Mossberg 930SPX in cold weather

[Hoosier45]

I have read on a couple of different forums that the Mossberg 930SPX can be unreliable in cold weather, and with under-powered loads. I decided to try my own mini-experiment.

I kept my 930SPX in my truck for the last three days. My truck sits outside at night. And no I won't tell anyone where I live. It was 2 degrees on my way to work this morning. Trust me, the gun was cold.

I grabbed a box of the lowest power shotgun shells I had, Remington 2 3/4, 1 1/8 oz, 8 shot. It's the bulk pack Walmart sells for skeet.

At lunch today, shooting outside, it went boom 25 times. No failures to cycle.

Not the most scientific experiment, and a larger sample at different temperatures may have given me better data, but I went back to work feeling confident in my HD shotgun. I still have an 870T for backup, though!

 

[TheDude]

You can shoot on lunch at work?

 

[one more]

You can shoot on lunch at work?

for me!

Do they need Help???

And Thanks for the information Hoosier45!

one more

 

[Hoosier45]

You mean you guys can't shoot at work? Quit and find a new job!

No, my dad lives about 3 miles from where I work. And he owns some land so we put a little range back in the woods. That's where I spend my lunch break most days.

 

[Wild Deuce]

Good to hear this (unscientific as it may be). I've been considering this (on the advice of The Mad Ogre) as an alternative to the pricier Benelli M4.

 

[Hoosier8]

Good to hear this (unscientific as it may be). I've been considering this (on the advice of The Mad Ogre) as an alternative to the pricier Benelli M4.

I don't know how they hold up compared to the Benelli but if you don't shoot a lot, that may not matter. I like mine but don't shoot it much.

 

[Hoosier45]

The M4s are supposed to be fantastic guns. I've never shot one. But the Mossberg does what I need it to do at a third of the price of the Benelli.

 

[Hoosier45]

I don't know how they hold up compared to the Benelli but if you don't shoot a lot, that may not matter. I like mine but don't shoot it much.

Same here. I like mine, but don't shoot it a lot. If I was in Iraq kicking doors in, I would rather have the Benelli.

 

[TheAutomator]

I imagine decreased reliability comes from certain lubricants used.

The 930 seems like a very nice choice in the price range, but I would prefer to see long term reliability reports on one, as well as a few torture tests so I could get an idea of what parts will need replaced and when.

 

[Hoosier45]

You mean 25 rounds from the gun in 15 degree weather isn't enough of a torture test?

Yeah, I haven't seen any "we buried it in the mud, we ran it over with a truck, we threw it off a cliff, then we shot 25,000 rounds" tests on it either.

It's mostly a fun gun for me. In a real SHTF situation, I would still probably grab my 870.

 

[451_Detonics]

Biggest concern in cold weather is lube thickening enough to impede function. If you keep your guns fairly dry this isn't much of a problem plus I seldom gets cold enough in Indiana to cause a problem. When I am going to be outside for extended periods in the winter (hunting for example) I normally do a good wipe down to remove lube and use something like Dri Slide which uses moly and graphite.