Talk:Mossberg 500

Well, I report what was said on some wikipages ([1] and [fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discuter:Mossberg_500])

According to french wiki', the magazine capacities of Mossbergs are : Mossberg 500 : 7 shots Mossberg 590 : 9 shots (12-gauge / 18,5x70mm) or 8 shots (12-gauge Magnum / 18,5x76mm), 7 shots or less for shortened variants. Is it always 5 shots for shortened variants of 500 and 590 ? And has the Mossberg 500 ATP6 a 5-shot magazine + one in chamber, and the ATP8 a 7-shot + one in chamber ?

For french use of Mossbergs : Mossberg 500 is in limited numbers in service in french army (Special Forces, units in French Guiana). The GSPR (Groupe de Sécurité de la Présidence de la République) uses Mossberg 500 Cruiser. The Maverick M88 was sold at low prices in France in 1980s and 1990s, so french Armée de l'Air (Air Force) uses M88 for guardianship of his air bases. Lot of french money conveyance and guardianship companies also use M88.

Well, it is what french wiki says. But I'm not sure of all this. About GSPR, see 1, there are photographs of GSPR weapons, including two shotguns. I suppose these are a Benelli M3T and a short Mossberg 590 (and not a "Mossberg 870" as written in the page, probably a mistake with Remington 870.) because of the heat shield and the design of the trigger guard. About the GSPR, there is also a website with an english version ([gspr.free.fr/anglais/index2.htm]) but it is very little. And a photograph (on the forum [forum.gign.org]) shows that the GIGN tested a Model 500 ATP6 "Bullpup 12".

Some french wikipedists are surprised by "Mossberg claims that the Model 500 is the only shotgun to pass the US Army's Mil-Spec 3443E test, "a brutal and unforgiving torture test with 3,000 rounds of full power 12 gauge buckshot". ". According to them, lot of shotguns are better than the Mossberg. Is it possible that the Mil-Spec 3443E also precise a maximum price, who forbid better shotguns to pass the tests ? Rob1bureau 20:28, 17 March 2006 (UTC)

Rob1bureau 18:57, 27 March 2006 (UTC)

"Better" in what way? Is a Purdy double better than a Mossberg 500? Many people think so, to the tune of paying tens of thousands of dollars for one. Will it pass the 3443 spec? Nope, it fails the first requirement, that it be a pump shotgun. The 3443 specs do not specify a price, they do specify reliabilty, safety, accessory (bayonet), finish, durability and materials requirements. In fact, the model 500 does NOT pass the 3443G spec, which requires a metal trigger guard (3443E only required a certain impact strength). The 590 does have a metal trigger guard, and that is why it is what the military is currently purchasing.

Now there is one bit of information that we're lacking, and that is how many, if any, other manufacturers submitted shotguns to be tested against the 3443 requirements? If Remington and Winchester didn't submit samples, then it's possible that they are fully capable of passing the test. However, since Remington and Winchester pumps are still in use by the military (leftovers from before the 3343 requirements document) then it seems odd that the manufacturers would not sumbit samples. As for price, according to http://www.asafm.army.mil/budget/fybm/FY07/pforms/wtcv.pdf page 278-279, the military is paying US$316.24 each for the 14,818 model 590s they ordered in 2005; you can certainly buy an 870 Wingmaster for less than that, or a Whichester 1200, or a Benelli Nova, so it looks like price isn't the only issue here. It may be that only Mossberg considers the US$4.6 million contract worth the effort. scot 19:55, 27 March 2006 (UTC)