I would like to submit the following review of the Mossberg 930.
I am by no means a writer, so my apologies to those of you that make a living at it.
I would like to share my experiences with this shotgun with you. I would like to give a little bit of background about myself, I have been shooting and hunting regularly for over 30 years. The other shotguns I currently own are: a '60's vintage Belgian-made Browning A-5 (30" barrel,12 GA), an Ithaca model 37 (30" barrel,12 GA), a Remington 870 Wingmaster (28" barrel, 20 GA), an "old" Ithaca SxS with a cracked stock (currently a "wall-hanger"), a camo Mossberg 535 (26" barrel, 12 GA), as well as a couple of rifles and pistols to round out the safe. As you may note from the contents of my safe, I am not so "brand-loyal blind" that I can't make a rational comparison just because it doesn't have (insert your BRAND NAME here) stamped on the receiver.
Late spring / early summer of this past year (2006) I decided that I wanted to get a new shotgun, thus began my search for a new shotgun. The first decision was budgetary, I didn't want to spend more that $1200 for a new gun. Then I had to decide "Do I want a pump or an autoloader?" "Do I want 3" or 3-1/2" chambering?" Well, the answer to the first question was easy, I already have two, the Ithaca M37 and the Mossberg 535. The M37 has been used so much that the internal parts are polished like glass (I don't think there is a smoother pump action out there) and the 535 covers the 3-1/2" shells if I feel like I need to be tortured. I bought the 535 a couple of years ago so that I could have a 3-1/2" gun, I have since come to the conclusion that nobody needs a 3-1/2" gun and that there must be some sadist out there somewhere really enjoying himself whenever anybody shoots a 3-1/2" shell. So I guess by now you've figured out the answer to the second question….
My search for a 2-3/4" - 3" autoloader began, I found shotgunworld.com and began researching, I researched & researched, I bugged everybody at the club where I shoot, I generally made a nuisance of myself everywhere I went. I narrowed my searches and choices down to the following: 1) the Remington 105CTI, I was never able to find one before I bought mine (from the few reviews I have seen, I'm kind of glad) 2) the Berretta 390 (now the 3901), and 3) The Mossberg 930. I know that you may think that these guns are not in the same class but I am going to have to beg to differ and I offer the following review.
My final choice was based upon 1) reliability, 2) performance, and 3) price.
Reliability: I searched here as well as other sites and I found far more issues with the Berettas than I did the Mossberg 930, in fact I could find very few negative comments on the 930 at all. The 105CTI wasn't released prior to me buying, so I can't comment.
Performance: The Berretta, I thought, had the clear advantage until I started comparing apples to apples, both the 390 and the 930 will handle 2-3/4, 1 oz loads, the 105CTI, based on information provided by Remington, will not. The gas system on the 930 is very similar to the Berretta, I guess you can say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
Price: Well needless to say, the 930 won this without trouble, for what I would have had to pay for the Beretta, I could have almost bought two 930's, three if you use the MSRP of the 105CTI.
I made my decision and went to my store, they had two 930's in stock, 1 in black, and 1 in camo, of course the one I wanted (28" barrel, in walnut) had to be ordered. It took about two weeks longer than Dick's said it would to come in, but it was worth the wait. The wood has a nice satin finish and has a very nice grain. I took it home and gave it a good cleaning, there was a lot of the "manufacturing" grease that I cleaned out and gave it a good lube. I took it out to the club and gave it a good workout, I found that it pointed really well and is well balanced for me, I didn't need to use any of the stock shims that were provided with the gun. I am 5'10" and about 190 pounds (give or take) so I'm probably in the "80%" that this gun was designed to fit.
I have owned the gun for over two month now; between my father-in-law (he gets to shoot her when I'm at work) and I, we have put over 3,500 rounds through the gun. I clean the gun regularly (not fanatically) and I have not had a single mis-fire, mis-feed, or failure to eject. It has fired everything put into it, from 3" magnum turkey rounds to 2-3/4", 7/8 oz target loads.
The gun has been used for ducks and clays (arrived too late for turkey season). I have taken it to the club and passed her around, one of the instructors shot a "25" with it, so at least I know it CAN be done (I can't use the gun as a excuse now). The gun has converted a few people at the club and they cannot believe how well the gun performs. I have shot a number of Berrettas, Brownings, Winchesters, and Remingtons, are they nice guns, ABSOLUTELY!!! Are they "twice the price" nice…..well I can honestly say, not for my money.
If you're in the market for a really good autoloading shotgun, regardless of the price, you owe it to yourself to check out the 930, I'm completely satisfied with mine.
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BTW, Randy, thanks for the push...
I am by no means a writer, so my apologies to those of you that make a living at it.
I would like to share my experiences with this shotgun with you. I would like to give a little bit of background about myself, I have been shooting and hunting regularly for over 30 years. The other shotguns I currently own are: a '60's vintage Belgian-made Browning A-5 (30" barrel,12 GA), an Ithaca model 37 (30" barrel,12 GA), a Remington 870 Wingmaster (28" barrel, 20 GA), an "old" Ithaca SxS with a cracked stock (currently a "wall-hanger"), a camo Mossberg 535 (26" barrel, 12 GA), as well as a couple of rifles and pistols to round out the safe. As you may note from the contents of my safe, I am not so "brand-loyal blind" that I can't make a rational comparison just because it doesn't have (insert your BRAND NAME here) stamped on the receiver.
Late spring / early summer of this past year (2006) I decided that I wanted to get a new shotgun, thus began my search for a new shotgun. The first decision was budgetary, I didn't want to spend more that $1200 for a new gun. Then I had to decide "Do I want a pump or an autoloader?" "Do I want 3" or 3-1/2" chambering?" Well, the answer to the first question was easy, I already have two, the Ithaca M37 and the Mossberg 535. The M37 has been used so much that the internal parts are polished like glass (I don't think there is a smoother pump action out there) and the 535 covers the 3-1/2" shells if I feel like I need to be tortured. I bought the 535 a couple of years ago so that I could have a 3-1/2" gun, I have since come to the conclusion that nobody needs a 3-1/2" gun and that there must be some sadist out there somewhere really enjoying himself whenever anybody shoots a 3-1/2" shell. So I guess by now you've figured out the answer to the second question….
My search for a 2-3/4" - 3" autoloader began, I found shotgunworld.com and began researching, I researched & researched, I bugged everybody at the club where I shoot, I generally made a nuisance of myself everywhere I went. I narrowed my searches and choices down to the following: 1) the Remington 105CTI, I was never able to find one before I bought mine (from the few reviews I have seen, I'm kind of glad) 2) the Berretta 390 (now the 3901), and 3) The Mossberg 930. I know that you may think that these guns are not in the same class but I am going to have to beg to differ and I offer the following review.
My final choice was based upon 1) reliability, 2) performance, and 3) price.
Reliability: I searched here as well as other sites and I found far more issues with the Berettas than I did the Mossberg 930, in fact I could find very few negative comments on the 930 at all. The 105CTI wasn't released prior to me buying, so I can't comment.
Performance: The Berretta, I thought, had the clear advantage until I started comparing apples to apples, both the 390 and the 930 will handle 2-3/4, 1 oz loads, the 105CTI, based on information provided by Remington, will not. The gas system on the 930 is very similar to the Berretta, I guess you can say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
Price: Well needless to say, the 930 won this without trouble, for what I would have had to pay for the Beretta, I could have almost bought two 930's, three if you use the MSRP of the 105CTI.
I made my decision and went to my store, they had two 930's in stock, 1 in black, and 1 in camo, of course the one I wanted (28" barrel, in walnut) had to be ordered. It took about two weeks longer than Dick's said it would to come in, but it was worth the wait. The wood has a nice satin finish and has a very nice grain. I took it home and gave it a good cleaning, there was a lot of the "manufacturing" grease that I cleaned out and gave it a good lube. I took it out to the club and gave it a good workout, I found that it pointed really well and is well balanced for me, I didn't need to use any of the stock shims that were provided with the gun. I am 5'10" and about 190 pounds (give or take) so I'm probably in the "80%" that this gun was designed to fit.
I have owned the gun for over two month now; between my father-in-law (he gets to shoot her when I'm at work) and I, we have put over 3,500 rounds through the gun. I clean the gun regularly (not fanatically) and I have not had a single mis-fire, mis-feed, or failure to eject. It has fired everything put into it, from 3" magnum turkey rounds to 2-3/4", 7/8 oz target loads.
The gun has been used for ducks and clays (arrived too late for turkey season). I have taken it to the club and passed her around, one of the instructors shot a "25" with it, so at least I know it CAN be done (I can't use the gun as a excuse now). The gun has converted a few people at the club and they cannot believe how well the gun performs. I have shot a number of Berrettas, Brownings, Winchesters, and Remingtons, are they nice guns, ABSOLUTELY!!! Are they "twice the price" nice…..well I can honestly say, not for my money.
If you're in the market for a really good autoloading shotgun, regardless of the price, you owe it to yourself to check out the 930, I'm completely satisfied with mine.
BTW, Randy, thanks for the push...
