You obviously liked Mossberg’s FLEX modular shotgun. So much so, you selected it for one of last year’s Readers Choice awards as best new scattergun. And we really liked the FLEX-equipped .22LR Plinksters we saw at the SHOT Show. I wondered how long it would be before they hit the shelves. Because a lot of SHOT Show debutantes (*cough* Arsenal Strike One *cough*) take a long time to really come out and dance. Not these rifles, though. They’re already here . . .
Look closely at the receiver which that FLEX buttstock is (mostly) attached to. That’s not your grandfather’s Mossberg 500: it’s an MVP bolt-action rifle in .308 Winchester. It also takes M-14 mags (which is awesome BTW) but it’s not the only Mossberg model that’s getting the FLEX treatment . . .
Way back in 2013 I picked up a couple of parts from Gear Head Works for my TAVOR. The TMF, or Tavor Modular Forearm, was definitely something I’d wanted. I loved the idea of integrally mounting a flashlight instead of slapping it on a rail somewhere. The FLEx, or Fulcrum Located Extra swivel, had less appeal to me and I wasn’t going to buy it until Paul, owner of GHW, convinced me that I would definitely notice a difference in gas blowback to the face even if I wasn’t planning on using it as a sling attachment point. Okay, okay, I picked it up and am now ready to voice my opinion . . .
Just about every shooter owns, has owned or will someday own a Mossberg Model 500 shotgun. Like a Winchester Model 94 or a Ruger 10/22, the old Mossy is just one of those guns that endures forever while newer designs come and go. It’s always been a snap to swap Mossberg 500 barrels, and now it’s literally a snap to swap out just about everything else. The Mossberg FLEX 500 is the most modular shotgun system ever made. It’s the Stoner 63 of pump-action shotguns. Is that cool or what? . . .
I’ve been doing so many full-format gun reviews lately that my FFL guy has me on speed-dial. I stopped by his place yesterday with some shipping questions, and by blind luck it turned out he had another gun for me to play with: a Mossberg 500 FLEX . . .
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