Mossberg Silver Reserve

Approval Rate: 36%

36%Approval ratio

Reviews 39

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  • by

    bellakay2010

    Mon Jul 11 2011

    My daughters bought me the 20ga. s/r after about 2 boxs of shells shot through it 7.5 dove loads it started shooting both barrels at the same time sent it back to the factory for repairs and after a 4 month wait and numerous phone calls to get it back it still had the same problem. so after the war. ran out not knowing, i had to take it to a very respectable gun smith after 3 attemps to fix it to no avail they said they would no longer work on it!They said it was the worst workmanship they have ever seen in a firearm period! now it sits in my closet USELESS to use!! It is a shame i was so proud when i recieved it for fathersday it sure was a major let down. Mossberg u need to refund everyone who has eveer purchased a silver reserve thats my opinion !!!! I know i will never purchase one of your firearms EVER!!!

  • by

    zveugeler

    Tue Jun 14 2011

    I just got the Silver reserve 12G from my grandpa have yet to shoot it. I put it together is it always that stiff or does it loosen up with shooting it a few times?

  • by

    nader620

    Wed Jan 12 2011

    I bought the SR from Gander Mountain. Then 11 months later the upper firing pin went. Gander was very supportive and fixed it on warrantee but it took them two months to find a replacement pin. Not one of their 118 stores had one in stock. I think the pins are scarce all over the world. I've read about some owners who have resorted to having pins made in a machine shop for about $80. a piece. One wrote that he had some made of an exotic metal and they still broke. I stopped in at G/M several times to tell them that I didn't think their warrantee was doing its job. I'm guessing that they took one of their unsold guns apart and got the pins from there. Just as well; I'll go away and stop pestering them and one of their guns can sit on a shelf and wait forever. This is a beautiful gun that feels good on the range; but, judging by what I've read in forums like this, it seems to have a design flaw that just won't go away. Concerning the problem of cocking the gun; yes, you have to open it ... Read more

  • by

    mopar44134

    Tue Dec 28 2010

    I purchased my 12 gauge 3 years ago. I shoot sporting clays, 5 stand and trap at my club. I also take it turkey and pheasant hunting. I have never had the firing pin break like other have talked about. I do have to firmly open the gun to get it to reset properly. Overall its a good gun.

  • by

    mnilges

    Mon Dec 27 2010

    I have been reading all the reviews on here and noticed that the collective is from not "cocking" the gun open all the way. Yes you have to put some energy into getting the gun ready to shoot. But I have owned my Mossberg 12g SR for over a year now and have to say it is a very good gun. The longer I shoot it the easier the gun is to cock. I also had the issue with cocking correctly out of the box. But after learning how the gun works it has been very reliable. I shoot around 300 - 500 rnds a week at my club and have changed absolutely nothing on it. My grandfather always told me to clean my gun before I put it away. So that might have something to do with why some guns work better than others. My suggestion, clean it regularly and shoot it often.

  • by

    raybsr

    Mon Nov 29 2010

    I bought a silver reserve 20ga. this fall, first had to send it back for a small crack in the stock never shot, now both barrels fire at the same time, safety switch gets stuck and won't fire at all and sometimes firing pin does not hit the primer hard enough to ignite shell. It's still under warrenty so it's going back again as soon as I get the shipping label from them. Nice to look at but not reliable.

  • by

    scott163814844_0

    Thu Sep 09 2010

    3 stars I own a 12 gauge silver reserve and absolutly love the way the guns shots and feels, but the firing pins are worthless. I don't have a clue what your talking about opening the gun all the way up but I know that I clean my gun after every outing and this will be the 2nd time in 3 years that I have replaced the upper firing pin. I have tried switching to the lower from time to time but they just don't hold up plan and simple. Great gun but truly has a terrible flaw that is very annoying to deal with when your out hunting, which is always when it tends to fail. The Prodigy.

  • by

    imdasoupman

    Fri Sep 03 2010

    I went out last weekend with my new Silver Reserve 12ga. First shot, I hit the mark on a clay. Not bad for never even firing the gun. Having served in the Air Force and spending lots of time in Adana, Turkey, I have spent a lot of time shooting clays with HUGLU 12 ga. HUGLU is a good gun, but the craftsmanship over in Turkey is not great. This gun...The Mossberg 12ga Silver reserve is a HUGLU. It is just imported by Mossberg. I see all these ratings from people saying they are having issues with firing pins....if you actually make sure you OPEN the gun ALL the way, you will not have this problem. I will say that I was not happy when I was cleaning the gun, I found some rust in the pivot point between the stock and the barrel. I assume this has something to do with being shipped in a cargo container on a boat and being exposed to the salt water for weeks. Just a guess. If you take care of this gun, it will take care of you. Just keep in mind that you did not buy a $2000 Brow... Read more

  • by

    engineeringtec_h

    Sun Mar 28 2010

    I bought a 12 ga. Silver Reserve Sporting Clays version (ported barrels) in May of '06, and have shot clays with it at least 30 times a year since then. Skeet, trap, and sporting clays. I've put between 9500 and 10,500 shells through it. Trigger pull is awful heavy, but the gun points and patterns well. Kind of muzzle heavy. I put a several ounces of lead in the stock hole. Acceptable recoil with the standard vented pad. First firing pin failed at about 1500 rounds. It jammed the hammers so I couldn't continue firing with the other barrel. Since I was participating in a skeet league, and this was my only gun, I had to fix it myself, rather than wait on warranty service. Mossberg sent two replacement pins and I replaced both. The pins are of a very slender, fragile design compared to Brownings, Berrettas and other more expensive guns. Another pin failed after another 2000 rounds. The gun was out of warranty, and I'm a machinist, so I measured the remaining unbroken pin... Read more

  • by

    isoemerger18

    Sat Oct 24 2009

    I have shot countles rounds through my siver reserve and have had none of the problems i hear some people talking about.This gun swings gtheough and mounts like a dream come true.I have owned severa o/u and this one is the best so far. shane

  • by

    ksflyfisher

    Mon Feb 23 2009

    I purchased a 12 ga Mossberg Silver Reserve sporting version (ported), and a Silver Reserve hunting 20/28 combo yesterday to iiusefor sporting clays. I have read the horror stories aboiut problems with these and went out today to try both out.I fired a box of shells thru the 28 and the action was stiff and the trigger pull atrocious, but it fired in all selections and I think will be fun to shoot. The 12 ga is going back to Mossberg Monday because although both barrels fire ok when selector picks the lower one first, there is no "bang" when the top one is selected for firing first. This type of "no fire" problem was noted in on line reviews a year ago, I assumed that Mossberg would have addressed the problem, but I was wrong. There is no excuse for a shotgun leaving the factory that wont fire! I like the appearance, feel and price, but have nothing good to say about its reliability. Flyfisher in Kansas Update: After 5 ... Read more

  • by

    jackrusr

    Tue Jan 20 2009

    I purchased this gun in November of this year. I really like it. It shoots well. A couple of times while I was getting to know the gun, I had the same problem as every one else. One of the barrels wouldn't shoot. I took it apart and cleaned the grease off of the reciever parts and put it back together and then it seem to work very well. The first Saturday in January, I went to a shooting event and it appeared as if it were giving me problems again. One of the helpful team mates suggested I wasn't breaking the barrel far enough to actually cock the firing mechanism. This worked well the rest of the night as I had no further problems. Tonight I read on a review that this was indeed the case and so this might help all who have problems with the gun. I also read a piece written by a gun smith that the receiver mechanisms need to be oiled with good oil. I will definately oil mine and take very good care of it. Thus far I have put over 500 shell through it. I will follow up this... Read more

  • by

    gun1nut

    Thu Nov 06 2008

    I bought my Silver Reserve O/U in August of 08 and fired less than 25 rounds through it when I noticed the barrel selector switch would not move. I sent it back for repair.  I have read about firing pin problems but haven't noticed any up to this point. I did notice the poor quaility of the machined parts.  The choke tubes were extremely burred and sharp  to the touch.  I couldn't tell about the shot pattern.  The gun was hard to open and close and the blueing was not up to par in opinion.  I ma excited to get the gun back to see how it shoots,  The like the overall look of the gun.

  • by

    bandit60734

    Sun Nov 02 2008

    Had shotgun since July and top firing pin broke after 600 shots is still under warrentee will send in for repair.

  • by

    golfman128

    Tue Sep 09 2008

    I wanted to try out an O/U for small game hunting (never owned or shot one before), so, due to limited funding, I bought a 20ga SR. Right from the outset, the bottom barrel wouldn't fire if the top barrel was fired first. The trigger felt loose, like it wasn't engaging the sear. I could get it to eventually fire by moving the safety back and forth a few times, or by jiggling the trigger (COMPLETELY UNSUGGESTABLE). This did not happen the other way around (bottom, then top). I figured the problem was due to a burr or excessive grease in the sear. Not wanting to wait for my gun to come back from the repair center (many people report 2 - 3 month wait), I removed the stock, and found the left sear (called inner trigger in the Mossberg manual) wasn't moving freely. I removed the sear pin and both sears (move the floating portion of the trigger assembly all the way back to wiggle them out sideways). The right sear (lower barrel) worked fine, so I checked to see what difference between it an... Read more

  • by

    nholdman

    Wed Aug 06 2008

    My son owns a 12ga. Mossberg Silver Reserve. His firing pin broke last weekend.I owned a 28ga. and a 20ga. S/R. The 28ga. had no problems, except always rusting and full of burrs.It shot well. The 20ga could not hit the side of a barn door. Same rust problem and poor quality. Also, several times when I closed the receiver of the 20ga.the top barrel would fire. Very unsafe. They look nice but are poorly made. Being a machinist, I should have known better. I can pick out many machining flaws. Cheap metal, bad heat treating process, to many burrs and poor bluing process.The only place you can get repairs is Maverick Arms in Texas. You cannot order your own replacement parts. I got rid of both S/R. So,I recently bought a shotgun made here in New Hampshire. Ruger 20ga.Red Label Engraved. Four times the cost of a S/R but well worth the investment. Good Quality, spare parts, and most of the owners say Ruger has a factory turnaround in two weeks time. Ruger will replace parts and repairs at no... Read more

  • by

    clayslammer

    Sun May 18 2008

    let me start by say i purchased this gun for the granchildren.i have citori gold clays.my first trip to range with this gun went well.i shot a 45 out of 50.wow thats great.same numbers i shoot with my citori.upon cleaning the gun i lubed the sheel extractor and rust came out.i was concerned because the gun was ony 2 weeks old at that point and stored in a hard case.after removing the shell extractor i found alot of rust and pitting on the slide.that is nothing shy of poor workmanship on mossberg.after cleaning the extractor and slide.200 rounds later the top firing pin broke.what the hell. i own a 590 and 500 with over 1000 round through them with no problems.mossberg should have stuck with there pumps.please save your money and buy a proven shotgun.

  • by

    fisheye290

    Fri Feb 01 2008

    After owning a Mossberg 590 and finding it to be near perfect in all aspects, I purchase my 12g silver reserve. That was a couple years ago. Right away it would fail to fire about 5% of the time on either barrel. Sent to Mossy for repair. Came back and did the same thing. Sent it to Mossy again with a note that said either fix it or just keep it. They sent it back after repairs and I have had no problems since. It patterns well and POI is POA. It is a nice gun now but I have little confidence in it after all the failures. So I just shoot trap, skeet, & 5 stand with my 590 now. Besides, it is fun to see the look on the other shooters faces with their $3000 guns while shooting the same scores with my "street sweeper" gun.

  • by

    smartydogs

    Sun Jan 06 2008

    I bought a SR and have had nothing but trouble. The action is too tight, it will not fire reliably. I have shot less that 1/2 case new ammo through it and am ready to put it in the bottom of the pond. I did notice that there seems to be something wrong with the alignment of the barrels when assembled. I've contacted Mossberg but no word yet. I'd save my money if I were going to buy another 28 ga and buy something more reliable. I should have never deviated from Browning!!

  • by

    virgil55

    Fri Dec 14 2007

    I purchased my SR from a Hardware/Sporting Store that was going out of business. Having owned several Mossbergs in my earlier years I trusted that it would be a reliable shooter. I purchased it so my wife would have something to shoot when I go to the range. After having her outshoot me 2 straight trips at the range, I traded her, she has my Citori. During this years Pheasant season in WI this is the gun I used. It swings and mounts perfect for me and the top safety is what I learned to shoot with. I was an Auto shooter, but I just Love this little gun. I will say one thing though, you must have the gun on Safe to reset the firing pins or it won't shoot, and the opening lever must be set to open, to close the breach, if it is not set to open, the firing pins will pinch in the block, just a thought but this may be creating much of the firing pin problems. Do things right and you will have no problems. Great gun for the money!

  • by

    ifitfliesitdie_s

    Fri Dec 14 2007

    I now have the 12 ga. SR for 2 seasons. Only had 1 problem with it. I normally use remington brand ammo, but in one occation, due to being where I was, in the bundoks, I purchased winchester ammo 7 1/2's with the alum. casing. Problem was, it will fire the top barrel but not the under and I had a hard time opening it. Bought the remingtons and did not have the same problem. I guess problem is solved, just won't buy winchester's, besides the smoke coming from the winchester ammo, sticks. I also replaced the factory chokes with the extended version for better pattern. For those having problems with it, just send it back for repair. I know it shouldn't be this way, but hey, nothing's perfect.

  • by

    dawgie

    Mon Dec 10 2007

    I purchased my 12 ga silver resrve about 1 year ago and have had nothing but problems with it. The first barrel fires fine. It is the second barrel that seems to have a problem firing. it doesn't matter which barrel is selected to be the first one fired. The second one does not fire when I pull the trigger a second time. The trigger has to be pulled a third time before the second barrel fires by that time any clay target or live bird is well out of range. Like I pointed out before it doesn't matter which barrel is selected as the primary barrel the secondary barrel does not fire on the second pull. This gun looks good but is not reliable. Looks don't break targets or kill birds. My suggestion is to save your money for a more reliable O/U and not waste your money on this gun.

  • by

    rickreading

    Wed Nov 14 2007

    Two rounds of trap and 9 shaells fired in the field and it's has to go back to the factory to be fixed. Won't fire. Wood to metal fit is very nice considering the price tag, but I don't have very nice things to say about relibility.

  • by

    genxec69

    Sun Nov 04 2007

    Bought my Silver Reserve back in April I use it to shot trap and upland game hunt. This is a nice pointing shotgun. I have had no problems with it and have 500 or more rounds through it so far. I have heard the firing pin problems. If you make sure you hold the break lever till you hear a click reseting the pins. You won't jam the pins and ding the mono block. Lets face it no mass produced gun is all that great now days. so shot what you like and enjoy it. Mossberg is good with replacing or fixing there guns. over all I like this gun. If something breaks fix it and move on nothing lasts forever. This is a great gun for people on a budget. Again a great gun for the money. take care of it. It will take care of you.

  • by

    bruceinnh

    Tue Sep 25 2007

    I bought a 20 gauge last year and shot a couple of hundred rounds out of it. It shot pretty good. However, it started jamming on opening after TWO shots only. I had to disasemble the gun in the field. I really liked the gun prior to this. I have traded this one in for a two barrel set 20 gauge and 28 gauge. Took these to the range and immediately had opening issues after shooting two shots again. Finally, I got the 28 set to semi function. Then I put the 20 gauge matched arrels onto he same receiver. I have nothing but troubles 1. same opening issues very stiff in the release lever. 2. Now the head spacing crumples shells. BE CAREFUL. The barrels wouldn't even go back into battery with the two shells in the chambers. I pulled the shells, and the gun closed fine. Shot two more had opening issues and went to close the chambers with two unfired shells in he chamber and again headspace issues. I called Mossberg, the repair is in Texas, they said send it in. The quality control DOES NO... Read more

  • by

    nordic

    Wed Sep 05 2007

    Has been a great gun until tonight, 8-1200 round on trap and skeet and the top pin broke and jammed the gun, I purchased it at Gander and they will repair it under warrentee or replace the gun ASAP - hope they are a not all lip service.

  • by

    sfotiss

    Tue Jun 19 2007

    I have the 20 gauge and shot several hundred rounds and have had yet to have a problem. I shoot this gauge because of a bad back and have to say the recoil on this is very minumal. The overall looks of the gun are very good and has the looks of a higher priced one. I would highley recomend this gun for trap or feild.

  • by

    nativeomnivore

    Tue May 22 2007

    Purchased one about 6 months ago. It is in route to the "Service Department" of Maverick Arms for the [i][b]second[/i][/b] time. I reeeally like it's feel and performance in the field and on the range. BUT...after approximately 2500-3000 rounds at the range, the upper fireing pin failed.(broke) Shipped it back to "Maverick" firearms, they supposedly replaced 'both' pins. After only another 2500 rounds, the lower pin failed. A phone call to Mossberg (Maverick Arms) and they have offered to send a "drop ship" tag, so I don't have to pay freight again, and promised a "one day" turn around in their facility. Also said that "KHAN", the Turkish manufacturer, had "totally redesigned" the fireing pins. They are performing all repairs under the warranty, but I'm not sure that that compensates for the shoddy manufacturing. They have already informed me that they will not refund my purchase price, nor replace the gun.No matter how 'dissatisfied' I am.

  • by

    glandsem

    Thu May 10 2007

    Won the 12ga in a raffle, started skeet shooting and now have between 3-4,000 shots on gun when lower firing pin borke. contacted Mossberg repair and the sent me two firing pins under warranty. This being after the warranty had expired. Liked it so I bought the 20ga, hope it does as well. Good gun for the price.

  • by

    oldmanshooter

    Wed Jan 17 2007

    I got my Silver Reserve about 4 months ago. I had no trouble. I have over 900 shots on the gun and it works just fine. I heard all about the firing pin problem. But mossberg had made gun for years and I know they would stand behind it. So I bought the gun can could not be any happer.

  • by

    hackedoff

    Mon Jan 08 2007

    I bought one in Dec. 2005 fired less than a hundred rounds before problems,of coarse it didn't break till warranty was up.Haven't sent it anywhere yet,but assume its a broken firing pin.Sometime it shoots and sometimes it jams up and neither barrel will fire. I like the way it looks and it shoulders nice but now regret not buying the Citori.

  • by

    leo96150

    Mon Jan 01 2007

    Bought a 28ga Silver Reserve on a whim to use at skeet. I didn't expect much from a $400 gun, as I am used to shooting a Browning Citori. Boy was I surprised, several thousand rounds later and it has been flawless. The bonus is that I can reload at less than $2.50 a box. All this has the Citori not very happy.

  • by

    budcross

    Mon Jan 01 2007

    I bought one last spring and was initially pleased with the feel and performance. At about 500 rounds, the top firing pin broke. I called the service center and was instructed to return it for repairs. Since I had heard of problems with this model, I asked if the pin would be replaced or if both top and bottom pins would be replaced with reengineered versions. I was assured that both would be replaced. A friend with the same gun had the same problem. When we took the stock off both guns to make comparisons, we noticed that only one of my firing pins had been replaced and his had badly mangled hammers. I am not sure how long these guns hold up.

  • by

    jamma7cf

    Thu Dec 28 2006

    I have recently started trap shooting and have had such great fun I was able to convince my wife to try it. She used another lady's custom Beretta and was hooked. A Beretta was not in our budget. Several of the club's members recommended the Silver Reserve Sporting, and Christmas morning brought my bride a 12 guage SR Sporting. We cut off the stock to fit her 5'1" frame and yesterday (her second time ever shooting trap or a shotgun for that matter) she knocked down 11 of 25 and was absolutely thrilled. She reports that the SR Sporting has very little recoil and feels great to shoot (less recoil than the Beretta Silver Pigeon III she tried). I've read many reviews on the SR and feel that if you're careful with loading and don't jam the firing pins, the SR is a lot of gun for the money. The "sporting" model with the ported barrels is an excellenmt ladies gun.

  • by

    back469b

    Tue Sep 26 2006

    Had to return to factory twice for repair of fireing pin. Last hunting season was a joke on me because of poor product and service. Anyone like a 12 guage Mossbutt O/U?

  • by

    longaction

    Thu Aug 17 2006

    I have just recently purchased a Silver Reserve in 20 ga 28" barrels. It came with some decent wood and metal work that is not to bad for a $400 O/U shotgun. I have never owned an O/U previously but have several side by sides which is the closest point of reference I have. So far I am very pleased with this purchase. I have yet to have a malfunction. Everytime I load it and pull the trigger it goes bang. Everytime I open the breach it raises the shells for me to extract. If only those pesky claybirds would disintergrateeach time it went bang you would not be able to pry this shotgun out of my hands. The only 2 things that I have found pecular about the SR is that it must be fully opened in order to reset the hammers. It is somewhat stiff at the bottom of the break open. I assume this will smooth out after more use. Also, the choke tubes gauged more open than the rating assigned them (i.e. the IC checked Cyl, the IM checked Mod). In my humble opinion the Silver Reserve is well worth the... Read more

  • by

    bigmoosen

    Sat Aug 05 2006

    i bought one of these mossberg shotguns mainly because i read good reviews of it and i own a mossberg 500 pump that has never failed so i figured that this one would be equally useful. not so. the first time i took it to the range the top barrel would only fire half the time. the srping wasnt stiff enough to set off the primer. i sent it back to mossberg to have it fixed. when i got it back the same problem continued to occur. back it went a second time. when i got it back again i was reassembling it when half the bottom firing pin fell out into my hand. its still at the manufacturer for the third time. each trip back to the repair shop takes about 3-4 months to get my shotgun back. yes it looks and feels great but it is not mechanically built well if you ask me.

  • by

    trid9a60

    Wed May 17 2006

    SO far I have shot over 200 shells through my 20 ga. and no problems. I am obsessive about cleaning my firearms, so that might help, but I really feel like it was money well spent, especially because it was less than $500.

  • by

    c_dennis_dupuis

    Fri Mar 24 2006

    If you are looking for a O/U shotgun under $500 check this one out. The appearence is appealing inlayed pheasants in gold. The next feature is the shootability of this shotgun. I used it for the first time on upland birds. It was a dream to shoot.The low profile sight line made it like pointing your finger, pull the trigger, and poof. It comes with a barrel selector on the safety just like the big boys do. The only detraction for some would be no shell extractor. It is done manually. I had no problem with it. It also comes with 5 chokes. 2 i/c 1 mod. 1 improved modified and 1 full. For those of you that are just getting into the O/U shotguns I would recommend this gun.

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