I was able to get to the range today to test out my newly purchased Mossberg 930 SPX. I purchased the gun to better compete in 3-Gun matches but as with most everything I decide to spend my hard earned money on, I had to justify the purchase for more than that. So I also plan to use this as a HD/SHTF gun pending finding the right ammo and a couple additions/modifications (more on that in an additional thread later).
When I picked up the gun I checked to make sure the sights were not canted, the mag tube fed shells and the the top rail wasn't going anywhere, all was GTG. Today I took her apart for a good cleaning, re-assembled and gathered up 5 kinds of ammo to head for the range. When I got there I set my targets up at 25 yards, loaded up the tube and squeezed off that first round. With the nicer weather this week the range was very busy so I had limited options on distance. One of the very first things I noticed about this shotgun is how crisp and light the trigger pull is. It is NOTHING like my 500 or 590 and nothing like I have ever experienced from any shotgun, to say the least, I am very impressed with the trigger.
However to my dismay, that first shot landed about 6" low but with a quick sight adjustment I was on target. My guess is this is because it was sighted in at the factory at a much closer distance. I may re-adjust the zero but I will have to play with different rounds vs. distances taking into account the guns dual role before I finalize that.
Caught her resting
I shot ~80 rounds through her today with only 1 FTE and I honestly think that was a fluke as there were 0 other issues. I fired everything from cheap Walmart target ammo to Winchester Low Recoil Winchester Ranger slugs through it today. The recoil was very manageable and the buttpad kept my shoulder from getting sore even after 80 rounds
I mixed the shells up in all various orders with no other issues than the one above.
Federal Field & Target
Winchester Universal
Winchester AA Target
Winchester Ranger Low Recoil 00 Buck
Winchester Ranger Low Recoil 1oz Slug
I have shot more shotgun in the last month than the 3-4 previous YEARS so I still have a bit of work to do but I found the sights on the SPX to be very easy to pick up and since I mostly shoot ARs, felt right at home behind them. I can see how some find them slow but my guess is they have a lot of time behind a bead or "rifle" sights. I expect the sights to be very fast while shooting in 3-Gun matches.
The aftermath
Pros:
Weight
Trigger
Semi-Auto
7+1
Decent amount of aftermarket parts available
Reliable
Price for the value
Cons:
LOP too long (I plan on changing that)
The mag tube spring has about taken my eye out twice now. :o
No choke options
Planned mods:
Shorten the stock to about 13"
Light mount
Mag tube clamp
+5 Mag tube extension
Larger safety
Sling mounts
Get the barrel threaded for chokes?
Side saddle?
I have already modded the forearm to accept an AFG and there will be more mods to come in the near future.
Thanks for looking and I will be happy to answer any questions you may have.
When I picked up the gun I checked to make sure the sights were not canted, the mag tube fed shells and the the top rail wasn't going anywhere, all was GTG. Today I took her apart for a good cleaning, re-assembled and gathered up 5 kinds of ammo to head for the range. When I got there I set my targets up at 25 yards, loaded up the tube and squeezed off that first round. With the nicer weather this week the range was very busy so I had limited options on distance. One of the very first things I noticed about this shotgun is how crisp and light the trigger pull is. It is NOTHING like my 500 or 590 and nothing like I have ever experienced from any shotgun, to say the least, I am very impressed with the trigger.
However to my dismay, that first shot landed about 6" low but with a quick sight adjustment I was on target. My guess is this is because it was sighted in at the factory at a much closer distance. I may re-adjust the zero but I will have to play with different rounds vs. distances taking into account the guns dual role before I finalize that.
Caught her resting
I shot ~80 rounds through her today with only 1 FTE and I honestly think that was a fluke as there were 0 other issues. I fired everything from cheap Walmart target ammo to Winchester Low Recoil Winchester Ranger slugs through it today. The recoil was very manageable and the buttpad kept my shoulder from getting sore even after 80 rounds
I mixed the shells up in all various orders with no other issues than the one above.
Federal Field & Target
Winchester Universal
Winchester AA Target
Winchester Ranger Low Recoil 00 Buck
Winchester Ranger Low Recoil 1oz Slug
I have shot more shotgun in the last month than the 3-4 previous YEARS so I still have a bit of work to do but I found the sights on the SPX to be very easy to pick up and since I mostly shoot ARs, felt right at home behind them. I can see how some find them slow but my guess is they have a lot of time behind a bead or "rifle" sights. I expect the sights to be very fast while shooting in 3-Gun matches.
The aftermath
Pros:
Weight
Trigger
Semi-Auto
7+1
Decent amount of aftermarket parts available
Reliable
Price for the value
Cons:
LOP too long (I plan on changing that)
The mag tube spring has about taken my eye out twice now. :o
No choke options
Planned mods:
Shorten the stock to about 13"
Light mount
Mag tube clamp
+5 Mag tube extension
Larger safety
Sling mounts
Get the barrel threaded for chokes?
Side saddle?
I have already modded the forearm to accept an AFG and there will be more mods to come in the near future.
Thanks for looking and I will be happy to answer any questions you may have.
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Original thread here: https://www.indianagunowners.com/forums/long_guns/223604-review_mossberg_930_spx.html
Original thread here: https://www.indianagunowners.com/forums/long_guns/223604-review_mossberg_930_spx.html
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