Mossberg Maverick 88 Question

[Sulaco]

I just picked up a used Mossberg Maverick 88. It is a 12 guage, 28" barrel chambered for 2 3/4 and 3" shells. It was in very bad shape when I got it. It was full of crud and dirt and the barrel has some pretty bad rusting inside it. It is also pretty rusty on the outside and in places like the mag tube, action bars and parts of the internals. I cleaned it up pretty good and oiled it down. I have been working the action to try and loosen it up some and so I can see where it is wearing so I can smooth it up later. I also plan to attack what rust I missed or didn't remove at another time. My question is, what is the best way to remove rust? I am not overly concerned with the finish as there isn't much to speak of anyway so I just want to quickly remove rust. I used steel wool and oil but that just takes forever on the worse parts. Is a Dremel and a felt wheel the answer?

Also, does anyone know much about cutting shotgun barrels? I want to make this a cheap home defense gun so I don't want to buy a new barrel. If I can cut this one down, I would prefer to do that. Is all I need a hacksaw and a steady hand? And what about tapping a hole for a new bead? I am sure I can do this, I am just not sure how to do it.

And what is a good way to get the rust out of the barrel? The bore brush and some Butch's Bore Shine did a whole lot of nothing.

Thanks!

 

[Onmilo]

Put some KROIL oil on the gun and let it soak for a half hour then tackle the job with some 000 steel wool, or better yet, 000 brass or bronze wool if you can find some.
Don't ask me why, I am not a chemist, but the brass or bronze wool will lift the rust and leave most of the blueing in place.
Try it it really works.

As for cutting the barrel down.
To do it properly the barrel has to be cut level.
I use a horizontal bandsaw, set a low speed, 16 teeth per inch metal cutting blade and Brownells Do-Drill lubricant for barrel cutting.
Once the excess barrel is cut off the muzzle must be faced to perfect 90 degree or your shot pattern is going to go left, right, up, or down, depending on how much surface angle you left with the nifty hacksaw job.
I use a special, hand turned facing cutter from Clymers to do this work.
Next you will need a barrel jig and a drill press to align the barrel at top dead center, then you locate where you want your bead to be and center punch the location.
Next you drill the proper hole for the bead sight.
Then you tap the hole.
Then you clean up the bore of any chip material that has flowed down from the tapping job.
I use a round ceramic stone for this work.
Next the bead is prepped with a bead facer so that it will bottom out level and flush in the hole.
The bead is lightly coated with red Loc-Tite.
A shotgun bead installation tool is used to screw the bead down.

I charge about $70.00 to $80.00 to do this work.

A better choice for you is to find a used Mossberg 500 18.5" cylinder bore, bead sight barrel.
These barrels will drop right on to your Mavrick 88, no fitting neccessary.
These are fairly common and plenty cheap.
About $50.00 used and no more than $100.00 brand new.(Try Brownells or Vic Havlin)
http://www.brownells.com
http://www.havlinsales.com

 

[hboy35]

wow

I cut down an H&R single shot 12g with just a hacksaw and metal file. I put some masking tape around the barrel to give me a guide as I cut, then smoothed it out with the file. I used my handheld drill to drill the hole for the bead, and was able to use a cheap tap. The bead went a little deep (stuck through into the barrel) so I carefully used a rat tail file to smooth it even with the bore. Makes a handy truck gun. I cut it to 19 inches, just to be on the safe side....Certainly not a proffesional job, but affordable.

Patterns ok, but it isnt one you want to shoot alot. Just my opinion and worth every penny you paid...

 

[pauli]

given that your current barrel is in poor shape, sulaco, i'd second the recommendation for a new barrel. as as been attested to, you can definitely do it yourself... but in your case, you can save yourself huge amounts of work cleaning, cutting, and refinishing just by spending a reasonable amount of money.

 

[scout26]

I'll third the new barrel recommendation.

Hmmmm, for $55-$70 at Havelin Sales http://www.havlinsales.com/ (go to the accessories - barrels tab) you can't go wrong. Might even find one cheaper at your local shop or gun show on even on-line.

No muss, no fuss, no dish-pan hands, and no BATFE agent at your door.

 

[el44vaquero]

I'd also suggest a new barrel.

 

[danurve]

Extra barrel is the way to go, sometimes you can find a good used one. funny how a new barrel is about 100bills, and you can get a new M88 for about 160.

 

[Onmilo]

Extra barrel is the way to go, sometimes you can find a good used one. funny how a new barrel is about 100bills, and you can get a new M88 for about 160.

Hey, the barrel IS the heart of any firearm!

 

[Sulaco]

Well, I took it back. They had a MAK-90 that was calling my name.

 

[wdlsguy]

funny how a new barrel is about 100bills, and you can get a new M88 for about 160.

Academy sells them for less than $140.