This week, we’re checking out the Model 500 Combo Field/Deer from Mossberg, a cool shotgun package that comes from the factory with two barrels—one for deer and one for general bird hunting or sporting use. The combo comes in a variety of different gauges, stock materials and barrel lengths, and we should note up front here, the specific blend of features we are testing out today is not technically on the market in this exact variation.
You can get the combo package with a wood stock, but only with open sights, or you can get a cantilevered optics rail, but that only comes with synthetic furniture. Regardless, this 12-gauge wood-stocked combo with a 24-inch rifled Slugster barrel, and a 28-inch smoothbore barrel does a great job of showcasing some of the many options Mossberg offers in this unique shotgun line.
Based around the classic 500 pump action, this combo package is a true one-stop-shop for the dedicated scattergun hunter. The 24-inch rifled barrel attaches easily, and boasts either a rail that cantilevers back over the action, to easily attach either a magnified or red-dot optic, or adjustable open sights. We won’t lie, a slugger 500 boasts a prodigious kick, but if you’re in the market for a pump-action slugger, you likely know that already.
We found that with a quality optic attached, that 24-inch rifled barrel delivers excellent results downrange. Once you’ve filled your deer tags for the year, and it’s time to gun for some ducks, swapping the smooth-bore 28-inch barrel on is similarly easy. With a vent-rib along its entire length, and a gold-bead out front, the gun swings easily with the long 28 attached. It also accepts Accu-Set choke tubes, and ships with a Full, Modified and Improved Cylinder.
Moving rearward from the barrel, the gun is classic 500. The pump runs fast, smooth and would likely keep working through a sandstorm thanks to its twin action bars. An ambidextrous tang safety is quick to snap on and off, the fixed, 13.87-inch length of pull feels great whether swinging or holding steady aim, and a soft recoil pad effectively deadens recoil, even with those stout slugs. A steel-to-steel lockup in the action keeps things tight, while dual ejectors rip the spent shell out of the 3-inch chamber after the shot, and an anti-jam elevator reliably delivers the next shells as you close the action. All in all, it’s hard to beat this combo as a perfect all-season shotgun. When you factor in the $676 MSRP, it becomes even harder to top.
For more information on the model 500 Combo Field/Deer, visit Mossberg.com. And of course, to help keep content like this coming and the woods open for hunting, click the join button in the upper left-hand corner.
