Review: Mossberg 500 J.I.C. Series Shotguns

O.F. Mossberg and Sons of Festus, Missouri, began building firearms in 1919. Many innovations they introduced to the market have since set the standards for the industry. With almost a century of firearms knowledge and expertise, Mossberg has created some legendary rifles and shotguns. Without a doubt, some of the most beautiful and powerful are the 500 J.I.C. Series 12-gauge shotguns.

These pistol-grip beauties weren't made with hunting in mind, but for survival (the J.I.C. stands for "just in case"). Each one comes in a waterproof, floating synthetic carrying tube (with carry strap) to seal out foul weather, and is packed in a resealable waterproof plastic bag. Each of the 3 shotguns in the series serves a special purpose.

The "Cruiser" is geared more for the wilderness, and comes in a matte finish with a black synthetic pistol-grip stock. It comes with an olive drab carrying tube with a "Survival Kit in a Can", made by Coghlan's of Canada Ltd., which contains some of the necessary items for wilderness survival, although, according to reviews, the survival kit leaves a lot to be desired.

The "Mariner" is geared, as one would surmise, for use on or around the water. It comes in a blaze orange tube to facilitate finding it should it fall overboard into rough waters during nasty weather, and a multi-tool and knife in a cordura case. The weapon's finish is Mossberg's patented Marinekote finish in silver with black synthetic pistol grip.

The "Sandstorm" is geared for forest or desert, and comes with no extras, except for the desert camo finish, and desert tan synthetic pistol grips. All 3 shotguns are 12-gauges that come with 18 1/2 inch barrels, synthetic pistol grips and forends, a 3 inch chamber, bead sights, and 6-shot capacities. Each one comes packed in heavy-duty clear, resealable bags, and their impact-resistant carrying tubes are watertight up to 17 psi or down to 40 feet under water.

Now that the specs are out of the way, we can get to the fun stuff! These babies are a hoot to shoot, by God! With the interchangeable chokes, you can vary the scatter pattern of the buckshot. Personally, I prefer a tighter choke, which holds the discharge to a smaller, tighter pattern on the target. Cleaning is a breeze, too; like most Mossberg shotguns, they come apart easily by undoing barrel screw.

The safety is mounted on the back of the weapon, just behind the chamber; this design means that it can be easily disengaged, but NOT accidentally so! After each shot, the forend is cocked back towards the shooter, discharging each spent shell as it loads a fresh one into the chamber.

They handle very nicely, but a word of warning: These ARE, after all, 12-gauge shotguns, and aren't very well suited for the beginner. Anybody who has little or no experience with shotguns of any king should not even attempt to shoot ANY shotgun with a pistol grip! If a 12-gauge were to get loose from your grip, it could knock your front teeth out, so, for God's sake, USE YOUR HEAD!

Anyway, the Mossberg 500 J.I.C. series shotguns aren't very useful for bagging a deer or a mallard, but are WICKED home and personal protection. They feel good, are pretty light, and are engineered to withstand the harshest elements. They retail for