Mossberg 930 SPX

[neobium]

I have taken my Mossberg 930 SPX out a couple of times to shoot it, and am having some difficulties. The first time, I used target loads (Winchester or Remington, I forget which) and had a couple failures-to-eject (a stovepipe or similar as I recall). Then, this weekend, I bought a box of Winchester target shells at Walmart and had a couple of similar failures and finally around round 12 or so, a showstopping failure. The spent shell remained in the chamber, and the bolt locked up and refused to open. Additionally, a shell fed out of the tube underneath the elevator door, and a second was partially out of the tube. I had to remove the whole trigger assembly to get the shells out from behind the elevator, and also pull the mag tube cap and jerk on the barrel to get the bolt to finally let go.

I called Mossberg, and the tech just said "you can only shoot high-powered shells in that gun" - which I had not heard before. I skimmed the manual, and saw no indication of that at all - and it just sounds ridiculous, anyway. What I HAVE heard on some forums is that it might be best to break the gun in with powerful shells, and then things are smoother afterward.

Anyone have knowledge on this?

[Fallschirmjäger]

Current wisdom (which means we have no statistical evidence to prove it, but it seems to work anyway) is that new 930's seem to appreciate being "broken in" with a few runs with full-strength shells before moving on to anything else. Try a few boxes of full-strength loads, even if they're WallyWorld 3inch turkey loads and see what effect that has.

[Optimus Prime]

I've had issues with the cheap Winchester bulk ammo in my 930 (non-SPX.) Grab some Federal (same price at Wal-mart here) and see how that goes for you, zero issues in mine.

[neobium]

I was thinking I'd try a break in period with some full power ammo, and I also thought the cheapo shells could be a part of the issue (they weren't even brass, something silver, but not steel - aluminum?). But I was surprised at how spectacular the fail was. Two popping out of the mag while the spent one jams and the bolt sticks shut - yikes!

[m24shooter]

The problem with talking to the guys at the service center is that they frequently either have no idea what they're talking about or they are wrong. You don't have to use full power loads, but the shotgun is a defensive intended shotgun and does tend to do better with the hotter loads. That said, I've never really had problems with lighter loads.
It sounds like you may have some cheap rounds that are sticking in the chamber. I've heard of problems with the cheaper value pack type rounds having the alloy in the base expand during firing and gripping any imperfection in the chamber. This isn't just with the 930, but notoriously with the 870 Express and a few others. The cheap stuff is just that: cheap. I would clean the shotgun very well, inside and out. Polish the chamber with some steel wool and a wooden dowel in a drill. Polish, don't remove metal or anything like that. Run some high end rounds through it at or above 1200-1250 fps. I've heard of some people even using 3" slugs for a while in problematic new shotguns and then the problems go away with lighter loads.
It may be that with the gas system shotgun if the bolt locked forward that might have induced the feed problem.
You may also want to try running your gun wetter.

[Not_A_Llama]

I'll just leave a bit of my experience with this gun - mine chokes on the Winchester Universals from Walmart. It's a fail to eject issue that sometimes couples with doublefeeds. It appears the shells aren't powerful enough to cycle the gun. My gun also chokes on Super-X's, and the "Federal Multipurpose". Curiously, the blue-boxed Federal Game Load shells are cheaper than the cheap 4-packs, and work very well - they're speced at 1290 FPS.

My friend's 930SPX eats all ammo perfectly well. Disconcertingly, I sold my Remington 11-87 Police to finance my 930SPX purchase - the Remington fed the Winchesters fine.

The gun's been back to Mossberg once, to no avail. It did get a lot more brass markings on the inside of the receiver, but it doesn't seem much else was done.

I'm curious if anyone with a 930 SPX has had any luck specifically with the Winchester Universals?

[RELOADER1]

Just a quick note: I recently purchased the SPX and have not yet gotten out to fire it. However, after reading several posts on the web about malfunctions and break-in periods, I decided to COMPLETELY disasssemble my new gun to give it a thorough cleaning. Man, am I glad I did! You couldn't imagine the filth and grime I pulled out of this gun. Especially inside of the magazine tube. Before I disassembled the shotgun, I put seven rounds in the mag and cycled it several times. Many times the follower got hung up in the tube resulting in a FTF. Also the action release button was quite stiff and gummy feeling. A thorough cleaning has solved theses issues and I'm looking forward to shooting the gun. Scheduled to go out and shoot it on the 30th of Dec. I will post my experience soon thereafter. Hopefully good news..LOL

[m24shooter]

When you clean the new ones, make sure you get the gas ports. I've heard of some of that funk (which seem to be in ALL Mossbergs) has been found to be fairly solid in the ports, creating malfs. After the crud was cleaned out they did just fine.

[RELOADER1]

Hey guys, as I said before I had planned to shoot my 930 SPX on 12/30. Well, I did make out and I am happy to say that everything went absolutely great. My SPX shot flawlessly with all types of ammo. The first round down the pipe was "el cheapo" low base, low brass, wally world Federal 1oz. #6 bird shot. I shot many, many, many rounds of this stuff (200 to be exact) ( 8 boxes) and the gun refused to malfunction in any way! Please note: there was NO break-in period required to get this gun to function dependably. Like I stated in an earlier post, I gave my SPX a very thorough cleaning before ever attempting to fire it. Some of the things that I did notice were: The rear sight had to be adjusted down about 11 clicks to be on target at 100 yards with a Winchester 1oz slug. After the adjustments the slugs were right on the money. Also, I guess maybe the only complaint I can come up with is the rear sight base or rail worked loose after about 50 rounds. Luckily I had a Leatherman on hand with the appropriate bit attachment to re-tighten the base. That's the best I can do with the con's on the gun. I am absolutely excited about owning this gun! In my opinion it is 100% reliable and worthy of trust in any situation. I think Mossberg got it right on this one guys. Time and usage will be the only testament to it's durability but as far as reliability is concerned my gun gets 5 stars. I've ordered a Tac Star side saddle and heat shield and I will post pics when I get' er done. From what I've read the heat shield will require some modifications. Pics to come.

[m24shooter]

Some guns have required a break in. I think it just the uniqueness of shotguns in general, similar to patterning.
The rails should be checked before you shoot as that is a problem that a lot of people have reported. At least yours had the right screws in them.
I would say Mossberg got it mostly right on the 930 SPX, there are quite a few things they could have done differently and better in terms of design, and a lot they could have done better in QC and service.
Glad your shotgun is working, and hope you have fun with it.

[Force]

I just recently acquired a Mossberg 930 SPX.
Gave it a thorough cleaning, then took it out back for a test run.
Shot a box of Winchester Expert Hi-Velocity #2 shot to start with. No Malfunctions.
Moved to some cheap no name 8 shot. Ran 2 boxes through the 930 with 0 malfunctions.
Finished up with about 10 slugs, and 50 rds of 00 buck.
Again, 0 malfunctions of any kind.
Gun ran like a damn Singer sewing machine ! Ate everything I put in it.

I did notice that the front 2 screws on the receiver mounted pic rail were lose after firing. Blue loc-tite fixed that.

I would like to thank M24Shooter for his excellent review that he started back in 2007.
http://www.weaponevolution.com/forum...ssberg+930+spx
( His review pretty much sealed the deal for me over the Rem 870 Tac)
I added a Tac-star 6 shot side saddle, and a Nordic barrel clamp with Pic rail.
The 930 SPX is now my Patrol shotty of choice.

[m24shooter]

Thanks, glad you liked it. Keep shooting that shotgun!
I will continue to update it, and I'm hoping to have some more stuff written up in the next few months.

[Wastegate]

M24Shooter, I noticed porting on you most recent pics. Who did the port work?

[m24shooter]

That was done through Mike Shain at Aimpro Tactical in Conifer, Colorado.
He's got a good shop and does some great work. I just sent him the FCG for my 590A1 for an overhaul today. He's also got another 930 SPX barrel that he's working on for me.

[BLACK LION]

I just brought my SPX home and I had a "Bulldozer" kit waiting for it. I took it apart and went through it to clean it up a bit and then I frog lubed everything that was metal. I began the process of attaching the Bulldozer rail and when I finally reached the end I ran into a "black swan".
Please tell me how in the hell I get the damn spring back in the mag tube??? Thx...



Sup Force.....