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Mossberg 930 Autoloader Reviews...

Re: What do you think

windowasher said:
My neighbor has a 930 Waterfowl. He let me shoot it at the trap field. I am just not sold on the ported barrels. If they are supposed to decrease felt recoil, that gun must hit like Mike Tyson without them

I agree that the ported barrels don't really do anything. I had a 590A1 SPX with a ported barrel and it didn't feel any lighter than any other pump I've shot.

My 930 is great. It's not ported, it's the SPX model. It's only had issues with two types of ammunition; Centurion (trash) had nearly a 75% failure rate (ejection issues but mostly feeding from the magazine), Winchester bulk target loads will FTE once in a while but feed fine. Fiocchi buckshot, Federal Top Shot target loads, Winchester Super X buckshot and slugs, Federal Black Cloud 3 inch and Nobel Sport .65 lead ball rounds have all cycled 100% through it. The ergonomics are great, the checkering on the stock grip and handguard are done very well and as it's popularity grows, there are more and more accessories becoming available for it.

My feeling about using one gun for a bunch of different things is that I'd rather have a gun that does one thing very well than a universal weapon. Think of it like an accessory; universal fit typically means that it fits a bunch of different guns but fits none of them well. You'd be spending a lot of money on extra barrels if you want to use the 930 for that.
 
Re: What do you think

Thank you for the info I am looking at one now so I may consider buying it.
 
Went shooting with my 930!

Had a great outting! Only had 3 failures to eject. After that it ate everything I fed it.

Here's some pics with description:

I have the Mossberg 930 with the breacher 18.5" cylinder bore barrel.
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Here are the cheap Walmart target loads. These are the ones I had the fte's on but that was at the beginning of the box and once it heated up I didn't have any trouble. These actually were the first rounds to be cycled thru my 930. The spread at ten yards was large of course.
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Next are some Winchester bird/small game loads the concentration of the pellets was much better one these again from ten yards:
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Then I used some brown box 00 9 pellet buckshot. These had a great concentration from ten yards:
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After that I backed up the target to 30 yards. I was shooting some plain jane 2.75 rifled slugs and with just the front bead sight I was able to put together a nice group of three once I figured where to hold. Surprising for the barrel being the cylinder bore type:
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Re: Went shooting with my 930!

Don't you just love that 930? You will be pleasantly surprised when you back off to 75 or so yards and are still making nice groups with plain jane slugs.

Thanks for the great photographs.
 
Re: Went shooting with my 930!

Looks like you had a ton of fun. :D Thanks for posting.
 
Re: Went shooting with my 930!

daytime dave said:
Don't you just love that 930? You will be pleasantly surprised when you back off to 75 or so yards and are still making nice groups with plain jane slugs.

Thanks for the great photographs.

I can't wait man... I'm gonna get a scope or this thing and take it deer hunting next season for sure!

And thanks... I love pics in threads IMHO... Your thread is worthless without pics lol... PICS OR GTFO!
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Re: Went shooting with my 930!

That Winchester universal target load is rubbish. It's the only ammunition I've ever had a FTE with my 930. Winchester Super X buckshot and slugs are great but favorite buckshot is Fiocchi. It's hot ammo but shoots very light in the 930 and the quality of the crimp from shell to shell is a lot more consistent than Winchester buckshot. Sloppy crimps and bulges in the shell may cause an FTF or FTE. Federal Top Gun is great target ammo. I've shot probably 1,000 rounds and never had a malfunction with it in any of my guns.
 
Re: Went shooting with my 930!

I'm wanting to try some top gun... I'll probably make a permanent switch to federal for the cheap stuff.
 
Okay, I'm obviously not as well educated on the 930 so I come to the experts. I'll get one (1) choice for defense gun, besides my carry pistol. Can someone educate me as to why a Blackwater vs, the 930spx with extended mag? I'm also curious about the conversion (Black Aces Tactical?) that will allow the 930 to accept saiga mags. Any information would be appreciated. It's going to BE a 930, just not sure which. Thanks. :)
 
Just got back from the first range trip with the new 24" 930 JM Pro #85118...





My 18.5" 930 Tactical won't eat any low brass ammo and chokes on most target shot even above 1200fps. I have been hoping the longer barrel and the enhancements to the JM Pro models would cure this, so I picked up an assortment of #8 target shot and headed out with my fingers crossed. Happy to say that the new JM ate everything I fed it and chewed through 250 rounds without a single failure of any kind. Here's what I ran through it today...



25 rounds - Rio Game Load - mfg# BG288 - 2-3/4" #8 shot - 1280 fps
25 rounds - Federal Target Load - mfg#- TG12 8 - 2-3/4" #8 shot - 1200 fps
25 rounds - Remington Premier SST Light Handicap - mfg# STS12LH8 - 2-3/4" #8 shot - 1200 fps
25 rounds - Winchester Super Handicap Heavy Target Load - mfg# AAHA128 - 2-3/4" #8 shot - 1250 fps
25 rounds - Winchester Super X Heavy Game Load - mfg# XU12H8 - 2-3/4" #8 shot - 1255 fps
25 rounds - Estate Dove and Quail Load - mfg# GTL12XHN 8 - 2-3/4" #8 shot - 1255 fps
100 rounds - Winchester Extra Light Target Load - mfg#AAL128 - 2-3/4" #8 shot - 1180 fps

The 100 rounds of Win Extra Light had been sit'n around loose in an ammo can for several years and I was really expecting issues in the 930 due to the sub-1200 fps muzzle velocity rating. The JM Pro ran through them like me running through a brisket sammich.......and that's really fast. :D

I have to say the enhancements to this particular model are well worth the slight upcharge. The extended feed ramp, beveled loading gate, and shortened forend help a great deal with faster reloads. I was hand loading two shells at a time with no hang-ups whatsoever. The trigger is lighter than on my 930 Tactical and with the over-travel stop it can be tuned to your liking. The fiber-optic sight glows brightly and is very easy to reacquire during a fast string of shots. All said, I couldn't be happier with the 930 JM Pro...
 
Why can't mossberg get all 930's to run all loads as they are supposed too??It's got to be some small problem somewhere in Qc. Nice JM Lazy eye. Glad it runs as it should. I would love to have those features on my spx. Have to find one sometimes in person and compare the extras to my spx. If you ever get up for the Knob Creek Machine gun shoot bring it along. They have a fun shotgun match on the last day of the shoot.
 
Thank you Sir, I definitely will.

Old Painless said:
Why can't mossberg get all 930's to run all loads as they are supposed too??It's got to be some small problem somewhere in Qc.

There is one factor that doesn't get discussed much which I feel has more to do with operating issues than anything else. In my experience with the AR platform, one key factor in proper weapon cycling is the length of the gas system in proportion to the length of the barrel. The variable there is "dwell time", or the length of time the projectile remains in the barrel after passing the gas port. That length of travel/time is what builds up the back pressure which operates the action. The M4 was designed around a carbine length gas system which works well for quickly cycling a full auto action. A carbine length civilian AR-15 uses the same length gas set-up, but with two added inches of barrel. That extra length causes an increase in pressure/energy that can cause excessive wear on the bolt and other internals. Using a mid-length gas system on a 16" barrel shortens the dwell time and lowers the pressure to a desirable level as a result.

Now apply that to the 930 platform. The 930 gas system was designed around 24"-28" field and waterfowl barrels. These long barrel versions, including my 24" JP Pro seem to have few to no issues with low brass or light target loads. The longer barrels allow for ample dwell time and optimal pressure build-up to fully cycle the action. Now shorten the barrel to 18.5" or even 20" and you've drastically reduced the amount of time the projectile builds up pressure before exit. That would be doable if the gas system length were able to be shortened, but with the 930's compact piston system and relatively short travel distance it's already as short as it can get.

So long story short, when operating a gas driven system with a fixed length there is a point where the barrel can get too short to ensure proper cycling. I think that the 18.5"-20" barrel lengths on the 930 are right at that edge and this is why they only seem to cycle consistently with high brass loads or ammo that is well above the factory recommended 1200 fps muzzle velocity rating...
 
Glad to hear ya like it. Pretty good variety of ammo shot thru it...gets a little front heavy with a full load but runs thru it pretty quickly. :D :D :D
 
So long story short, when operating a gas driven system with a fixed length there is a point where the barrel can get too short to ensure proper cycling. I think that the 18.5"-20" barrel lengths on the 930 are right at that edge and this is why they only seem to cycle consistently with high brass loads or ammo that is well above the factory recommended 1200 fps muzzle velocity rating...

Interesting. Makes sense. I wonder, if you strictly follow those factory recommendations, would there be anywhere near the number of SPX problems reported?
 
It's been our experience around here that with a good cleaning prior to the first range trip and sticking to ammo above 1200 fps most 930s, even the 18.5"-20" models, will run just fine. Of course there are a few exceptions where poor QC let one get out the door with issues that even high powered ammo won't cure...
 
I'm sure they have, but when short falls in the current gas system can be easily managed by simply using higher velocity ammo they likely don't feel the mechanical cure would be worth the investment. Anyway, they seem to be too busy making shotguns with chainsaw handles and "tactical" lever action rifles for the impending zombie apocalypse...
 
I'm totally satisfied with mine. I take its reliability for granted as I have only had pumps and a bolt action before. I know most folks consider a pump to be the most reliable but I have seen a lot of shooters short stroke and fumble with pumps just shooting casually. .I think in the real deal fighting for your life I would rather have my 930 in my hands more so than any other gun period.
 
I am new to this site but so far I love it! The 930 tactical 5 shot that I just purchased from Walmart had an awesome price tag and after the reviews I read about it on here and a few other places on the Internet I decided that I just had to have it!
I have a very long and extensive history with gun ownership and gun maintenance, it is a passion of mine to say the least! I owned my first gun at a very young age and I was a Navy gunner's mate for 4 years of my life. I have handled and shot just about every major brand and model of shotgun out there and so far I am quite impressed with the mossberg 930. There are two major things that impress me the most about this gun- 1st is that the gun comes to the owner at a bargain price, especially when considering it's overall quality and reliability. 2nd is the simplicity of the gun. Compared to most other semi auto shotguns (like the Remington 11-87, for example) the design of the mossberg 930 is relatively simple and straight forward, making it very easy to maintain. These key points added to the fact that this gun is made right here in the good old USA definitely earns this gun a big thumbs up in my book.
 
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