Which Mossberg 500 Should You Buy?

I get asked—A LOT—about which Mossberg 500 PGO model to buy and use as the basis for building a 26.5″ non-NFA firearm. I took the time recently to sit down and pour through all the different models of 500 that Mossberg sells—both 12-gauge and 20-gauge models of their Cruisers and Persuaders.

In the 12-gauge realm, there are several good candidates. The best in my opinion, however, is the 56340. (Shown at the top of this story.) This is a 20″ model with an 8-shot capacity and a matte finish. Most often, the bolt on these models has received the matte finish as well, which really makes the Raptor-ized firearm simply badass.

The next best 12-gauge candidate is the 51340. This is an 18.5″ model with a 6-shot capacity and also a matte finish. However, the bolts on these are usually chrome plated in my experience.

There are two other 12-gauge models that could also work: the 50580 and the 50440. Both of these models, however, feature a bright blue finish (versus a matte blue finish.) The 50580 is a 20″ model with an 8-shot capacity. The 50440 is an 18.5″ model with 6-shot capacity.

For 20-gauge guns, there’s really only one choice from Mossberg: the 50450 is a 18.5″ model with a 6-shot capacity and a bright blue finish.

I’ll just leave this picture here to tempt you to cross over to the Raptor side. 🙂

Note: All of the Mossberg 500 models discussed in this story ship from the factory with only a pistol grip. In other words, they are PGO firearms—not shotguns.

For Shockwave products available for Mossberg click here.

A customer recently turn us onto the Fab Defense KPOS G2 LB-200 Handgun Support System. (Quite the name!) Has anyone purchased this system? What are your thoughts on it? Looks like it’s been around since 2012. You would think you would see more of these out “in the wild.” Very interesting pistol stabilizing brace from the Israelis. Let us know your thoughts on it.

We are caught up with all the backorders on 50-round ZMAGs. And we have now added those to the website for your ordering convenience. All ZMAGs are now Cerakoted matte black for a lifetime of reliable service. Learn more about the amazing 50-round ZMAG here.