Mossberg's operation in Mexico and Texas

Shooting Industry, Jan, 1989 by Howard Brant

Federal's new giant rifled slug features helix rifling and a hollow point and has a muzzle velocity of 1,700 feet per second making it the most powerful rifled slug loaded by a domestic manufacturer -- and combine this hefty slug with Mossberg's Model 835 ULTI-MAG and the big-game hunter has a "lot of gun" that is designed to tumble big-game (the size of deer) with optimum dispatch at more than 100 yards!

This new slug in combination with Mossberg's Model 835 should be a boom to the hunter looking to obtain maximum efficiency when big-game hunting with a scattergun -- it is most assuredly a true "powerhouse" in the rifled slug world.

Also new for '89 is Mossberg's Model 5500 MKII 12-gauge autoloader which will henceforth be known as a complete or total "shooting system". That is the Model 5500 MKII will be offered as a package with two barrels -- one barrel for non-magnum 2-3/4-inch 12-gauge loads only and the other barrel for 2-3/4-and 3-inch magnum 12-gauge loads.

"A larger gas port in the non-magnum barrel insures reliable extraction and ejection with even the lightest target or field loads," Pelton said. "The fast swinging 26-inch non-magnum barrel is ideal for close cover upland hunting and comes equipped with three ACCU-II choke tubes (improved cylinder, modified and full) for lead shot use.

"On the other hand, the 28-inch magnum barrel has a smaller gas port, designed to regulate the speed of the bolt and tame the recoil of heavy hunting loads. The magnum barrel provides the balance and longer sighting plane, preferred by waterfowl hunters. It comes equipped with two ACCU-STEEL (modified and full) choke tubes for maximum durability and optimum patterns with steel shot," Pelton added.

Mossberg's Model 5500 MKII autoloader has a five-shot capacity and boasts a high strength aluminum alloy receiver for balance and fast handling in the field and with its two barrel combination should make a perfect all-around hunting arm for the upland/waterfowl hunter seeking quality at a respectably reasonable price.

But back to Mexico. Speaking before the several gun writers at Torreon was Alan Mossberg who said: "Why are we here in Torreon? Well, Mossberg as a company had to grow. We needed more space, more machinery, more employees, etcetera and since we are indeed looking to the future we decided on Torreon purely to compete with the labor costs of the foreign market.

"We will indeed keep our corporate headquarters at North Haven, Connecticut, but we now will have our Torreon, Mexico plant and our Eagle Pass, Texas facility as well," Alan Mossberg continued. "In the future Mossberg will strongly turn to the shotgun as as total shooting system. That is, the consumer won't need, say, a rifle like the .30/30 to hunt deer. Just add one of our rifled slug barrels to a Mossberg scattergun and you have that all-around shotgun for both small game as well as big-game hunting.

"In addition, Mossberg will further step up its home defense concept with the shotgun in mind. In other words, a shotgun loaded with buckshot is a far greater deterrent to any burglar than a handgun. Also, a shotgun is much easier for the beginner to master as compared to a handgun. As much, we do plan to emphasize home protection with a scattergun in the future," Mossberg concluded.