You’ll want to see Mike Searsons’ overview of the Mossberg 590 Shockwave for a second opinion and a few warnings for this ‘different weapon’.This glorious article was 1st printed on AmmoLand Information on Dec 27, 2023, and seems right here now with contemporary updates.
Few weapons seize the American creativeness like a shorty shotgun.
There’s something so authoritative and strong a few hero with considered one of a majority of these weapons. It’s an in-your-face sort of gun that immediately brings to thoughts the likes of the Terminator and Doc Holliday. The brief shotgun is a sort of finalizer in our popular culture, and it deserves that repute 100% of the way in which.
I spent a bit extra time with Mossberg’s 590 Shockwave than most Hollywood {couples} keep married. I felt {that a} week of day by day use would give me a fairly good thought of this superior little weapon’s capabilities.
Mossberg 590 Shockwave
For the uninformed amongst us, this gun is legally not thought of a shotgun. You might scratch your head at this because the weapon is chambered to fireside 12ga shotshells and is a pump motion, however it’s thought of by the ATF to be a ‘firearm’. You’re in all probability sitting there making an attempt to determine that one out, and also you wouldn’t be alone. The authorized standing of this gun is a results of the idiotic and arbitrary guidelines established by the federal government to control motorized gangsters… or was it to criminalize odd residents? We might by no means know the true motivations of those that rule us, however I don’t care as a result of this gun is as cool as hell.
I’m going to be speaking about this ‘firearm’ by way of how shotguns are used and carried out a number of shotgun-related checks with it.
The Shockwave is able to run proper out of the field. You guessed it, the motion is identical because the venerable Mossberg line and may settle for modifications and elements that different Mossberg fashions do, like Magpul forends and upgraded internals. The gun is heavier than it seems, and the burden is welcome. The dealing with traits of the weapon are fairly distinctive in that it’s very easy to make use of and, on the similar time, tough to grasp. I’ll speak extra about this later.
Connected to the receiver is a 14” smoothbore barrel with a gold bead sight. The barrel isn’t fancy and has no elaborations to talk of. Situated below the barrel is {a magazine} tube that holds as much as 5 two ¾” shells. I had no points loading 5 within the tube with one within the chamber. As you may readily guess, the gun is cycled by the use of a pump motion. Because of this you will need to manually ‘pump’ the motion to feed and eject shells between pictures. Reliability was flawless it doesn’t matter what masses I utilized in it.
The grip of the gun is why this mannequin known as the Shockwave. The identify is a nod to the fellows who make these distinctive birds’ head grips, and they’re specifically engineered to fulfill the general size necessities of a ‘firearm’. The grip has an odd angle that makes it a bit awkward to carry, however it’s what it’s, and it seems good in addition. You can’t connect a conventional inventory to this gun, legally or with no tax stamp. The receiver comes from the manufacturing facility, by no means having had a inventory mounted, thus making it capable of have the brief barrel connected below the ‘firearm’ classification.
The weapon has a receiver-mounted security, a security loop on the foregrip, and sling studs fore and aft. I’d be hard-pressed to discover a cause to make use of a conventional sling setup on this gun as a result of there isn’t a option to maintain it out of the way in which. I attempted to make use of one for all of 5 minutes and rapidly determined that it was a much more helpful gun with out it. A single-point sling could be a bit higher as a result of it wouldn’t get in the way in which of the motion or security strap on the foregrip if it had been connected to the top of the grip.
Since this little weapon wasn’t geared to be examined like every other gun I’ve ever used, I made a decision to run it by means of its distinctive paces and shoot it recreationally with a few of my motion taking pictures buddies.
As I discussed earlier, the gun is supremely dependable. I by no means as soon as had a problem or failure to feed or hearth. The gun simply cycled all the pieces and something. I completed off a few dozen containers of combined shells, together with low cost birdshot to slugs. You might query my use of slugs on this weapon, and I admit I did, too. Out of the twenty or so forms of shells I acquired my arms on, slugs had been probably the most alarming to fireside. I had a number of choices from a number of makers, together with Remington and Hornady. The recoil was stout, and my capacity to hit issues was non-existent, but it surely was extra enjoyable than I’d had shortly.
The factor I fired probably the most out of the weapon was normal low brass Remington and Winchester recreation masses with a mix of shot sorts. The decrease recoil masses allowed for higher management and a better time on the vary. It could not look like it, however going by means of field after field of full-house masses makes for an exhausting day on the vary.
Reside Stock Value Checker
The issue with the Shockwave isn’t that it’s a exhausting gun to shoot; it’s a tough gun to purpose. The gun’s form and the grips’ angle make it in order that the weapon doesn’t harm you. Because it isn’t in your shoulder, there isn’t wherever for the recoil to bruise, that’s, except you determine to get too acquainted with it and introduce the grip to your face. The true issue is studying to point-shoot and be constant when you must transfer your arms to pump it actively.
I discovered that I used to be taking pictures excessive more often than not as a consequence of the truth that you may’t get low to the receiver with out endangering your face. Because of this the angle of the muzzle is all the time barely tilted upwards. Holding the sight bead proper on and loosely aiming meant an nearly assured hit inside ten yards. The additional out I acquired, the tougher it was to make something join. I’d give this gun a sensible, efficient vary of about twenty yards with military-grade buckshot. Sport masses didn’t do something at any greater than ten.
The gun is tough to hip hearth. I do know that most individuals who get a weapon like this can need to blast away from the hip, however it’s nearly ineffective on this capability except you tuck in your arms and rigidly maintain it whereas working the motion. In contrast to the glittery picture of our Hollywood heroes, aiming continues to be a factor in actual life and also you’ll waste a lot of shells taking part in hero. Waste could also be a powerful phrase, as a contented day on the vary is never a waste. A worthwhile expenditure could be a greater option to describe it. I usually battle with the connection between {dollars} and empty brass, however it’s a dilemma that I used to be glad to have with this superior gun.
The factor that will make this gun far more practical could be a easy rear sight or at the very least one thing to index the sight bead to in relation to the rear of the receiver. I wouldn’t need this characteristic to be overly complicated or too adjustable. I’d like it if an organization made a set notch like on a Smith and Wesson J-Body or SAA revolver that would mount utilizing the pre-existing receiver scope base places.
In my week with this gun, I shot at all the pieces from shifting clays to stationary paper. I noticed that this can be a devastating and efficient weapon at shut ranges and might be employed at higher distances with observe. Mastering this gun will take observe, however very similar to taking pictures a revolver in double motion might help you in a single motion, the harder issues have probably the most rewards in the long term. You’d be amazed at what you are able to do when you may ‘see’ the place the shot will go when level taking pictures.
All in all, the Mossberg 590 Shockwave is one hell of a enjoyable gun that’s easy to make use of and revel in. Some might imagine that’s only a gimmick, however there’s a severe utility to be discovered on this tiny ‘firearm’. The Shockwave, I consider, could have lasting reputation among the many taking pictures public and discover its area of interest in your assortment alongside the way in which.
About Josh Wayner:
Josh Wayner has been writing within the gun business for 5 years. He’s an energetic competitors shooter with 14 medals from Camp Perry. Along with firearms-related work, Josh enjoys working with animals and researching conservation tasks in his house state of Michigan.
