 Some time ago, I wrote a series titled “Everything I know About Shotguns in 500 Words or Less”. It got away from me, just a little bit, when it became a ten thousand plus word, four part series. In my own defense, I think it is important to note, only 500 words were actually of any consequence.I love shotguns, and, occasionally, I even try to shoot them. I just don’t quite know how to find their center of Zen. They seem to produce a lot of hitting power, but mostly at short distances. They are quite large, but they can be quite light in weight. They may have some features that are not quite right, but then they are easy to modify and optimize. They are typically reliable and they are often inexpensive.
Slug guns can be pretty effective when hunting deer, black bear and hogs in densely wooded areas. And it just so happened that, while we don’t hunt hogs in Maine, we do have deer, black bear and moose, and we certainly have densely wooded areas.
I got to thinking about the 28″ barrel Mossberg 835 Ulti-Mag standing up in the back of the safe collecting dust and how it might be overhauled to serve a more current purpose. A plain gun that could take a beating and not look the worse for wear and tear was appealing. The prospects of a gun that could put three shots, 1,300 – 1,800 grains of accumulative lead, into a reasonable group at one hundred yards was a plus.
We can make it better, shorter and a lot more like a rifle…
 One advantage pump shotguns have over traditional center fire rifles is that if you don’t like the gun’s barrel length, choke, or type you can make a change and do so without the aid of a gunsmith. Brownells carries of a selection of Mossberg brand barrels, four of which are various configurations of slug barrels. I went with a ported 24″ rifled barrel with adjustable fiber optic sights – Brownells # 631-000-322 $271. Other barrel configurations, including sight sets, are priced $186 – $191.Accuracy from a decent slug gun with the right bore to slug fit should be in the neighborhood of 3″@100 yards. This particular 3½” chamber Mossberg slug barrel has a 1:36″ right hand twist and a groove diameter of approximately 0.710″ which is intended for use with sabot-style slugs. This works out well as an uncompressed sabot intended for a rifled barrels measures 0.710″ in diameter. So why not retain the original Model 835 smoothbore barrel and go with full bore slugs you might ask… or not? We’ll, the 835 3½” shot barrel is overbored to 10 gauge, 0.770″, and modified choked to 0.750″ while a full bore 12 gauge slug intended for smoothbore use measures only 0.735″ in diameter. Tipping the 835’s smoothbore muzzle downward might result in the chambered shell slipping down the bore and dropping out through the muzzle. Happens all the time.
  Swapping barrels is no more difficult than following the gun’s manual for cleaning disassembly . The shotgun is checked for empty, the slide is pulled back about half stroke, the magazine cap is removed, and the barrel is pulled forward and off. Installation of the new barrel is the reverse.At the conclusion of the five minutes it takes to make the change, the Mossberg will be four inches shorter, 44¼“, and able to toss slugs with the best of them. In addition to this increase in targeted firepower, the gun will have gained a great set of adjustable light gathering fiber optic sights that will contrast well with targets, even in dense woodland.
The important thing is that none of this is permanent. The long smoothbore barrel can be reinstalled in minutes for bird hunting or pick up another barrel more suited to 00 Buck and home defense. Shotguns are very modular. A little imagination and some time spent looking through the Brownells catalog can optimize a shotgun for just about any shooter’s requirements. And, of course, the Mossberg just happened to be what I on hand. Changes of this type, and those that follow, apply to virtually every other popular pump gun.
You just can’t ever get enough lead on target…
 Shotguns are limited to three rounds of capacity when hunting migratory birds. However, this limit does not apply to other forms of hunting or to guns used for self defense unless… otherwise stipulated by state or local law. It always pays to check.
Mossberg lists the Model 835 with a magazine capacity of six 2¾”; five in the magazine and one in the chamber. That count is reduced to four for 3″ and three for 3½” shells. Brownells lists a magazine extender for the Model 835, Brownells #159-000-013 $45 that bumps capacity to eight plus one for 2¾”, seven plus one for 3″ shells and six plus one for 3½” magnum loads.
Pictured, above right, are the contents of the magazine extender kit: a parkerized (optionally blued) magazine extension tube, a proportionally longer magazine spring and an enhanced magazine follower. Unlike the Remington version where additional support is useful, the extended magazine kit for the Mossberg does not contain a sling swivel clamp. Installation begins with removal of the original magazine cap, the magazine spring retainer, the spring and follower.
  Removing the press fit magazine spring retainer, left, requires a little care as it is under load from the magazine spring. Holding a finger over the retainer while prying it out with a common screw driver provides more than enough control. Based on what I found with my gun, a good cleaning was required before installing the new parts. When reassembling, the new bright orange follower is dropped in, peg end up, then the new longer magazine spring is fed into the magazine tube and the extension tube is screwed into place. When the dust settles it should look a lot like this – OK, better, but not done…
So far, the Mossberg has been whittled down from a very long bird gun to a shorter, slug tossing, many shot brush gun for deer, black bear and hogs. At seven pounds and a few ounces, the moderate weight increase from the heavier barrel will help dampen the 50 ft/lbs of recoil slug loads can generate. The overhaul isn’t complete. There are sighting and carry systems that need to be sorted out and installed. Next time. The Shotgun Chronicles Part I |
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