I have a Mossberg shotgun, the neighbor I showed it to

[alittlelark]

told me that. He also says it it is the shortest barrel that is offered and an excellent home defense gun.

I have never shot a shotgun. My soon-to-be ex has left it in a property that will be in my name.

What can members of this forum tell me about it?

[NYC_SKP]

1. There's nothing wrong with it.

I like their stainless steel version because it needs a little less care.

I assume this is a basic pump action, reliable, good pick.

[Jenoch]

4. Mossberg makes several models of shotguns.

Without more information, there's not much to tell except that Mossberg makes good shotguns. They are good home defense weapons. Keep it away from any children that are in your home

[ZombieHorde]

2. I know you can sell it and buy something cool, like some anime or gaming dice. nt

[Hayabusa]

25. Guy I know traded his AR-15

for a huge lot of Flames of War miniatures, probably about 3 armies worth.

[ZombieHorde]

31. Sweet! nt

[TreasonousBastard]

3. You can hunt ducks with it. A lot of people I grew up with had Mossberg's...

because it was about the cheapest decent shotgun around. But, I missed more quail than I hit with it and gave up hunting.

Home defense? Eh, ok, but by the time you realize you are in danger, find it, load it, and aim it at the invader, it may be too late. If it's single shot, you better not miss.

By the time I finish posting, I bet a bunch of other people will tell you this-- find a range and some sort of training before you load it in the back yard and scare the crap out of yourself and the neighbors.

[Democratic Principle]

5. Mossberg is an OK shotgun

But if it has the shortest barrel possible, it's 18" long. Which makes it a slug gun. Good for large animals at short range. If you want to shoot trap, skeet or hunt birds you need to buy a longer barrel. Get training, multiple times.

[ManiacJoe]

6. Before you sell it,

you might want to check with your lawyer to make sure it is legally yours to sell (or keep).

[alittlelark]

8. Not planning on selling it.

Hoping to let it die of rust and old age in a hundred years or so w/ no use.

But for the record it is most certainly mine - he put my name on it w/o me knowing.

[ManiacJoe]

11. In that case, why not do something with it?

Letting it "die of rust and old age" seems rather silly and wasteful.

If you want to keep it, do some skeet or trap shooting (probably needs a longer barrel), assuming it has a shoulder stock.

If you don't want to use it, sell it to a dealer or through a dealer. Then buy something you would prefer.

[CreekDog]

32. is he breaking a gun commandment? if he doesn't want to sell or use it, that's his choice

and if he wants to turn it in to be melted down, that's a great thing to do as well.

[ManiacJoe]

33. Not a great thing, but still a valid thing.

My point is that doing nothing, or otherwise destroying the gun, is the same as taking $300 and lighting it on fire.

The object has value. If she has no use for it, why not trade it for cash or another object of value that she has use for? Getting an undervalued gift card at a "buyback" would make more sense than doing nothing with it.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

41. any tool with moving pieces needs care and work. cars need to be cranked, etc...

of course You know this but, no laws would be broken if one chooses to allow rust to set in.

~~ Their loss. ~~


Maybe that is what some people want ...

[ManiacJoe]

43. Pretty sure you missed my point.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

44. nawh. trying to add to it, was all.

[oldhippie]

20. It seems apparent that you don't want it ....

.... and don't want anyone else to have it. So destroy it. Get creative. If you have some mechanically minded friends with tools, have a gun killing party. Crush the barrel in a big vise. Run over it several times with a big truck. Saw the stock into little pieces. If you get really ambitious, hacksaw the receiver into pieces. Throw the bolt into salt water (it's probably too hard to cut.)

You can at least get a little entertainment out of it.

Or take it to a gunshop and sell it for a couple hundred bucks.

[Eleanors38]

21. Sounds like you don't want it. You can secure it while waiting for rust

(it never sleeps); better yet, get rid of it in a responsible manner instead of risking having someone break-in and try to defeat your security measures ( an expense in itself).

[alittlelark]

38. I had a friend come to the property and take it home.

He has a gun safe.

[Eleanors38]

39. Good move.

[alittlelark]

7. OK - it's a 12 gauge w/modified barrel

He estimates it at $350

[DollarBillHines]

29. Then take it to a range and do some practice

A 12ga is going to kick pretty hard. I don't know how "little" you are, but if you ever need to use the thing, you want to know what it is going to do. If it doesn't have a recoil pad (a rubber pad on the butt), have one installed.

[Permanut]

9. 12 gauge has a kick..

try it out and see what you think.

[ManiacJoe]

12. If it is a pump action,

she can use the reduced recoil rounds.

Unfortunately for me, by semi-auto Benelli will not reliably cycle the reduced recoil shells.

[Democratic Principle]

10. Or you can

Throw it in a body of water (preferably salt water) an kill it now.

[holdencaufield]

23. Do you have an issue with aquatic wildlife?

Not very progressive of you

[Tuesday Afternoon]

42. maybe they can afford to throw away $350. bully for you - if you can.

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

13. If you plan on keeping it, practice so you know how to use it reliably.

Practice hitting what you're aiming at. Practice quickly reloading. Practice safely unloading. Try a few different kinds of ammo to find one that good for self defense & doesn't kick too bad.

I'd recommend 12 gauge 2-3/4" "reduced recoil" 00 Buckshot.... sometimes called "managed recoil" ammunition as well. Aguilla also makes some nifty 1-3/4" 12 gauge ammo in slugs and buckshot that would have very little kick.

[iiibbb]

14. I am confused

I don't have a sense for what you want to do. Keep or not? If keep, what purpose?


If you are keeping it
1) take a gun safety class
2) buy a cable lock to put through the action so it can be disabled if need be. Better than a trigger lock because it can't be loaded either. Trigger locks usually can't prevent loading and if improperly installed can actually discharge a loaded weapon
3) take it to a gun Smith and make sure it is mechanically sound
4) Get some ear and eyes protection
5) Get a manual from the manufacturer
6) in the manual you will find the gun safety rules. memorize them. internalize them. Never break them

rule 1 : it is treated like it's ALWAYS loaded even when it's not
rule 2 : keep your fingers off the trigger always until ready to fire
rule 3 : never point it at anything you don't want to destroy

It is probably not worth $350, but maybe. The Smith can tell you.

[ileus]

15. It's an excellent self defense firearm

That will help assure your safety well into the future.

[jimmy the one]

16. Take it to a buyback, or sledgehammer it to bits

lark: Not planning on selling it.
Hoping to let it die of rust and old age in a hundred years or so w/ no use.

Take it to a gun buyback, lark. You could get at least a gift or cash reward, rather than letting it rot (I'm a guncontrol advocate btw, but let's be reasonable). Check with your police dept, they might advise. They could disassemble it to remove firing capability too.
If you have children this is a good policy, at least wrap a trigger lock thru it. good policy in any event as well. Best not to let neighbors know about it either, tell a white lie that you gave it to cops etc..

But for the record it is most certainly mine - he put my name on it w/o me knowing

removes his liability if it's used illicitly too, the onus on you now.
Right now you, are, a, GUN OWNER, like it or not, I guess, but if you get rid of it quick enough you don't have to admit this & attain the stigma, of being a GUN OWNER (haha, little needle joke there).

Tell cops if it's stolen; and don't shelve it for 100 years, give it up or sell it. One less gun when there's 300 million doesn't mean diddly. you really wanna be a GUN OWNER for next 100 years, just cause you got a rusty disfunctional sg in the closet?

If you really really hate it tho, & aren't wanting for money, take a sledge hammer to it.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

17. Never take it to a buy back, they are a state sponsored ripoff

Take it to a gun dealer. You will get much more for it.

[GreenStormCloud]

18. Need a little more info, please.

The model number will be somewhere on the gun. Post the model number so we can know which gun you are talking about.

[jpak]

19. It's far superior to a stupid handgun or an AR15

yup

[guardian]

24. Though it is a little big

for IWB carry.

[Common Sense Party]

28. I only have an intelligent handgun.

yup.

[sarisataka]

22. Not sure what you want

your OP sounds like to want to keep and maybe use it; later it seems you want to get rid of it. I'll try to answer both.

Likely it is in the Mossberg 500 series, reasonably priced, good quality. Myths- you cannot hit someone who is thataway by pointing sort of in their direction; it will not knock you back ten feet when you fire it. Truth- a shotgun is more forgiving than a pistol or rifle but must be aimed. Recoil is significant and if you are not holding it properly it will leave a bruise. Grip and padding can mitigate much of the issue with recoil.

If you want to keep it for now maybe to dispose of later, contact your local police. Very likely they will give you a cable lock and tell you how to put it on the gun, rendering it unusable.

If you wish to get rid of it, take it to a good shop. They can buy it at a fair price and you know it will only be sold to a person who passes a BG check. I do not know the shops personally but contacts recommend US Firearms or Sportsmen's Supply if you still live in the area your profile has. Ask $250 if they want an opening bid, likely you will get $150 but condition is important and can change the value greatly.

If you want it out of circulation you have several options. With a vice and hacksaw, cut the barrel 1/4 way through about 1" from the receiver. The gun cannot be safely fired with such damage and it is very obvious. You can wait for a buy back and still get something for it. If you just want it gone, you can call your local police for disposal advice. They may even come and pick it up for you.

Free free to ask any other questions. best wishes with what everyou choose to do

[NoOneMan]

26. 20 or 12-gauge? Pisol-grip/cruiser?

I got a nice small one. Very nice. Light. Easy to carry. Lock up and respect it. If you are going to keep it, learn how to use it and not get it taken from you (short barrel helps)

[Common Sense Party]

27. I'll take it off your hands.

I'd be happy to come pick it up.

[mwrguy]

34. Take it to the police

Get it off the street.

[gejohnston]

35. it's not on the street

it is in her house. Chances are it will go to some cops house or land up at a flea market.

[holdencaufield]

36. Mine is on the street

Legally and Constitutionally protected every day.

Do you love it?

[jimmy the one]

40. what he really loves, no commitments

holden caufeld: Mine is on the street Legally and Constitutionally protected every day.

Without you, or people in general, having any obligation to serve a single day in a well regulated militia where you might have to actually risk your life to defend the country, rather than pretend you will someday?
Without you ever having to join the army navy or marines in order to possess a military style assault rifle which were developed specially for battlefields, not civilian life?

Do you love it?

No. Not your misinterpretation of the 2nd amendment & fabricated reasons therefore.

know what AR stands for to a lot of gun people? ANAL RETENTIVE

[alittlelark]

37. I can't reply to all, didn't realize there were so many replies...

It is in a property in NM, I am in CA. We are getting a divorce, I need to list all assets in the property.