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Whats a 20" vent rib good for?

kurtis

.410
So at the pawn shot I picked up a 500 for 180 bucks. It has a 20" vent ribbed barrel threaded for chokes. Its an older 500 probably made in the 80s. What is this length of barrel good for or what was the intended purpose when they sold them? Self defense or hunting.
 
So at the pawn shot I picked up a 500 for 180 bucks. It has a 20" vent ribbed barrel threaded for chokes. Its an older 500 probably made in the 80s. What is this length of barrel good for or what was the intended purpose when they sold them? Self defense or hunting.

Nice find. Mossberg calls it "all purpose".

C&P
500 12 Ga. 20" all-purpose barrel with vent rib, bead sight and Accu-Choke set (IC, Mod, Full). Blued finish. Compatible with 12 Ga. Mossberg 500 and Maverick 88 6-shot shotguns.

 
Nice find. Mossberg calls it "all purpose".

C&P
500 12 Ga. 20" all-purpose barrel with vent rib, bead sight and Accu-Choke set (IC, Mod, Full). Blued finish. Compatible with 12 Ga. Mossberg 500 and Maverick 88 6-shot shotguns.
I wonder why mossberg doesn't sell a model with the blued 20" 6 shot barrel they have on their website but they sell it separate.

It wasn't a crazy good deal it was spray painted all camo. I had a new stock and forend at the house though so I decided to get it and repaint it.
 
I have (and have had) a few 20" guns. That's all I've had in fact.

It's good for anything you want to run through it. Just make sure you're using a suitable choke. So don't run slugs through a full choke, something like improved for those. But with my 20" chokes gun, I get solid patterns to 40 yards easy.

Pairing a load to a choke to maximize or to capitalize on its potential can get a little tricky.
 
I like short vent rib barrels. The raised bead keeps it on target, non VR barrels shoot high for me. You can also easily add sights to the rib if needed. You can use a bolt on cantilever mount as well. Add in the choke tokes and it is a great multitasker
 
The 20 VR barrel is made for upland game hunting where the hunter is on the move, oftentimes through brush. The short and light barrel excells at this.

With a full choke it works wonders on prairie dogs when you've forgotten your rifle ;)

As others said it is the best multipurpose barrel available. They're kinda scarce and quite desirable.
 
The 20 VR barrel is made for upland game hunting where the hunter is on the move, oftentimes through brush. The short and light barrel excells at this.

With a full choke it works wonders on prairie dogs when you've forgotten your rifle ;)

As others said it is the best multipurpose barrel available. They're kinda scarce and quite desirable.


Pricey,,,but not that scarce......http://www.mossberg.com/store/90140.html
 
I bet turkey hunters would love to have this length with the added VR as well.

Boy Howdy would it make a great grouse gun.

This is the one I take everywhere anymore, at least during the day. It's also the one I took a fox with at 45 yards last winter. It is a very handy gun! :D
 
I agree with the men above.

You don't need a long barrel to increase velocity with modern smokeless powder.

Back at the turn of the 19th century when folks were still using black powder, longer barrels were needed, but not so much these days.

With adjustable chokes, you could get it to pattern just about any way you'd like.

Whoever said "all purpose" above, really nailed it on the head.
 
I'm honestly not sure. My 835 is the same as a 590 so it probably does on the magazine tube cap but I'm using a CDM Gear MTR clamp anyway.
 
I prefer the 12 gauge 20 inch vent rib barrel for its shorter handier length. With the screw in modified choke, it pretty much covers every situation. I wish Mossberg offered a 20 inch VR in .410 not just the 18 inch riot barrel.
 
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