't know. He's a pretty big kid but I don't want him to dread shooting with it. He'll still need a shotgun for turkey though too...

 

[Clovis]

My first gun was also an H&R single shot 20 gauge with an exposed hammer and it kicked hard, which was discouraging to me as a wee one. I started my son on a 20 gauge autoloader--I got a good deal on a Benelli Montefeltro--and it worked out well as a first shotgun. He has taken two deer with rifled slugs out of the smooth bore barrel (no rifled barrel for it) and it worked fine out to about 50 yards. I chose our set-ups for close in bow-range shots. He used 2 3/4 shells rather than a monster 3 inch load. It is also a great gun for upland and everything else. I shoot it sometimes for grouse and like it. I had some concerns with starting him on an autoloader but we took it in baby steps and treated it like a single shot at first. It was a successful versatile gun for him at the ages you describe and it is still a go-to now for him and me both.

 

[rayporter]

hornady and lightfield make slugs that are just for him

i shot lightfield lites a lot because i thought they were more accurate than the hi power slugs. hornady lites should work, too.

 

[tim tarras]

Many moons ago I won a 12ga 500 combo. We couldn't hit a body target at 25 yards no matter where we moved the sight. Our 20ga 870 was minute of pop can at 100 yards with open sights free hand.

 

[rayporter]

50 to 60 gr is plenty for close range deer.

the old timers did not ever shoot heavy loads like we do.
powder was too expensive and hard to come by. they killed a lot with 50 gr loads.

I have thought about having him use my muzzeloader for deer. 50 grains seems like it would not be enough for a deer but I really don't know

 

[87TT]

Whatever you get him, make sure it fits and has a real good recoil pad. Read aftermarket. I have only shot 20 ga slugs out of a Savage 20 ga /3030 combo and it kicked worse than a 12 ga. I have shot hundreds of 12 ga slugs out of an 870 short barrel. Not a lot of fun but manageable. The Savage had a stock with a drop comb like a rifle. Most shotguns are straighter. The reduced recoil shells for shorter ranges would be the best until he grows into it. I have killed a deer with 00 buck at 50 but not the best option in low recoil loads.

 

[Maki35]

The 20ga Moss 500 combo would be fine for him.
The difference is Moss 500 has an alloy receiver and tang safety. Where Rem 870 has a steel receiver and the safety is by the trigger.
I have a Moss 500 combo in 12ga. I never had any problems with it. it functions every time. but to me the 870 felt more solid. I've since added 16ga and 20ga (diff brands) to my collection. 12ga will have more recoil than 20ga.

Last year I went shopping with a friend for a shotgun for his 12 y/o son. The salesman shows his son a .410 shotgun because he looks small. The kid fell in love with it (why wouldn't he, it's a brand new gun for him.) I suggested a 20ga to my friend. But he purchased the .410. His son started pheasant hunting with us this year. We're only 4 weeks into the season and both the son and dad are already looking to upgrade to a 20ga. (.410 is a fun shooter. But 20ga is more versatile for small & big game hunting.)

I would like to get a used Rem 870 20ga for a truck gun.

 

[22lr]

A Mossberg 500 12ga was my first shotgun. For what it's worth not having a loading gate is a huge plus for small hands. In my younger years I jammed shells underneath the 870 loading gate a handful of times. Not a problem once you learn how to fully seat the shell, but ya, something to think about for smaller hands.

As for Mossberg reliability... ill be the guy that mentions that Mossberg is still the only pump shotgun that passed the Mil-Spec test...