It is unlikely to take a long time to list the arms companies that have achieved real, worldwide recognized success. However, fairness should be noted that the number of companies producing hunting, sporting, and other weapons is measured in hundreds. Mossberg can be proud of its name.

A brief history of the company

At first, just to make a living, Mossberg was engaged in the manufacture and repair of hardware. However, his dream was to create a compact, pocket-sized, simple, and cheap pistol for non-military use. And in 1922, a four-barrel .22 caliber pistol called the Brownie was born.

The first success was followed by the next one - in 1922, a pump-action rifle K-M .22 caliber appeared, which was reloaded by a reciprocating movement of the forearm and had a reliable and simple fuse. The reaction of the hunters and athletes exceeded all the author's expectations. Having made the right conclusions, Oscar Mossberg directed all his efforts to develop and produce cheap weapons.

Today the company continues to follow the traditions of its founder: fundamentally new ideas, low price, mass consumption. Sufficient turnover enabled the company to update production equipment frequently, thereby maintaining the highest modern technological level. The use of the latest technologies, in turn, made it possible to produce in large quantities the parts of the weapon mechanism while not allowing significant deviations in their quality from the established standards.

Significant weapon of the company

The main achievement of the company was the creation of a shotgun. A pump-action shotgun called the Model 500. This hunting rifle satisfied almost all the needs of the buyers. Its design took into account the wishes of hunters and ordinary people and even the preferences of the military and the police. It turned out to be surprisingly versatile and became a kind of designer, based on which many guns of various calibers and purposes were subsequently developed.

In the second half of the 1980s, Mossberg launched Model 88 pump-action smoothbore shotguns under the Maverick trademark, intended both for use in close combat during police and army special operations and for self-defense and home security as well as for hunting and sports.
The Mossberg Maverick M 88 shotgun is a cheaper version of the Mossberg 500 shotgun with minor design changes. The main one is the absence of a fuse on the top of the rear of the receiver. Moreover, most of the Mossberg Maverick M 88 and Mossberg 500 are interchangeable, except for the trigger mechanism.

By design, the Mossberg Maverick M 88 shotgun is a magazine-style smooth-bore shotgun with manual reloading. Recharging is carried out using a fore-end movable back and forth. The barrel bore is locked by tilting the bolt on the breech of the barrel.

Weapon description, where to use, and common NVD advices for it

The Mossberg 500 is one of the leaders in the American pump-action shotgun market. It is used in sports, hunting, military, and police. The Mossberg-500 is a typical pump-action shotgun, which is reloaded by moving the forend back and forth, and the barrel bore is locked by a combat cylinder moving up and down inside the bolt (in the notch of the barrel shank). The cartridges are fed from an under-barrel tubular magazine, which can be of different lengths. On top of the receiver, there are four threaded holes for mounting strips for optical, collimator, or diopter sights.

The gun can be equipped with barrels of various lengths and drills, with or without interchangeable chokes, wooden or polymer stocks of traditional shape, stocks with a pistol grip and a folding stock, or only with a rear pistol grip (such options are called Cruiser). The movable forend can be replaced with a vertical grip or a special forend - a tactical flashlight holder. Sights can be of different types: dioptric type Ghost sight, ordinary, it is possible to install mounts for optical and collimator sights. The fuse is located on top of the rear of the receiver and is equally convenient for right-handers and left-handers.

If you’ve happened to appear in hunting, self-defense, special operation, or another combat situation at night, you need to use some night vision equipment.

Types of night vision devices:

Monoculars

A monocular is a night vision device that resembles a kind of "spyglass" since you can look into it with one eye. Of all the devices presented today, monoculars are in the greatest demand. There are several reasons for this:

-The simplest and, therefore, the most reliable design.
-Lightweight and dimensions.
-Affordable price.
-Simple controls.

Modern models of monoculars are made in sealed cases. They are not afraid of moderate shock loads and are well adapted to wear in the field. Weighing 500 grams, the monocular can be easily hidden even in a pocket. This is the best solution for extreme hunting.

Binoculars

Binoculars are night vision devices - military or civilian - but more serious. Such devices allow realizing a high magnification ratio, and binocular vision makes it possible to assess the situation in the controlled area most accurately. Binoculars are more expensive than monoculars. This is understandable: 2 image intensifiers are installed here, and these elements have the main effect on the cost of the device. Binoculars are good for solving such tasks:

-Protection of large open areas.
-Marine navigation.
-Large area control.
-Combat and operational tasks.
-Research.
-Mountain and forest tourism.
-Hunting.

Goggles

Night vision goggles are a night vision device consisting of one (usually) image intensifier and a lens. However, pseudo-binocular vision is realized through optics due to the visual signal distribution in both eyes. That is, unlike other devices, here we see one lens and two eyepieces.

The goggles usually come with a system of straps and ties that allow you to attach the device to your head or helmet. As a result, the observer is provided with full-fledged night vision, and his hands are freed. This provides several advantages:

-The ability to drive a car in poor or critically low visibility conditions;
-The ability to use a tool, weapon, or other devices with both free hands;
-It is easy to tilt the device's lenses back and start aiming if you find the desired animal or enemy.

The device does not have a zoom function (with rare exceptions), making it possible to adequately assess the distances and sizes of the surrounding landscape elements. As a result, we have before us one of the most comfortable means of night orientation, especially for forest thickets or urban "jungle."

Sights

A night vision sight is, in fact, a monocular. Only an aiming mark is applied to its visual field. It is designed for serious overloads that the weapon's recoil creates when fired, and some additional functions and capabilities are also provided in the design of this device.

Various night vision manufacturers use various methods of technical implementation of night vision to find both digital models and models on image intensifier tubes and thermal imagers. Of course, the range of prices and characteristics will be very, very large with such a variety.

Conclusion

 In general, Mossberg guns are reasonably reliable and inexpensive. Among the shortcomings, one can note a slightly worse, compared to more other competitors, firing accuracy, and the presence of some backlash in the design, leading to the appearance of a very characteristic "clap" sound when flicking the forend (reloading).

As for night vision devices, this is an expensive and complex technique that solves certain problems. Before you buy one or another sample of night vision devices, you should learn the basics, and after that, ask the question, “Do I need a night vision device? Which one? How am I going to use it, what are my goals? How much does a night vision device cost? Am I ready for such costs?".