Problem With Mossy Shotguns??

Swamp Puppy · 11-06-2003, 06:54 AM

got a question for the fine folks here at ifish. i have a Mossberg 835 ulti-mag (geee..could you have guessed that??) and have a re-occuring problem with the extractor screw falling out thus rendering the shotgun useless or next to useless.

it has happened to me twice in the last year, both times early in the day in a duck blind.

so, the question is, has anyone else had this problem or heard about this problem? is this a common thing with these guns or is it just my particular gun?

i am beginning to draw up some plans to turn the thing into a nice lamp....Cap'n Dan has suggested numerous times in the past that we should use it as a boat anchor. we came close to that yesterday.

thanks,

-Ed

[ 11-06-2003, 07:56 AM: Message edited by: Mossberg_3.5 ]

outdoor.spec.ops · 11-06-2003, 07:18 AM

Try putting some lock-tite on the screws. May be difficult to remove in the future, but should not back out again. Then again, you could just weld it in

[ 11-06-2003, 08:43 AM: Message edited by: outdoor.spec.ops ]

Gun Rod Bow · 11-06-2003, 07:30 AM

I have a recomendation for you.

Your gun is not totally useless.

Use a srew driver to remove the recoil pad, use a large dead blow type mallet to drive it into the ground then you can string fence wire through the trigger guard.

Come on, it's a Mossberg. The Yugo of shotguns.

Degner · 11-06-2003, 07:43 AM

No problems with mine after 300-400 rounds. It's a tough gun. Given the low cost of it I also use it while hunting, and unloaded, to beat down blackberries to get to various hunting spots.

KingFisher85 · 11-06-2003, 08:20 AM

Never had the problem or heard of a problem with them before.
I'll take it off your hands for you :grin:

King Fisher · 11-06-2003, 09:23 AM

Go see Robert at Fishermans and he'll set you up with a nice Remington. Or I'll bring an extra one for you next time.

I guess it gives you a reason to buy a back up gun

Seriously, my 870 is the best, I spent a lot of money on a Browning Gold and my 870 works better. Good luck!

Tilla · 11-06-2003, 09:49 AM

GRB-Tellin' the truth :shocked:

outdoor.spec.ops · 11-06-2003, 12:15 PM

I think I found the solution for my high-lift jack, been needing a handle for it. :grin:

Chromaflage · 11-06-2003, 12:27 PM

Moss - maybe it's the label on the gun

- just messin with ya. My first scatter gun was a K-Mart special Moss 500 - well before Rosie O's anti-gun dependent endorsement of K-Mart. (had to get that dig in too). I still have it and use it for absorbing the moisture away from my other guns in the safe.

But did you get any deer the last couple days of the season? Remember, we were going to compare antlers.

ORS

[ 11-06-2003, 01:32 PM: Message edited by: OregonRedside ]

dla · 11-06-2003, 12:35 PM

Mossberg makes fine shotguns for their price range.

I would suggest you use the "blue" (non-permanent) Locktite next time.

tag-a-long · 11-06-2003, 12:58 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Gun Rod Bow:
I have a recomendation for you.

Your gun is not totally useless.

Use a srew driver to remove the recoil pad, use a large dead blow type mallet to drive it into the ground then you can string fence wire through the trigger guard.

Come on, it's a Mossberg. The Yugo of shotguns.

Thats gotta hurt... I was gonna say its a mossberg, but you beat me to it...

Swamp Puppy · 11-06-2003, 01:24 PM

ORS - no luck on the deer this season. i gaffed off the last day of deer season to go kill ducks with Capn' Dan.

no worries about the fun and games. i bought it for one reason and one reason only. to get the crap beat out of it....and that it does.

one question though..do those 800 dollar shotguns kill birds and deader?

Chromaflage · 11-06-2003, 01:28 PM

Moss - very nice! Actually, I shoot a Benelli Nova. But am looking at one of those higher end Model 90s.

My dad and I tagged two bucks (a decent fork and better than average (body wise) 2 x 3) and a doe the last two days of the season! We got our freezer meat for the winter.

ORS

Swamp Puppy · 11-06-2003, 01:38 PM

congrats on the deer. i went out on tuesday and dedn't see a thing. not even the does that usually hang out there. that made the decision to go duck hunting pretty easy. ha ha.

i am probably going to grab a Remington 870 super express mag in a year or two when i replace this gun..but i have been looking at the Charles Daly pumps too. i might have to step up to one of those.

Bait Bucket · 11-06-2003, 01:39 PM

ED,

Did you and Capn' Dan shoot any ducks out the on Wednesday?

Also, I could talk to ya about those new 3.5 inch 870s if you like. I owned two of them. I now own none!

[ 11-06-2003, 02:41 PM: Message edited by: Bait Bucket ]

Chromaflage · 11-06-2003, 01:42 PM

Moss, if you have not yet tried or checked out the Nova, I would recommend at least keeping in the list of possibilities. I shot an 870 for years, then got ahold of a friend's Nova - I bought one a week later and let the boys shoot the 870 now.

ORS

Swamp Puppy · 11-06-2003, 01:53 PM

shot a couple before my gun fell apart. then Cap'n Dan lent me his 870 for the rest of the day. my wife has one that i'll be using until i get mine fixed...hopefully i can get used to her shortened stock. being 6'3" myself, using anything that has been shortened is sometimes difficult. ha ha.

Flatfish · 11-06-2003, 03:20 PM

GRB, ouch.

My 835 has somthing like 9-10 thousand rounds thru it.

It has failed twice.

Once a rim on a reloaded( reloaded 10 or 15 times) shell tore off and it left the shell in the chamber.

Once the safety would not engage- It was in the "Fire" position all the time. I cleaned it and that fixed the problem.

I must admit it is a rattling poorly finished gun. But mine is as reliable as ANY Remington 870 I have seen( and I like 870s a lot. So it tells ya what I think of my clunky rattlecan Mossberg).

Have a smith glue that thing in. Or something. Once they run, they run well IMHO.

Mark and the black dog with the medium sized head.

Mad Mikey · 11-06-2003, 05:46 PM

Wow,

The trash talk about Mossbergs amazes me.

I recieved a Western Auto 500A as a kid in the 80's and it was one tough gun.
I shot hundreds of ducks, lots of pheasant and grouse and never had a problem with it.
I reloaded my own shells and a time or two I borrowed my old mans' 870 Wingmaster which was a sweet gun but it jammed a lot with the reloads but the Mossy took them like a champ.
I still have the gun and although I don't bird hunt as much as I used to it goes with me to Hells Canyon/Imnaha every Fall for Blues and Ruffeds.
It's getting old and rusted in spots but it shoots right and takes abuse.

Gun Rod Bow · 11-06-2003, 07:49 PM

Come on guys. I was just rippin' on the guy...maybe. I did use the

for effect.

The first gun I ever purchased with my own money was a Rem 870 Sportsman. $190 as I recall. I don't think it has ever failed. I have fell on it in thick mud, held it under water and shucked the action, dry fired then poured the water out and hunted the rest of the day. Great "meat gun".

My OPINION is for a low cost gun, a Rem 870 is hard to beat.

I enjoy shooting a Browning Gold auto now (cost me nothing, except plane ticket, entry fees, 12 years of competion shooting ...etc)

If any of you saw it on the IFish Goose Hunt, it was the one with no beads, smashed rib, covered in mud....

It needs to be stripped and cleaned about every 3rd trip when it's wet out. Those trombones (pumps) work every time, but my shoulder gets sore.

Used what you like, like what you use.

Miss B Haven · 11-06-2003, 11:03 PM

Hey - my Moss 500 shorty works great. Of course it's only ever had one round through it. It just sits by the bed loaded with 00 and slugs (and a baggie over the barrel). Somebody hopes I never have fire it again! :shocked:

Tilla · 11-06-2003, 11:22 PM

I got together with an old High School buddy to duck hunt the stateline area of Klamath basin. He was the penny pinchiest person I ever knew (his cat died cause he figured it could live on its own). Anyway, he extolled on and on the virtues of his finest investment, a Mossgurg he won at a D U banquet. Investment?!

Anyway, the ducks started to fly and he got a shot off and that was it, it jammed hard. It was a long walk out of the field to the truck where I had a back up gun......another DU banquet obtained Mossberg! At least that one worked.
I always felt that if you took 36" of 2x4 and some 1/2 inch galvanised pipe and attached it to the top with some bent over nails so that 28" of the pipe stuck over the end, you wouldn't have to go to store to get the feel of a Mossberg.
GRB started it!

Swamp Puppy · 11-07-2003, 02:06 AM

no problem GRB..i can take the rippin' with or without the

Bill Monroe · 11-07-2003, 05:16 AM

Moss,
You might try taking it to the Gun Room and see what they say...
(Sorry, just couldn't resist...I did that once)
I'm with the others who suggest you invest the money you might have spent on Locktite in a Nova. I'm trying hard to talk my daughter's boyfriend out of his...

Swamp Puppy · 11-07-2003, 07:39 PM

thanks, but i think i'll stay away from the gun room. no offense to anyone that likes to buy things from them, but i find their style to be not to my liking.

i can't believe a guy there was seriously trying to talk me into buying a $2,500.00 over/under for use as a duck gun. sure, it was nice, but i'd be afraid to leave the boat dock with it.

Chromaflage · 11-08-2003, 08:22 AM

Moss, I'm there too. Every time I've gone there or called there they have made me feel like I wasn't worth their time because of what I was looking for or the kind of help I needed. Frankly, I have found them to be extremely arrogant and condescending. I actually went there looking for a stock for my old Moss 500 - they told me they didn't carry that garbage. Same with a scope I was looking for. [img]graemlins/berry.gif[/img]

I will never step foot in their shop again.

ORS

Swamp Puppy · 11-08-2003, 03:31 PM

i hear ya. i went there to look at some calls last year. one of the people there spent more time bragging about himself and his calling successes in contests than actually trying to help me buy a call. when he did stop beating his own drum, he handed me a call and said, "here..buy this. since you're new to the sport it is all you need." in many regards, he was right. however, i have since found out what finding the right call should really be like.

sorry to say i did actually buy that call..for 10 bucks more than i could have ordered it for from cabelas or bass pro shops. well, live and learn. i won't make that mistake again.

anyway, thanks for all the abuse about my mossberg..ha ha. i'm sure Cap'n Dan will be along soon to give me some more. (more than i get from him in the blind already..haha)

i think i'll just locktite that baby in place and call it good.

Chromaflage · 11-08-2003, 03:38 PM

So tell me - which call did he sell you? I went in there with a similar story and they sold me a Haydel's Black Foot. They said if I owned only one goose call, that's the one to have.

ORS

[ 11-08-2003, 05:22 PM: Message edited by: OregonRedside ]

Fish Hawg · 11-08-2003, 04:04 PM

What call did he sell you?

Swamp Puppy · 11-08-2003, 06:13 PM

haydel "red leg" RC-99 double reed. not a bad little call, but the 40 bucks i paid for it was a little abusive. i found out later that call goes for $29.99 almost everywhere else.

Chromaflage · 11-08-2003, 06:28 PM

Hey! I too use a Red Leg...Great tone. But for really loud, high pitched hails, I usually use a Primos Wench. I went through about 12 other calls before I settled on these two as my mainstays.

ORS

Mad Mikey · 11-08-2003, 06:41 PM

After much thinking about the Mossberg issue I've come to realize I'm guilty of GUN ENVY!!!!
A Mossberg is a great gun but if it were a fishing tool it would be a Mitchell 300.
I have the finest fly fishing rods/reels at my disposal and hark on guys to get a better rod all the time.
A cheap fly rod will catch fish just as well as as a spendy one in the right hands but having a tool that does the job with finesse will make the game much more enjoyable.
I am a bit enlightened....... BUT I STILL LOVE MY MOSSY!!!!!

:grin: :tongue:

Swamp Puppy · 11-08-2003, 08:02 PM

you said it mikey. i've had no illusions about my Mossy being a fine shotgun or a top quality firearm, but for the 180 bucks i paid for it (used), you can't beat it. now if i can just get it to stay together....ha ha ha.

ORS - yeah, the red leg is a good call. though i am using my RNT as my main call these days. i gave my red leg to my brother-in-law as he is just starting out and needed a call to get going with.

Chromaflage · 11-08-2003, 08:17 PM

Try the universal repair kit - duct tape

ORS

Swamp Puppy · 11-08-2003, 08:36 PM

ha ha. i just got finished sending Mossberg a wonderfully sarcastic email. i should have pasted a copy of it here for everyone to read. i can't wait to see what they respond with.

ICHTHYDEMON · 11-08-2003, 08:48 PM

I've got a Mossberg 835,and its had 2-3000 rounds run thru it. I've never had any issues with it,and it continues to be a reliable gun that I shoot well.

Maybe the reason it was sold or traded before you got it was the because of the problems you're having with it now.

Swamp Puppy · 11-08-2003, 08:55 PM

that is possible, but i had a professional gunsmith fix it last time and i figured that should have solved the problem. i have had these guys work on a few guns and i know that they are top notch people, so their workmanship isn't in question. i think that something must have happened to the gun while it was being built. perhaps a small imperfection when the hole was tapped out for the screw, which prevents it from fitting properly and staying tight. who knows.

Capin' Dan · 11-08-2003, 10:31 PM

Boy Ed after reading how everyone is busting your chops. Well actually I'm loving it. I will tell al the fine folks here that it is one of the deadliest guns I've seen in his hands. He actually hits what he aims at. He even made my 870 look good while shooting it.

Ed, Get it fixed try the lock tite and bring it out. No more jokes about using it as a anchor I now almost feel bad for joking and then having it fail on you. If you want your screw back let me know

Dan

Swamp Puppy · 11-08-2003, 11:02 PM

Dan - it wouldn't be the same if you didn't threaten to throw it overboard at least ONCE on one of our trips... :grin: hopefully i'll have it fixed soon. it's just a matter of finding someone that has the part in stock.

live to fish · 11-09-2003, 08:00 AM

Well i have to admit i have an 835 also and have never had any mechanical problems with it.But i don't like the fact that it kicks like a mule and roars like a lion and still misses,(maybe the missing part is the operator but well blame it on the gun anyway).
I also own a Wingmaster 870 and am finding i prefer the 870 over the mossberg.I seem to be more accurate with the 870 too.

Swamp Puppy · 11-09-2003, 08:13 AM

Paul - you sure it doesn't have anything to do with those reloads of yours? the kicking i mean, not the shooting. some of those bad boys are hot hot HOT. :grin:

live to fish · 11-09-2003, 09:46 AM

oops

[ 11-09-2003, 10:54 AM: Message edited by: live to fish ]

live to fish · 11-09-2003, 09:53 AM

Maybe :grin:
Report for yesterday Paul 0
Scott 1 Green wing teal
1 green head mallard

I was trap shooting with that 835 the other day and had a skeet choke in it i was tring out.I forgot it was in there intil late in the day yesterday.I am thankfull it didn't damage my barrel.

Swamp Puppy · 11-09-2003, 12:34 PM

bummer about the birds. did your boy have a good time out there? which blind did you hunt out of?

live to fish · 11-09-2003, 01:15 PM

Yes he had a blast,I'll never hear the end of it that he got birds and i didn't.

We started out in the same one as you guys hunted the day before.We left that one around noon with nothing.Did a little scouting around then set up on the point where we hunted the first day.

[ 11-09-2003, 02:18 PM: Message edited by: live to fish ]

Swamp Puppy · 11-17-2003, 04:05 PM

got the gun fixed..i used a little lock-tite on it this time. that's one screw that won't be coming off anytime soon.

also, i have received a response from my heavily sarcastic email i sent to Mossberg's service dept. it contains a request for me to email my phone and address ASAP and also a name and number to call to discuss shot term and long term solutions to the problem.

i plan on calling them tomorrow...i am interested in what they have to say, though i don't know what sort of "solution" they could possibly come up with.

Clackamas Drifter · 11-17-2003, 10:24 PM

Well, I always gave my buddy a hard time when he got his mossberg 500. He went on and on about how great it was, bla bla bla. I told him it wouldnt last. Well, I still have and shoot my remington 870 express(now my home defense gun) Put thousands of rounds through it. He put a few hundred rounds through it, and now the thing will hardly feed ammo. My own personal opinion, is if you cant solve your problem with that gun, replace it with a used 870 wingmaster. I luckily found mine in mint condition for $200 Ones in mint condition from a gun store will be 299. to 350. You can get a good one, not as pretty a stock for around 199-250. Buying an older wing master will only allow you to shoot 2 3/4, but man do they shoot nice.Newer ones accept 3. I have shot auto loaders of all sorts, benelli, beretta, ect., and I dont think any of them shoot as well as my wingmaster. But thats just my own 2 cents.