Watch out for the minimum overall length requirement for your shotgun. 26" total minimum.
I've used a few but that gun is pretty light and any full power loads are gonna let you know they are there. I've never really tried to dampen that gun up but I would say that if a recoil pad isn't enough you may just have to live with it or use lighter loads for your regular use. If it's for home defense you can always keep your full power loads in it at home.
My mods have been limited to barrel changes, mounts and a few different sights.
Try a synthetic stock, maybe even a Choate w/pistol grip. The synthetic stocks flex a little and seem to help quite a bit with recoil. I fire a 14" Mossberg 500 w/syn stock and it has much less recoil than the old Rem 870 18" wooden stock did. I have to qualify w/slugs and OO buck, so any reduction in recoil is appreciated.
My experience with Mossberg 500 shotguns is that they are lightweight and kick more than most similar shotguns.
I know of nothing that lightens up the recoil to any signficant level.
Then again, farmers around here buy the 500 as a "disposable" shotgun - they use them to shoot blackbirds - and shoot a thousand rounds or so through them and they are worn out... Then again, they are using light loads, so they are not so concerned with recoil.
Try Knoxx Specops adjustable stocks. It's an adjustable stock with and without shock suppression. Also if it's for home defense, try another load. I use Hornady TAP 12 ga. buckshot. Low flash. Low recoil.
Get a wooden stock. Remove the butt plate and bore a 3/4 inch hole about 6 inches into it. Fill with molten lead and let cool.
Replace butt plate, add a recoil pad if you wish.
The felt recoil will be greatly reduced. Only use 2 3/4 inch shells, and stay away from anything that says "magnum".
A bit? You must have an iron shoulder. My "Mossburg shoulder" still hasn't fully recovered.
I've got a Mossberg 500 with a synthetic stock. I haven't really noticed any substantial recoil with it, but felt recoil is as much subjective as it is a function of the gun's weight and the load you're using.
I haven't fired any magnum loads through it, though. If you're using magnum loads or 00 buckshot, that's way too powerful for home defense. The shot will rip right through drywall and hollow doors and have plenty of velocity left over to kill anyone in the pattern behind your target. A regular 2-3/4 inch shell with #4 buckshot is plenty powerful enough to take out any bad guy, and overpenetration is greatly reduced. And at typical home defense ranges, the pattern won't be much bigger than a couple of inches, even with a short cylinder bore barrel.
Are you shooting 3"? Try 23/4" loads. Up close, a perp won't know the difference.
check out www.knoxx.com for shock absorbing stocks and limbsaver.com for recoil absorbing pads.
Make sure that the stock is the right size. If it is too long or too short, it will not make firm contact with your shoulder before you shoot, dramatically increasing perceived recoil.
You might talk to a helpful gun dealer. If memory serves, there are a lot of aftermarket stocks for the Mossberg 500, you should be able to find something that helps.
Used to fire a beautiful Mossberg 12 gauge as a kid. Hell of a kick on that thing but man did it put a tight pattern on a target.
Choate makes a stock with a pretty good sized recoil pad. It also has adjustable spacers. You could also add a little weight by buying the ammo carriers like a SideSaddle that mounts six rounds on the right side of the receiver. They also have slip on ammo carriers that attach to the rear stock.
I'm a fan of Mossberg 500's since they have the safety on the top rear of the receiver and can be modified to chamber Aguila Mini-shells.
Remington as well as other ammo manufacturers produce reduced power loads, both buckshot and slugs. I've shot a lot of that ammo through my Mossberg 590 A1 and it does reduce felt recoil considerably. For instance, Remington claims a 40% reduction in felt recoil.
A typical full power 12 gauge load has a muzzle velocity of about 1600 feet per second. A reduced load will have a muzzle velocity of about 1200 feet per second. At personal defense distances, the BG will never know the difference.
Some law enforcement agencies also use reduced power rounds so the stuff is considered effective for the intended use plus it is less likely to over penetrate and harm innocent bystanders.
The bottom line, of course, is that a 12 gauge shotgun is a potent firearm and there's only so much you can do to tame the beast.
I've got a Mossberg 500, 18.5 in barrel, and I've switched out the original stocks for a nylon pistolgrip in the back.
With that gun, it isn't about accuracy. :-)
I also learned the hard way that you *don't* want to shoot 3-in magnums with the pistol grip in place, at least not very many times. I do keep it loaded with 5 shots, set in the following order: 3 #6 2.5in hunting loads, then 2 #00buck/#6shot combo 3in mag.
I figure if I need shots 4 and 5, I won't care by then how much they hurt. And they do hurt. :-)
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