Mossberg 835 Ulti-Mag - how do you rate it?

S

songdogslayer

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Quick question here for you shotgun experts - - - I'm looking into a shotgun (have a real old Marlin 12 gauge that has seen it's better days) and I'm wondering if you have any info regarding the Mossberg 835 Ulti-Mag? I'm looking into buying the waterfowler with the 28" pipe and the three chokes - full camo. If you have any info, good or bad, please let me know. One concern I have is with shotguns that "lock up" on the 3 1/2" heavy loads. I've had a couple shotguns jam after discharging heavy waterfowl rounds (BBB, TT, etc.) /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/angry-smiley-055.gif and I don't want that with a replacement shotgun.
 
I've had one for several years for turkey hunting, shoot 3½"-2¼oz #6 loads in it, have never had a problem of any kind, unless you consider the 70+lbs of recoil an issue!!

Tim
 
I've had two 835's over the years and can't say anything bad about them. Certainly my favorite when it comes to spring gobbler. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
recoil sucks, ive had 3.5's get so jamed i had to put the butt down on the ground and put my 165ibs into it and even then it didtn wana budge, one last thing i wouldnt shoot steel shot, i have pretty visible lines the whole length of the barrel.
 
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I've had one for several years for turkey hunting, shoot 3½"-2¼oz #6 loads in it, have never had a problem of any kind, unless you consider the 70+lbs of recoil an issue!!



You guys scare me. I would just as soon try to tackle a compact car coming down the street. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smiliesmack.gif

Jack
 
A few shots in the Spring at Turkeys is one thing, but blasting away from a duckblind, no way. Those things are absolutely brutal.

Don't try and "Macho" it out, you'll be ready to quit after 8 or 10 shots if you're shooting 3 1/2s. Do some research and buy yourself a decent, usable shotgun.

Oh, the steel in them is sorry too.
 
70+ lbs of recoil???? Maybe thats why my shoulder was bruised and sore the first time I used it on a goose shoot. LOL, I love my 835, ordered er in the MO SG camo, ordered and installed a simms limbsaver pad myself, no more bruised and battered shoulder. Last year was a warm waterfowling year for geese in the fields. Figured I'd get beat up even with the simms on. Not a problem. Had a really good shoot one evening, it only took almost a box of 3.5 BB to get my limit of Canada's. (What can I say, it was the FIRST hunt of the season) No sore shoulder that morning and I was only hunting in a long sleeved t-shirt. I am gonna try to kill my first predator with it this season. Gotta try to find a good #4buck or see if I can find any dead coyote in Alberta.
goosehunt.jpg

ruger300
 
I've had one with no problems. Shot plenty of ducks with it with the 3.5's maybe I had a good one, I had the 28" waterfowl in shadow grass you are talking about. Never jammed on me. But I got rid of it for an auto. The recoil of the 835 knocked the crap out of me. Shooting a few times at targets was fine, and a turkey now and then was fine, but a week long duck hunt and a couple of boxes of 3.5's will make you rethink things a little. Now I shoot an auto, with 3" for ducks (because I believe unless your sky busting thats all you need) I only use 3.5's for geese and turkey. and I believe 3" will work for both of those.
 
I have had one with a 28" barrel for maney years, and it has never failed me. I put a KickEzee recoil pad on it (just replaced it with a Limbsaver), and shoot 2 3/4 Magnums with exelent results. The 3" magnums arn't much fun to shoot. Don't even consider the 3 1/2" shells. The ony sane way to handle them is with a heavy gas operated auto. I bought a bunch of extra chokes that I never use. The modified choke seems to work the best with every load that I have tried. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif I also have a ported, rifled, scope sighted barrel for it that shoots 2 1/2" groups at 100 yds with Winchester Partition Gold 385g slugs at 2000FPS. 45-70 Type performance /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Frank
 
Mossbergs are good shotguns, I shot a 500 in 20 ga. for a number of years with no problems.

Any of the 3 1/2" pump guns will jam because of the operator making a mistake. That mistake is short shucking the gun (not pulling the slide back far enough to eject the shell but far enough to pop a new one out, then rechambering the empty), this jams the heck out of them.

I never had the problem when I shot my 870 Supermag but my Dad did. With a semi-auto you never have to worry about the problem.

As for 3 1/2" recoil, it's hard with even a good gas operated semi-auto BUT it's slow. Think of getting pushed hard to getting punched fast. Get a gun that fits you well so all the recoil comes straight back into your shoulder and is long enough so that the tip of the comb doesn't bite into your cheek bone (I still have a hard spot on my cheek from shooting trap with a short gun).
 
OK Guys, I'm getting the message - don't shoot 3 1/2 " magnum rounds . . . I'd only use those on coyotes, and that wouldn't be gun-emptying boom-booming anyway.
Supermag, I've had Remington, Marlin & Winchester (all pumps) jam on me with the chamber closed - after discharging the shell the chamber would not open! Kinda' like Rockey - just couldn't get the chamber to open after the heavy load.
I sure appreciate the input from you fellas.
Have a good night!
 
I don't know if it is the stock design or what but my 835 seems to have more felt recoil than the 870 car gun I used to qualify with shooting slugs
 
I love mine. Just only shoot a few 3.5" at spring turkeys.
You won't shoot enough 3.5's at coyotes to worry about the recoil.
3" are not bad at all.
 
That and you just don't need a 3 1/2" Magnum for coyotes. There is a definite advantage for long range bird hunting but not at a coyote at 30-50 yards. 3" Magnum loads will be all you ever need.
 
I'll agree with you guys, 3 1/2" shells are not a lot of fun to shoot. I bought a cheap extra full turkey choke for mine at Bass Pro Shops for $20 that was ported on the portion that hung out of the barrel and let me tell you, it makes a BIG difference. It probably drops the recoil down by as much and 30-40%! There are even fancier chokes you can buy with better porting on them that might reduce recoil even more. If you don't like the 70lbs of recoil get one, it's a cheap investment and makes a great improvement on any shotgun. It makes light loads feel like your shooting 20ga. I know, I know..., you're thinking - but I don't want all of that muzzle blast. Well, I can't tell the difference in muzzle blast with and without the ported choke with my shotgun (Benelli Nova).
 
I've never seen any ported choke, or, ported barrel, reduce the recoil to anything near 30% - 40%. Not even close, and, the biggest complaint with all porting, be it shotgun, rifle, or handgun is the noise factor. I do use a ported choke, a Kick's Gobblin' Thunder, however that is more for the wad stripping features of the ports than any perceived recoil reduction.
 
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I've never seen any ported choke, or, ported barrel, reduce the recoil to anything near 30% - 40%. Not even close, and, the biggest complaint with all porting, be it shotgun, rifle, or handgun is the noise factor. I do use a ported choke, a Kick's Gobblin' Thunder, however that is more for the wad stripping features of the ports than any perceived recoil reduction.



I'm using the Primos Tightwad choke and in a side by side comparison using nothing but my own shoulder to judge recoil, I felt a very significant reduction in recoil using the ported choke tube over a standard flush mounted choke. Now I'll admit I can't be sure that the recoil was reduced 30-40%, but it was somewhere in that neighborhood. The comparison used both 2 3/4" dove and quail loads and 3 1/2 Magnum Turkey loads shooting 2 1/4oz of buffered #6 shot. For $20, I think it was a great deal!
 
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using nothing but my own shoulder to judge recoil



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Now I'll admit I can't be sure that the recoil was reduced 30-40%



Right... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
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