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Did something stupid

Gashauler
and now I have a question. Went shooting today with my FIL and my nephew took my FIL's brand new Mossberg 500 in a home defense configuration (adjustable stock, pistol grip) with an 18" ported barrel. Forgot it was brand new and had never been shot (otherwise would have gotten it last night and done all of the necessary cleaning etc.) pulled it out and started shooting. It shot like a dream except the slide stuck a couple of times. So I took the barrel off this evening to clean it and just past the porting I found plastic shavings. I don't know what it is and it is kind of stuck to the barrel.
We fired Winchester game load 8 shot, some Fiochi 00 buckshot and one Winchester 3" sabot slug. The plastic is stuck past the porting not in the porting like I would have expected but underneath the sight post (looks like an AR15 front sight).
Anybody have any idea what it is or where it came from? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Yes I know shame on me for not checking the barrel prior to shooting it, still kicking myself for that one.
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Comments

10 comments

Date Votes
  • montanajoe
    • Community moderator
    I would think a new 500 as described came with a smooth bore barrell. You say you shot 'sabot' slugs through it ? There's your plastic I'd be willing to bet. You can shoot sabot in a smooth bore,but why? They wont be accurate and as you found out you will 'plastic foul' the barrell. Save the sabot's for a rifled barrell.
    I'm pretty sure you did not harm the barrell, but suggest a very good scrub down,with the barrell off. Check with a flashlight or bore light to make sure you got all the plastic out. A couple guys here have reccomened a specific brand that cleans out the plaastic pretty quick. Dang if I can remember it tho. Hopefully they will see this and reply. Best to you.
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  • shoff14
    Joe is all over this. Use rifled slugs in smooth bores, sabots in rifled bores.
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  • cussedemgun
    Gashauler,

    Use acetone to remove the plastic fowling but be VERRRRY careful, if any gets on the stock, it will damage the finish!

    Jim
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  • Gashauler
    Yep has a smoothbore and I just went to double check the slugs and sure enough my dumb self went and bought sabots instead of rifled, I think for some reason I got them backwards as they were originally for my 835 (just to play with) and it has a smooth barrel as well. Appreciate the help. Don't think I will get them confused again anytime soon. Guess I will just have to sit on them until I get a rifled barrel.

    Thanks again for the help.

    Edit: Thanks cussed the stock is plastic but I will be very careful anyway. Going to put everything away for the night this has really irritated me that I would make such mistakes.
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  • cussedemgun
    Gashauler,

    BEWARE! any solvent that will disolve the plastic in the bore (fowling) will also disolve the plastic in your stock. Edit;also will disolve plastic bore brushes & plastic coated cleaning rods.

    Jim
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  • Gashauler
    quote:Originally posted by cussedemgun
    Gashauler,

    BEWARE! any solvent that will disolve the plastic in the bore (fowling) will also disolve the plastic in your stock. Edit;also will disolve plastic bore brushes & plastic coated cleaning rods.

    Jim

    You know if I had a brain today that would have come to me while I read your post but for some reason I seem to be incapable of coherent thought. I think I am going to chalk this up to one of those days and call it a night, thanks again for your help.
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  • tsr1965
    OK...time to get out the COMMON SENSE machine from between the ears here. Most ALL shotgunshells have plastic in them of some sort...either a sabot from a slug, or a plastic wad for shot, or over the powder wad for rifled slugs. The "sabot slug" in the case above , can not be singled out for leaving the plastic in the gun, because of this. The lone culprit here is the porting, and the method that mossberg used to machine them. There is most likely micro burrs on the inside of this causing the plastic shaving. To clean the plastic out, use a good solvent like Rusty Duck choke cleaner...just keep it away from fiber optic sights...it likes those too.

    I will also add that the best way to prep a Mossberg for shooting from NIB condition is to take it back to the store and trade it for a Remington 870.


    Best
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  • lkannes
    quote:Originally posted by tsr1965


    I will also add that the best way to prep a Mossberg for shooting from NIB condition is to take it back to the store and trade it for a Remington 870.


    Best



    +1 [:D][:D][:D]
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  • armilite
    quote:I will also add that the best way to prep a Mossberg for shooting from NIB condition is to take it back to the store and trade it for a Remington 870.





    That's pretty brutal, but I would expect that from a AR15 expert
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  • Gashauler
    Can't take it back it is my Father in Laws. I got up this morning and got a small screw driver and poked it through the holes and ran a copper bore brush up and down it for a few minutes (miscalculated my checking and spent too much on ammo yesterday,so getting the stuff to remove it will have to wait till Saturday). Got out all of it that I could see. Used a flashlight and the bore looked pretty clean but I will be getting it back this weekend and using one of the recommended cleaners to finish the job.

    Thanks again for all of the help, I really appreciate it.
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