A while back I was looking to grab an affordable 12ga for upland and waterfowl hunting. The buying criteria was sub $700, semi-auto, 28" barrel, & synthetic furniture. Most importantly, I also wanted something good that I wouldn't feel bad about beating up.
After looking around and shouldering a variety of guns, the finalists were the Beretta A300, Weatherby SA-08, and Mossberg 930 Waterfowl. I was never able to actually find a Weatherby to shoulder, and while the Beretta felt great, I couldn't justify the cost vs the Mossberg. So I ended up going with a Mossberg 930 Waterfowl, $450 at Buds.
Overall I'm quite happy with it. You get some nice features for the money out of the box, including a fiber optic front bead, ported barrel, nice recoil pad, 3 chokes (IC, M, F), and a stock that is drop adjustable. The finish appears to be good quality. Yeah the furniture is polymer and the fore end appears a bit flimsy, but it has aggressive checkering for your support hand and is lightweight. Sure the receiver is alloy, but as long as we're not talking 1911s I don't really care. All of these features lower the weight, and overall the gun feels much lighter than it is.
Now I'm no wizard behind a shotgun (I'm a handgunner by trade) and you won't see me winning any ATA tournaments, but on the trap field it did all I could ask it to do. When I did my part, the clays broke. When I kind of did my part, the clays still (more often than not) broke. Find a wide, thin rubber band and you got yourself a 2 cent shell catcher and a fun afternoon.
I'd describe the shooting dynamic as 'lightweight smooth'. The trigger is better than the finger-mushing Benelli Supernova I played with in the shop, and the bright red bead is quite visible. Reliability with a variety of loads was 100% aside from 2 FTF, both from Winchester Super Target shells that were out of spec (budging hulls or messed up crimps). It's been around 150 shots since I last cleaned it, and the action is still smooth and the bolt always locks open.
There were, however some relatively minor cons with the 930. I'd recommend that any new buyer swing by Home Depot on the way to your gun shop and pick up some fine grained sandpaper. There is a seam that runs along the top of the stock that will give you an annoying yet manly looking abrasion on your cheek. 2 minutes with sandpaper and it's gone.
Second, the gas seal that sits above the piston can be a big pain in the ass to disassemble and reassemble. Mossberg recommends cleaning it every 200-250 shots...I'd prefer to stretch that. It even takes Jerry Miculek a couple of tries on the company-produced how to video.
Lastly, it doesnt swing quite as nicely as other shotguns I've fired, such as my dad's 1970s Wingmaster. Even though I just praised it for feeling lightweight, I think a bit more mass up front would be helpful.
Overall, the Mossberg 930 WF does what I need it to do. Reliable and American made, I can't wait to blast pheasants with it this fall.
After looking around and shouldering a variety of guns, the finalists were the Beretta A300, Weatherby SA-08, and Mossberg 930 Waterfowl. I was never able to actually find a Weatherby to shoulder, and while the Beretta felt great, I couldn't justify the cost vs the Mossberg. So I ended up going with a Mossberg 930 Waterfowl, $450 at Buds.
Overall I'm quite happy with it. You get some nice features for the money out of the box, including a fiber optic front bead, ported barrel, nice recoil pad, 3 chokes (IC, M, F), and a stock that is drop adjustable. The finish appears to be good quality. Yeah the furniture is polymer and the fore end appears a bit flimsy, but it has aggressive checkering for your support hand and is lightweight. Sure the receiver is alloy, but as long as we're not talking 1911s I don't really care. All of these features lower the weight, and overall the gun feels much lighter than it is.
Now I'm no wizard behind a shotgun (I'm a handgunner by trade) and you won't see me winning any ATA tournaments, but on the trap field it did all I could ask it to do. When I did my part, the clays broke. When I kind of did my part, the clays still (more often than not) broke. Find a wide, thin rubber band and you got yourself a 2 cent shell catcher and a fun afternoon.
I'd describe the shooting dynamic as 'lightweight smooth'. The trigger is better than the finger-mushing Benelli Supernova I played with in the shop, and the bright red bead is quite visible. Reliability with a variety of loads was 100% aside from 2 FTF, both from Winchester Super Target shells that were out of spec (budging hulls or messed up crimps). It's been around 150 shots since I last cleaned it, and the action is still smooth and the bolt always locks open.
There were, however some relatively minor cons with the 930. I'd recommend that any new buyer swing by Home Depot on the way to your gun shop and pick up some fine grained sandpaper. There is a seam that runs along the top of the stock that will give you an annoying yet manly looking abrasion on your cheek. 2 minutes with sandpaper and it's gone.
Second, the gas seal that sits above the piston can be a big pain in the ass to disassemble and reassemble. Mossberg recommends cleaning it every 200-250 shots...I'd prefer to stretch that. It even takes Jerry Miculek a couple of tries on the company-produced how to video.
Lastly, it doesnt swing quite as nicely as other shotguns I've fired, such as my dad's 1970s Wingmaster. Even though I just praised it for feeling lightweight, I think a bit more mass up front would be helpful.
Overall, the Mossberg 930 WF does what I need it to do. Reliable and American made, I can't wait to blast pheasants with it this fall.
