Mossberg 500 Models Explained: Every Variant Compared (2026)

Last updated October 12, 2026 · By Nick Hall, who tested the 500 for our review and went through Mossberg’s catalog SKU by SKU for this guide

Mossberg built its first Model 500 in August 1961, and the company says more than 12 million have been sold since. Sixty-five years of production leaves a lot of model names behind. Persuader, Cruiser, Mariner, FLEX, Slugster, Bantam, Retrograde. Some are still made. Several aren’t, and the internet hasn’t caught up.

So I went through Mossberg’s catalog SKU by SKU. Right now the 500 page lists 28 shotguns, and there’s one more 500 filed under the JIC series. They sort into 10 variants, and this guide covers every one: what it is, what it lists for, how it shot for me, and who should buy it.

A few things surprised me. Every 500 in the current catalog holds 5+1. There’s no 12 gauge 500 Turkey anymore. And the plain black 18.5-inch home defense 500 that fills every gun counter isn’t on Mossberg’s site at all.

The Mossberg 500 models are followed by a short section on the relatives people mix them up with, the 590, 590A1, Maverick 88, 505 and 510, and then the platform questions: which barrels swap, which don’t, and how many shells the tube holds. For a full range test of one gun, read our Mossberg 500 review.

Table of Contents

Mossberg 500 Family at a Glance

Each row shows one representative SKU, named by its Mossberg item number, because most variants come in several gauges, stocks or finishes. Prices are Mossberg’s list prices. Street prices run lower, and the live cards under each variant show what dealers are charging today.

Variant	Best For	MSRP	Street Price
Mossberg 500 Hunting All Purpose Field	Birds, clays and one-gun owners	$545	From $405.99
Mossberg 500 Combo Field/Security	Hunting plus home defense in one box	$615	From $514.99
Mossberg 500 Combo Field/Deer	Bird seasons and slug-only deer zones	$676	From $459.99
Mossberg 500 Slugster	A dedicated deer slug gun	$545	From $390.99
Mossberg 500 Turkey	Spring gobblers with a red dot	$697	From $460.99
Mossberg 500 Bantam	Teens and smaller adults	$556	From $414.99
Mossberg 500 Super Bantam	Young shooters still growing	$545	From $419.99
Mossberg 500 Retrograde	Home defense with walnut furniture	$665	From $505.99
Mossberg 500 ATI Tactical	An adjustable defensive setup out of the box	$773	From $649.99
Mossberg 500 Tactical JIC	Boat, truck and cabin storage	$636	From $474.99

Variant (SKU shown)	Gauge	Barrel	Overall Length	Weight	Capacity	Sights	Stock	MSRP
All Purpose Field (#56420)	12 Gauge	28 in	47.5 in	7.5 lb	5+1	Dual Bead	Synthetic (Black)	$545
Combo Field/Security (#54169)	12 Gauge	18.5 in and 28 in	47.5 in	7.5 lb	5+1	Dual Bead, Bead	Wood	$615
Combo Field/Deer (#54264)	12 Gauge	24 in and 28 in	47.5 in	7.5 lb	5+1	Dual Bead, adjustable rifle sights	Wood	$676
Slugster (#56424)	12 Gauge	24 in	43.5 in	7 lb	5+1	adjustable rifle sights	Synthetic (Black)	$545
Turkey (#54337)	20 Gauge	22 in	41.25 in	6.75 lb	5+1	Fiber optic front; Optic-Ready	Synthetic (Mossy Oak Greenleaf)	$697
Bantam (#54132)	20 Gauge	22 in	40.75 in	6.5 lb	5+1	Dual Bead	Wood	$556
Super Bantam (#54210)	20 Gauge	22 in	39.75 in	5.25 lb	5+1	Dual Bead	Synthetic (Black) with spacer	$545
Retrograde (#50429)	12 Gauge	18.5 in	39.5 in	6.75 lb	5+1	Bead	Walnut	$665
ATI Tactical (#50424)	12 Gauge	18.5 in	36.37 in	6.75 lb	5+1	Winged post and bead	ATI 6-position adjustable, Akita forend (Flat Dark Earth/Black)	$773
Tactical JIC (#51340)	12 Gauge	18.5 in	28.125 in	5.5 lb	5+1	Bead	Synthetic Pistol Grip (Black)	$636

Combo rows show the overall length and weight Mossberg publishes for the set, which is measured with the longer field barrel fitted. Every gun in the table has a 3-inch chamber.

All 10 share one action: dual extractors, twin action bars, steel-to-steel lockup, an anti-jam elevator and a safety on top of the receiver. The differences are barrels, stocks, sights and finish, so you can’t really buy the wrong 500. You can only buy one that needs another barrel or stock to do what you want.

1. Mossberg 500 Hunting All Purpose Field

• Representative SKU: #56420
• Gauge: 12 Gauge
• Chamber: 3 in
• Barrel Length: 28 in
• Choke: Accu-Set
• Overall Length: 47.5 in
• Weight: 7.5 lb
• Capacity: 5+1
• Length of Pull: 13.87 in
• Sights: Dual Bead
• Stock: Synthetic (Black)
• Barrel Finish: Matte Blue
• MSRP: $545
• Street Price: from $405.99

This is the plain 500, the one the rest of the family grows out of. A 28-inch vent rib barrel, twin beads, a set of Accu-Set choke tubes and either black synthetic or wood furniture. Mossberg lists five of them right now: 12 gauge with a 28-inch barrel, 20 gauge with a 26-inch barrel, both in synthetic for $545 or wood for $556, plus a wood-stocked .410 with a 24-inch fixed full choke barrel at $556. I’m printing the specs of the synthetic 12 gauge, SKU 56420, because it’s the one most dealers stock.

I ran 150 rounds of Federal Top Gun 1 1/8 oz No. 7.5 through a 12 gauge Field over two afternoons of hand-thrown clays, then patterned it with the modified tube and Winchester Super-X 1 1/4 oz No. 6. At 40 yards it put 68 percent of the load inside a 30-inch circle, which is right where a modified choke should land. No malfunctions. The action was stiff for the first couple of boxes and loosened up after that, the same break-in I logged in our full Mossberg 500 review.

At 7.5 lb it swings smoothly and soaks up field loads. It’s also 47.5 inches long, which is a lot of shotgun in a hallway. Add an 18.5-inch barrel later and you’ve built your own combo.

Best For: Upland birds, waterfowl, clays, and anyone who wants the basic 500 to build on. If you already know you want a second barrel, look at the combos first.

2. Mossberg 500 Combo Field/Security: The One I Recommend Most

• Representative SKU: #54169
• Gauge: 12 Gauge
• Chamber: 3 in
• Barrel Length: 18.5 in and 28 in
• Choke: Accu-Set, Cylinder Bore
• Overall Length: 47.5 in
• Weight: 7.5 lb
• Capacity: 5+1
• Length of Pull: 13.87 in
• Sights: Dual Bead, Bead
• Stock: Wood
• Barrel Finish: Blued
• MSRP: $615
• Street Price: from $514.99

Two barrels, one receiver, $615. The Field/Security Combo pairs the same 28-inch vent rib Accu-Set barrel from the All Purpose Field with an 18.5-inch cylinder bore barrel with a bead sight, on a wood-stocked 12 gauge. It’s the only Field/Security set in the catalog today, and it’s the 500 I point most people toward.

Here’s why. Mossberg’s parts store lists the 18.5-inch security barrel alone at $146. This box costs $59 more than the wood-stocked Field and includes it. Swapping takes me about 30 seconds: rack the forend halfway back, spin the takedown screw out by hand, pull one barrel, seat the other, snug the screw. No tools. With the short barrel on, Federal FliteControl 00 buck kept all nine pellets inside 4 inches at 15 yards, the same result I got on the 18.5-inch gun in our review. With the long barrel on, it’s a field gun again.

Mossberg prints one overall length for this SKU, 47.5 inches, and that’s with the 28-inch barrel fitted. With the short barrel on, expect about 39.5 inches, the figure Mossberg gives for the 18.5-inch Retrograde. The wood stock has the full 13.87-inch length of pull, so smaller shooters in the house should try it first.

Best For: First-time shotgun buyers and anyone who wants a bird gun on Saturday and a bedside gun the rest of the week without owning two shotguns.

3. Mossberg 500 Combo Field/Deer

• Representative SKU: #54264
• Gauge: 12 Gauge
• Chamber: 3 in
• Barrel Length: 24 in and 28 in
• Choke: Accu-Set, Fully Rifled Bore
• Overall Length: 47.5 in
• Weight: 7.5 lb
• Capacity: 5+1
• Length of Pull: 13.87 in
• Sights: Dual Bead, adjustable rifle sights
• Stock: Wood
• Barrel Finish: Blued
• MSRP: $676
• Street Price: from $459.99

Same idea as the Field/Security set, pointed at deer season. You get a vent rib field barrel with Accu-Set tubes plus a 24-inch fully rifled slug barrel. Mossberg sells four full-size versions: 12 gauge and 20 gauge, each in wood with adjustable rifle sights on the slug barrel, or in black synthetic with a Dual Comb stock and a 2.5×20 scope riding a cantilever mount. The 12 gauge wood set is SKU 54264 at $676 and the scoped synthetic 12 gauge is SKU 58244 at $592. In 20 gauge, the wood set is $629 and the scoped synthetic set is $594.

The scoped synthetic sets are cheaper than the wood ones, which is backwards from what most buyers expect. Their Dual Comb stock ships with a high comb for the scope and a low comb for sighting down the rib.

I shot the 12 gauge rifled barrel off a bench with Hornady SST 300 grain sabots and got 2.4-inch three-shot groups at 100 yards through the factory scope. Federal Truball rifled slugs through the smooth field barrel with an improved cylinder tube ran about 3 inches at 25 yards, fine for close woods and nothing more. Our best slug guns guide shows where it sits against dedicated bolt-action slug guns.

Best For: Hunters in shotgun-only deer states who also want a field gun. Pick the scoped synthetic set if you’ll shoot past 75 yards.

4. Mossberg 500 Slugster

• Representative SKU: #56424
• Gauge: 12 Gauge
• Chamber: 3 in
• Barrel Length: 24 in
• Choke: Fully rifled bore
• Overall Length: 43.5 in
• Weight: 7 lb
• Capacity: 5+1
• Length of Pull: 13.87 in
• Sights: adjustable rifle sights
• Stock: Synthetic (Black)
• Barrel Finish: Matte Blue
• MSRP: $545
• Street Price: from $390.99

The Slugster is the deer-only 500. One barrel, 24 inches, fully rifled, with adjustable rifle sights and a black synthetic stock. Mossberg makes it in 12 gauge (SKU 56424) and 20 gauge (SKU 56435), both at $545, both 43.5 inches long and 7 lb. Mossberg says the Slugster has been a go-to pump slug gun for nearly 60 years.

With the open rifle sights, Remington AccuTip 385 grain sabots printed 2.1 inches at 50 yards for me and opened to about 4.5 inches at 100. That second number is my eyes and the sights, not the barrel. The 20 gauge kicks noticeably less and gives up very little on deer inside 125 yards, so I’d steer most hunters to it.

Know what you’re giving up. A rifled bore is wrong for birdshot and buckshot, so this gun does one job until you buy a smoothbore barrel for it. The Slugster makes sense when you already own a bird gun and just need a slug gun that stays zeroed.

There’s also a .410 Bantam Slugster, SKU 50165, with a 20-inch cylinder bore barrel and rifle sights. Despite the name it isn’t rifled.

Best For: Deer hunters in slug-only zones who want a simple, dedicated gun with iron sights.

5. Mossberg 500 Turkey

• Representative SKU: #54337
• Gauge: 20 Gauge
• Chamber: 3 in
• Barrel Length: 22 in
• Choke: X-Factor Ported Tube
• Overall Length: 41.25 in
• Weight: 6.75 lb
• Capacity: 5+1
• Length of Pull: 13.87 in
• Sights: Fiber optic front; Optic-Ready
• Stock: Synthetic (Mossy Oak Greenleaf)
• Barrel Finish: Mossy Oak – Greenleaf
• MSRP: $697
• Street Price: from $460.99

Mossberg’s current 500 Turkey guns are all sub-gauge. There’s no 12 gauge 500 Turkey in the catalog today, only 20 gauge and .410, all wearing Mossy Oak Greenleaf camo from muzzle to butt. The 20 gauge, SKU 54337, has a 22-inch vent rib barrel with an X-Factor ported choke tube. The .410, SKU 50107, has a 24-inch barrel and an extended extra-full tube. Both are $697.

The feature that matters is the receiver. It’s cut for a micro red dot on the Shield RMSc footprint, so the optic sits low and you don’t need a rail or an adapter plate. If you’d rather not shop for a dot, the Holosun Micro Dot Combo versions (SKU 54342 in 20 gauge, SKU 50133 in .410) arrive with a Holosun HS407K mounted, a 20-inch barrel and an extended extra-full tube for $878.

I patterned the 20 gauge at 40 yards with Federal Heavyweight TSS, 3-inch, 1 1/2 oz of No. 9. It put 190 pellets inside a 10-inch circle, which is a dead bird with room to spare. At 6.75 lb it carries easily on a long walk. The front fiber optic alone works, and a dot makes it far easier to shoot from an awkward seated position. Our best turkey shotguns roundup covers the 12 gauge options.

Best For: Turkey hunters who’ve moved to TSS and want a light, optics-ready 20 gauge or .410.

6. Mossberg 500 Bantam

• Representative SKU: #54132
• Gauge: 20 Gauge
• Chamber: 3 in
• Barrel Length: 22 in
• Choke: Accu-Set
• Overall Length: 40.75 in
• Weight: 6.5 lb
• Capacity: 5+1
• Length of Pull: 13 in
• Sights: Dual Bead
• Stock: Wood
• Barrel Finish: Blued
• MSRP: $556
• Street Price: from $414.99

Bantam is Mossberg’s name for a 500 scaled down for smaller shooters. The receiver and action are the same. What changes is the length of pull, 13 inches against 13.87 on the full-size guns, plus a smaller grip for an easier trigger reach, an EZ-Reach forend that sits closer to the shooter and a shorter barrel for balance.

The standard Bantam comes two ways: 20 gauge with a 22-inch Accu-Set barrel and a wood stock (SKU 54132, $556), or .410 with a 24-inch fixed full choke barrel and a black synthetic stock (SKU 50112, $545). There’s a 20 gauge Bantam Field/Deer Combo too, SKU 54188 at $629, which adds a 24-inch fully rifled barrel with rifle sights.

I handed the 20 gauge Bantam to a 13-year-old with 100 rounds of Winchester AA 7/8 oz No. 8. He could reach the forend at full extension, which he can’t on my full-size 500, and he was breaking straightaway clays by the third box.

The detail I like most: Mossberg says every Bantam is compatible with the full-size 500 stock. When the shooter grows, you buy a stock, not a shotgun. The 20 gauge also takes 500 accessory barrels. We compare it with the other youth pumps in our best youth shotguns guide.

Best For: Teenagers and smaller-framed adults who are close to fitting a full-size gun.

7. Mossberg 500 Super Bantam

• Representative SKU: #54210
• Gauge: 20 Gauge
• Chamber: 3 in
• Barrel Length: 22 in
• Choke: Accu-Set
• Overall Length: 39.75 in
• Weight: 5.25 lb
• Capacity: 5+1
• Length of Pull: 12 to 13 in
• Sights: Dual Bead
• Stock: Synthetic (Black) with spacer
• Barrel Finish: Blued
• MSRP: $545
• Street Price: from $419.99

The Super Bantam goes one size smaller and adds adjustability. Its synthetic stock comes with a 1-inch spacer, so length of pull runs from 12 inches without it to 13 inches with it. Every Super Bantam is a 20 gauge, and the base All-Purpose model (SKU 54210, $545) weighs just 5.25 lb with a 22-inch Accu-Set barrel.

Four versions are listed. Beyond the black All-Purpose, there’s a Turkey model in Mossy Oak Obsession with an extra-full tube and fiber optic front sight (SKU 54157, $633), a Field/Deer Combo in Mossy Oak Break-Up Country with a second 24-inch rifled barrel (SKU 54215, $699), and a Turkey Holosun Micro Dot Combo in Greenleaf with a 20-inch barrel (SKU 54684, $878).

That 5.25 lb weight cuts both ways. A 10-year-old can hold it up without arching backward, which matters more than anything else for a first gun. It also means recoil arrives quickly. With Federal Top Gun 7/8 oz No. 8 target loads it was fine across 75 rounds. With 3-inch turkey loads it’s a handful, and I wouldn’t start a new shooter on those.

Start at 12 inches, add the spacer in a year or two, then fit a full-size stock. If your shooter is smaller still, the 510 Mini Super Bantam below is the next step down.

Best For: Kids roughly 9 to 13 who need a gun that fits now and can grow with them.

8. Mossberg 500 Retrograde

• Representative SKU: #50429
• Gauge: 12 Gauge
• Chamber: 3 in
• Barrel Length: 18.5 in
• Choke: Cylinder Bore
• Overall Length: 39.5 in
• Weight: 6.75 lb
• Capacity: 5+1
• Length of Pull: 13.87 in
• Sights: Bead
• Stock: Walnut
• Barrel Finish: Blued
• MSRP: $665
• Street Price: from $505.99

The Retrograde is an 18.5-inch defensive 500 dressed the way Mossberg’s first tactical pumps looked. Walnut stock with a checkered grip and vented recoil pad, a ribbed corncob forend, blued barrel, plain bead. Underneath the wood it’s a standard 6-shot 12 gauge with a cylinder bore barrel and a drilled and tapped receiver. SKU 50429, $665.

The plain black synthetic 18.5-inch 500 has gone from Mossberg’s own catalog, so if you want a new 500 with a short barrel and a conventional stock, this is the one Mossberg lists. I’ve put 100 rounds through one, split between Federal FliteControl 00 and Winchester Super-X 00. FliteControl held nine pellets in 5 inches at 15 yards. The Super-X spread to about 9 inches. No stoppages.

At 6.75 lb with a full 13.87-inch length of pull, it handles like a proper shotgun and the top safety falls right under the thumb. You’re paying for the walnut. A Maverick 88 Security does the same job mechanically for far less.

There’s a second Retrograde on the 500 page that confuses people. The Retrograde Field, SKU 50430, has the same walnut and corncob furniture on a 28-inch vent rib barrel with Accu-Set tubes, also $665. It’s a good-looking bird gun, not a defensive one.

Best For: Home defense buyers who want a traditional stock, six rounds and a gun worth looking at.

9. Mossberg 500 ATI Tactical

• Representative SKU: #50424
• Gauge: 12 Gauge
• Chamber: 3 in
• Barrel Length: 18.5 in
• Choke: Cylinder Bore
• Overall Length: 36.37 in
• Weight: 6.75 lb
• Capacity: 5+1
• Length of Pull: 10.75 to 14.62 in
• Sights: Winged post and bead
• Stock: ATI 6-position adjustable, Akita forend (Flat Dark Earth/Black)
• Barrel Finish: Matte Blue
• MSRP: $773
• Street Price: from $649.99

Mossberg and ATI built this one as a finished package. The stock is ATI’s T3 TactLite, six positions, with a pistol grip, and it adjusts length of pull from 10.75 to 14.62 inches. You also get an Akita forend, a heat shield, rails on the receiver and barrel, and a Halo side saddle with nine shell holders. Two colors, Flat Dark Earth (SKU 50424) and Destroyer Gray (SKU 50431), both $773.

At 36.37 inches it’s the shortest stocked 500 in the catalog. The adjustment range is the real selling point. One gun fits a 5-foot-2 shooter and a 6-foot-3 shooter with a ten-second change.

I ran 150 rounds through the FDE gun, mostly Federal Top Gun with 40 rounds of FliteControl 00 and 20 Truball slugs. It ran clean. The winged post front sight is quicker to pick up than a bare bead. My complaint is the one I raise on every pistol-gripped 500. With your hand wrapped around a vertical grip, you have to break your firing grip to reach the top safety.

It’s also the most expensive 500 with a single barrel. Price out a Retrograde plus the parts in our Mossberg 500 parts and accessories guide before you commit.

Best For: Households with shooters of very different sizes, and buyers who want rails, side saddle and adjustable stock already fitted.

10. Mossberg 500 Tactical JIC

• Representative SKU: #51340
• Gauge: 12 Gauge
• Chamber: 3 in
• Barrel Length: 18.5 in
• Choke: Cylinder Bore
• Overall Length: 28.125 in
• Weight: 5.5 lb
• Capacity: 5+1
• Sights: Bead
• Stock: Synthetic Pistol Grip (Black)
• Barrel Finish: Matte Blue
• MSRP: $636
• Street Price: from $474.99

JIC stands for Just In Case. It’s an 18.5-inch 12 gauge 500 with a pistol grip and no shoulder stock, sold inside a water-resistant storage tube with a carrying strap. Mossberg pitches it at boaters and campers and files it under its Cruiser family. Overall length is 28.125 inches and it weighs 5.5 lb. SKU 51340, $636.

It’s the last pistol-grip-only 500 Mossberg lists. The standalone 500 Cruiser has dropped out of the catalog, and the current Cruiser page shows only 590 and Maverick 88 models.

Fifty rounds was plenty. With Federal Top Gun target loads it’s manageable held at eye level with a firm push-pull. With full-power 00 buck it’s hard on the wrists, and I managed 8 hits out of 10 on a 12-inch plate at 10 yards, shooting slowly. A stocked 500 would go 10 for 10 at twice the speed.

Where it earns its place is storage. The tube keeps spray and dust off the gun, and it fits places a 39-inch shotgun won’t. It’s a 6-shot 500 underneath, so fitting a shoulder stock later gives you an ordinary 18.5-inch 500. If you want a short pistol-grip Mossberg mainly for range fun, the 590 Shockwave is the better-known pick.

Best For: A stored gun for a boat, camper or cabin, where compact and protected beats easy to shoot.

Discontinued Mossberg 500 Models You’ll Still See

These names turn up constantly on used racks, and several are still in stock new at retailers. None appears in Mossberg’s own catalog today.

• 500 Persuader, 500 Tactical and 500 SPX: The black synthetic defensive 500s, mostly with 18.5-inch barrels and 5+1 capacity. Mechanically they match the Retrograde above with plastic furniture in place of the walnut. This is the gun I tested for our review, and it’s still the cheapest way into a short-barreled 500 while dealer stock lasts.
• 8-shot 500s: Mossberg’s pump manual confirms the 500 was built in both 6-shot and 8-shot versions, depending on item number. The 8-shot guns have a longer magazine tube and a 20-inch barrel. Their barrels don’t fit 6-shot guns, and the reverse is true too.
• 500 Cruiser: Pistol grip, no stock. The idea lives on in the 500 Tactical JIC, the 590 Cruiser and the Maverick 88 Cruiser.
• 500 Mariner: The corrosion-resistant boat gun. Mossberg’s current Mariner is a 590.
• 500 FLEX: Used Mossberg’s TLS tool-less locking system to switch between setups in seconds without tools. The FLEX page is still on Mossberg’s site with no guns on it.
• Left-hand 500s: Mossberg made true left-hand 500s with the ejection port on the left side. The manual warns that right-hand and left-hand barrels don’t interchange, and Mossberg still sells left-hand barrels in its parts store.

Buying one of these used is low risk. Count the capacity before you order a barrel, and you’ll be fine.

The Relatives: 590, 590A1, Maverick 88, 505 and 510

These five get confused with the 500 all the time. They share its action and its look, but they aren’t 500s, and some of their parts won’t cross over.

Mossberg 590

Mossberg introduced the 590 in 1987 to win a military contract. The visible change is at the muzzle end of the magazine: a 590 barrel is held on by a magazine cap, and the tube opens for cleaning. The base 590 with an 18.5-inch barrel holds 6+1, one more than any current 500, and longer versions go to 9 shots. We set the two side by side in Mossberg 500 vs 590, and the newer rotary-safety guns get their own 590R review.

Mossberg 590A1

The 590A1 is the heavy-duty 590. Mossberg calls it the most durable of its pump shotguns, built to MIL-SPEC 3443G with a heavy-walled barrel, metal trigger guard and safety, and a Parkerized finish. It costs more and weighs more. Read the 590A1 review, or 590 vs 590A1 if you’re choosing between those two.

Maverick 88

Mossberg’s budget pump. It has the same dual extractors, twin action bars and steel-to-steel lockup, with a cross-bolt safety in place of the 500’s top safety. Mossberg states it accepts 500 accessory stocks, barrels and Accu-Choke tubes within the same gauge and capacity. List price for the 12 gauge All-Purpose and Security models is $290. Full details are in our Maverick 88 review.

Mossberg 505

A youth pump smaller than the 500 Bantam. The current 505 Bantam is a .410 with a 20-inch barrel, a 12-inch length of pull, 4+1 capacity and a weight of 5.25 lb. It is its own model, and Mossberg’s manual says its barrels only interchange with other 505 barrels. See the Mossberg 505 review.

Mossberg 510 Mini Super Bantam

The smallest of the lot. The 20 gauge 510 has an 18.5-inch barrel, holds 3+1, weighs 5 lb and adjusts from 10.5 to 11.5 inches of pull with its spacer. It’s for young children, and they’ll outgrow it. Our 510 Mini Super Bantam review covers how long that takes.

For the whole brand ranked, including the semi-autos, see best Mossberg shotguns.

Which Mossberg 500 Should You Buy?

Start with the job.

One shotgun for everything? The Combo Field/Security. Two barrels cover birds, clays and the bedroom.

Hunting only? The All Purpose Field in 12 gauge for waterfowl and mixed use, 20 gauge if you walk a lot. Add the Field/Deer combo if your state makes you use slugs.

Deer only? The Slugster, and I’d take the 20 gauge.

Turkeys? The 500 Turkey in 20 gauge. Pay for the Holosun combo only if you don’t already own a micro dot.

Home defense only? The Retrograde if you want a new 500 from the current catalog. A leftover Persuader is cheaper and mechanically the same. If capacity matters more than price, skip the 500 and buy a 590.

A young shooter? Super Bantam for kids who are still growing, Bantam for teenagers. Both take a full-size stock later.

Several shooters, one gun? The ATI Tactical, for the adjustable stock.

Storage on a boat or in a camper? The Tactical JIC.

Price the two pumps the 500 gets cross-shopped against, too. The Remington 870 has a steel receiver and a tighter-feeling action, with a cross-bolt safety behind the trigger. We go through it point by point in Remington 870 vs Mossberg 500.

The Benelli Nova is smoother out of the box than a new 500, but its one-piece receiver and stock are harder to reconfigure. Our Benelli Nova review has the details.

More options at every price are in our best pump action shotguns roundup.

Who Should NOT Buy a Mossberg 500

• Capacity-first home defenders: every current 500 stops at 5+1. Buy a Mossberg 590, which starts at 6+1 and goes to 9 shots.
• Hard-use and duty buyers: if the gun will ride in a patrol car or get knocked around daily, the Mossberg 590A1 with its heavy-walled barrel and metal trigger guard is built for that.
• Buyers on the tightest budget: the Maverick 88 runs the same action for roughly half the list price. You lose the top safety and gain a cross-bolt.
• Goose and late-season duck hunters who want 3.5-inch shells: the 500 has a 3-inch chamber. Mossberg’s 835 Ulti-Mag is the 3.5-inch pump.
• Recoil-sensitive shooters who want a defensive 12 gauge: a gas semi-auto is softer. Look at the Mossberg 940 Pro Tactical.

Mossberg 500 Barrel Interchangeability

Barrel swapping is the reason to buy a 500 over almost any other pump. Mossberg’s owner’s manual states the rule this way: Barrels are not interchangeable between model numbers, gauge, or capacity. It goes on to say that 500, 505, 510, 535, 590 and 835 barrels are interchangeable only with barrels of the same model, gauge and capacity, and that right-hand and left-hand barrels don’t interchange.

In practice, three things have to match.

Your Gun	Barrels That Fit	Barrels That Don’t
500, 12 gauge, 6-shot (5+1)	Any 500 12 gauge 6-shot barrel, 18.5 to 28 inches, smooth or rifled	590 barrels, 8-shot 500 barrels, 835 barrels, 20 gauge and .410 barrels
500, 20 gauge, 6-shot (5+1)	Any 500 20 gauge 6-shot barrel	12 gauge and .410 barrels, 510 barrels
500, .410, 6-shot (5+1)	Standard 500 .410 sporting and security barrels	505 barrels, HS410 barrels
500, 12 gauge, 8-shot (older guns)	500 8-shot barrels only	6-shot 500 barrels, 590 barrels
Maverick 88, 6-shot	500 barrels of the same gauge and capacity	590 barrels

Since every 500 in the current catalog is a 6-shot, any new 12 gauge 500 will take any 6-shot 12 gauge 500 barrel Mossberg sells. That’s the whole trick behind the combos.

Why 590 Barrels Don’t Fit a 500

The two guns hold their barrels on differently. On a 500, the barrel has a takedown mount with a captive screw, and the manual tells you to slide the barrel into the receiver and tighten the takedown screw finger tight into the end of the magazine tube. On a 590, the instruction is to unscrew the magazine cap, slide the barrel’s takedown mount ring over the magazine tube, and tighten the magazine cap back on.

A screw on one, a ring and cap on the other. A 590 barrel on a 500 simply has nothing to attach to. The longer explanation is in Mossberg 500 vs 590.

One more caution from the same manual. A barrel with a heat shield secured isn’t interchangeable until the shield is refitted to the gun it’s going on, so an ATI Tactical barrel isn’t a straight drop-in on a plain Field gun.

Gauge and Chamber Options

The current 500 comes in three bores: 12 gauge, 20 gauge and .410. Every one of the 29 guns Mossberg lists has a 3-inch chamber, so all of them take 2 3/4-inch and 3-inch shells.

• 12 gauge: All Purpose Field, both full-size combos, Slugster, Retrograde, Retrograde Field, ATI Tactical and Tactical JIC. Every defensive 500 is a 12.
• 20 gauge: All Purpose Field, Field/Deer Combo, Slugster, Turkey, Bantam and every Super Bantam. It’s the widest spread of any gauge in the family.
• .410 bore: All Purpose Field, Turkey, Bantam and Bantam Slugster.

There’s no 3.5-inch 500. Mossberg built the 835 Ulti-Mag for that shell in 1988, and it’s a separate model with its own barrels. Mossberg’s FAQ also has two points worth repeating. Steel shot is fine in any barrel with Accu-Choke tubes fitted, and isn’t recommended in older fixed-choke barrels. And slugs through a smoothbore field barrel shoot best with an open tube, improved cylinder for preference, never an extra-full turkey tube.

If you’re still choosing a bore, start with shotgun gauges explained, then best 20 gauge shotguns or best .410 shotguns. Tube choice is covered in shotgun chokes explained.

The Tang Safety and Left-Handed Shooters

Every 500 has its safety in the same place. The manual describes it as a button on the top rear portion of the receiver: slide it fully rearward for safe, which covers a red dot, and forward to fire, which shows the dot. Mossberg calls it ambidextrous on every product page, and that’s accurate.

Here’s why lefties care. A cross-bolt safety, the kind on a Remington 870 or a Maverick 88, is a button through the trigger guard set up for a right-handed trigger finger. The 500’s button sits on the centerline, so your shooting thumb lands on it the same way from either shoulder. I shoot right-handed and have run 500s from my left shoulder around barricades. Nothing about the safety changes.

Two limits. First, a current 500 still ejects to the right, so a left-handed shooter sees empties cross their field of view. Second, the top safety and a pistol grip don’t get along. On the ATI Tactical and the JIC, your thumb can’t reach the button without shifting your hand. If the safety is the reason you’re buying a 500, buy one with a conventional stock.

Magazine Capacity by Barrel Length

A longer barrel doesn’t buy you a longer magazine on the current 500. Every model holds five in the tube and one in the chamber.

Gun	Barrel Length	Capacity
510 Mini Super Bantam, 20 gauge	18.5 in	3+1
505 Bantam, .410	20 in	4+1
500 Retrograde, ATI Tactical, Tactical JIC	18.5 in	5+1
500 Turkey and Bantam models	20 to 24 in	5+1
500 Slugster	24 in	5+1
500 All Purpose Field, Retrograde Field	24 to 28 in	5+1
500 8-shot (discontinued)	20 in	7+1
590 7-Shot	18.5 in	6+1

Three details change those numbers in real use. Mossberg’s manual says the count is for 2 3/4-inch shells, and that capacity may drop by one with 3-inch shells depending on ammunition tolerances. Second, 6-shot guns leave the factory with a wooden dowel in the magazine that limits it to two shells, to comply with migratory bird law. Take the barrel off, tip the gun muzzle down, and the dowel slides out far enough to grab.

Third, most 500s can’t take a magazine extension the way some pumps can, because the barrel’s takedown screw threads into the end of the tube. Capacity is fixed by the gun you buy, and that’s the first thing to settle before you choose between a 500 and a 590. Barrel length itself is a handling decision, and our shotgun barrel length guide walks through it.

Optics and Sights for the Mossberg 500: What Fits and What to Buy

A shotgun isn’t a rifle with a rail down the top. What you can mount on a 500 depends on which 500 you own, and Mossberg ships the current guns several different ways.

I went back through all 29 product pages for this. Mossberg’s Optic-Ready category holds five Model 500s, and every one is a turkey gun. Two more product pages carry the line “Drilled and tapped receiver”. One model leaves the factory with rails fitted, and two combos come with a scope already on the slug barrel. The rest are sold with beads or rifle sights and no mounting claim at all.

Variant Line	Sights as Shipped	Optic Mounting as Shipped	What You Need to Add
Turkey (#54337, #50107)	Fiber optic front	Optic-ready receiver, Shield RMSc footprint	A micro red dot on that footprint
Turkey Holosun Micro Dot Combo (#54342, #50133, #54684)	Fiber optic front	Holosun HS407K mounted on the same receiver cut	Nothing
Retrograde (#50429) and Retrograde Field (#50430)	Bead, dual bead	Drilled and tapped receiver	A Picatinny rail, then a red dot
ATI Tactical (#50424, #50431)	Winged post and bead	Receiver-mounted and barrel-mounted rails	An optic
Combo Field/Deer, synthetic (#58244, #54047)	Bead on the field barrel	2.5×20 scope on the slug barrel’s integral scope base, Dual Comb stock	Nothing, or a better scope
Slugster and wood Combo Field/Deer	Adjustable rifle sights on the slug barrel	None listed	A cantilever slug barrel, rings and a scope
All Purpose Field, Combo Field/Security, Bantam, Super Bantam, Tactical JIC	Bead, dual bead or fiber optic front	None listed	A rail, once you’ve confirmed the receiver is drilled

Three notes on that table. No current 500 ships with ghost ring sights. Mossberg sells a Ghost Ring Sight Kit for the 500 and 590, part #95300 at $119, for 12 gauge barrels without a rib, and its own listing says the front sight needs a gunsmith.

Next, the words “drilled and tapped” appear on the Retrograde and Retrograde Field pages and on no other 500 page. Before you order a rail for any other 500, look at the top of the receiver. A drilled gun has small filler screws there, which Mossberg’s parts list calls scope mount dummy screws.

Last, the receiver cut on the Turkey guns is for micro dots on the Shield RMSc footprint. A bigger rail-mount dot won’t go on it. And for slugs, Mossberg puts the scope base on the barrel, so the route to a scoped Slugster is a cantilever barrel. Mossberg’s 12 gauge one for 6-shot guns is part #92056 at $259.

This isn’t a full optics roundup. These are the five things I’d put on a 500, matched to the table. For the wider field, read best home defense optics and our gun optics guide.

Mossberg Picatinny Rail/Scope Mount: The Rail to Start With

Mossberg’s own rail, part #96200 in matte at $50, is the one I’d fit first, because Mossberg says in writing what it fits: drilled and tapped 500, 505, 510, 590, 590A1, 535, 835, 930, 935 and 940 shotguns. It’s also listed in blued, Marinecote and Mossy Oak Obsession. On a Retrograde it’s a screwdriver job. I backed out the filler screws, degreased the holes, put a drop of blue thread locker on each rail screw and snugged them down. After 150 rounds of mixed buckshot and slugs, nothing had moved. Cheaper rails and the ghost ring sets are in our Mossberg 500 parts guide.

Holosun HS510C: Red Dot for a Home Defense 500

Holosun describes the HS510C as built for carbines, PCCs and shotguns, and it’s my pick for a Retrograde wearing the rail above. The reticle switches between a 2 MOA dot, a 65 MOA circle, or both. Use the circle with buckshot. It runs on one CR2032 for up to 50,000 hours, with a solar panel backing up the battery and Shake Awake switching it on when the gun moves. The body weighs 4.94 oz, and the built-in quick-detach mount clamps straight to a Picatinny rail. Holosun lists it at $364.69. At 15 yards, every Federal FliteControl 00 pattern I fired landed inside that circle.

Sig Sauer ROMEO5 Gen II: The Budget Red Dot

Not everyone wants to spend Holosun money on a shotgun that listed at $545. SIG’s ROMEO5 Gen II is $149.99 on its own site, with a 2 MOA red or green dot, a CR2032 battery, a 40,000 hour runtime helped along by MOTAC motion activation, an IPX7 rating and a weight of 5.5 oz. Its M1913 I-BEAM mount clamps to the same Picatinny rail the Holosun uses. A 2 MOA dot is finer than I’d choose for buckshot. It’s better suited to slugs, and Federal Truball printed about 4 inches at 50 yards from a rest. There’s no circle and no solar panel. For the money, I don’t miss either.

Holosun HS407K X2: Micro Dot for the 500 Turkey

The optic-ready 500 Turkey takes a micro dot directly on the receiver, and the simplest choice is the one Mossberg mounts itself. Its Holosun Micro Dot Combo guns ship with an HS407K on that same Shield RMSc cut. Holosun’s current version is the HS407K-X2: a 6 MOA dot, a side-loading CR1632 battery good for up to 50,000 hours, Shake Awake, and a body weight of 1 oz. Holosun lists it at $264.69. A 6 MOA dot is easy to find from a seated position and still small enough for a gobbler’s head at 40 yards. Zero it with the load you’ll hunt with. More micro dots are in best pistol red dots.

Leupold VX-Freedom 3-9×40: Scope for a Slug Barrel

The scoped Field/Deer combos arrive with a 2.5×20 scope that does the job to 100 yards. When you want more, or you’ve put a cantilever barrel on a Slugster, this is the upgrade. The VX-Freedom 3-9×40 Hunt-Plex has a 1 inch tube, weighs 12.2 oz and lists at $399.99. Eye relief is the number that matters on a 12 gauge: 4.2 inches at 3x and 3.7 inches at 9x. I keep mine at 3x or 4x in the woods. With Hornady SST 300 grain sabots it shot 2.1-inch groups at 100 yards, against 2.4 through the factory scope. Rings are covered in best scope rings and mounts.

Still deciding whether a dot belongs on your shotgun at all? Best shotgun upgrades ranks it against a light and a side saddle.

FAQ: Mossberg 500 Models