Mossberg 385kb -- ?

[honkeoki]

Hello, all --

My recent pawn shop expedition turned up a worn Mossberg 385kb. Now, this shotgun is completely new to me -- it's a bolt-action 20-gauge with a 3" chamber. It had an external choke and interestingly a screw on top of the choke seemed to serve as the bead.

I can't find any info online about this particular firearm. I'm only interested in it because the price is right (=inexpensive) and I don't currently own a 20-gauge. Can anyone provide any info on this particular firearm?

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[Dave McCracken]

Utility grade shotgun. Lots of folks have these. Reliable, but it's more like a single shot than a repeater.

Many have been made up into slug guns., Read the floater thread up top on The Ugliest Shotgun In Howard County about a 12 gauge variant.

 

[honkeoki]

I have to agree with your characterization, Dave. That was one ugly shotgun. The bolt was so stiff I had to muscle it open -- like working the bolt on a Nagant if you haven't cocked it first.

The only reason I looked twice at it was because it was a 20-gauge and it was cheap. I'm a real sucker for inexpensive guns...

Thanks for the feedback.

 

[Smitty in CT]

Here is a good site with some reference material on the older Mossbergs:

http://home.epix.net/~damguy/index-shotgun.html

 

[Oldnamvet]

I saw another bolt action shotgun this weekend at a gun show. A marlin goose gun. 36" barrel with full choke. The sights on it were about like crude rifle sights, with the bead up front and notched non-adjustable sight in rear. Sucker looked like a telephone pole out there. Definitely not for skeet.

 

[honkeoki]

Great news -- my wife wants to go trap shooting this weekend! That gives me an excuse to adopt this ugly duckling and see if it's really a beautiful swan in disguise...

Unless I can find a 20-gauge single-shot at the same price in the meantime.

If it winds up following me home I'll post pics so we can see if it's as ugly as Dave's 12-gauge incarnation of the same shotgun.