opinions on Mossberg 20 g Superbantam 500

[Dand]

My 11 yr boy is big enough for a shot gun and I have been thinking about the Mossberg adjustable stock superbantam in 20 ga and 22 vr barrel.

Any comments or opinions on this gun?  I'm pretty happy with my 12 g 500.

thanks

[PA-Joe]

Great gun two site pins and tang safety. Got a nice turkey using mine.

[Lon371]

 I love the Mossbergs. There are a lot of folks who dont like the rattles of the older ones. Never bothered me, I dont run with my guns. I shoot one in a 12, my son has a 20 and my daughter a 410. All three have killed deer.

 I looked up the Superbantam, never seen one in person. Looks like a nice setup. My only fear would be the weight or lack of in the stock. If he is a big boy probably wont matter.

 I say go for it. Let us know when he brings that deer home. Love it when they get it to hunting. Have taken many first timers(neighbor kids) out for the first time. Good luck, thanks for bringing another child to the hunting world.

Lonny

[Dand]

I think I'll try one. I sure like my 12 ga Mossy 500 for rough duty in the boat and even a little trap. I don't worry about getting it muddy or bashed up like my Browning OU guns. And I like the safety position. We don't have deer here, moose and caribou and for that we'll start with a 30-30 and hope to upgrade to a 308 soon. My son did get his first 2 ducks with an old 12 ga Ithaca M66 single shot using a 20 ga adaptor. He was a very happy hunter and the ducks tasted wonderful. He has a bit of trouble using the hammer and his hand isn't big enough to safely release the trigger and drop the hammer on a live round so a pump w safety might be better. The adaptor is a bit of a hassle but is fine for a few shots.

We will post any successes and impressions. Thanks for the comments.

[woodsdweller]

all i can say is great gun. my daughter is 15 and hers still fits well. she uses her for all small game hunting, turkey, upland game and just breaking some clays. great gun for the money. hers also came w/a 50% off coupon to get and adult length but dtock in the future. my son wanted the o/u so we got the youth model from mossberg. the silver series also great jun . his is a 20ga and the frame is porpotioned to gauge. not 20ga pipes on a 12 frame. good luck.

[Dand]

Woods, thanks for the info. on the Mossy OU. I wondered about it too but finances only allow for the pump. Plus it should last a long time as a general use scattergun. We can consider an OU later. Better remember to call my dealer tomorrow. He said it might be in by then and I'll need to drop of a check.  I have an 8 yr old coming along behind so hope this will work for both of them for a while. Thanks

[MTGlass]

FWIW,

I've had a couple of 20ga. 500s.  1st was about 25 years ago.  I gought it NIB and sold it off a few months later.  The second, I bought used from a friend who's son had outgrown it.  Neither of my kids liked it for a number of reasons.  The action is much stiffer to operate than my 12ga. 500s.  It kicked like a mule, probably because of its light weight.  The trigger was up in the 20lb. range.  Once my kids tried a cut down 12ga. 1100 they never looked back.  That 20ga. went down the road several months ago.