A shotgun makes such a thoroughly awesome home defense weapon. I learned the full truth of that statement during my first defensive shotgun course. My love and respect for my Remington 870 and Mossberg 590 pump guns grew, but there were a couple of students using way cool tactical auto-loaders . . . Although I tried not to let it show, I suffered from a bad case of scattergun envy. For years afterward I looked for a suitable semi-auto defensive shotgun. I just couldn’t bring myself to spend roughly twice to three times what I’d paid for a good pump action shotgun. Turns out I just was waiting for Mossberg to release the 930 SPX (for Special Purpose) Tactical shotgun . . .
The Mossberg 930 SPX Tactical has an aluminum receiver, a tactically sound 18.5” steel barrel, an extended magazine tube and a tough but lightweight synthetic stock. The gas-operated, semi-automatic shotgun is a direct descendant of the excellent Mossberg 930 hunting guns. The shared self-regulating gas operating system reduces recoil and eases stress on its components by venting whatever excess gas isn’t required to cycle the action.
The system uses two gas ports in the barrel to power a piston that surrounds the magazine tube under the barrel. The set-up gives the Mossberg a bit of a chunky for-end (to accommodate the moving parts), but nothing that looks out of place. The 930 SPX functions smoothly and reliably without a gas seal ring. An added bonus: the 930 SPX also field strips without a lot of drama.
The 930 SPX is an ergonomic delight: surprisingly light, well balanced and eminently maneuverable. The controls are well-placed. There’s a tang-mounted ambidextrous safety, a bolt release on the right side of the receiver (just beneath the ejection port), a charging handle on the right side of the action, and a cocking indicator just inside the front of the trigger guard. To unload the shotgun, push on the bolt release enough to release the shell carrier, push it up and depress the release completely to unload the next shell in the magazine. Repeat until the gun is empty.
According to factory specs, the trigger on the 930 SPX should break at precisely five pounds of pressure. It feels a lot lighter. Not exactly think-a-dirty-thought-and-it-goes-off lighter. More like what an novice shooter firing a tuned 1911 for the first time might encounter. With a bit of practice, the trigger becomes easy to manage, but you’ve been warned.
The 930 SPX’s adjustable LPA ghost ring sights give the shooter a fast, precise sight picture, making it ideal for close quarters defensive work involving multiple targets at close range. Some shooters may opt to swap out the fiber optic front sight for a tritium front sight, but if you use a tactical flashlight, you’ll have all the ambient light you’ll need to both identify your target and to see your front sight clearly in low light conditions.
Some shotgun purists will turn their noses up at anything but a bead on the end of a shotgun barrel. But when you’re dealing with a tactical shotgun, a certain degree of precision is essential. This is especially true when bringing slugs into play. And the 930 SPX showed more than adequate accuracy when we put those slugs on paper at 40 yards shooting offhand.
When we tested it on paper with 00 buckshot, the Mossberg’s cylinder bore produced respectably tight patterns that kept all the pellets on the target at 15 yards, which would be considered a long shot in a home defense situation. Look at the amount of holes made by just two rounds of Winchester 00 buck (one of them a magnum) and you’ll quickly understand why the tactical shotgun is considered such a formidable trump card in life-threatening encounters.
With either six or seven rounds of whoop-ass in the magazine (depending upon whether you’re using 2.75” or 3” shells) + 1 in the chamber, the 930 SPX is a highly effective problem-solver from contact distance to the practical limits of the load you’re using. Sadly the 2.5” 12-gauge mini-loads just don’t provide enough oomph to cycle the action.
The best way to get a sense of the 930 SPX capability: convert some money into noise with a few rapid fire strings. The Mossie ate ‘em up and spat out the empties like a champ, even with a mix of high brass hunting loads, low brass target loads and some buckshot and slugs mixed in. Even when taking the time to use aimed fire, it’s easy to put an impressive amount of lead downrange in a very short time.
I fired over 400 rounds through this shotgun without complaint. The only caveat: like most guns, reliable cycling requires regular cleaning.
Lest you think that the SPX 930 is all business and no pleasure, general plinking and blasting are a great way to kill some time, and the ghost ring sights are no handicap when it comes to smoking clay pigeons in flight.
From a recoil reduction standpoint, the Mossberg’s gas operating system works beautifully. As someone who grew up with pump guns, the autoloading 930 SPX’s recoil impulse was notable by its relative absence. With low brass target & hunting loads, it’s a positively gentle kicker. The 930 SPX doesn’t start to really thump the shooter until 3” mag buckshot or slugs come into play. Sorry, but there’s no getting around Newton’s third law of motion once you start slinging large chunks of lead.
When I first received the Mossberg, I discovered a tiny amount of play in the front of the Picatinny rail. Upon closer examination I discovered that two of the four screws that secure it to the top of the receiver were over-torqued at the factory and stripped out. It’s a common problem with some of the earlier 930 SPX tactical models, since corrected. My gunsmith tapped the forward two holes for slightly larger screws and then milled out a tiny bit of the rail to accommodate the bigger screws. A touch of blue loc-tite and the rail has been as solid as Mother Theresa’s credentials ever since.
My only other gripe with the 930 SPX: the lack of accommodation for a sling swivel loop on either the fore end or the magazine tube. The butt stock has an attachment for a sling swivel, but an aftermarket remedy like a Wilson Combat mag tube plate is required for the forward sling mount.
There are better-made, more accurate tactical shotguns than the Mossberg 930 SPX—for about twice the price. But the Mossberg 930 SPX Tactical is a safe choice and its own gun: a genuine ass-kicker whose lower recoil encourages regular practice. For $600, the 930 SPX could save both your life and your money.
Specifications:
Caliber: 12 gauge (2.75” and 3”)
Barrel: 18.5” Cylinder bore
Sights: Fiber optic front, ghost ring rear
Finish: Matte black
Overall Length: 39”
Overall Weight: 7.5 lbs
Action: Gas-operated, semi-automatic
Capacity: 7+1 (with 2.75” shells) 6+1 (with 3” shells)
Cost: $600
RATINGS (out of five)
STYLE * * * *
It’s a bit spartan, yet plenty intimidating for a defensive shotgun
ERGONOMICS * * * * *
It handles, points and shoots extremely well. Those sexy LPA sights are what really make this shotgun pop.
RELIABILITY * * * *
It it has fed & fired everything I’ve thrown at it, but if you let it get dirty enough, it will have difficulty extracting & ejecting the empties. As you’d expect.
CUSTOMIZE THIS * * * * *
A sling and a flashlight are the only things missing. You could add optics, but why?
OVERALL RATING * * * *1/2
A terrific entry-level semi-automatic defensive shotgun for the price of a good pump.
A pretty glowing review.
My 930SPX came with a great front sight blade that was glued on in a canted fashion. I called Mossberg and they were good enough to assure me they would have a replacement sent to me in 7-10 days.
Two follow-up phone calls and ten weeks later, I had my replacement barrel.
Regrettably, I must say the accuracy isn’t MOA but at least it’s Minute of Pie Plate.
The reliability is poor, despite frequent cleaning and good lubrication. I usually am treated to a malfunction every other mag load or so. Hence why it’s in the back of my safe instead of under the bed.
John
My front sight was canted also. Terrible customer service. It took 4 hours on the phone and 8 calls to get a new barrel.
Put an inexpensive but releiable 30mm Red Dot on it (e.g., BSA) and I'll GUARANTEE – Prob's solved … for good!
Wher do I get a heat shield and pistol grip butt stock for my mossberg 930. I believe a remington 870vertical sling mount will work for the front sling attachment. Also, is there a tactical front stock out there that will bling up my gun?
Mike Cz.
my spx would not fire at all the firing pin left no marks on the primer and,looking at the bolt you could barely see the firing pin .any suggestions out there
Should have bought a Remington,my 930 SPX would not even fire, no firing pin marks on the primers and I tried this 6 times to no avail.Iam so glad this happened here than over in the war zone.I could not even see the firing pin at all . Sickening and I will get a lame excuse from the Company or worse yet be blamed for firing right from the box.
I had the same issue if you just send the gun back they will fix it ASAP. I know this sounds like a pain in the rear but you will not be disappointed they were very fast on turn around time,I forget the exact problem and almost chunked the gun in the dumpster until common sense took over.Just send your gun in and they will fix the problem(I believe they put the wrong firing pin in,good luck.Mine shoots like a top now
Should have bought a Remington,my gun would not even fire the firing pin left no marks on the primers at all ,and I tried 6shells so much for the vaunted 930 spx.And I used to like Mossberg, no more will I be brainwashed over touched up and worked over videos
I’ve got the 930 field /security and it sucks from day ONE. IT JAMS, It doesn’t feed/eject and now after getting it back a second time it does not fire! It’s gone back twice to Mossberg and they are converting it to a 930 tactical model 85336 as I type this. Should have it in about a week. I can only hope it works. So far I’m very dissappointed.
I got a new 930 SPX. Loaded some Winchester promotional loads straight out of the box. There were no problems. Federal tactical loads functioned great.
Just purchased a NIB Mossberg 930 SPX. Ran a 100 pack of Federal #8 bird (low power) ammo through it with 2 failures in the first 10 shots and zero after that. It feeds and extracts everything I FIRE through it, but does seem to inconsistently extract shells that are manually cycled for some reason.
As a comment on other posts here: If you run the gun straight out of the box without cleaning it first, you’re an idiot and you know nothing about guns. Stop complaining about reliability. Mossberg tends to pack their guns in a ridiculous amount of cosmoline. Heat + cosmoline = yellowish goo that stops guns from cycling. Of course your pump worked “right out of the box.” You can always muscle a pump into working through the cosmoline you should have cleaned off.
Ditto.
Lots of dirty oil on my 930 when new. An hour of cleaning resulted in hours of 100% reliablity so far! I love this shotgun and am glad I traded in my 590 for it.
FYI: Factory Pistol Grip stocks can be purchased from Choate, Side Saddles are now available from TacStar, and front and rear sling attachments are now available from Mesa Tactical. Anyone know where alternate fiber sight colors can be found?
Update:
After running approximately 400 rounds+ through my 930 SPX, the manual cycling has become consistent. Cycling while firing remains great (ran 200 rounds through the gun without cleaning or lubrication and it ran flawlessly). It would seem that the break-in period for this gun is about the same as most semi-autos (500+). If you’re expecting perfection out of the box without getting your pretty little fingers dirty, buy a Benelli for 3x as much and quit complaining.
Would be nice if they offered the 930 in a 20″ barrel for 8+1 (or more)..
Mossberg has their 930 Signature series if you need more rounds in the magazine.
I picked up my SPX Sat. Stripped and cleaned it. Went out Sun. and ran a box of 1290 fps through it no problems. Ran a box of 1200 fps through. No problems. Then a mix of full power and low recoil slugs and buck shot. No problems. I was nailing a half gallon milk jug at 50 yds with the slugs. I’m really impressed with this gun.
I bought my 930 SPX took it home disassembled and cleaned it, easy to do. If you’re unfamiliar with shotguns the instructions are pretty simple and utube has plenty of videos on how to take care of it.
Fired bird shot, double 00 and slugs no problems, awesome and fun, also did a couple of rapid fires with no problems. Choate has a nice pistol grip stock for it.
I have a 930 Home Security and turned it into a “SPX” by buying a mag tube extention, the ghost ring rear sight, and the barrel with the hiviz front sight from Mossberg for less than 260.00. In my area the SPX has been sold out and on back order, the ones that were in stock was marked up 200.00 to 799.99. I placed 100 rds though her without a problem 1300 fps #8 short brass and 1600 fps slugs.
Whew! I was considering this shotgun for purchase. The first comments worried me.
Then when cleaned before use it seems to run just fine. I always clean my NIB firearms
before use. Actually all fireamrs before use if they have been stored for a month or
so. Since I own AR-15/M-4s through cleaning is normal. I think I’ll get this shotgun.
I picked up my 930 yesterday after a 6 month wait. Mine was pretty packed with cosmoline as well, so it got a good strip/clean/lube this morning before heading to the range. I ran 50 rounds of federal target loads (1200fps), 15 rounds of Remington Magnum 3″ 00Buck, and 10 Winchester rifled slugs. I also ran some bird and magnum turkey loads that I had around for a while. No failures with anything…the gun ran like a champ. After I got it zeroed, I was able to put 3 slugs center of mass in a baseball sized group at 50yds rested. I have no complaints about the guns abilities.
My front sight was slightly off as well. 5 seconds with a large screwdriver fixed that. It just needed a little bend to the right and it’s perfect now. My only complaint with the gun is not being threaded for a choke. I didn’t buy the gun to hunt with, but it would be nice to choke it down if I ever needed to. The barrel looks thick enough to have a gunsmith tap it, so that should solve that problem.
I give the gun a 9.5 out of 10. Nice review BTW.
You can buy barrels from Mossberg for the 930 that are made for hunting. I didn’t look into them, but I am sure you can attach chokes. May be cheaper than having a smith carve into your gun. Whenever you want to shoot trap or hunt you could switch out the barrels.
I got mine back in 2009. Great gun for the money. I got it at the PX so I paid only $490 for it. I cleaned it and took it to the range. Ran 200 rounds of bulk pack federal through it (#7.5 or 8 shot IIRC) with only a few malfs. I attribute it to being new. The next time I took it out I only had one malf, and that was because of firing it from the hip without a shoulder to cycle against. After that it’s been smooth sailing.
I’m not going to say I like it better than my 870s, but It is a very slick little trooper once you work out the kinks. Since the break-in, I can’t remember any malfs.
I ran mine without cleaning or any adjustments right out of the box. I went through roughly 600 shells before my first malfunction. It was a failure to eject. A quick spray and wipe with some break-free and it hasn’t malfunctioned since.
from box to range, without cleaning first . not once, not twice, but three times before I cleaned her. not a single promblem. Even did some rapid firing with it ghost loaded and she performed flawlessly.
I feel bad for the guys who have had problems, seems like alot of friday guns were built. Mine was a machine out of the box. chews up everything from bird to buck. at least 700 rounds in the past year. Put a a choate pistol grip stock on it. My only complaint (its minor) is the LOP strings me out just a bit.
I just picked up my Mossberg 930 SPX this past weekend at a local Gunshow in Dallas. I have wanted one for months. I have originally wanted a Benelli M4. I just did not want to drop $1,600 on a shotgun. The alternative was a Mossberg 930 SPX which has had mostly great reviews. I already have several pump Mossberg 500As & a Franchi Spas 12 pump/auto (mostly Collectible). I needed an auto loading home defense/SHTF shotgun to go with my AKs & ARs. Took it out today for a run. I shot 2 3/4 & 3″ 00 Buck, Slugs, & 6 & 7 1/2 Birdshot (Winchester). It ate everything. I mixed it up some between loads. I had 3 (of 15) of the 7 1/2 birdshot shells that extracted fine, but the open end of the shell caught (at the very end of the open shell) coming out of the ejection port. It was probably due to the low pressure birdshot 7 1/2s because the same thing occurred on my Franchi Spas 12 (shot it as well to compare). Also could not rapid fire at this range, only double tap. It ate everything else after that flawlessly. The 930 SPX loves (runs great) Federal/Remington 2 3/4 00 Buck. I need to find a range to open her up with some rapid firing to quickly dump the tube! This is my new go to weapon!!!!
I have the “Blackwater” 930 and i have to say all of the negitive ive seen on the SPX was solved in this varient,YES cleaning is needed,but i expect this!But I use mine vry near the AZ mexico border and not once has it left me in the lurch,with that said,it’s very dry here and that is a plus for those of us who are lazy cleaners,BUT as soon as the monsoons rolled in and the humidity went up so did my cleaning,(duhh)
I would like a mag option!!!!As feeding 2 or 3 at a time takes practice(which i have the time in my job)but a mag option would make this great!!!(but im just lazy)that and with a mag option I could carry extra shot with out looking like the “frito Bandito”.
Since you live on the AZ-Mexice border, try this :
http://www.xrailbyrci.com/
I have a 930 Field display gun I just picked up for $360 from a shop, added a 24″ unported barrel from Mossberg and Nordic mag extension to make a 3-gun shottie. It has run perfectlly with slugs, buck, birdshot, low brass or mags, about 200 rds so far.
Only 125 rounds then the SHTF. Failures (FTE/FTE), AND a broken firing pin – WTF? In process of getting rid of this POS. I did not think it was going to rival my M1 Super 90 Benelli but did think it would be as good as my 1100 Tactical 4 . . . NO WAY!
I bought the 930 Spx brand new, I shot it right out of the box and had a jam. Took it home cleaned it up and knocked off the cosmoline then took it back to the range. It shot a little stiff with a fully loaded Mag the first time. Then it loosened up a little. Took a break for about minutes then started shooting again. I went through two hundred round without a hitch. I’ve been shooting 15 or 20 times since then and never missed a beat. It turns out that this one beats the crap out of the 3 1/2 mag autoloader that I had before this one.
I just pulled my new 930 spx out of the box… Very impressed with looks except for one thing… The sights are not what was pictured and talked about on every site I searched.. It did not come with the adjustable rear sites or the glowing front sites. Just plain ole ghost sights….. Not what I want, but I do like the pistol grib.. Very stable in balance…
No reply but a question- Does/has 930SPX come without pistolgrip stock as
shown in videos this site ?
Not a comment but a question – does/has 930 SPX come without pistolgrip stock as shown in video ?
Comment/question- has/does 930 SPX come without pistol grip stock (no pistol grip on video) ?
There is a pistol grip option.
Yes it comes without the pistol grip. There are also options with a pistol grip, but depending on your state (mines CT) you may be restricted to not having a pistol grip when mag capacity is above 5rds
Can the barrel be swapped out easily with a rifled barrel. Thanks
I tried a Blackwater version of the 930 and it worked well.I also run a Benelli tactical M2 which of these two autoloaders I prefer.I have to say if it came down to crunch time though my Rem 870 Tac is the one I will grab every single time.Nothing I have owned is as reliable as the 870.And I can honestly say I am just about as fast with the 870.But for fun I love shooting the autoloaders..Mossberg and the folks at Blackwater did pretty well building a shotgun for around the $700.00 mark..
I recently purchased 930 spx , I had to try this weapon. I bought the Black water version , cleaned it and took her for a spin ( no canted sight here ) . A little stiff kinda virgin like at first, a few ftc’s , using light bird shot , but after a few heavier rounds 00 buck she opened right up and I been having having my way with her ever since. After @ 200 rounds not a glich. I am putting a ring on it ( not a ghost ring , she came with that ) she is my new go to when i am in need of consistency and reliability ,she does it for me every time . ( Don’t tell my wife , she will not understand. Excellent weapon especially for the price I paid $ 609
Mother Teresa’s credentials were not solid–she was an idolator and self admitted Marxist!
Furthermore–the author should stick to the subject–and not make off point remarks–overall this article was poorly written!
I bought mine new. No issues whatsoever. I went home cleaned it and shot it again. It feeds Birdshot, target, slug and buckshot reliably. Controlled pairs is not a problem. It handles like a champ.
I opted for the standard stock. It has become my Home Defense shotgun. It is one of my best purchases for firearms for the money.
@Bryan Hyde – I had the reverse experience: being the guy at the Defensive SG Course – WITH the auto-loader. Nothing but raves, but by hour 7 I began to experience the failure to feeds. Reassuring to see your experience with this being just accumulation of dirt/powder jived with my suspicion. Anxious to put a box or two through the gun this weekend now that the gun has had a thorough cleaning.
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Had a 930 SPX….. Worked great out of the box. A lot of bang for the buck!
Shot my friends Benelli M4 Super 90…… I no longer own the 930 SPX.
Purchased the Binelli….. I am now a man!
When the training wheels come off there really is only one choice.
FLAME DELETED
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Just some food for thought,not all guns are made the same. If you want Benelli or FN, then buy them ,dont buy something else and expect it to perform like they do. My point is this, I have had my 930 SPX since the first day it hit the market, and yes I had a few mishaps in the first 200 rounds. I however did not clean it when it took it out of the box, and ran 100 walmart crap loads through it forst to “break” it in. As a mechanic this is also true in the world of engines. so yes 6 misfeeds in the first 100rnds. The next 100 however were a different story. I fed it anything from 3″ buck and slugs to 2 1/2 inch self defense loads(note if you shoulder your gun as you should the defense loads work just fine). Since then my gun has seen at least 5000 rounds or more of various types with no problems. And having paid half or less the price(I paid 520 out the door) when they first came out of the benelli or fn shotguns I feel that i got what I wanted. Now as far as firearms go, yes you get what you pay for and yes not all offerings are the same, as when tuarus released the pt1911, I also got one of these hot off the presses when first released, no problems whatsoever and it shoots just as good as the kimber desert warrior I was comparing it to. It the end you have to look at what you want and what you are willing to pay for, my choices have been great thus far and have no complaints, maybe I got lucky and got excellent specimens, or not but as far as money spent its all gravy. Dont give up on the little guys because not all guns are the same, remember just keep shooting.
Just so you know – ‘Mother’ Teresa, AKA Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu (pronounced Agnes Gongsa Boyoku) was a deluded old twit who thought suffering brought one closer to a god. The vast majority of those ill or dying who came to her wound up suffering needlessly. It’s well documented. Read the Chris Hitchens book about her.
The many millions donated through her doings did not go to the sad suffering people of India. Instead, most of the millions when to building lavish homes for religious leaders in the roman catholic church.
If I learned anything from this review, it is that I will never speak to Mother Teresa again. Could we keep religion/religious “leaders”, out of this? Politics is bad enough.
been havin’ me 930spx since spring ’09 and while i haven’t been shooting a whole lot lately what with the prices and all, a couple two three malfuntions early on after i broke it in it’ll shoot any load really well esp. 2 3/4″ 00 (eats the crap out of those)..i mostly shoot target for leisure and practice..may spring for a binelli next year after i’m finished with my ar-10 aquistiion this year
Very happy with the 930 spx. put an aluminum tri-rail forend on it from Aimpro Tactical. It fit perfectly and worked as well as the factory part, and you get picatinny rails on all three sides, allowing for attachment of my front grip, and any other tactical accessories you chose to add. Also added a truglo TRITON 28MM red dot sight, gives me small and large dot or mildot sight with multiple brightness levels in red, green or blue. The combination of these parts is a high speed, deadly accurate tactical shotgun. The only negative thing I could say about this gun is that the gas operation does start to jam after extended use, a problem which is easily mitigated with regular cleaning and maintenance.
I have not been able to find the Mossberg 930SPX for anywhere near $600. Stores are either sold out or selling for $800.
Any thoughs?
Benelli m4
wish I had paused long enough to check out the comments on this forum.. I’ve owned a couple mossberg pumps for years and been very happy…so I grabbed a 930 18″ without hesitation…a month later I’m still without the gun which is back at mossberg…the bolt jam on the lifter issue that others have noted is my problem…very frustrating…if it ever comes back and is even close to operational, I’ll pack the POS up and put it on gunbroker and likely make a couple hundred more than I paid for it and I’ll never look back on my way to buy an FN or any other brand…very disapointed
Walmart has the Home Security version for $499. I picked mine up last night.