Mossberg 500 Home Defense: Stock Swap & Features - Expert Advice

Question
hello from michigan. I looking into buying a 500 series mossberg primarly for home protection. Id like to swap barrels and take it up north occasionally. Ive got it narrowed down to the 50440 -12ga 6 shot 18.5 with heatshield its listed as pistol grip only. My question is, Can I swap the pistol grip off for a full stock? or does pistol grip only mean just that? also what are your thoughts? am I on the right page. I need the pistol grip for moving around my small house effectively . Im not a fan of folding stocks. thanks for your time.

Answer
Kevin,

The Mossberg guns are an excellent value for the money.  I am partial to the 590.  The heatshield is largely an unnecessary ornament.

Any Mossberg stock should fit on your gun, but I do not recommend a pistol grip.  Even at near-contact distances, most people miss with them.  It is simply not what the gun was designed to do.

A better solution would be a tactical stock from Hogue. This is a very short stock (a 10" LoP) which will enable you to mount the gun quicker and shorten its overall length.

If your house is so small that you cannot wield a gun in that configuration, you should probably opt for a handgun, although I can't imagine it.  I've negotiated halls with a shotgun in a shoot-house in training that were less than two feet wide.

As with any gun, I would recommend that you get self-defense training.  Tactical shotguns are not the "hall sweepers" and "point-and-shoot" affairs that Hollywood would have us believe.