Assembling Mossberg 500.....

[darend505]

I took my 500 apart the other day to clean it and I cannot get the thing back together again to save my ever loving life. I get the bolt, the bolt carrier, and the elevator back in, but I cannot get the round stops (arms) back into place. I can fit the one that has the outer disc that points left in, but I cannot get the other one in! What am I doing wrong? I know that the forearm has to be in a certain spot to get the bolt carrier to sit properly, but no video or diagram is helping me here.


HELP!!!!!!

 

[smbaldwin]

i believe the two tangs go in first

 

[SSGSAD]

If I am reading right, you have to put BOTH of the "arms" in and then put the "elevator" in ... IIRC ...

 

[darend505]

Then that is what I am doing wrong. In the video I was watching, the elevator went in first. Lets try this again!

elevator has to go first...

 

[miguel]

I did this once and it is a nightmare to get it back together.

There is a decent YouTube video on assembly/disassembly. It is actually an excerpt from a gunsmithing video, if I recall. Search for "mossberg 500 disassembly" by dvdtracker. That should help.

That said, the alignment of the damn thing is the key.

 

[smbaldwin]

If I am reading right, you have to put BOTH of the "arms" in and then put the "elevator" in ... IIRC ...

yes. it is apita. you have to hold both arms in place while you assemble the rest

 

[darend505]

nightmare about sums it up...

 

[darend505]

$20 to whoever puts this damn thing back together!!!

 

[SSGSAD]

nightmare about sums it up...

If you were CLOSER, I would HELP you .....

 

[miguel]

nightmare about sums it up...

Man, just thinking about is going to make me loose sleep!

Thanks for ruining my life!

 

[darend505]

Done for the evening! still not together...

 

[SSGSAD]

$20 to whoever puts this damn thing back together!!!

WHEN can WE get together ?????

 

[Hookeye]

My bud was doing something wrong on his reassembly as well, decided he was going to take it to a gunsmith. I swung by and slapped it together in 2 minutes

Dunno what he was doing wrong and he didn't volunteer the info but he probably was doing whatever the OP is.

With the plastic trigger guard, don't force anything. It should go back in with ease. Worst case you'll have the safety in the wrong spot and have to move it and reassemble (IIRC).

 

[darend505]

No plastic parts on this gun. It is from the 60s!

 

[Caldad]

This video helped me...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKbWcPdTRBI

When I got my Mossy 500, I watched the link above several times before I could put mine back together. The video shows both take-down, and assembly.

Good luck!

 

[davedolli]

If we were closer I would be glad to help you, once you do it, it's not hard. Watch the video several times and you will figure it out. For me the bolt was the hardest part to get to drop in, but once you get it lined up, it will drop right in. I built a complete shotgun from parts I found in the classifieds. The trigger group was broke, and probably 30 years old, so I sent it back to Mossberg, and they replaced it for free.

Dave

 

[darend505]

The bolt lines up, I think, and the bolt carrier falls right into place. The cartridge break and stop arms, is what I am having trouble with. I don't know if I am not getting the bolt to sit up high enough in the frame to allow room for the arms to sit. I can get one side in, but now the others. I am taking it down to my dad's in Indy, to see if he can do any better than I did!

 

[hrearden]

I always put the elevator in first. Then, I slide in the bolt/carrier/slide from the front. If you can hold this assembly together and slide it in, it makes for a lot less fight. This may take you a couple tries as the locking block maybe sticking up and interfering. If this is the case, it means you need to move the bolt forward on the carrier. (Just a little tidbit, it looks like you have got this far just fine.) Once you have all these pieces in, You must put in the shell stops. They only go in one way, so its impossible to assemble this wrong, it simply wont go together if theyre incorrect. (as youve seen). If youre having trouble getting the shell stops in (this applies to any part on any gun also), check along the outline of where it is supposed to fit (while youre trying to install it). Chances are, youve got something else blocking it from being installed in the receiver, possibly the elevator. Just so youre clear, (gonna get technical here, lol), the nubs go up on both shell stops. Ist pretty easy to see which way the one goes with the round post sticking off the side. As for the other one, the nub goes upward. It wont go in at all, however, if your elevator is in the wrong position. You may have to move the elevator a little until your shell stop drops into place. Once this happens, youre not out of the woods yet. You have to hold the shell stops tight against the sides as you install the trigger. If they are not as far against the receiver as they can be, the trigger assembly wont go in. Once you get the assembly to rotate in, it might not go all the way. This is common. You might have to move the safety, as was mentioned earlier, or the nubs on the front of the trigger are not seated all they way yet. Either way, sometimes this part takes a little vigilance and/or a little "jimmying" to accomplish. Once you get the trigger rotated all they way, pin it and call it a day.

 

[DarkRose]

This thread is scaring me...

Lol, I just bought two stripped Mossy receivers... (well, a Moss 500 and a Maverick 88)

 

[hrearden]

Dont let it scare you. As far as actual moving parts go, Mossbergs have the least. Not only that, If I was in front of you and explained my previous post as I was doing it, Itd be all of about 4 steps. Mossys can have a mind of their own on reassembly sometimes, but its easy to steer them in the right direction once youve done this song and dance a couple of times.