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Picked up my first shotgun!

3K views 15 replies 10 participants last post by  adouglas 
#1 ·
Havnt posted for a while so i thought i would let everyone know i picked up a Mossberg Maverick 88 the other day. Only paid 159 at my local shop. Shot it yesterday and it was the first time i had ever shot a shotgun, gotta say its a lot of fun! Im looking for tips or must haves if anyone has any input! thanks!
 
#2 ·
Havnt posted for a while so i thought i would let everyone know i picked up a Mossberg Maverick 88 the other day. Only paid 159 at my local shop. Shot it yesterday and it was the first time i had ever shot a shotgun, gotta say its a lot of fun! Im looking for tips or must haves if anyone has any input! thanks!


Mine gives me black and blue marks on the shoulder sometimes. Thats not fun.




Hope you like your shotgun. It's fun to shoot clays with it.
 
#4 ·
one recommendation is going to walmart and spending 21.00 dollars by purchasing a limb-saver butt pad. It really eliminates most of the felt recoil. Congrats on the new toy!
 
#5 ·
#8 ·
depending on the legality in your state, maybe a folding stock.. you also could never go wrong with some fiber optic sights, or a red dot on it.
 
#11 ·
I would recommend buying a short barrel for it.... the Mossberg 500 barrels fit the 88 perfectly. Good Shooting to you!




I agree with camaker. Get the 18.5 barrel for it. I bought the 500 last year and use it as my primary home defense gun. Just the sound of wracking a round into the chamber will change many intruders minds about going through with a home invasion - if they keep going, just pull the trigger! Get used to shooting it before you start spending mucho bucks on accessories.
 
#12 ·
My $0.02, having just bought a shotty of my own (Remingon 870 Express Tactical (which means an 18" barrel, mag extension):



"Tacticool" stocks.... meh. You're going to want to shoot it with the thing extended anyway, by all accounts. I've yet to read a report that says shooting a shotgun without it planted firmly on your shoulder with your cheek welded to the comb is anything but really unpleasant. Other than making you look like a SWAT wannabe (i.e., looking like an Elite Team Fighter...remember that loser?), what exactly is the point of these things?



Recoil pad: I thought of this, but after shooting it with the shells I'm going to use (Remington Law Enforcemet Reduced Recoil 00 Buckshot) I found that the factory pad was perfectly fine. No need.



Light: I'm doing that, in such a way that I can take it off easily when I change barrels to go trap shooting. I don't want to have to go switching house lights on if something goes bump in the night.



Regarding "must haves," IMHO a magazine extension is a more useful thing than a sidesaddle. If you want more shells than will fit in the stock magazine, doesn't it make sense to have them IN the gun? My 870 holds 6+1. I don't feel the need for a sidesaddle.



+1 on the short barrel.



Proper defensive ammo. Read up on this... I settled on the low-recoil loads noted above.
 
#13 ·
"Tacticool" stocks.... meh. You're going to want to shoot it with the thing extended anyway, by all accounts. I've yet to read a report that says shooting a shotgun without it planted firmly on your shoulder with your cheek welded to the comb is anything but really unpleasant. Other than making you look like a SWAT wannabe (i.e., looking like an Elite Team Fighter...remember that loser?), what exactly is the point of these things?


I thought that guy used a trap gun for tacticool uses.....not to mention rifles are meant to be thrown to the ground to be replaced by a Handgun.
 
#14 ·
Regarding "must haves," IMHO a magazine extension is a more useful thing than a sidesaddle. If you want more shells than will fit in the stock magazine, doesn't it make sense to have them IN the gun? My 870 holds 6+1. I don't feel the need for a sidesaddle.
The Mossy 500 (Maverick 88) line does not accept extensions, a sidesaddle is one of the better choices.



If you're thinking about a reducing recoil, carrying more rounds and having a collapsible stock consider the Knoxx SpecOps w/Powerpack Modular Cheekpiece, more coin but reduces felt recoil MUCH better than anything else, and it works best with the 88's safety. From the first dove shot at lunch time trough the twelfth box of shells at dusk I never had any shoulder pain, none. The higher cheek weld did throw off the bead sight on a 28" barrel though, so you'll need some ammo to practice with (maybe a reflex sight).



For home defense it's tough to beat a shotgun. I chose the 18.5" Model 88 w/SpecOps, eventually I'll attach my X300 to an under-barrel mounted UniMax.
 
#15 ·
I feel that if i cant hit an intruder with 6 + 1 shots, i probably should get on a treadmill and practice running! ANYWAY 18.5 is being purchased this week and the knoxx will be tax refund. I really appreciate all the input guys, im on my way to having a multi-use shotty!
 
#16 ·
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