Recently I ran across a deal that I couldn’t refuse on a Mossberg JM Pro 930 semi-automatic shotgun. The only problem is that it’s a little light on capacity. With only 9 rounds in the tubular magazine and 1 in the chamber, this shotgun is limited to a measly 10 shots.
And there are times when 10 rounds of 12 gauge isn’t enough. For example…
- You hear a bump in the night. But your house has 6 porches. When you step out on the porch and fire a couple of blasts in the air, you’ll run out of ammo by the 5th porch. Wise Uncle Joe didn’t think of that did he? No worries, that’s why we’re here.
- Let’s face it. The job market is tough. If you have to accept a position as a nomadic crime boss, you’ll want extra capacity for those unruly board meetings and employee grievances.
- Your upcoming social calendar includes a walking dead family reunion.
Of course there are other less realistic scenarios where you might want to carry extra shotgun shells. Like home defense or 3 gun competition. Or maybe you’re a really, really bad skeet shooter.
For those scenarios, you might want to check out the Mesa Tactical SureShell Shotshell Side Saddle Carriers. Add a “by the seashore” to that and you’ve got a proven tongue twister.
Mesa Tactical SureShell Shotshell Side Saddle Carrier on a Mossberg JM Pro 930
The Mesa Tactical SureShell Shotshell Carrier is designed to mount to your shotgun receiver or stock and carry from 4 to 8 extra shot shells. Models are available for numerous shotguns including:
Remington 870, 1100, 11087
Mossberg 500, 590, 930
Benelli M1, M2, Super Nova, M4, M1014
There are a lot of variables, so be sure to check the Mesa Tactical web site for details.
Most models are constructed from sturdy 6061-T6 aircraft aluminum, so you should be able to mount it to an F-18 Super Hornet, but be sure to consult a competent armorer before attempting installation.
A closer look at the Mesa Tactical SureShell Shotshell Carrier
| I ordered the Mossberg 930 (6) shell carrier. This one is constructed of solid aluminum and includes all the parts and tools needed for installation. |
| One of the “hidden” features of the Mesa Tactical SureShell Shotshell Carrier is the adjustable friction mechanism. A channel is machined into the carrier which holds a rubber tube. This tube applies pressure to the shot shells in each port. Mesa Tactical supplies two rubber tubes with different hardness to increase or decrease the amount of friction you want. |
| Try the default setup. If it works for you, great. No further action is required. If you want the carrier to hold shells more tightly, you’ll need to swap the rubber tube. |
| On the Mossberg 930 model, 6 screws hold the backing plate to the carrier. Remove those and you’ll have access to the tube. |
| Replace the default tube with the firmer white tube and replace the backing plate. |
| Installation on the Mossberg 930 JM Pro was easy. Just punch out the two pins that hold the trigger group in place. Leave the trigger group in the receiver – no need to take that out. |
| Mesa Tactical includes a rubber gasket that sticks to the back of the shell carrier. This creates a no-slip attachment and ensures that your receiver won’t get all scratched up. Stick that on the back, making sure you don’t cover up any of the backing plate screws in case you want to swap retainer tubes later. |
| For the Mossberg 930, the carrier kit includes two sets of pass through bolts. Insert the two female ends through the carrier and then through the receiver. Be careful to keep your trigger group in place – these bolts are now holding that in the receiver. |
| From the other side, insert the male end of the bolts, with washers, and join them up. |
| The Mossberg 930 carrier kit includes two hex wrenches to tighten the bolts. Finger tight using the hex wrenches will provide all the tension you need. |
| Here is the Mesa Tactical Shot Shell Carrier mounted. Notice the cutout placed over the area of the receiver where the gun’s serial number is stamped. (The serial number is blurred out in this photo.) |
| A view from the top. The Mesa Tactical ShotShell Side Saddle Carrier. Notice that it’s well out of the way of the receiver-mounted safety. |
| The grip is solid enough to carry shot shells base up or base down depending on your preference. Or, if you want to carry two types of shells, you can alternate them to easily tell the difference between buckshot and slugs. After some use, I found that I preferred the base down method. With your support hand thumb, you can press down on the top of a shell to “dump” it into your support hand. With proper hand placement and practice, you can drop a shell into your support hand and load it in one fluid motion. OK, it was more like a spastic motion before practicing a few times, but practice makes perfect. |
You can find the Mesa Tactical ShotShell Side Saddle Carrier at Brownells.com
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I LOL’d at the “by the seashore” line! Good work.
When ten rounds aren’t enough, maybe you need to own a Saiga 12 with a 20 round drum!
And add a spare drum carrier 🙂
Oh, two annoyances that get me about the gun, howveer. . . I would have appreciated a pump that had a traditional action slide, instead of the way the action bars are permanently attached to the pump handle it means if I ever decide to swap my ugly black plastic pump for another ugly black plastic pump, I’ll have to buy an action slide. Likewise, if I decide to buy wood furniture to pimp it out, I’ll need to buy an action slide.I would also appreciate it if I could buy an OTS 20 barrel for this gun that has the ghost ring already installed, without it costing more than buying the sight and paying a gunsmith to braze it to the barrel I have and reblue it. (Saw one quote to do it for $100, plus the cost of the sight. The rear sight installation is caveman simple just screw it into the factory tapped holes, and Loctite the screws.)Even the plastic trigger housing doesn’t bug me much, once I heard from all the people who have them on truck guns and none of them reported breaking one. If it does bug me beyond my patience, I’ll just buy a metal trigger pack (apparantly, to avoid stupid people reassembling their FCG wrong, the guts come already assembled into the housing Mossberg doesn’t sell just the housing to swap your trigger group into.)I like it. When I buy another one (this being the first pump shotgun I’ve ever owned, heck, my the other few shotguns I’ve owned were given to me in a Hey, you like guns, right? I’ve got this old thing from my uncle that is just gathering dust. . . ), I’ll pick a different model, sure. Now that I have one, I can tell what features I like, and what features I would prefer, so the next time I buy a 12 gauge pump, it’ll probably be an 18.5 590. . . but I DO so want an accessory mount . . .
Well, I think I paid $5 for my steel safety (which has a slgiht peak so it’s easy to reliably hit, even if my hands were soaking wet and numb from cold. Took me about five minutes to install it but it was the first time I ever disassembled a pump shotgun.Would I have prefered to pay Mossberg the $5, if they just put it on at the factory? Sure. but I walked out of the gun show with a NIB Model 500 (20 bbl, 7+1 rounds, both the sensible stock and the stupid wristbreaker pistol grip included), a scabbard, and some sheels for under $300. Even with the aftermarket safety switch, I think it still came in under $300. . . I don’t feel I overpaid by a long shot.