# Scope for Mossberg 500 accu-choke smooth bore barrel



## KPOD (Nov 17, 2009)

Looking to add a scope to my Mossberg 500 smooth bore 20 gauge (22 inch). I use it exclusively for deer now, and most of my shots are 100 yards or less. It appears I need some kind of mount of add-on if I want to install a scope on this barrel? Compared to the barrel on my .22, the mounting looks quite a bit different. Anyone have any idea what exactly I need? Thanks 

Here's the exact setup I've got is the Mossberg 54132.


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## chemiker (Nov 5, 2009)

If your Mossberg is like mine, it should be "drilled and tapped," and have 4 screws on the top of the receiver that can be removed to mount a rail. I bought a two-piece Weaver rail, which is just screwed in to allow attachment of scope rings. I got a nice set of rings that I trust to withstand the recoil of my 12 gauge without loosening up over time. Then there's the scope itself. So total, it's three pieces you'll need to get.

I use my shotgun for turkey, deer, and small game, and use a 1.5-4.5 x 20 scope. If you don't already know, the first set of numbers is the magnification, which is adjustable in this case, and the second number is the aperture size.

Scopes made specifically for shotguns usually have longer eye relief, which is helpful if you use magnum loads. Also, keep in mind that the eye relief is shortened with a variable power scope at higher magnifications. If you want more details about my mounting configuration, I can post more details. I think it should be similar for you.


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## KPOD (Nov 17, 2009)

Awesome, thanks for the details! Mine indeed is tapped with 4 screws like you said. Which exact rail did you get? I see some are designed for the side, and some are designed for directly on top? I was looking at the Mesa Tactical Receiver Mount Picatinny Rail Standard Profile Mossberg 500 Aluminum Matte. Then I also see things like Mossberg 500 Series Sniper Scope Mount for a lot less. I've always just used open sights for the longest time :sad:


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## bear5 (May 17, 2009)

If you can afford it go get a rifled/scope barrel. It will set you back about $200 but, whay, way better performance and you only need to set the scope once. You'll probably recoupe the $200 in ammo used for sighting-in over a couple years.


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## chemiker (Nov 5, 2009)

My setup is:
Weaver 48473 Matte Top Base Pair For Mossberg 500
Leupold Quick Release Weaver Style Rings 49853, 1", Low, Matte
Nikon Monarch Turkey Shotgun Scope 6590, Turkey Pro Reticle

I think any rail will do, as long as it's drilled for a Mossberg 500. I don't know much about them, but I think the cheaper ones are made of aluminum and the more expensive ones are steel. I just went with aluminum, and I prefer the two-piece rails because I like the look more.

As for the rings, just make sure they match the diameter of your scope. Most scopes are 1" in diameter, but there are other configurations out there so just be sure you match them. I went with this Leupold model because I liked the quick-release style where you don't need a torx wrench to remove the scope. They come in several heights, and "low" should be sufficient for scopes with an aperture less than 25mm.

I ordered from Able Ammo, only because I really wanted this particular scope and they were the only ones who had it in stock at the time.


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## chemiker (Nov 5, 2009)

A rifled/scoped replacement barrel is also an option, if you want a 24" rifled barrel. In my case, that wasn't what I wanted, and that's the only offered configuration. If you're just shooting slugs for deer hunting then this might be your best choice.

In any case, you could get a Weaver rail for about $10 and if you're later inclined, you could get a replacement barrel. That way if you don't want to drop an extra $200 all at once you can always upgrade and you're only out $10 for the rail. The rings and scope would be the same.


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## Silver Panner (Apr 15, 2009)

I bought the slug barrel with the cantilevered scope mount and scope for $150 2 years ago direct from Mossberg. Love it. Barrel comes ported and has a 9x Bushnell scope on it. Only complaint was it was supposed to be bore sighted but couldn&#8217;t get it on the paper at first. Zero issues since then. Now use my old barrel for home defense.


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## KPOD (Nov 17, 2009)

Silver Panner said:


> I bought the slug barrel with the cantilevered scope mount and scope for $150 2 years ago direct from Mossberg. Love it. Barrel comes ported and has a 9x Bushnell scope on it. Only complaint was it was supposed to be bore sighted but couldn&#8217;t get it on the paper at first. Zero issues since then. Now use my old barrel for home defense.


Just looked it up on Mossberg.com, barrel I would want is model 90063 for $163.17? I do plan on using this guy only for deer now, so I wouldn't mind taking off the current barrel. I'd also be forced to used Sabots now instead of rifled slugs correct? And if I bought the barrel with the scope mount, I'd just need rings and the scope itself then?

I'm tempted to get the scope, rings, and rail for now, then buy a rifled barrel down the road depending how this combo works and just use the rings/scope from the current setup.


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## Grouse Hunter (Jan 23, 2000)

chemiker said:


> My setup is:
> Weaver 48473 Matte Top Base Pair For Mossberg 500
> Leupold Quick Release Weaver Style Rings 49853, 1", Low, Matte
> Nikon Monarch Turkey Shotgun Scope 6590, Turkey Pro Reticle
> ...


Chemiker,

I'm looking at that same scope for a dedicated slug gun. Whats your impressions? Thanks


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## KPOD (Nov 17, 2009)

I found a new barrel online for about $150 shipped. I have a question about sighting in the scope. When I actually take the gun out in the field, I plan on using Sabots for knocking down deer. However as far as sighting the gun in, can I use something cheaper to get it narrowed down somewhat, then spend a box or 2 of sabots tweaking the scope? Or is it recommended to use the exact same ammo through the whole sighting process?

Also if I put on the rifled barrel, will I be restricted to Sabots (easily running over $10/box these days for the cheap stuff)? Could I sight in using rifled slugs? I also see Remington offers a lot of different types of Sabots (both copper and lead). Is the $20/box stuff really that much better then say the $13/box rounds?


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## Ron L (Nov 12, 2000)

Cheap slugs may help get it "on paper" but a.) you're still going to have to tweak it from there and b.) you're still going to have to test several brands/types of ammo to get the one that shoots best out of your gun.

Someone on here posted not too long ago that they got better groups from their rifled barrel with Brenneke rifled slugs, not sabots. YMMV.


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## chemiker (Nov 5, 2009)

KPOD said:


> Could I sight in using rifled slugs?


Shooting rifled slugs in a rifled barrel is not a good idea. The whole point is to provide the twist when the barrel doesn't take care of it itself. If the twist rate of the slug rifling and your barrel rifling don't match, I would assume you could damage your barrel, and it would be inaccurate. I'm no expert though. And besides, are the really cheaper?



Grouse Hunter said:


> I'm looking at that same scope for a dedicated slug gun. Whats your impressions? Thanks


To be honest, I bought it for this past fall turkey season and have only taken it into the field a handful of times. But my first impressions have been very good. Solid construction, and the rubberized finish around the back end has saved my forehead a few times when I wasn't careful with magnum rounds! 

With the Turkey Pro reticle, the center crosshairs are very faint, while the circle around the center is heavy. I think this is perfect for switching between shot and slugs, but a different reticle might be ideal for a dedicated slug gun. Nikon's Monarch African Rifle scope looks almost identical, but the parallax is set for 100 yards (vs 50 with the turkey) and the reticle is a German variant.

There is slight chromatic aberration evident when the sun is positioned just right, but not noticeable unless you're looking for it. It works great with both eyes open and allows fast target acquisition. The optical quality seems pretty consistent at all zooms, and it works well in low light, considering the small aperture.

I don't have a ton of experience with scopes, but I do have experience with camera optics, and you get what you pay for. Nikon is the perfect trade-off of cost and quality in my opinion, and I'm very happy with my purchase.


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## bear5 (May 17, 2009)

IF you can get a rifled barrel/scope combo for $160 go for it. As for sabots, start with Hastings $8/box and work up through Lightfields $10/box to Hornady's $10/box. One of those should do the trick. Always sight with the same slugs you will be hunting as they all have different ballistic properties.

Here is my four slug sighting process for Lightfields:
1) Take the barrel off the gun and point it at a target 25yds away. Look down the barrel and center it on the target. Hold the barrel still and adjust the crosshairs to the center of the target. Put the barrel back on the gun and take a shot. This should get you on the paper.
2) Repoint the crosshairs at the center of the target. While holding the gun very still, adjust the crosshairs to the spot the bullet hit on the first shot (a helper is very useful to do this without moving the gun). Take a second shot. It should be spot on.
3) Move the elevation down (typically 32 clicks for a 1/4 MOA scope). Go to 50yds, put the crosshairs on the center of the target and take a shot. It should hit the target 2" high. If too high or low adjust accordingly and take another shot. Once you're 2" to 2 1/2" high, you're good to go!! The Lightfields will be 2" high at 50yds and spot on at 100yds. Fire one more slug at 100yds to verify the accuracy.


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## KPOD (Nov 17, 2009)

bear5 said:


> IF you can get a rifled barrel/scope combo for $160 go for it. As for sabots, start with Hastings $8/box and work up through Lightfields $10/box to Hornady's $10/box. One of those should do the trick. Always sight with the same slugs you will be hunting as they all have different ballistic properties.
> 
> Here is my four slug sighting process for Lightfields:
> 1) Take the barrel off the gun and point it at a target 25yds away. Look down the barrel and center it on the target. Hold the barrel still and adjust the crosshairs to the center of the target. Put the barrel back on the gun and take a shot. This should get you on the paper.
> ...


Thanks for the tip, this site is very helpful :coolgleam

I think the barrel will run me $140 shipped after I shopped around a bit more, plus the cost of the scope + rings. Have you seen some place where you can get a barrel + scope for $160? :tdo12:

Have you experienced any shattering with the Lightfield slugs? If you google for Lightfield slugs, the first result that comes up is some guy complaining about the slug shattering inside the deer, resulting in meat loss.


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## Topshelf (May 24, 2005)

I have an 835 Mossberg.

I Picked up the cantilevered, rifled, 3x9 bushnell scoped, mossberg barrel from Cabelas about 2-3 years ago for $150.00 bucks on sale. 
Just killed my third deer and my son has taken a couple with it also. We switch barrels back to the bird barrel for other persuits and never lose zero when mounting the slug barrel again. The only thing I did was Loc-tite the mounting screws. Awsome package, very versitle to say the least.


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## Ron L (Nov 12, 2000)

I haven't really dug into it yet, but a quick search at one of the usual suspects found this for $200:










http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...-box.jsp.form23&Go.x=0&_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1

FWIW, I looked on Gunbroker.com as well and while there were some cheaper barrels, they generally didn't include the scope and rings already installed. One or two "sets" were actually almost the same price.


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## KPOD (Nov 17, 2009)

Is that the same combo as the Mossberg 92010? Sorry I don't have enough posts to insert a link in my post. It appears it is the same, only Wally World has it for $149.99 instead of $199.99. It has the same Bushnell 3-9x scope and is 24" rifled/ported.


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## Topshelf (May 24, 2005)

KPOD said:


> Is that the same combo as the Mossberg 92010? Sorry I don't have enough posts to insert a link in my post. *It appears it is the same, only Wally World has it for $149.99 instead of $199.99. It has the same Bushnell 3-9x scope and is 24" rifled/ported*.


Exactly what I picked up foir mine.


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## Silver Panner (Apr 15, 2009)

Ron L said:


> I haven't really dug into it yet, but a quick search at one of the usual suspects found this for $200:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thats it. Took a quick look on Mossburgs website and I didnt see it there and thought they had discontinued it. If you can get it at WW for $150 I'd run over and pick one up!


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## sslopok (Aug 24, 2009)

I have a mossberg 12 gauge that came with the rifled barrel (cantilevered) and a bsa scope. I hated that short scope so I got on ebay and bought a bushnell sportman 3x9x32 brand new for 39.99 shipped. This is the second gun I put this scope on and I love them. Great quality and cheap. In my opinion the reg Joe hunter doesn't need a top of the line $200 scope for a shotgun. If you are shooting 300+ yards with your 7mm it is a diff story.

As for slugs. I bought hornady sst sabots and brenneke k.o slugs (can be used in any barrel). I bought the k.o's for 4.99 a box and the sst sabots for 11.99 a box. I bought the k.o's to get the scope close and then I was gonna get perfect with the sst's. Well they both grouped exactly the same so I have been rocking the k.o's instead of the more expensive sabots. With the k.o's I don't have to worry about expansion after contact. I will be buying the k.o's from now on I think.
good luck
sslopok


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