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Capacity Advice

need4speed

need4speed

.410
Greetings from Scotland.

Due to stupid UK government gun laws we are forced to have no more than 2+1 in our pump shotguns. However I have recently joined a gun club that entitles me to a full firearms license. This means I can have higher capacity.

I've had a Mossberg 590 for a few years but now want to up the magazine capacity from 2+1. Rather than go to the expense of a new gun can I not just convert my own by adding a different magazine tube/spring or is it more complex than that?

Thanks in advance..
 
Good morning and welcome to Mossberg owners forum.

I will start with the disclaimer that I don't own a 590 and I may inadvertently be misinforming you with my reply.

However, I do have a 500 that is similar in many ways, and they often come with a wooden dowel rod in the magazine tube that can be removed from the front, which affects capacity.

In the U.S., many shotguns have what are called "plugs" because certain hunting laws require only a few shells can be loaded into the magazine tube.

I would check that before buying a new mag tube.

 
Hi, @need4speed

How long is the magazine tube, do you have a photo? John is right, there should be a plug/wooden dowel unless there is something else physically different about guns sold in Scotland to meet local laws.

If its as simple as a dowel, that can be removed and capacity should be 5 rounds. If you want more, you may be able to order a magazine extension.
 
No. There is no plug etc. The restricted capacity is by means of a very short magazine tube.

image.jpeg

This pic isn't my shotgun but it shows approx the same length of mag tube..
 
Guy, that's a 5 round tube.
 
I don't know, the gun you have shown looks to have the "regular" tube of 5+1 as shown below. o_O Perhaps there is an extra long follower?
51411-catalog.jpg
BTW, Welcome Aboard! :)
 
Hmmm maybe there is a dowel or a plug in there...

However worst case scenario. Say there isn't anything to simply remove. Would it just be a case of swapping out my mag tube/spring for a regular one?

http://mossberg.co.uk

The link above shows where I got mine from. You will notice it is available as 2+1 or 8+1. The pics on the website must show the 8+1 because the mag tube looks way longer than mine..
 
need4speed said:
Hmmm maybe there is a dowel or a plug in there...

However worst case scenario. Say there isn't anything to simply remove. Would it just be a case of swapping out my mag tube/spring for a regular one?

http://mossberg.co.uk

The link above shows where I got mine from. You will notice it is available as 2+1 or 8+1. The pics on the website must show the 8+1 because the mag tube looks way longer than mine..
Click to expand...

Swapping the tube would require heating the receiver with a heat gun and unscrewing the mag tube--Mossberg often uses Loctite on the threads. 8+1 tubes are normally found on the 590 and 590A1 with 20" barrel. Note that swapping tubes may also require swapping barrels because the barrel lug(s) may be in a different location. This US model is very similar to guns you have there only yours have the 4" extension to the barrel for lawful compliance.

Model 500 barrels will work if you swap to a matching 500 mag tube (5+1 or 7+1). You lose 1 round using 500 parts...

51660-catalog.jpg
 
I lived in Europe when I bought my first shotguns and they all had dowels in the tubes to limit the follower travel and restrict the capacity to 2+1. This is one of the many reasons why I moved out here, having to live with the insanity that after a shooting in my own house I would have to take the time and have the presence of mind to place the dowels back in before calling it in. Talk about ridiculous gun laws, but we're approaching this level of stupidity here fast.
I concur that your mag is probably a 5-rounder. If you want more than 5+1, you can certainly swap for an 8-round tube as others said, but you'll also have to change the barrel to go with it. So it might be cheaper to buy another gun, I don't know. Back in the day the 20" guns were sold over there, only with dowels in them just like the shorter ones.
 
Yep. That's it. A wood stick with a couple of o-rings. If you don't take the tube apart, you can probably get the dowel out through the screw hole at the end of it. That's what I used to do.
 
I agree, that's gotta be a dowel. The model pictured looks identical to my 835 but with a longer barrel. Taking the dowel out is the first thing I do to a gun. The only reason they're ever needed in my parts is for migratory bird hunting where only three (2+1) shells are allowed in the firearm at a time. In fact if you shake the gun or tip it upside down the right side up and back, you may hear it rattle some in the magazine.
 
Yep. So many stupid rules and regs in this damned place. Unfortunately I was born in the wrong country.
It's like another hobby I used to have - motocross. Didn't seem to matter where you rode, the law would soon move us on. Whereas my cousin in Arizona trailers his bike 30 mins away from his house and can do whatever he likes for as long as he likes..
 
need4speed said:
It's like another hobby I used to have - motocross. Didn't seem to matter where you rode, the law would soon move us on. Whereas my cousin in Arizona trailers his bike 30 mins away from his house and can do whatever he likes for as long as he likes..
Click to expand...

Places to ride are getting scarce here, too. One issue is property owners don't want the liability of someone getting hurt--blame that on ambulance-chasing, scumbag lawyers (barristers)! :mad: Another issue is development of riding areas--blame that on overpopulation! :(
 
I used to ride a lot, in particular off-road too. Got into cars, got into guns... and it's always been the same crap: can't live by your rules, man! Not hard to feel picked on all the time. We should take up gardening or knitting: not too many laws & regs on that! One of the things that drew me to the States was the amount of personal freedoms. Easy to imagine how pissed I am that the damn libs are trying to make us more into Europe every day...
Anyhoo, let us know how that dowel thing turns out, need4speed!
 
Yeah, I know, man... I just couldn't think of another example of an apparently mundane and harmless activity. :) In reality, try and sell what you grow to your friends and neighbors and expect the wrath of the racketeers: can't threaten public safety (or the interests of powerful food lobbies) like that! We need a reset button. We still have it a lot better here than anywhere else (so far).
 
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