Mossberg 500 FLEX

I’ve been doing so many full-format gun reviews lately that my FFL guy has me on speed-dial. I stopped by his place yesterday with some shipping questions, and by blind luck it turned out he had another gun for me to play with: a Mossberg 500 FLEX . . .

I know what you’re thinking. Another Mossberg 500 article? This ubiquitous pump shotty is about as exotic as a 2003 F-150, but the 500 FLEX isn’t your grandfather’s Mossy. Any component that you see in this picture can be swapped out, without tools. in less than 30 seconds. It looks like O.F. Mossberg & Sons has succeeded in teaching this old dog (52 years old, to be precise) a few new tricks.

Stay tuned for the full review.

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40 COMMENTS

    • I think the point is that the extra parts are so easy to put on and off that even someone who’s mechanically incompetent (like me) can customize their shotgun without having to go to a gunsmith. I can see a market for this.

      • I look at it and wonder, after the first couple times for giggles, how often am I really going to bother to modify my shotgun? If I was in a house with multiple shooters of various sizes (which I’m not), the quick change stocks with varying LOP would be useful, I suppose, but that’s all I got.

        • It also lets you modify it between a hunting configuration and a tacticool one. Granted, I have no need to have one gun “do it all”, since I can easily afford multiple firearms, but not everyone is in that position.

        • Matt, it’s the one gun does all system. Waterfowling, squirrel hunting deer and hog hunting and self defense. Mossberg’s are solid and reliable platforms, my defense shotgun is a mossy, that are priced for the guy on a budget.

          Personally, I like the excuse to buy more than 1 gun for the different jobs. But if you were going to limit yourself to 1 gun it would be hard to beat this.

        • Agreed, Matt. I’m all for innovation & flexibility, but my home defense shotty has one mission, and one mission only, and that ain’t shooting skeet.

        • Nice review Chris let us know how it workd out. I’ve done same for my 870 with Wingmaster barrel I got from a friend, a rifled barrel with sights and about to spring fr the cantilevered scope mount which I should have gotten first with a Nikon Slugmaster scope. Bottomline:
          One gun for pig deer dove ducks and HD in a rock solid platform. Mossy is making it easy and probably lots less than what I’ve paid in $ and time.

          Beware the man with one gun for he probably knows how to use it…

  4. Mossberg has been putting out some “interesting” models these last few years.

    I’m intrigued by the expanding MVP line of bolt action rifles which use AR magazines (and would be interested in seeing a version in .308 which uses the emerging standard AR-10 magazines).

    I’m not much of a shotgun person, but this Flex kit looks interesting.

    That said, I’m still recovering from the fact that this TTAG article was not an internet hoax and appears to be a very real product.

    • If they make the MVP Scout in .308 then Im sold. I think it just looks s3xy with iron sights and the flash hider.

    • I don’t care how damaged or deranged I must be, I want that tactical lever gun for sheer WTF value.

      • Yes, me too. It’s an ugly, Frankensteinish abomination with all the drawbacks of tacticool and none of the advantages…or is it all the advantages of a levergun with the bonus of tacticool?…but either way I want it.

        And if the cost of this Mossberg 500 Flex isn’t too high, I’d want it, too. I don’t have the $$ to buy several shotguns, and anyway the only practical use I’m likely to put it to is home defense, but I like the idea of having one gun that I could easily configure for any use a shotgun might be put to.

    • FLEX is a part of the MVP lineup of AR mag ready rifles as well. Same MVP features in an all black “patrol” config– but with FLEX stock. 5.56/.223 available now, 7.62/.308 by late summer 2013. Any stocks with the FLEX connectors work– though the adjustable tactical stock shown in the picture above is standard on it. MVP FLEX also comes with a “youth” 12″ LOP stock as an option

  6. So does it really come with ALL of that or do you have to buy a base gun and the rest is seperate? MSRP?

  7. It”s got more modularity than you shake a non-modular stick at. OTOH, changing Mossberg 500 stocks & barrels is ridiculously easy as it is. We’ll see if Mossberg makes any compelling new FLEX parts in the coming years.

  9. This is interesting. I consider guns one part (an important part) of my overall prepping and self-defense planning and budget.

  12. Mossberg finally realized the potential of selling their shotguns in a versatile package. Ive only been writing letters to them inquiring about such a idea since the 90s. 😉

  13. My 590A1 SPX is just fine. If I didn’t have 2 Mossys (also a generic 18.5″ 500) I would consider this seriously. I don’t think it can come close to an A1, though.

  14. I’m just waiting for the release of the Magpul stock in October 2013 for my Mossberg 500. I have no desire to mod out a shotgun, more important firearms to worry about.

  15. Stupid gimmick. Seriously, how often do you change the stock on your shotgun? Once, twice? Every other week?

    A quick disconnect for a shotgun butstock (which is all the FLEX system is) is just silly.

    • Meh. I have a 500 and I change out the barrels damn near every weekend (18.5″ home defense to 28″ modified choke trap and back), and if I had a quick change pistol grip to add to the mix I’d probably do it.

  18. I love my Mossberg 500. The only thing I don’t like about it is that I can’t use it for home defense (it’s a ported “turkey hunter”). I’m interested.

  20. That looks like a good deal! But there’s one thing I don’t understand: Why do mfgrs use an AR type collapsible stock on a firearm that doesn’t have a buffer tube? The design is OK on an AR where 6″ is as short as you can get, but is not needed on a shotgun like the Mossy 500. The only reason I can think of is that it’s cheap because they only have make an adapter. But it still seems a bit silly.

    The Remington PFS-87 topfolder that was available for the 870 is a much better design, and the collapsible stock used on the HK-91, 93 and 94 is superior! The AK underfolder isn’t bad either (but I do have some quibbles with the UZI folder’s design).

    The PFS-87 is the reason I’ll keep my 870s (probably until hell freezes over 😉 .

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