Mossberg's 500® pump-action shotguns offer an amazing amount of gun for an unbeatable price. The variety of stock, barrel and finish options alone would assure the place of the 500® in the hearts of outdoorsmen. But, of course, its performance in the field goes a long way in cementing its reputation with millions of hunters as well. First and foremost, the 500® is built to the same uncompromising mil-specs as the renowned Mossberg® 590®. Then a host of features are introduced - Quiet Carry™ dual-action bars, 3" chambers and an ambidextrous safety, to name a few. Some models also include factory-ported barrels; the industry's first fully-rifled slug barrel and our Trophy Slugster™. A simple change of barrel and/or choke tubes is all that's required to take one shotgun from upland birds to waterfowl, to turkey, to deer.
Caliber Dictionary
The Below Information Has Been Provided From Our Gun Caliber Dictionary And Is Meant For Informational Purposes Only. It Is Not Intended to Describe The Unique Specifications For This Ammunition.
12 gauge is the most popular and useful shotgun gauges ever made. Suitable for everything from doves to geese. With sporting, military and law enforcement applications. Available in 2 ¾”, 3” and 3 ½”. The magnum lengths are generally preferred for waterfowl and turkey. Most major manufacturers produce guns and ammunition in a very wide septum for 12 gauge. Loads from ¾ oz. to 2 oz. are common with 1 1/8 oz Low base and 1 ¼ oz being the most common loadings. Target loads are normally around 1150 to 1200 FPS with High velocity lead loads tuning up 1350 FPS. Steel waterfowl loads tend to be loaded faster around 1500 FPS to compensate lower density shot. While the 2 ¾” loading is still the most popular ammunition made, nearly all current production guns have 3”or 3 ½” chambers. The shorter ammunition can be safely fired in longer chambers, but not all magnum semiautomatics will function with shorter shotshells. — Craig Boddington
