Mossberg 500A (12ga)

[Co7t]

My friend recently dropped his Mossberg 500A off here - he wants me to take it apart and do a full clean. The thing has never been fired once - it just sat in some closet and has a good amount of rust in and out.

Well, I've worked on all sorts of rifles and pistols but never on a shotgun. The barrel/heat shield and foregrip come off easily, but that's where I'm stuck. I can't figure out how or where to start in order to disassemble it on a systematic basis. Anyone here with any advice to offer?

TIA,
Co7t

[Co7t]

Cool! I figured most of it out. I went through the manual on Mossberg's web site and was able to get the bolt out and everything else in the receiver. The only thing left is the rear stock. It has a rubber bumper pad with two really tiny holes at the back - so I'm assuming there's screws in those holes to remove the bumper, which then leads to the main screw holding the stock together.

The bolt also looks like a bunch of parts held together by pins - I'll have to figure that one out without getting my eye poked out by a spring.

Co7t

[Rule .308]

I feel for you, my first shotgun was a Mossy. I bought it, promptly tore it apart, and sent it to Texas for 6-8 weeks to be parkerized. It took me damn near all weekend to figure out how that thing went back together. I was 20 or so and had taken apart a couple of rifles and that was about it. I have never taken it that far apart again but I can tell you for sure that I would rather take down an 870 any day next to that Mossberg.
You are right about the recoil pad, put a little vaseline or something on the tip of your screw driver so it will slide into those holes with out tearing them up too bad. If memory serves me it is a darn big slot head screw that holds the stock into the receiver and mine was in there real tight too.

Good luck.

[yosuthnmasa]

I had a real blast with my Mossberg the first time too! Now, the pin that you push out on the side of the receiver wont stay in real well! I love to shoot it though!