Mossberg 500 20 Gauge
Model: 50136
Mossberg 500 20 Gauge
Model: 50136
Full Specifications
About This Firearm
The Mossberg 500 is a wood-stocked pump-action 20 gauge built for upland bird hunting. It has an MSRP of $556. Its safety is a sliding button on the top tang, which either thumb reaches with nothing replaced, so a left-handed youngster learns the same gun a right-handed parent already knows.
The barrel is 26 inches with a vent rib and Mossberg's Accu-Set interchangeable chokes, so the pattern changes with a wrench and not with a second barrel. Sighting is a bead at each end of the rib. The magazine holds six rounds. The action uses dual extractors, twin action bars, steel-to-steel lockup and an anti-jam elevator, and it strips with a screwdriver. Nothing adjusts for fit and the length of pull is fixed.
If you're cross-shopping, the Remington 870 Express has an MSRP of $600 and weighs 104.0 oz, 8.0 oz under this gun, on a longer 28-inch barrel with four rounds and a cross-bolt safety. A Beretta A300 Ultima has an MSRP of $899 and cycles itself, at 108.16 oz. The Mossberg is the cheapest of the three and holds six shells, two more than the Remington.
Best For
Strengths & Limitations
- 112.0 oz in 20 gauge is enough mass to keep a three-inch field load civil, which counts for more with a young shooter than a few ounces of carrying weight.
- Six rounds is two more than a Remington 870 Express holds in this gauge.
- Mossberg builds it in the USA, and the 500 action under it has one of the longest production runs of any pump shotgun.
- Nothing on the stock adjusts, which is awkward in a gauge often bought for a smaller shooter.
- The receiver is not drilled and tapped on this configuration, so a red dot for turkey needs a clamp-on mount.
- At 112.0 oz it is the heavy gun of the three here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do 20-gauge and 12-gauge 500 barrels interchange?
No. Receiver and magazine tube dimensions differ between gauges, so a 20-gauge barrel fits nothing but a 20-gauge 500. Inside the gauge, barrels drop straight in.
What is Accu-Set?
Mossberg's interchangeable choke system. The tubes screw into the muzzle end of the barrel and come out with a wrench.
How many shells does it hold with three-inch loads?
Five. Six is the figure for standard-length shells, and the chamber takes both.
