Mossberg 500 Cruiser

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Does anyone have one of these, and would share their experience with how it handles and it's reliability? Seems like they are fairly common and haven't been affected by the panic buying; I'm thinking I should be able to find one locally for under $400, plus a shellholder and Hogue Tamer grip/forend means I can come out at well under $500 total. Does that sound about right? I'm looking at the 12guage 20" model.
 
I have one that I bought a long time ago. I paid about $200 for it and the prices haven't risen that much since then unless you get one of the models with the gimmicky add ons.

Its a little hard to get used to since its just a pistol grip but with some range time you can learn to use it effectively. Myself I like shooting it better with a sling set up because it definitely improves the control you have over the shotgun. I've never had it fail but I know they don't have the quality reputation Remington 870s have.
 
^ Everything Ray said.

They are fairly inexpensive, but plenty of people have gripes about having to break them in when they're NIB. I bought one of the gimmicky add on ones a few years ago, the J.I.C. cruiser. It came in a water/ air tight capsule that you could bury if so inclined. It also came with a little sardine-type can that had a bunch of little survival tools in it. The gun worked fine brand new, never had a problem with it. I sold it to fund something else but I would have kept it if I didn't need the money.
 
I got a 500A mariner 18.5" model that was made sometime in the late 80s and has a shiny nickel/chrome finish on the barrel, receiver, heatshield, and bolt. The gun is awesome. I bought it off a friend who originally bought it at an estate sale. He shot probably ~250 rounds through it and I shot probably ~150 rounds through it and then I started having an issue where the shells were dropping out of the bottom of the receiver when I pump the action. I figured it was something to do with the cartridge stop but I called Mossberg and I sent it to their repair facility. Long story short, I sent it to them and then about 4-5 weeks later I had it at my door with brand new internals (bolt, cartridge stop, cartridge interruptor, elevator etc.) and now it functions flawlessly. They didn't charge me for the repairs OR for the return shipping which was great. I was expecting to pay something especially when the Mossberg rep said "oh! well sir, that's a very old shotgun and is out of warranty at this point" after I gave him the serial number. The gun probably got a lot of use and the internals got warped or warn from so much use is my guess.

Anyway it's a great shotgun for the money. Most of the basic mossberg 500s you can get in the low-mid $300s like at Four Seasons. The Hogue forend and pistol grip will run you like ~$30 on Amazon and probably $5-$10 for a shellholder. So you should definitely be under $500 total. I hear the Hogue forends are hit or miss depending on which model and year your 500 was made and whether or not it has a heatshield will dictate if the Hogue forend will fit well. If it doesn't, I hear that people will dremel off some of the rubber on the forend for it to fit right.

If you ever want/need information on Mossberg shotguns or need parts check out Havlin Sales & Service - Mossberg Gun Parts They are a husband/wife run business and I've talked with them numerous times and they know everything about mossberg shotguns. They gave me a whole run down of mine having the shiny nickel or teflon coating for the US coast guard and it got phased out quickly because they didn't like the glare etc.

If you don't want to go broke buying a decent shotgun, you can't go wrong with a Mossberg. My shotgun is probably 25 years old and functions great. I've got the pistol grip and full stock for mine. The pistol grip got old and my wrist didn't enjoy it either after a few trips to the range. I'm sure pistol grip on the Cruiser model can be swapped out for the full stock which I'm sure you will get one after shooting it with just a pistol grip a few times.

Here's mine with and without the pistol grip:
View attachment 77723View attachment 77724
 
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I figured if 1 PG was good, 2 must be even better. LOL

I added PG foregrip, light and sling. Never had a problem with it, but to be honest I haven't shot it a whole lot (prob around 200 rounds)
 

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I figured if 1 PG was good, 2 must be even better. LOL

I added PG foregrip, light and sling. Never had a problem with it, but to be honest I haven't shot it a whole lot (prob around 200 rounds)

Hah not bad. Yeah I don't shoot mine a whole lot either, I bring it to the range every once in a while to blast some milk/water jugs.
 
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When I had my own house I used to leave mine in a Mossberg Loc-box.

With a chamois shirt hanging over it, you'd never know there was a shotgun bolted to the wall.
 
Have the chainsaw that I converted to a standard 500 (except mine still has the rails + breacher!)

The 500 is a beater shotty that'll work 99% of the time. Can't get any better for the $$ IMHO. I like the 870 as well btw.
 
Thanks for the feedback guys (rep's given).

This is my first shotgun so I'm still learning, but I didn't consider the 870. I couldn't find a comparable one on the Remington website, can anyone provide the name of it or a link?

The pistol grip-only versions with heatshields just look so badass (kinda like an underfolder AK), but I don't want one if they handle like shit. But judging by your posts that's not the case, they are very manageable, even pleasant(?) to shoot it seems.
 
Depending on what you plan on shooting through it will make a difference in recoil and how effective you can be with it.

I've shot slugs, buck, and shot through mine and have stuck with low recoil 00 buck rounds.

A lot of people will tell you its impossible to aim with these and while you're not going to be lining up the bead with a cheek weld, if you use a sling and keep it tucked in just under chest level its ok at short distances.

Plus you can always swap the grip for a butt stock/grip combo if you decide you don't like shooting it with the grip.
 
A friend just dropped one off at Holliston Firearms this morning to sell. He only put about 25 rounds through it total, so if you can catch it there, I'm sure you'll get it for a good deal.

edit, sorry just saw you are in NH, so the location probably would be too far to drive.
 
i had a Cruiser for years. Its kindof a stupid gun unless you have a specific use for it. My use was as a shark killer when we went offshore in a 21 foot Whaler. There was no way we were going to try to drag a Mako into the boat unless we KNEW it was dead.

If I were you and did not have a specific need for a pistol grip shotgun, I'd just get a used Remington 870 Express. Preferably something more the 5 or 6 years old. The new ones are not as good as the old ones. You are a new shotgun shooter. Get one that will allow you to use it to shoot at stuff that moves. Thats what a shotgun is for.

If you just want to blow up milk jugs, the cruiser is fine.
 
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