BoomStickKC
.22LR
Hi all. I have a few (perhaps dumb) questions for you guys and gals.
Where to begin...
I just bought a Mossberg 590 FLEX Tactical. I plan on tricking it out a little bit for the purpose of sport, target shooting and home defense, too. Just a fun little summer project for me and my wife. This is our first shotgun.
1) As you all know, the 590 FLEX has a 20” barrel and the magazine tube stores (8+1) 2.75” shells. Can I replace the OEM stock 20” barrel with a Mossberg-branded 18.5” breacher barrel (like the type found on some of the other Mossberg 500 series shotguns)? If not an OEM Mossberg barrel, is it possible to get an 18" from a third-party aftermarket manufacturer? Id prefer a shorter barrel, as capacity is not a primary factor for me. Im not clear on the relationship between the barrel and the magazine tube in terms of replacements, upgrades, and customizations.
2) I just bought a TacStar six-shell Sidesaddle (http://www.tacstar.com/home/6-shot.php) at Bass Pro Shop that doesn't appear to fit my new Mossberg 590 FLEX 12-gauge shotty.
One mounting hole (the bigger, flathead screw inside the ejection port) lines-up properly per the included instructions, but I don't see any way that any the other, smaller hole (a machined tap pin hole just above the trigger) will work as described in the instructions. It looks to me like the metal sidesaddle plate might mount too far forward, and thus interfere with the racking/action of the 590 FLEX's forend handle. Also, it looks like the plate might cover the shotgun's serial number, too.
The TacStar Sidesaddle is clearly marked as being compatible with both the Mossberg 500 and the Mossberg 590 shotguns, but it does NOT mention the Mossberg 590 FLEX specifically. Did I make a make a mistake assuming that the 590 FLEX Tactical would also be compatible? Has anyone successfully mounted the Tacstar Sidesaddle on a Mossberg 590 FLEX? I intentionally tried to be a popular/common sidesaddle for the purpose of avoiding incompatibilities and or ad hoc workarounds and hacks. The sidesaddle was only ~$10 bucks so I'm not gonna cry in my beer over it.
3) Will I have issues sitting aftermarket parts on my Mossberg 590 FLEX? I guess I made the assumption that the standard 590 and the 590 FLEX would be identical (or damn close) - at least in terms of the basic staple aftermarket attachments like sidesaddles, etc.
4) I'm considering the venerable Black Aces Tactical Quad Rail system (http://www.vortexdefense.com/Mossberg-500-590-590A1-Tactical-Rail-p/rb7m.htm) for my new 590 FLEX. As many of you know, It's a combination top rail and heat shield. Can anyone chime-in as to whether it will fit the 590 FLEX or not? It's a ~$150 part, so it better mount/fit as expected - $150 isnt chump change.
5) Does anyone make a metal safety switch to replace the OEM plastic safety switch? The plastic one feels a tad cheap. Any recommendations?
One last newbie question:
6) Can anyone please recommend dummy/safety shotgun rounds? I want to get my wife comfortable with the process of loading the 590 FLEX’s magazine tube, speed-loading the chamber one-at-a-time, familiarizing herself with the ejection port, etc. I don’t want to do this with live ammo for obvious reasons. I'm not familiar with the in's and out's of Snap Caps, etc.
Thank you all for your answers and patience. I appreciate your input and advice.
Where to begin...
I just bought a Mossberg 590 FLEX Tactical. I plan on tricking it out a little bit for the purpose of sport, target shooting and home defense, too. Just a fun little summer project for me and my wife. This is our first shotgun.
1) As you all know, the 590 FLEX has a 20” barrel and the magazine tube stores (8+1) 2.75” shells. Can I replace the OEM stock 20” barrel with a Mossberg-branded 18.5” breacher barrel (like the type found on some of the other Mossberg 500 series shotguns)? If not an OEM Mossberg barrel, is it possible to get an 18" from a third-party aftermarket manufacturer? Id prefer a shorter barrel, as capacity is not a primary factor for me. Im not clear on the relationship between the barrel and the magazine tube in terms of replacements, upgrades, and customizations.
2) I just bought a TacStar six-shell Sidesaddle (http://www.tacstar.com/home/6-shot.php) at Bass Pro Shop that doesn't appear to fit my new Mossberg 590 FLEX 12-gauge shotty.
One mounting hole (the bigger, flathead screw inside the ejection port) lines-up properly per the included instructions, but I don't see any way that any the other, smaller hole (a machined tap pin hole just above the trigger) will work as described in the instructions. It looks to me like the metal sidesaddle plate might mount too far forward, and thus interfere with the racking/action of the 590 FLEX's forend handle. Also, it looks like the plate might cover the shotgun's serial number, too.
The TacStar Sidesaddle is clearly marked as being compatible with both the Mossberg 500 and the Mossberg 590 shotguns, but it does NOT mention the Mossberg 590 FLEX specifically. Did I make a make a mistake assuming that the 590 FLEX Tactical would also be compatible? Has anyone successfully mounted the Tacstar Sidesaddle on a Mossberg 590 FLEX? I intentionally tried to be a popular/common sidesaddle for the purpose of avoiding incompatibilities and or ad hoc workarounds and hacks. The sidesaddle was only ~$10 bucks so I'm not gonna cry in my beer over it.
3) Will I have issues sitting aftermarket parts on my Mossberg 590 FLEX? I guess I made the assumption that the standard 590 and the 590 FLEX would be identical (or damn close) - at least in terms of the basic staple aftermarket attachments like sidesaddles, etc.
4) I'm considering the venerable Black Aces Tactical Quad Rail system (http://www.vortexdefense.com/Mossberg-500-590-590A1-Tactical-Rail-p/rb7m.htm) for my new 590 FLEX. As many of you know, It's a combination top rail and heat shield. Can anyone chime-in as to whether it will fit the 590 FLEX or not? It's a ~$150 part, so it better mount/fit as expected - $150 isnt chump change.
5) Does anyone make a metal safety switch to replace the OEM plastic safety switch? The plastic one feels a tad cheap. Any recommendations?
One last newbie question:
6) Can anyone please recommend dummy/safety shotgun rounds? I want to get my wife comfortable with the process of loading the 590 FLEX’s magazine tube, speed-loading the chamber one-at-a-time, familiarizing herself with the ejection port, etc. I don’t want to do this with live ammo for obvious reasons. I'm not familiar with the in's and out's of Snap Caps, etc.
Thank you all for your answers and patience. I appreciate your input and advice.
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