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Field Stripped New Mossberg .410 gauge 500 series shotgun (pump action)

Melissa

Melissa

.22LR
OK so my mother gave me a .410 bore Mossberg 500 pump action shotgun. This is my first shotgun. I've been around revolvers and semiautomatic pistols my whole life. I ran snap caps through it, no problem. Then I got brave and decided to try and take down the gun and reassemble it after watching some videos online. The safety was on. I don't remember touching the trigger, and I brought the forearm back and then to the halfway point. Disassembly was easy.

Reassembly was the problem. I put everything back together and got to where we put the trigger housing back in. Tight, but I did it after a few tries. I didn't try and force it. When I tested for functionality, I moved the forearm forward and tried to move the safety to off. Nothing. I couldn't pull the trigger or the button to move the forearm. I took it to a gunsmith and he took it down again and reassembled it, and the gun is now working. So I'm thinking that I may have been very close and yet completely off on something.

I understand that part of the gun owner's responsibility is to take down and reassemble your gun in a safe manner. I also believe that this helps you learn how your gun functions and helps you know your firearm better. However, I can't be running back and forth to the gunsmith every time, only to find out that the gun still works. Are there some things I should be looking for? Troubleshooting tips? ANY tips or suggestions you can give me is greatly appreciated! This gun is already important to me as it was a gift from my mother, and I want to give it every chance.
 
You could either search here at MO, or on YouTube. A 12 or 20ga will disassemble similarly. I had an issue the last time I reassembled mine. It took a little fiddling with the safety to get the trigger housing back up into place. Downloading a manual from Mossberg may help, also.

Welcome Aboard! :)
 
Welcome to the Mossberg Owners Forum Melissa !!

I would have asked the gunsmith to do the reassembly in front of me...and then disassemble and reassemble it while he watched.

Might as well get your $$ worth...
 
Welcome to Mossberg owners forum. We are glad you joined and hope you continue to participate. There are many helpful folks on the forum.

It is very rare I ever take apart my receiever as there is little need to for average cleaning of the gun. Only after several thousand rounds will things get particularly nasty enough to start causing problems.

Typically wiping down the outside with a little gun oil on a rag and lubricating the action slide bars and running a bore mop down the barrel is about the extent of cleaning that mine ever gets.
 
SHOOTER13 said:
Welcome to the Mossberg Owners Forum Melissa !!

I would have asked the gunsmith to do the reassembly in front of me...and then disassemble and reassemble it while he watched.

Might as well get your $$ worth...
Click to expand...

Couldn't do that-by the time I got to the shop to pick it up, he'd left. His wife was there and while she'd shot a .410, she was not familiar with it enough to do that. But I did ask ;) My plan, until I can find someone to work with me one on one with takedown is to keep it at a minimum. But I am asking around to see if there is someone who can help me.
 
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John A. said:
Welcome to Mossberg owners forum. We are glad you joined and hope you continue to participate. There are many helpful folks on the forum.

It is very rare I ever take apart my receiever as there is little need to for average cleaning of the gun. Only after several thousand rounds will things get particularly nasty enough to start causing problems.

Typically wiping down the outside with a little gun oil on a rag and lubricating the action slide bars and running a bore mop down the barrel is about the extent of cleaning that mine ever gets.
Click to expand...

Like, how many rounds?

Would RemOil work for the outside?

What do you use for the action slide bars?

FYI I have RemOil and Sno Gun Grease that I use for my semiauto pistol (A VERY light coating of RemOil for the outside followed by a wipedown, Sno for the inside as my Ruger likes that better lol). You make it sound easy :)
 
Awesome. That is a great name for it.

Just remember all the gun safety rules and always treat it as it is loaded. You'll have many many years of enjoyment out of it.

Rem Oil is fine for everything you need it for.

If you notice that you're starting to have cycling problems or shooting failures, it's time to clean it.
 
John A. said:
Awesome. That is a great name for it.

Just remember all the gun safety rules and always treat it as it is loaded. You'll have many many years of enjoyment out of it.

Rem Oil is fine for everything you need it for.

If you notice that you're starting to have cycling problems or shooting failures, it's time to clean it.
Click to expand...

So I shouldn't need the thicker Sno like I use on the Ruger?

And how would I know if it's too much or too little RemOil?
 
The only gun I use "grease" on is the FAL and that's only because that's what they called for in the original design.

Everything else gets oil.

From my experience, the thicker greases tend to trap more fouling and contaminents in it and doesn't take long to turn into a muddy goo.

Thinner oil tends to still trap fouling, but is easier to wipe off and clean up and reapply.

If you put on too much oil, it'll just drain off when you store your gun. I don't know if there is a such thing as "too much" oil, but you don't have to dump a lot in there either. Just apply liberally to the areas that need lube, and you should be good.
 
That's OK. It's really no problem.

The FAL is a semi auto (some were select fire) rifle that was used by over 90 countries as their main service rifle during the cold war. I'm sure you've probably seen them on the evening news growing up, just may not have known what they were called.

Most recently, they've been seeing service in Africa against the Ivory/Elephant poachers.

fal in africa riding elephants.jpg
fal moses mag african wildlife protection units.jpg

That's the only gun I use a grease on and only because that was what the various militaries said to use on it, although oil would probably work just as effectively. Everything else just gets a little oil on the moving parts and a healthy wipe down to keep rust at bay.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FN_FAL
 
Great pics John...never seen a rhino and an elephant get so close...( FAL's are nice too !! )
 
Those were taken in a game preserve by a guy I know over at Fal Files forum.

Sad they even have to be physically guarded there too.

I have a few other photos, but didn't want to hijack the topic any worse than I already did, but there are a lot of pics available online at other places.

I'll just leave this here at your convienence. Some are disturbing to say the least, but I like this one.

1739308_578357002290493_1022231299_n.jpg


https://www.google.com/search?q=FAL africa poacher&safe=active&rlz=1T4GGHP_enUS609US609&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0CB4QsARqFQoTCOqfmJaQzMcCFY06kgods6oACw&biw=1120&bih=519
 
John A. said:
Those were taken in a game preserve by a guy I know over at Fal Files forum.

Sad they even have to be physically guarded there too.

I have a few other photos, but didn't want to hijack the topic any worse than I already did, but there are a lot of pics available online at other places.

I'll just leave this here at your convienence. Some are disturbing to say the least, but I like this one.

1739308_578357002290493_1022231299_n.jpg


https://www.google.com/search?q=FAL africa poacher&safe=active&rlz=1T4GGHP_enUS609US609&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0CB4QsARqFQoTCOqfmJaQzMcCFY06kgods6oACw&biw=1120&bih=519
Click to expand...

That's okay...things like that are a bit of a stress buster for me :)
 
Welcome to the club. Owning 500's can be addicting.
I am sorry but I disagree highly with any advice that tells you to only clean the reciever when needed. The 500 is a simple design but it does take a little finesse to put it back together. Do yourself a favor and learn the insides of ALL your guns. There may come a day when there is nobody to help you reassemble YOUR gun.
I had issues with my first 500, I have 4 now. I watched videos over and over while I put the gun back together, till I could just about do it with my eyes closed.
I am like that with all my guns. They are my tools and the simple job of taking them down to clean them properly is very important.
My suggestion to you is to break down your gun SLOWLY and pay attention to where things are and how they fit together. Watch a good video on putting it back together.

Learn your gun and take pride in being able to break it down and put it back together.

Just my 2 cents
 
LTB45 said:
Welcome to the club. Owning 500's can be addicting.
I am sorry but I disagree highly with any advice that tells you to only clean the reciever when needed. The 500 is a simple design but it does take a little finesse to put it back together. Do yourself a favor and learn the insides of ALL your guns. There may come a day when there is nobody to help you reassemble YOUR gun.
I had issues with my first 500, I have 4 now. I watched videos over and over while I put the gun back together, till I could just about do it with my eyes closed.
I am like that with all my guns. They are my tools and the simple job of taking them down to clean them properly is very important.
My suggestion to you is to break down your gun SLOWLY and pay attention to where things are and how they fit together. Watch a good video on putting it back together.

Learn your gun and take pride in being able to break it down and put it back together.

Just my 2 cents
Click to expand...

Thanks...we do agree, however I did just clean the barrel only to get the gunk out of it, and I usually learn better if I have someone show me and then watch me (that's not to say that the videos are bad, or that I do not use them at all...in fact I have watched a few on my SmartTV so I could see it better than I do on my laptop, and I just have my own way of learning). However there is one thing that you (and others) could help me with. No make that two things.

1. Is there any break in period, and does it have to be done in the same setting? I'm used to handguns; I've had some where the break in period was 500 rounds and others where it was 1000, and it didn't necessarily have to be done in the same setting.

2. I have seen some videos where the person brought the forearm back all the way and then brought it up to the halfway mark prior to takedown, and another where they didn't, they just brought it to the halfway mark and then took it down. So should I take it all the way back or not?

Thanks ;)
 
Welcome and congrats on the new 500.

I have a 500 in .410 - my first shotgun too and a gift.

I have thoroughly enjoyed it. The first time I disassembled it I had to fiddle a bit with reassembly. I still have to fiddle some with installation of the trigger group. It does get better with practice. I kind of find the take down and re assembly a bit relaxing.

Sent from Tapatalk
 
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