Purchased shotgun for additional Home Defense
- Thread starter goodoboy
- Start date
I forgot to answer your first question. There is no way to add a magazine extension to the Mossberg 500 or Mav 88. The Mossberg 590 will take an extension due to the different design of the magazine/barrel locking system. If you turn the screw/bolt at the end of magazine you can take the barrel off (pull back forend halfway first). You can see that the part the bolt screws into closes off the magazine tube. Other shotguns use a larger cap type screw on the end of an open tube, which is why they can be extended.
The only way to add rounds is a side saddle or butt cuff. But this adds weight and bulk and some of the things that makes the 5+1 Maverick 88 great is the short length, light weight, and slim profile. Yes, I have other shotguns that hold 8 rounds but they don't have the maneuverability of the 18" Mossberg.
And since you violated the unwritten rule of posting pictures of your new gun, I'll help you out
5 shots is fine. I recommend a side saddle or buttstock ammo carrier to keep the tube topped off, though.
Tom Givens (IIRC) did an article where he analyzed home defense shotgun shootings. Don't think he found a single one where more than 3 shots were needed. Shotgun fights just don't tend to last long. The additional weight forward of shotgun extensions and the durability and reliability issues of some extensions can be issues as well.
Truth be told, a 4 or 5 shot standard tube on a Remington or Mossberg is perfectly good for home defense, in fact it can even be ideal. I keep my 870 Police with no extension. The tube is well protected from any damage even if the gun is forcefully dropped. I've read of accounts of extended magazines breaking off at the threads and spilling shells everywhere, once from a police officer who was grabbing the gun out of his cruiser to respond to a bank robbery.
I've also tried the extensions and found they make the balance too far forward and increase fatigue when reloading or performing one handed administrative duties like opening doors or manipulating cell phones or kids etc. Practice keeping the tube topped off and you won't have any problems. Standard capacity mag tubes have many benefits, often overlooked.
The very most important accessory will be a flashlight so you can positively identify a threat before shooting it if you can't reach a light switch or the power is out (your lines might be cut or they could be looters during an outage etc.)
Look into taking a defensive shotgun course from a TRUSTED and verified legit instructor and practice practice practice! The Maverick 88 is a solid and proven home defense shotgun, you did well.
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kwselke
Member
I have 40 years of familiarity and use of Remington Model 870s. I keep one behind my bedroom door with four shells in the magazine, chamber empty, and the safety off. Currently it is loaded with 2 3/4" 00 Buck. I also have slugs and a heavy loading of #6 Bird-shot that I keep for home defense. If given a chance I'll top it of before needing to use it. I'm very familiar with shotgun use in the field, and feel well defended at home. I'm not planning to defend against an organized commando raid, I'd lose that however I was armed. I can put a world of hurt on two or three idiots trying to violate my home if I need to.
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REM 3200
US Veteran
Shotguns are not tested for firing if they are dropped or fall At least not like a pistol is. I've been around shotguns many, many years and I spent a LOT of time on a shotgun board and every expert there said do not store a shotgun with a round in the chamber.
https://www.luckygunner.com/lounge/cruiser-ready-how-to-store-a-home-defense-shotgun/
"...the way cops have often stored shotguns in their patrol cars. And that is with the magazine tube loaded, the chamber empty, the slide unlocked, and sometimes with the safety on, but I’m going to suggest you leave the safety off."
How-to Store a Pump Action Gun in a Safe Yet Ready to Use Manner | LearnAboutGuns.com
"Hand load a dummy round directly into the chamber. The dummy round is a plastic or metal place holder for a real round. It is inert but is shaped like the real thing. The purpose of loading a dummy round is to prevent damage to the gun’s firing pin that could result if the gun were firing on an empty chamber. Make sure this is a dummy round, not a live round!"
Shooting Illustrated | 6 Ways to Keep Your Home-Defense Shotgun Ready
"A few people, though not many, advocate keeping a dedicated home-defense shotgun in Condition Zero: Full magazine, loaded chamber, with the safety off. This may be the fastest method, but it’s also the least safe. While people often carry their handguns in this state (as do I), there’s a big difference between carrying a handgun and a shotgun: Most handguns (1911s being the obvious exception) are holstered when carried in Condition Zero, so the trigger is protected. But, a shotgun typically has no such holster and therefore nothing to keep an object, say a light switch, an excited dog’s paw or your finger as you reach for it in the dead of night, from inadvertently touching the trigger. Therefore, I am not an advocate of keeping an unprotected shotgun in Condition Zero."
I actually found ONE person that said to keep a round in the chamber to keep from giving your position away to an intruder when you rack the slide. That is the first time I have ever seen anyone claiming to be an expert say that. Shotguns are not designed to be stored that way.
I'd point you to the shotgun forum that I posted on for a few years but that isn't exactly kosher to promote another forum on this one. There were a lot of shotgun experts there. I don't think I ever saw one say store a pump gun with a round in the chamber.
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nachogrande
Member
BIRD SHOT IS FINE.
6 Shot will work fine, if assaulted by a flock of game birds. Every law enforcement agency & militaries world wide use shotguns, I've never heard of ANY of them using birdshot. My biggest concern (in the extremely unlikely event I'll need it) would be stopping the threat quickly & positively, THEN worry about the neighbors if still alive. Obviously if you live in a thin walled apartment complex, slugs may not be your best choice. My house has pretty solid walls, plenty of furnishings/appliances & concrete block outside walls, the same as the not too close neighbors. MY pick is Dixie Tri-balls, 3- 62 caliber 325 gr, @ 1,000- 1,100 fps. (2 oz's of big balls)
6 Shot will work fine, if assaulted by a flock of game birds. Every law enforcement agency & militaries world wide use shotguns, I've never heard of ANY of them using birdshot. My biggest concern (in the extremely unlikely event I'll need it) would be stopping the threat quickly & positively, THEN worry about the neighbors if still alive. Obviously if you live in a thin walled apartment complex, slugs may not be your best choice. My house has pretty solid walls, plenty of furnishings/appliances & concrete block outside walls, the same as the not too close neighbors. MY pick is Dixie Tri-balls, 3- 62 caliber 325 gr, @ 1,000- 1,100 fps. (2 oz's of big balls)
hkcavalier
US Veteran
I store mine with an empty chamber, on fire, with the hammer down (trigger was obviously pulled). It can take a long time for the hammer spring to "take a set" or simply weaken but I have seen it happen.
The safest way to do this is to put it on fire, pull the trigger, and then load the mag tube.
I forgot to answer your first question. There is no way to add a magazine extension to the Mossberg 500 or Mav 88. The Mossberg 590 will take an extension due to the different design of the magazine/barrel locking system. If you turn the screw/bolt at the end of magazine you can take the barrel off (pull back forend halfway first). You can see that the part the bolt screws into closes off the magazine tube. Other shotguns use a larger cap type screw on the end of an open tube, which is why they can be extended.
The only way to add rounds is a side saddle or butt cuff. But this adds weight and bulk and some of the things that makes the 5+1 Maverick 88 great is the short length, light weight, and slim profile. Yes, I have other shotguns that hold 8 rounds but they don't have the maneuverability of the 18" Mossberg.
And since you violated the unwritten rule of posting pictures of your new gun, I'll help you out
Not to be an *** by my Mossberg 500 Cruiser Breacher can take magazine extensions. Certain models do have the screw on end caps like the 590s do. Choate Machine makes them, among others.
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BlackTalonJHP
Member
I agree. Like I said, models with the screw-on magazine cap can take extensions. The vast majority of 500's cannot. The OP's Maverick 88 cannot.
bulletslap
Member
I will second the suggestion to take a Defensive Shotgun course and the use of Federal Flitecontrol buckshot.
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