REVIEW: Is your Mossberg 500, 590, Maverick 88 or Shockwave shooting high? Defender Tactical's Highball Brass Bead Kit is an affordable and easy fix

 

Mossberg's 500, 590, Maverick 88 and Shockwave series of pump shotguns are beloved by millions of Americans for home defense, hunting, camping, off-the-gridding, farming and ranching. But there's one problem with them -- they shoot really high from the factory when eqipped with a security length barrel and a bead front site. 

The problem is so pervasive that it has long been the practice of firearms instructors and police trainers to advise students with Mossbergs to "aim for the belt" just to hit center mass. 

The reason for this is that Mossberg's 18.5" and 20" self defense barrels have a front brass bead that sits lower in the sight plane compared to Mossberg's longer 28" hunting barrels. Mossberg's hunting barrels have a "vent rib" over top of the barrel, which raises the bead to the proper height which allows them to shoot to the point of aim.

To illustrate this, here is a photo of my 28" Mossberg 500 Vent Rib Barrel Hunting Barrel over top of my Mossberg 500 18.5" Security Barrel with the factory brass bead:

Photo credit: Rocky Mountain Bushcraft, ©2023 All Rights Reserved

So when you are shooting a Mossberg short-barreled defense shotgun, it can be very frustrating to hit what you are aiming at when you are shooting at longer distances, especially when you are shooting slugs.

Remington solved this problem with their 870 series defense shotguns by creating a raised front sight platform for their self defense barrels which shoot to the same point of aim as their hunting barrels:

Raised Sight on a Turkish Remington 870 clone with an 18.5" security barrel:

Photo credit: Rocky Mountain Bushcraft, ©2023 All Rights Reserved

Unfortunately, Mossberg has still not addressed this issue.

Luckily, the aftermarket has responded to this problem in the form of the XS Big Dot Front Night Sight for Mossberg barrels. The XS Sight is an excellent front sight that corrects the point of aim issue, but it is a lot more expensive ($70 to $90 street price) and more time consuming to install.

Seeing the need for a lower cost, easier to install option, Texas-based company Defender Tactical has come up with a new product called the "Highball Brass Bead" to solve this problem once and for all. 

The Bead

The Highball Brass Bead is a taller, thicker brass bead that allows your Mossberg shotgun to shoot to the point of aim. It is super easy to install (check out Defender Tactical's install video) and is quite a bit thicker than the original bead so that it cannot break easily if the gun is accidentally dropped. The street price for the Highball bead is $15.00.

Mossberg's small/short factory brass bead (left) next to Defender Tactical's taller and beefier Highball Bead (right):

Photo credit: Rocky Mountain Bushcraft, ©2023 All Rights Reserved

Installed on the barrel:

Photo credits: Rocky Mountain Bushcraft, ©2023 All Rights Reserved

Comparison of the 18.5" Security Barrel next to the 28" Vent Rib Hunting Barrel after installation of the Highball Bead:

Photo credit: Rocky Mountain Bushcraft, ©2023 All Rights Reserved

As you can see, the Highball Bead makes up for the lost height from the lack of the vent rib, allowing for the gun to shoot to the point of aim.

The Rear Tang Safety Sight

Although you can buy the Highball Bead by itself, Defender also sent me their Rear Tang Safety Sight to try out with the Highball front bead. You can buy Rear Tang Safety Sight with the Highball Brass Bead as a kit for $25.00.

Manufactured from aircraft grade aluminum, the Rear Tang Safety Sight has a sight line notched into it to act as a rear sight for better sight alignment with the front bead. 

Photo credit: Rocky Mountain Bushcraft, ©2023 All Rights Reserved

It is also shaped to improve upon Mossberg's rather uncomfortable plastic safety switch. The stock plastic safety switch has sharp edges on it which make it uncomfortable to push back and forth.

The Defender Tactical Rear Sight Switch with its higher and smoother profile solves this issue and makes engaging and disengaging the safety much easier. It's also easier to find and manipulate it with your thumb in the dark when under stress compared to the stock plastic safety switch.

Photo credit: Rocky Mountain Bushcraft, ©2023 All Rights Reserved

In case you're wondering what is protruding from the side of the receiver, it is a Made in the USA Grovtec Swivel Stud for attaching their Quick Detach Single Point Bungee Sling (also made in the USA). 

Grovtec's Quick Detach Single Point Bungee Sling has been a great accessory for my Mossberg 500 FLEX Takedown, especially when I have the pistol grip installed. It allows me keep the shotgun firmly and comfortably attached to my body and allows me to go hands free if needed. 

Photo Credit: Grovtec.com

It also acts as a poor man's brace to increase accuracy when aiming my shotgun with the pistol grip. Highly rec'd accessory!

Field Testing

Ok, I have the Highball Brass Bead installed, but does it work as advertised?

To test out the Highball Bead, I grabbed my Mossberg 500 FLEX 12 Gauge, installed my 18.5" Security Barrel on it and set up targets at 25 yards and 50 yards. I then shot them with various slugs using both the original bead and the Highball Bead. 

I found that the Highball Brass Bead completely eliminated the point of aim issue. Here are the results:

Photo credit: Rocky Mountain Bushcraft, ©2023 All Rights Reserved

Yes, this target looks like a confusing mess. But that's because a separate wad struck the target after each shot and made a hole similar to a slug going through it, hence all the circles and notes on the target. 

But if you look carefully (click on the photo to enlarge it), you can see that with the factory brass bead at 25 yards, the shots were hitting at the top of the chest and slightly right. They were hitting slightly right because using just the front bead (with no rear sight obviously), was causing my windage to be slightly off. 

But after installation of the Highball Brass Bead and the Rear Tang Safety Sight, I was putting the slugs right into center mass. 

25 Yards using Fiocchi's excellent Low Recoil 1oz Aero Slugs: 

25 Yards using Federal's 1oz Shorty Slugs:

25 Yards using Remington's Slugger "Managed Recoil" 1oz Slugs:

50 Yards using Fiocchi's 7/8oz Low Recoil Slugs:

Photo credits: Rocky Mountain Bushcraft, ©2023 All Rights Reserved

I absolutely love Fiocchi's 7/8th ounce Low Recoil Slugs. Although they were not as accurate as the Remington Slugger Managed Recoil Slugs in my Mossberg, they are plenty accurate within typical slug distances. But their significant advantage over any other slug I've tried, is that they have very low recoil yet still pack a punch. They are also nearly as light as a 20 Gauge slug. So they are an excellent ultra-light 12 Gauge shell to to throw into a wilderness/backcountry survival kit for bear protection and emergency hunting.

Durability

I saw comments in an online forum wondering if the Defender Highball Brass Bead would break easily due to its taller size. Well, I've had the Highball installed on my Mossberg 500 since May of this year (8 months as the time of this writing). During that time, I have bumped it into a number of hard surfaces while going back and forth from the range without the slightest hint of it bending or breaking.

Despite its taller size, it is much thicker overall than the factory bead. Based on my experience with it so far, I believe it would take a blow hard enough to damage the steel barrel in order to break the Highball bead. 

Final Thoughts

Cons? Just one -- the Defender Highball Bead and Rear Safety Sight kit is made in China. 

According to the owner of Defender Tactical, he would have had to charge double the price if he made the bead and rear safety sight in the United States. He told me that as much as he would have loved to manufacture it here, he felt that gun owners would not be willing to pay that much for a brass bead and rear safety sight. 

I can't argue with him that the culture in America is still "buy whatever is cheapest no matter what evil dictatorship it comes from." 

Hopefully in the near future this attitude will change, because every Chinese product we buy goes towards the building of hypersonic missiles that are being pointed at our Navy ships in the Pacific. 

Origin of manufacturing aside, the Defender Tactical Highball Brass Bead & Rear Tang Safety Sight kit is well made and does exactly what it is supposed to do at a very affordable price. 

4.5 out of 5 Stars (Highly Recommended)

About the author

Jason Schwartz is the Founder and Senior Editor of Rocky Mountain Bushcraft. He is a US Army Veteran, former Red Cross certified Wilderness & Remote First Aid Instructor, and the author of Edible & Medicinal Survival Plants of the Rocky Mountains Pocket Survival Guides. Jason has taught at the Rabbitstick Primitive Skills Gathering in Idaho, Fire to Fire in Utah, and at the Winter Camping Symposium in Minnesota. In addition, he has written articles on bushcraft and survival for Backpacker Magazine and The New Pioneer. 

Email him at rockymountainbushcraft @ hotmail.com (without spaces)

REVIEW: Winchester AA 12 Gauge International Target #7.5 Birdshot Shells- Ultralight Shotgun Shells for Survival Guns

Back in March of 2017, I reviewed Aguila's Ultralight 12 Gauge #7.5 Mini Shells shotgun shells as an option for survival use.

Aguila's Mini Shell is basically a shrunken down 12 Gauge shotshell (only 1 3/4" long) that is extremely light (as light as a 410 shell), yet still throws excellent patterns. 

As great as the little Mini Shell was, it suffered from one major drawback -- price. At roughly $20 for a box of 20 shells, Aguila Mini Shells are more expensive than most 12 Gauge High Brass loads. 

For the budget-minded backcountry trekker, this could be a real deal breaker, especially if you want do a lot of target practice with them.

So I set out in search of an alternative that would give similar performance to the Mini Shells without breaking the bank.

After a bit of searching online, I came across Winchester's 12 Gauge AA 2 3/4" #7.5 International Target Load, which is essentially a 7/8 ounce version of Winchester's popular AA Super Sporting Clays 1 1/8 ounce load. The Winchester AA International Target loads are generally $11-$13 for a box of 25 when you can find them online, so they are roughly half the price of the Aguila MiniShells. 

The SPECS

Winchester's AA International loads are used mainly for international skeet and trap competitions. Moving at a blazing 1,325fps, they feature hardened shot, a high strength hull, AA wads for improved pattern performance, reloadable brass shells, and what Winchester claims is the best in class primer and powder for reliability in the field.  

Winchester AA International 2 3/4" 12 Gauge Target Shells vs Winchester AA 20 Gauge Super Sport 7/8oz Shells

At only 26.1 ounces per 20 shells, the 12 Gauge AA International Loads are nearly as light as 20 shells of Winchester AA #7.5 20 Gauge Super Sport Shells - impressive.

20 shells of Winchester's AA International weighs only 26.1 ounces:

That is only once ounce more than Winchester's 20 Gauge AA 7/8th Ounce Shells:

The real question is, how well do they perform? Light loads often mean thin patterns, so I was curious to see what the patterns looked like on some rabbit, squirrel and turkey targets.

FIELD TEST

25 Yards from an H&R/NEF Pardner Single Shot Shotgun with a Modified Choke on a rabbit target:

25 Yards from an Stoeger Double Barrel Coach Gun Shotgun with an Improved Choke on a rabbit target:

35 Yards from an H&R/NEF Pardner Single Shot Shotgun with a Modified Choke on a Birchwood Casey splattering squirrel target:

35 Yards from an Stoeger Double Barrel Coach Gun Shotgun with an Improved Choke on a Birchwood Casey splattering squirrel target:

Even at 50 yards, the AA International load still produced enough of a pattern out of the H&R/NEF Single Shot to have multiple hits on this squirrel target:

35 Yards from an H&R/NEF Pardner Single Shot Shotgun with a Modified Choke on a Birchwood Casey splattering turkey target:

FINAL THOUGHTS

As shown in the field tests above, the Winchester AA International 12 Gauge Shells performed excellent. They give up very little in pattern density to heavier 1oz and 1 1/8oz shells. 

Although not as super ultralight as the tiny Aguila MiniShells, whatever they lose in weight advantage to the MiniShells, they make up for with superior velocity and harder, deeper penetrating shot. 

This makes Winchester's AA 12 Gauge International Target Shells an excellent ammo choice for bush pilots, snowmobiler's, ATV'ers, canoeists and other backcountry adventurers who like to pack a shotgun and keep their pack weight to a minimum. 

5 out of 5 Stars (Highly Recommended)

About the author

Jason Schwartz is the Founder and Senior Editor of Rocky Mountain Bushcraft. He is an Army veteran, former Red Cross certified Wilderness & Remote First Aid Instructor, and the author of Edible & Medicinal Survival Plants of the Rocky Mountains Pocket Guides. Jason has also written articles on bushcraft and survival for The New Pioneer and Backpacker Magazine Email him at rockymountainbushcraft @ hotmail.com (without spaces)

Review: Aguila Ammunition 12 Gauge "MiniShell"- A Game Changing Round for Wilderness Survival Shotguns

All photos ©2017 Rocky Mountain Bushcraft/Jason Schwartz

A 12 Gauge shell that's as light as a .410 shell, yet patterns significantly better......

The 12 Gauge Shotgun is probably the most flexible and efficient bush gun ever made. With the ability to shoot birdshot, buckshot and slugs, it can be used to hunt any land animal in North America. This makes the 12 Gauge an excellent survival gun, with one huge caveat-- ammo weight.

12 Gauge Shells are HEAVY. Just one 25 round box of Low Brass Birdshot Shells weighs in at a hefty 2lbs 6oz.

This means that if you were to carry just two boxes of 12 Gauge shells in your pack, it would be like carrying the weight of a full size wool army blanket!

This is the reason why survival shotguns have traditionally come in .410 Bore. .410 shells are much lighter and easier to carry than 12 Gauge Shells.

Now, all that has changed.

Enter Aguila Ammunition's new 12 Gauge "MiniShell:"

The MiniShell is a shortened 1 3/4" Shotgun shell with a 5/8 ounce load of #7.5 Birdshot. MinShells are amazingly light, weighing the same as a .410 3/4 ounce shell. 

To illustrate this, here is a box of 20 MiniShells weighed on a USPS Digital Postal Scale:

Here is a box of 20 Winchester .410 3" #7.5 Birdshot 3/4 oz shells weighed on the same scale:

Visual comparison of the MiniShell and .410 3/4oz shell next to each other:

I also weighed twenty Winchester AA 20 Gauge 7/8 Ounce shells to see how they compare with the .410 and 12 Gauge MiniShells. At 25.1 ounces, the 20 Gauge shells were 6 ounces heavier than the .410 3/4 oz shells and Aguila 12 Gauge MiniShells:

The Aguila MiniShell in between two full sized 12 Gauge birdshot shells:

FIELD TEST

To test the Aguila MiniShell, I wanted to see how well it would perform next to Winchester's .410 3/4oz shell.

The guns I used for the test were my trusty New England Firearms Pardner 12 Gauge Single Shot Shotgun (shown above), and my Chiappa .410 Double Badger, which has a 19" Barrel and a fixed full choke:

©Rocky Mountain Bushcraft/Monica Tymcio 2013

The Pardner, produced by Harrington & Richardson (H&R), was sadly discontinued in 2013. It has a 28" Barrel, fixed Modified choke, and a crisp 4lb trigger. Pardner shotguns are dead reliable and throw great patterns. They can easily be converted into a lightweight takedown survival shotgun with the addition of a Choate Survivor Stock. In my opinion, the Pardner shotguns were the finest single shot shotguns ever made.

Testing

I decided to test both shells at 35 yards using Birchwood Casey PREGAME 12" x 18" Squirrel Targets to see how both would perform. These targets are nice because they show where each pellet hits with a bright, easy to see "splatter" effect.

The results were surprising. The target on the left is the Winchester .410 3/4 ounce shell. The target on the right is the 12 Gauge MiniShell:

As you can see, the difference is startling. At 35 Yards, the 410 has run out of steam and is at the end of its effective range:

The 12 Gauge MiniShell, which weighs exactly the same as the 410 3/4 oz shell, is still going strong at this distance and literally covered the target with pellets:

Conclusion

Overall, I am extremely impressed with Aguila's 12 Gauge MiniShells, and believe they are a game changer for wilderness survival shotguns. Not only is the MiniShell as light as a .410 3/4 ounce shell, it patterns significantly better. It also has the same blast and recoil of a .410, which would make it great for training new shooters on a 12 Gauge.

Criticisms? Yes, two minor ones. The first is that Aguila only offers their MiniShell in #7.5 Birdshot. #7.5 shot will get you by in a survival situation, but it is generally too light for rabbits, squirrels, pheasants, turkeys, etc. A #6 Birdshot option would greatly expand the usefulness of this shell for hunting. 

Second is the price-- at $13-$16 for each box of twenty, these shells are more expensive than most full size high brass offerings from most manufacturers.

Criticisms aside, I think these shells are fantastic for survival use or for training new shooters on a 12 Gauge.

Because of their light weight, they finally give bush pilots, canoeists, field researchers, 4x4 and ATV enthusiasts and other outdoor adventurers the ability to carry enough ammo to make the 12 Gauge a viable wilderness survival gun.

 5 out of 5 Stars (Highly Recommended)

Aguila MiniShells are available from AmmoFast.com- https://www.ammofast.com/collections/12-gauge/products/aguila-12-gauge-minishell-1-3-4-inch-7-5-shot-20-round-box

SHOT Show 2014: First Impression Review- Chiappa M6 and X-Caliber Folding Survival Rifles- Release date planned for April

(Photo credits: Rocky Mountain Bushcraft, ©2014 All Rights Reserved)

Come April, Chiappa Firearms plans to release what could be two of the hottest survival firearms in years-- the Chiappa M6 and X-Caliber folding survival guns. Both guns feature either a 20 gauge or 12 gauge shotgun barrel over a .22 Long Rifle Barrel, and both fold in half to a very compact length of 18.5" by simply pulling down on the extended trigger guard:

Since they are able to be folded in half, these guns can be carried inside a backpack or stowed in tight spaces, such as the cockpit of a small aircraft or the utility box of an off-road vehicle, should a survival situation happen in a remote area. It also allows the guns to be easily cleaned without having to disassemble them.

Both guns are loosely based on the US Air Force's famed M6 Aircrew Survival Weapon which, during the 1950s and 1960s, was issued to air crews to help them forage for food in the event of a plane crash.

The original US Air Force M6 Aircrew Survival Weapon 

(photo credit: Wikpedia)

When the Air Force was conducting research for a new survival weapon, they found that a shotgun, paired with a .22 caliber rifle, was more effective than a typical single barreled rifle for an aircrew facing a wilderness survival situation. The shotgun gave a wider margin of marksmanship error when hunting birds or small game. This was especially important considering that crew members could be injured, hypothermic, or under severe stress. Meanwhile the rifle allowed more precise, long range shots in open territory, giving the M6 great flexibility.

Chiappa M6 (20 Gauge over .22LR)

The Chiappa M6, aptly named after the aforementioned Air Force survival weapon, features an 18.5" long, 20 Gauge shotgun barrel over a .22 Long Rifle rimfire barrel. It is constructed of blued steel, and the shotgun barrel will come chambered for up to 3" shells. The rear sight is fully adjustable, and the front sight is a high visibility fiber optic sight. The M6 also has a Picatinny rail system for easy mounting of optics or lighting systems.

(click to enlarge)

(Photo credits: Rocky Mountain Bushcraft, ©2014 All Rights Reserved)

The shotgun bore will have either a fixed improved choke or open cylinder bore choke, allowing it to safely shoot shotgun slugs.

The skeletonized metal butt stock is filled with what Chiappa touts as a super tough, yet lighweight polypropylene foam. This foam is supposed to reduce recoil when shooting the shotgun barrel, and also provides a place to store extra ammunition as well as a cleaning kit, which is included with the gun.

(Photo credits: Rocky Mountain Bushcraft, ©2014 All Rights Reserved)

The M6 comes with an internal hammer/double trigger system, an inherently more reliable setup than a single trigger. Should one of the triggers malfunction, the gun still has another hammer/trigger that can shoot the remaining barrel. Definitely a good feature to have in a worst case scenario.

(Photo credits: Rocky Mountain Bushcraft, ©2014 All Rights Reserved)

SPEC SHEET:

Chiappa X-Caliber (12 Gauge over .22 Long Rifle)

The X-Caliber model is identical to the M6 except that it has a 12 gauge barrel, and most notably, a set of 8 caliber adapters that allow the gun to shoot a remarkably wide range of ammo, including 20 Gauge, 410 Gauge/45 Colt, 45ACP, 44 Magnum, .40S&W, .357 Magnum/.38 Special, 9mm and .380ACP. When you count all the types of ammo this gun can handle, it comes out to a whopping 12 different calibers.

(Photo credits: Rocky Mountain Bushcraft, ©2014 All Rights Reserved)

(The production model X-Caliber will come with a total of 8 adapters instead of the 6 shown in the SHOT Show sample below)

(Photo credits: Rocky Mountain Bushcraft, ©2014 All Rights Reserved)

SPEC SHEET:

To give a better perspective on how small the M6 and X-Caliber are when folded, here is the X-Caliber next to my diminutive Kelty Redtail 30 Daypack:

(Photo credits: Rocky Mountain Bushcraft, ©2014 All Rights Reserved)

MSRP for the 20 Gauge M6 is expected to be around $375.00, and the 12 Gauge X-Caliber w/ Adapters is expected to retail for $749.00.

Will the Chiappa M6 and X-Caliber be the ultimate survival/camping/prepper guns? Find out! Check back here in April when we post a full field review of these cool new guns!

UPDATE!- Chiappa X-Caliber and M6 Folding Survival Rifles

About the author

Jason Schwartz is the founder and senior editor of Rocky Mountain Bushcraft. He is a former Red Cross certified Wilderness & Remote First Aid Instructor and has taught bushcraft and wilderness survival techniques to the Boy Scouts of America, interned with the US Forest Service, and studied wilderness survival, forestry and wildland firefighting at Colorado Mountain College in Leadville, Colorado. In addition, Jason has written for magazines such as The New Pioneer and Backpacker, including writing the "Tinder Finder" portion of Backpacker's "Complete Guide to Fire," which won a 2015 National Magazine Award (NMA), the magazine equivalent to a Pulitzer Prize. Email him at rockymountainbushcraft @ hotmail.com (without spaces)