Mossberg Gold Reserve

When shotgunners think of Mossberg, over/unders don’t typically come to mind. The company is better known for its pumpguns and autoloaders—utilitarian smoothbores for waterfowl, upland birds, clays, deer and more. But Mossberg has offered over/unders for years, and this past January the company launched its Reserve Series of O/Us to replace/update its Silver Reserve II Series. The new line consists of the Silver Reserve —a field model available in 12, 20 and 28 gauge; .410; and a 20-gauge Youth model—and the Gold Reserve—a sporting gun that comes in 12 and 20 gauge as well as .410. The guns are made in Turkey, and all are reasonably priced. We took a look at a Gold Reserve to see how the clay-crusher measured up.

Photo by Michael O'Neil

With the Gold Reserve designed for taking targets, we chose the range as our proving ground. The gun performed admirably, digesting everything from 118-oz heavy game loads to 78-oz low-recoil shells with nary a hiccup. The safety was a bit stiff and rough on the thumb, but the barrel selector worked fine. And those trigger pulls . . . . Certainly they were heavy enough to make a liability lawyer grin, but they were way too stout for a clays gun and would need adjusting. The gun’s weight (7 pounds 2 ounces on our postal scale) helped absorb recoil, and the forward bias (the gun balanced 1½" in front of the hinge pin) helped with long crossing shots and follow-through. The ejectors kicked out empties with authority. All in all, the Gold Reserve was a solid performer, and it would be an excellent choice for a shooter interested in a dependable O/U that’s good value for money.

Price (including black plastic case, owner’s manual, choke wrench and trigger lock): $983.
For more information, contact Mossberg International.


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