RE: Mossberg 935 12ga auto
I got the 935, synthetic stock, camo, with short barrel and fiber optic sights. Dressed out as a turkey gun with sling, lock and hard-sided case.
As sold, it kicked too much in 3 1/2" shells, so I bought a LimbSaver, and now it doesn't kick badly.
I got a Rhino choke, because the Mossberg choke had an ineffective pattern at 40 yards, though very good at 25 yards, I must say, and that's what they bill the choke as, i.e., a 25 yard choke.
Remington HeviShot jammed in the gun, crummy crimps, in my opinion, so I don't fault the gun. No other jamming problems, but that one was at a critical time, and boy, did I curse Remington!!!
You can't (it is advertised as specifically NOT designed for) shoot 2 3/4" shells in it.
I snapped the rear fiber optic sight off walking through some brush, so I took it to a gunsmith and he recommended a better-designed rear fiber optic sight, one not likely to fail/break. Mossberg put the crappy rear sight on the gun, but I don't think they manufactured it, so I don't know who to blame for that.
Even with the synthetic stock, it is rather heavy, but the short barrel makes it fairly easy to maneuver.
Based on my experience, I think if I were to start all over at buying a turkey gun, I wouldn't buy the Mossberg 935. Think of what I've had to do--add a better recoil pad, add a better choke tube, add a better rear fiber optic sight, stay away from a particular brand of turkey-specific shotgun shells--before you invest in one yourself.
There is a plus side to consider, though, and that is that I am promised, eventually, I will be able to buy a longer barrel for the gun and use the gun for waterfowling, too, making the 935 more versatile. It will become a "spare" or "back-up" gun for me on waterfowling trips, when other barrels become available.
As a side note, I'm still after the "perfect" turkey gun, and am now leaning towards getting a 10 gauge autoloader or over/under.
Plus, I greatly covet the new Benelli SBE II, and am considering trading my current Benelli SBE in on a new II model.
__________________
Peace.
"Always do the right thing- this will gratify some and astonish the rest."-- Mark Twain
|
, that the 935 kicks half of what the 835 does! I shot a ton of shells looking for the best combo. My gun has shot everything from 3" #4's to 3 1/2" #6 hevi-shot and I mean all of it. The hevi-shot was best with the 3" #4's close behind. My main problem with hevi-shot was that it was not consistant from shot to shot. That was all out of a gobble stopper or standard full choke. Then I bought a kick's gobbling thunder. With winchester 3 1/2" #5's I was getting around 115 pellets in a 10 inch circle at forty yards and 30 in the head and neck- consistantly. I sure thought that was good, at least the best combo that I found. A friend of mine that shoots a 835 tried the same load out of the mossberg turkey choke and had almost the same results so I probably didn't need to spend the $60.00 on the kicks but it sure looks cool. Like I said, I have shot a lot of shells and NEVER had a jam. I did try some 2 3/4" heavy dove and the bolt would not open enough to hit the tang that kicks the shell out. (had to try) So far the only problem is the bolt handle broke when I shot once. Mossberg says to send it back but I might make one from steel instead of aluminum. Most of all, the two turkeys that got hit with it where mighty tasty. The first one was 34 yards and never flopped. The second was at 19 yards and, well everyone knows what happens at 19 yards, no matter what you shoot. I chose the 935 because I wanted a semi-auto and liked the price, $397.00 at wal-mart, and the gun fit me well. Happy hunting to all.
