I went goose hunting two weeks ago. It was probably 10 degrees out. I'm sitting in the blind and all of a sudden, I hear a faint honking. I look up and see a band of about 15 coming right for us. The way the wind was blowing was perfect. They always land into the wind and the decoys were set up about 10 feet away, so they would just kind of hover, like floating basketballs, right in front of us. Someone yells "TAKE EM" and I stand up ready to collect my dinner. I shoot once and see one drop, go to pump and immediately know something is wrong. The cheap plastic fore-end snapped in half, right where the pin holds it to the rails. That's it for goose season.

This shotgun was purchased new a couple years ago. Always cleaned every season, probably 500 rds down the tube, always stored correctly. It was just cheap plastic coupled with cold weather. I took some pictures and sent them to mossberg and maverick arms hoping they would tell me what happened, but I havent heard any feedback yet.

You get what you pay for.

That's actually a very good platform that I have used in real adverse weather without a problem. I bought mine back when they didn't pin the forend to the action slide. The part is easily enough replaced. You can use your current action slide and get the forend from a 500 or 590. If you have the shorter action slide which I am betting you do, Hogue makes an adaptor that will allow you to use the longer forends.
Good luck.

while a mechanical failure can happen to anything, at any time....





THIS

the cheapest shotgun you can buy, in some of the worst conditions it can be used in.
I'm betting its a fluke, but still

push for a replacement fore end for free, then sell the cheap pos. put that money towards an old wingmaster on gun broker. it will serve you for life

Sounds like a lemon.  It happens to every gun manufacturer, as I have yet to see any mavericks fail.  I have even put mine through some strenuous conditions, and it has yet to hickup.  if you are no longer confident, sell it and buy a different shotty.    Mine has been submerged in water, dragged through mud, thrown in truck beds, fallen out of trees, bounced off rocks, and still runs like a top.

I have seen dozens of Mavericks come back to the shop with the exact failure the original poster described. The majority of folks get them fixed, then sell them for a better gun.

I recently looked a maverick and a Pardner pump a few weeks ago. The maverick just felt cheap.....the Pardner felt like a better built gun.  Needless to say, I got the Pardner.

I recently looked a maverick and a Pardner pump a few weeks ago. The maverick just felt cheap.....the Pardner felt like a better built gun.  Needless to say, I got the Pardner.

You can say that again...

must be a design flaw

I'll stick with my 500.

That said my brother has an 88 and he's been happy with it. Upgrading the stock set would do it a world of good. Recoil is a bitch with the solid stock.

It's a known weakness.  Since the 88's action bars are mounted directly to the plastic forend, that area is susceptible to cracking/breakage due to fatigue.
The cure is replace it with the Mossberg 500's forend, where the action bars attach to a metal tube and the forend is attached to the tube.
It's an easy "fix".  There's no need to pay more for a Remington 870 that'll rust right in front of your eyes and has a pretty good chance of being DOA right out of the box... or a Chinese knockoff with crappy spot welds and God-knows-what for springs.

I will take those rusty, DOA 870s any day of the week, and a Chinese Hawk 981/982 at about the same.

An even better solution is a nice, sexy trade in 870.

When I first bought my 88 and took to the gun range it really hurt firing full power 00 buckshot. I bought a LimbSaver recoil pad and it made a huge difference. I've since replaced the buttstock with a 12" LOP Houge overmolded stock now and recoil pad is OK. The stock recoil pad is just a piece of hard rubber that is very uncomfortable to shoot full power loads.


Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile

I know you would.  I'm an 870 armorer myself.  The 870 is OK, but it does nothing better than a 500 (or 88) or 590 and the (modern) 870 is no longer the shotgun that it once was (crappy finishes and rough barrel chambers).  Add in the dated design (the control layout is relatively awkward) and construction (riveted ejector and brazed magazine tube that mandate a trip to a gusmith and a refinish in order to repair? GTFO) and there's no good reason to not look elsewhere.  The only 870 trait that I prefer to the 500 is the two-pin attachment of the trigger group.  Frankly, the only ting keeping the 870 alive at this point is tradition and nostalgia ("An even better solution is a nice, sexy trade in 870.")

To be honest, I disagree with nearly everything you just said.

In my experience with LE shotguns, the 870 is a far more robust and long lived choice. Yes, some of the portions are harder to work on like the mag tube, shell latches, and ejector. It is my opinion, however, these design features lend to the platforms overall ruggedness. I have to work on out 870s far less than out 500s and 590s. The control layout is something I prefer on the 870 over the 500 series guns, and do not find it awkward.

The newer guns are somewhat weak sister when compared to the older ones. They are still good guns, however. We have had one issue in the last 50 870s we got, half of which were 14" Police guns, the other half Expresses. The one problem child happened to be the 14" Police that was issued to me, and it was quickly remedied with a forearm tube swap. The 500s and 590s they replaced were wrought with problems from the day we got them. I personally do not feel any pump shotgun has approached the overall quality of the 870 design, and if one does manage to dethrone it, the Mossberg definitely isnt it.

We each have our own opinions, however.

Contacted mossberg via their facebook page, and received an immediate response. I have to give them credit for their customer service. They are sending me a replacement fore end free of charge. I'm going to fix it then sell it. My shotgun gets used for hunting and shooting clays...I need something more robust.