Help Needed - Mossberg 500

[illini40]

Hey INGO,

Need help in understanding if there is an issue with my Mossberg 500 or if this is some weird quirk.

Should you be able to load the gun, with the safety on, take the safety off, and then fire?

Sounds simple, right? I picked up a new Mossberg 500 combo a couple months back and finally got to the range this evening to try to sight in a scope to get ready for deer season. Never been fired. I dry fired once the other day, but didn't notice anything. I swapped the barrel - that's all that I have done to it.

Safety is on. I load one slug into the chamber. Settle in, take the safety off and go to pull the trigger. Nothing happens. The trigger will not pull.

After I got home, I noticed that if you have the safety off and then cycle the action, the gun would dry fire. Unfortunateky, I could not run back to the range to test live.

Does this sound right?

Ive only ever had semi autos, so not sure if this something odd with pumps.

 

[edwea]

If you dry fired, then loaded a slug into the chamber, you haven't reset the trigger yet. The pump action not only loads a shell, but also resets the trigger. Try loading at least a few shells into the mag, none in the chamber, then cycle the action and shoot. I have a 500 and it is a great gun. I took a nice 8 pointer last year with mine. Good luck on a deer this year!

 

[snorko]

I just pulled out a Moss 500 and tried it. With tye safety ON I pumped the action, pushed OFF the safety and the gun dry fired fine.

I should add, mine is 25 years old and maybe they have changed the design so that if the safety is on, the trigger is not reset, allowing safe unloading.

 

[SSGSAD]

I just now tested, both of my Maverick 88's, and they worked both ways .....

Both of mine are older, one is over 20 years old ..... Don't know if that makes a diff .....

 

[PRasko]

You're positive you aren't shorting it?

If you aren't, then I would call mossberg.

-edit-

I understand what you're saying, and my 590a1 does not do it. I have an idea of what the problem is, but it involves messing with the trigger group and that's a special kind of hell unless you know what you're doing.

 

[illini40]

I appreciate the responses.

So if the trigger is not reset, what actually resets it?

I guess I am confused on what is different that allows the gun to dry fire when pumping the action with the safety off, but not with the safety on. Is this by design? Seems odd, but then again, I don't have experience with pumps.

In regards to "shorting it" - could you expand on this? I pump the action in the same manner in both scenarios ID safety on and safety off.

 

[SSGSAD]

I appreciate the responses.

So if the trigger is not reset, what actually resets it?

I guess I am confused on what is different that allows the gun to dry fire when pumping the action with the safety off, but not with the safety on. Is this by design? Seems odd, but then again, I don't have experience with pumps.

In regards to "shorting it" - could you expand on this? I pump the action in the same manner in both scenarios ID safety on and safety off.

I think he is saying short stroking .....

 

[PRasko]

You are either not pulling it back far enough, or the more likely, not pushing it forward completely, leaving it out of battery.

Question though.

When you say the trigger won't pull, does that mean it acts just like it does when the safety is engaged? or does it go all the way to the rear and the hammer just not drop?

 

[illini40]

You are either not pulling it back far enough, or the more likely, not pushing it forward completely, leaving it out of battery.

Question though.

When you say the trigger won't pull, does that mean it acts just like it does when the safety is engaged? or does it go all the way to the rear and the hammer just not drop?

It acts like it does when the safety is engaged. It will not move at all.

When pumping the action closed with the safety off, it will dry fire and you can hear the hammer drop.

 

[Zoub]

If this is your first pump gun I would bet on user error. If someone else can duplicate your failure, it's the gun.

The order in which you shoot, load, lock or unlock action, flip safety on or off does not matter. In the field hunting you can do any number of these sequences and the gun will work.

Since its a new gun, clean it and go run a box or two of bird shot through it. Skip bench shooting for now and run it. Reality is pump guns are not great bench guns even in experienced hands. Its not a bolt gun, it's a big ass pump, slam it home. Problem continues call Mosberg.

Also, is problem unique to slug barrel?

 

[illini40]

Quick update. Before getting ready to take the gun to a gunsmith this evening, I fiddled around with it and the gun started fry firing correctly. No idea what changed.

I ran to the gun range real quick to test it out. Out of 10 slugs, probably twice I had the issue of the trigger not pulling. For those times, I had to clear the chamber and reload. Also, in probably three rounds, I had to really force the action to open to eject the spent shell. I made sure to pump the action firmly each time.

I was pleased to fire ten rounds through it, but definitely still some unknowns with it. My plan is to give it a good cleaning this weekend and keep testing.

Im still not 100% confident in the gun for hunting purposes.

 

[woodsie57]

I ha d a problem w a mossy rifled barrel where the chamber wasn't machined properly. The groove for the rim of the shell was cut too shallow, keeping the action from closing all the way. Wouldn't fire- good thing too!! You may have a similar situation

 

[aparker81]

Quick update. Before getting ready to take the gun to a gunsmith this evening, I fiddled around with it and the gun started fry firing correctly. No idea what changed.

I ran to the gun range real quick to test it out. Out of 10 slugs, probably twice I had the issue of the trigger not pulling. For those times, I had to clear the chamber and reload. Also, in probably three rounds, I had to really force the action to open to eject the spent shell. I made sure to pump the action firmly each time.

I was pleased to fire ten rounds through it, but definitely still some unknowns with it. My plan is to give it a good cleaning this weekend and keep testing.

Im still not 100% confident in the gun for hunting purposes.

I received a Maverick 88 this past Christmas and ran about15 rounds through it for the first time at the end of August.
I loaded 4 rounds into the magazine and went to fire and found the trigger did not reset to the ready position. The action lock lever was up and the forearm slides back and forth allowing the shells to load and eject just fine, however, the trigger cannot be pulled. This is regardless of the position of the safety.
What process did you undergo to fix your situation? I'm trying to exhaust my options before going to a gunsmith for help.

 

[edwea]

Holy necro-post!!

 

[Mgderf]

I received a Maverick 88 this past Christmas and ran about15 rounds through it for the first time at the end of August.
I loaded 4 rounds into the magazine and went to fire and found the trigger did not reset to the ready position. The action lock lever was up and the forearm slides back and forth allowing the shells to load and eject just fine, however, the trigger cannot be pulled. This is regardless of the position of the safety.
What process did you undergo to fix your situation? I'm trying to exhaust my options before going to a gunsmith for help.

This original post was 9 years ago.

 

[snorko]

Holy necro-post!!

I didn't catch the date and was reading through the replies before adding mine. I then got to post #3 which was the reply I typed 9 years ago.