Mossberg 500 Shotgun Ammo?

Question

Hi I just bought my first shotgun since I just turned 18. I am wanting to know if my Mossberg 500 12 gauge is capable of firing slugs. It says in the owners manual that the 500 models are designed for 2-3/4" and 3" magnum shells. I bought a pack of winchester 2-3/4" 12 gauge shells and a 5 pack of 2-3/4" 12 gauge sabot style slugs. If you own one of these could you tell me if you have fired the slugs out of one and do they work fine. I havent used my gun yet and dont want to ruin it. Thank You and if you need more information to answer just let me know and I will e-mail you or you can e-mail me.

Answer 1

I'm assuming your shotgun came with a 28" smooth bore, sabot slugs are not what you want. Get rifled slugs. I usually just shoot 2 3/4" shells out of my Mossberg unless I'm hunting water fowl or turkey (3")

Answer 2

Just about any 2-3/4" or 3" shotgun shell will work fine in your gun.  It can fire shot or slugs.

Answer 3

Very solid shotgun.  You'll get years of use from it.

For ammo, your gun can fire any 2 3/4 inch or 3 inch shells, including slugs.  It will fire the sabot, but you won't get the benefits associated with that type of shell, so go with the cheaper rifled slugs.

I'd check the choke tube to make sure you use the improved cylinder for slugs.  You don't want to shoot slugs through the full choke.

You'll get decent accuracy out of the slugs at 50 to 100 yards, which is as much distance as you'll need to take a deer.

Answer 4

Personally, I'd have gotten a Remington 870 -- but that's me being a jackass.  :-)  To answer your question, yes -- you can fire slugs of any sort as long as they are 2-3/4" or 3".  You can even fire the sabot style slugs, but they're meant for shotguns with rifled barrels.  You won't get maximum performance, but they'll exit the barrel just fine.  You can actually check the barrel to see if there is any rifling pattern or if it's just smooth inside.  If it's just smooth inside, it's a smooth bore barrel.  The rifling, along with saboted slugs, make for more accurate shot placement.

For a smooth bore, you want rifled slugs.  The idea with rifling is to get the bullet to spin while traveling through the air.  The imparted spin causes the bullet to be more stable, and hence, more likely to reach the intended target.

Answer 5

yeah, nearly any 2-3/4 / 3" shells will work. all slugs generally work better with rifled barrels, so you might want to check that.

But, you can safely shoot all types of slugs in all types of barrels, the accuracy and range will be lower when using slugs with a smooth bore barrel and you'll be spending more money..

shotguns are pretty versatile weapons, the variety of ammo types you can use out of a typical 12 gauge is amazing  

Answer 6

A Mossberg 500 is safe to shot slug through.  You need to know if you have a smoothbore barrel or a rifled barrel.  Smoothbore use the so called rifled (Foster or Brenikee) slugs.  If you have a rifle barrel you'll find the sabot slugs are the way to go for accuracy.  While you can shoot sabot slugs through a smoothbore barrel accuracy will be lacking.

You also want an open choke if your shooting slugs through a smoothbore barrel.