I've accumulated a handful of comments on this blog, and most of them are to my CZ P-07 review. I'm glad people are reading the review and enjoying my pretty pictures, and if I've steered even a handful of folks toward that gun I feel like I've done a great thing. Prices for it have gone up but I still feel like it's a terrific pistol at a fantastic price. I've been shooting it quite a bit these days since 9mm is easier to find and it feels like I'm falling in love all over again.
Anyway it dawned on me that I've bought a gun since then but I haven't done a review. Here are my thoughts on the Mossberg Maverick 88 shotgun.
Specs
The Maverick 88 is a pump-action, 12 gauge shotgun. It can accept either 2 and 3/4" or 3" shells. It has a tubular magazine under the barrel that can hold 6 of the 2.75-inchers or 5 3" shells.
The Maverick 88 is a Mossberg 500 assembled in a different factory with a few parts switched out. This means that, with a few exceptions, it can accept Mossberg 500 parts and accessories. Unlike my CZ this gun has market penetration and then some. Aftermarket stocks, choke tubes, fiber optic bead sights, and barrels are widely available. Owing to the cross-bolt safety you can't use 500 trigger groups, and the forearm assembly is also different - other than that, you can buy Mossberg 500 parts and accessories with confidence.
Mossberg sells a couple of variants: mine is the "field" model (called All Purpose on the website), with a 28" vent rib, smooth bore barrel and a bead sight. The front of the barrel is threaded to accept different choke tubes. According to Mossberg's website, the 88 is also available in two additional configurations: the Slug version, with a 24" barrel and option for full rifling, and the Special Purpose version, the 18.5" home defense variant. All versions feature a synthetic stock and the All Purpose is also available in 20 gauge. Different barrel length options exist for the different versions, as well.
Field stripping is easy. The pump action is worked until the bolt is halfway between open and shut. A screw with a large, circular plastic handle at the end of the magazine tube is then unscrewed, and the barrel simply separates from the receiver. This is all I have personally done to clean it - I will then oil all exposed metal parts, make sure the pump operates smoothly, and run a boresnake through the barrel. This also makes it very easy to switch out barrels, or (in my case before I got a dedicated shotgun bag) fit the gun into a shorter case.
I bought it from a guy at work for $200. It came with the stuff he bought for it, which were a modified choke, a turkey choke and a soft, velcro shell holder for the stock. I didn't get as good a deal as others have on this gun but it was in good condition and I was satisfied.
How Does It Shoot?
My 88 is what I'd call a standard, no-frills gun for shooting flying things. It is a basic pump gun through and through. Since there isn't an extraction system to absorb some of the recoil, you feel what you're shooting, and one thing I still have to learn is that, as fun as it is, it's not my 22 rifle and I can't shoot it all day long. My shoulder was angry at me for Saturday's trap outing until yesterday.
A pump-action is not favored in the world of clay shooting sports due to the inconvenience of having to work the pump for follow-up shots. I have used the gun mostly for single-shot trap, rendering this issue moot, and it has performed very well. I chalk up any "hitting the clay" issues to user incompetence. Note that I also took it to a work outing put together by my wife's company, and I was able to hit two clay targets launched simultaneously - I suspect some of the "can't ever use a pump for clay shooting sports ever" is typical gun community hyperbole.
A real upside of a pump is not really having to worry about extraction, since it's essentially up to the operator and not the gun. "Short-stroking" is an issue with pumps apparently but I've successfully extracted every shell I've shot out of it. Low power rounds, like the kinds that come in the Federal bulk packs, shoot without issue.
I've written about my struggles in deciding on a shotgun - what I figured at the end of the day was to get a good, cheap pump to start with and see how I do, and then when I feel myself starting to outgrow it skill-wise I'll upgrade. This has worked out fine so far, and I don't feel it holding me back at all yet.
Final Thoughts
I didn't buy this gun to display it or to outfit it with tons of accessories (though I can!), I bought it to be a utilitarian workhorse that won't give me issues when I feel like going to the clay range. In this regard it has absolutely succeeded.
