• Mossberg Owners is in the process of upgrading the software. Please bear with us while we transition to the new look and new upgraded software.

hello from Croatia

Mike_Torello

Mike_Torello

.22LR
I recently become Mossberg 500A (12 ga. 20" barel) owner, I'm at least third in the row...

Bought it from a guy who found it after the war in Croatia was over, and took it as war trophy, leftover from enemy army, and he legalised and registred it, later he didn't want to have it any more, so it found new good home :)

serial No. is K777xxx, so by the serial numbers I guess it's produced around '90 to '91,
just about when the shit got real in Croatia...
Shotty 01.jpg
Shotty 02.jpg
Shotty 03.jpg
 
Welcome to the Mossberg Owners Forum Mike !!

The wood furniture seems to have survived intact...usually a war trophy is all dinged up or has trench art carved into it.
 
Thank you =)
Yes, they are made in my hometown =) <proud>
that is older model HS2000, now actual is HS/Springfield XDm and it's variants...
and now they make assault rifle too, called HS VHS, looks a lot like Famas (older variants),
but they say the look is only what they have in common...
"Second" (but it could easily be third) generation looks real nice now...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HS_Produkt_VHS
 
You are correct. My handgun was made in 2006, so it's about 9 years old now, but still one of my favorites and still very dependable and accurate.

It is one of the older versions. They have made a few different newer versions of the grip and frame since I bought mine.

It came in .40 S&W caliber originally, but I now have an aftermarket barrel chambered in 9x19mm that I can use it in as well.

But enough about mine, I wanted to tell you that I really liked your wooden stock and forend. And I also like the large magazine tube with extra capacity.

Most of the 500 models here are 6 shots.

The barrel and magazine tube on yours appears to have been the "Persuader" or "Special Purpose" version that holds more shells.

There also have been many of us who have studied the tactics of various countries conflicts like Croatian war of Independence and in Bosnia and Serbia and such and we have a lot of respect for those that endured and overcame.

Here is one such account that I will never forget. http://www.silverdoctors.com/one-year-in-hellsurviving-a-full-shtf-collapse-in-bosnia/
 
Welcome aboard!

We've got a great group of folks here on Mossberg Owners and the atmosphere is very laid back. The only thing we like better than discussing each other's guns is lookin at 'em, so thanks for the photo of your new 500. Take a look around and feel free to post up pics of any other firearms you own in the various sub-forums. You'll find that we're into a lot more than just Mossberg around here. Jump in on the conversation anywhere and let us know if you have any questions.

Enjoy the site!

- L.E.S.
 
Thank you =)

I'd like to "upgrade" it a little... this is what I had in mind:

larger/taller saefty button,
rifle sights (if possible without much hassle),
heat shield (hard to find in Europe, not to mention in Croatia),
extend magazine to hold 8 shells (if it's possible - now it holds 7),
add shell holder on the side (I'm left handed :S),
and sometime if budget allows, swap furniture to this magpul set (here they cost same/bigger digit like in US, but the currency is in EURO :S ) http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kc7_54_aMh8/maxresdefault.jpg

I plan to use it for (steel) target competition... I tryed it last summer, liked it, bought a shotty, now I need to hit the range and practice =) I have over-under hunting shotgun too, but I didn't use it much, so I'm not that confortable/used to shoot with bead sights...

Magazine holds 7 shells, I wanted to have shotty with big magazine tube =) one Maverick with folding stock was choice, but I really liked this type of forend, rather than usual checkered ones... there was one with rifle sights but it was priced double than I paid for this one (around $110)...

I heard that this kind of wooden forend is not that much common... and that some people like it more than plastic one, someone said plastic tends to sweat on temperature change and gets slippery, so that's the reason they like wood over plastic...

How can I find out which version my shotgun is... at lowes side it has stamped onli "500A" nothing else... no "persuader" no "special purpose"... and I don't know do the sling nipples come from factory or they are installed later...


@John, during war, my house was some 300m from river Korana which was separation line from occupation side and my hometown (where Springfield/HS) is made... luckily my house only got few shrapnels, one broken window and few broken shingles at the roof... from mortar shell hit some 40m from it... town was mostly hit with mortars and MRL's... but my both grandparents houses where deep in the occupated territory, later burned down to ground (wooden houses), which where some 15-20km from Bosnia state border... You might know where PLITVICE LAKES national park is, so, it was few km from there...
keep in mind that I had 11 years (born in 1980) when it all started...
you'll find some interesting photo galleries here, http://kafotka.net/galerije/domovinski-rat-1991-1995
war years in my hometown Karlovac where Springfield/HS XDm is produced now...

I'm sorry if this is too much off topic, just tell me and I'll edit post
 
I have the exact same 500A year 1988. The wood furniture is very popular with many people here. The swivel studs are factory.

There is no other larger capacity mag tube for the 500A.

As far as the model goes, mine was called the persuader in 1988.

Mossberg likes to switch the names from persuader to cruiser back and forth. (marketing);)

#4.JPG

#5.JPG
 
@Mike_Torello ,

I agree with mossy. Yours is a model 500 Persuader.


Mike_Torello said:
I'm sorry if this is too much off topic, just tell me and I'll edit post
Click to expand...

This is your thread Sir, nothing you wish to post is off topic.

We appreciate you sharing your story and photos from the war. I cannot imagine what it was like for you to go through that at such a young age. No doubt you made it through stronger than before and we are glad to have you as a member here...
 
^ This

If anything, I was the one who got things off track after I read that it was a pick up.

But I enjoyed seeing the photo's. I looked through all of them. It's somewhat surprising to see so many different weapons being used in the pictures.

I saw ak, rpk, sks, fal, some various bolt actions that I did not recognize, and some graffitti written in English about Hotel California and Welcome to the twilight zone was somewhat eerie.
 
John A. said:
^ This If anything, I was the one who got things off track after I read that it was a pick up.
Click to expand...
I don't understand this?

But I enjoyed seeing the photo's. I looked through all of them. It's somewhat surprising to see so many different weapons being used in the pictures.
Click to expand...
yes, we used what we could get our hands on...

I saw ak, rpk, sks, fal, some various bolt actions that I did not recognize, and some graffitti written in English about Hotel California and Welcome to the twilight zone was somewhat eerie.
Click to expand...
many producers AK, Yugo, Romanian, Chinese... RPK you saw, I guess it's Zastava PM M72, because they where waaay more common than russian RPK, many SKS and Yugo SKS, Fal, H&K G3, Zastava M76, MG42 and M53 (yugo MG42), there where even some MG-34...

If you give me links to that bolt actions I could identify them... a wild guess Mauser Mod.98 or Yugo Mauser M48, Zastava M70 Hunting rifle, or maybe later Elmech EM-992, but not many had this last one...

Hotel Korana - If I remember right, at some point UN forces where in that hotel, and some of our forces too, it had wall of sandbags at the entrance...
then it was shot at, shelled, devastated, later abandoned because it was too expensive to fix, and last year finaly taken down... now they are building smaller one on that spot...

many years before war, before it was expanded - picture taken from later to be enemy occupated territory, now you get the idea how the enemy saw it from their side...
http://kafotka.net/sites/default/files/foto/hotel_korana_color_raz.jpg

just before war started...
http://udruga-kameleon.hr/IMG/jpg/21-tb-korana-pontonski--oko-1990.jpg

and many years after the war and city deliquents
http://www.radio-mreznica.hr/multimedia/foto/naslovnica/hotel_korana_nasl_0.JPG
http://oi49.tinypic.com/m9oy79.jpg

to end up like this...
http://liderpress.hr/static/media/cache/0b/cc/0bccfc5599df65c5326c6d505c9561df.jpg
http://www.index.hr/images3/90c23cee-d881-4a8a-8c85-c6e4ece3f879.jpg

and now on the same spot
http://kaportal.hr/portal/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/hotel-korana_1.jpg
 
"^This

If anything...."

I was agreeing with what LES had said in his earlier post about this being your topic, but I meant that I was probably the one who got it going off the topic of the 500.

"yes, we used what (weapons) we could get our hands on..."

As would I, and I'm certain anyone else fighting for their independence would.

It is also a subject that I have seen many in the U.S. discuss as well.

"many producers AK, Yugo, Romanian, Chinese... RPK you saw, I guess it's Zastava PM M72, because they where waaay more common than russian RPK, many SKS and Yugo SKS, Fal, H&K G3, Zastava M76, MG42 and M53 (yugo MG42), there where even some MG-34...
If you give me links to that bolt actions I could identify them... a wild guess Mauser Mod.98 or Yugo Mauser M48, Zastava M70 Hunting rifle, or maybe later Elmech EM-992, but not many had this last one..."

The SKS was certainly a Yugoslavian because I noticed the grenade launcher tip right off. I am pretty sure that there are a few members here that own one of the M59/66 if memory serves me correctly. The SKS that I own is a Chinese manufacture without the launcher.

And I own a recent Zastava production AK called the NPAP model. It is a really well made and nicely machined weapon and I like it much better than my Romanian made Wieger StG-940 clone.

Here are a few of the photos that I saved to my computer.

turanj bosnia 94.jpg
bosnia croatia war photos.jpg
bosnia war 1992 sks.jpg
bosnia war 1993.jpg
keminca 1991 serbian war.jpg
bosnia war photo 1991 fal.jpg
bosnia war photos.jpg
 
photo #1 - house in settlement on the first line - and how it look after the war was over... this was some 1-2km air distance from my home... with 2 rivers separating us... my father took those pictures just after the war was over but it was still closer for civilians to go there, as he was CSI in PD and escort for the UN commision or something.
Turanj scan 2014 031.jpg
Turanj scan 2014 032.jpg
Turanj scan 2014 033.jpg

photo #2 - Zastava M70 / M70AB2 and M53 (Yugo variant of MG42)

photo #3 - Probbably Zastava M70, 203mm Howitzer, and Yugo SKS M59/66

photo #4 - by the conured barrel, it's Mauser Mod.98 or Zastava Mauser M48 in some other Mauser or Zastava hunting rifle furniture... by the rear sight I'd put my money on Mod.98....

photo #5 - PASP M-76 7,9mm (8x57mm)

photo #6 - Rucni raketni bacac OSA M79 90mm (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M79_Osa) and FN FAL

photo #7 - could be modifyed Zastava 750/850 (Yugo Fiat 600) or VW Beetle...



oli700 said:
I notice you got your hands on the worlds best 9mm.......my favorite pistol of all time
Click to expand...
But you have SP01 Shadow... and I have simple 75B with "custom" recoil buffer (I wish it was ambidextrous 85, because I'm lefty) but it was my father's service pistol which he was allowed to keep when he retired from PD which he later gave to me...
 
Howdy Mike and welcome to the club. :D
Thank you for taking the time to introduce yourself. Please, feel free to chime in on any conversation, anywhere, and let us know if you have any questions.
I have a buddy on another forum I moderate and he is from Croatia also. It's probably a shot in the dark, but His name is Tomislav, and he makes knives under the moniker Molokai Knives,
https://www.facebook.com/Molokai.Knives

He lives by the coast near Rijeka. The photos he has posted are vastly different compared to yours. It's amazing to see the difference in the pics you guys post.
http://woodbarter.com/threads/random-photos-molokai.19475/
We hope you enjoy it here with our laid back, relaxed approach at Mossberg Owners.
And remember....
We're here to help, not hinder. ;)

ripjack13
smiley-greet013.gif
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top