I took a new Mossberg 590 Special Purpose 12 ga. pump shotgun to the range today for the purpose of patterning different 00 buck rounds that are available on the market.
This range report is not intended to be the "end all" report on this weapon or the rounds fired. It remains IMHO, up to each person to zero, test fire and pattern any ammunition from any weapon used for self defense.
So here we have the selected rounds for today's test. All fired from 10 yards off hand. Some may ask "why ten yards?" Well again, to each his/her own based on the layout of their home. 10 yards is "hallway distance" for us and so that is why I chose that distance arbitrarily. Again, please consider doing your own test firing and "patterning".
From L-R we have Winchester 12 ga. 2-3/4" Super-X® Buckshot (very basic), Hornady Critical Defense 2-3/4" 00 buck with Versa-Tite wad, Federal Premium Vital Shok 2-3/4" 00 buck (note the higher brass), Federal Premium LE tactical 2-3/4" 00 buck (note the lower brass), Hornady TAP® FPD™ Mag 00 2-3/4" Buckshot .
![Image]()
I am not going to make commentary on every round with the exception of at the end. Pictures basically tell the story. I would only suggest what I intend to use personally based upon what I saw today at the range. Draw your own conclusions, do your own homework I suppose.
First up we have the Winchester 12 ga. 2-3/4" Super-X® Buckshot
![Image]()
Next up we have the Hornady TAP
![Image]()
Now, Hornady Critical Defense
![Image]()
Now we have Federal Vital Shok
![Image]()
And now you may be wondering what about a picture of the famed Federal LE tactical (low brass). Well, as Mr. Murphy would have it, the picture did not make it though on the camera phone. I will say that there seems to be no difference between either of the Federal loads that use the Flite Control technology. So, if you cannot get your hands on Federal LE Tactical, the Vital Shok is just as good with a little more felt recoil.
In summary, the Mossberg 590 itself is a solid shotgun, I have no complaints. I chose that model over the famed and venerable 870 because of where the slide release button is located (behind and not in front of the trigger guard). I own both Mossbergs and Remingtons in 12 and 20 flavored models. Both are solid, it is simply a matter of personal preference.
Now, what round have I chosen?
Even though you cannot see the picture, the tight pattern of the Federal LE Tactical and what is pictured for the Federal Vital Shot (both with Flite Control), are clearly at the top IMHO. But if you noted, the Hornady TAP was a very solid second in my book. Hornady critical Defense and standard Winchester 00 buck are ones that I would not choose for my HD set up.
With that said, if that is what you have in your shotgun they will do the damage hands down. My test was simply about what I wanted to see in a pattern for my needs. This was a very un-scientific test conducted by a novice at such research (me). I hope that some of you found it interesting and maybe helpful in narrowing down what you may want to buy before doing your own testing. Premium shotgun ammo is not cheap at around $7-$8 per five rounds.
Regards to all, stay safe out there.
Fin
This range report is not intended to be the "end all" report on this weapon or the rounds fired. It remains IMHO, up to each person to zero, test fire and pattern any ammunition from any weapon used for self defense.
So here we have the selected rounds for today's test. All fired from 10 yards off hand. Some may ask "why ten yards?" Well again, to each his/her own based on the layout of their home. 10 yards is "hallway distance" for us and so that is why I chose that distance arbitrarily. Again, please consider doing your own test firing and "patterning".
From L-R we have Winchester 12 ga. 2-3/4" Super-X® Buckshot (very basic), Hornady Critical Defense 2-3/4" 00 buck with Versa-Tite wad, Federal Premium Vital Shok 2-3/4" 00 buck (note the higher brass), Federal Premium LE tactical 2-3/4" 00 buck (note the lower brass), Hornady TAP® FPD™ Mag 00 2-3/4" Buckshot .
I am not going to make commentary on every round with the exception of at the end. Pictures basically tell the story. I would only suggest what I intend to use personally based upon what I saw today at the range. Draw your own conclusions, do your own homework I suppose.
First up we have the Winchester 12 ga. 2-3/4" Super-X® Buckshot
Next up we have the Hornady TAP
Now, Hornady Critical Defense
Now we have Federal Vital Shok
And now you may be wondering what about a picture of the famed Federal LE tactical (low brass). Well, as Mr. Murphy would have it, the picture did not make it though on the camera phone. I will say that there seems to be no difference between either of the Federal loads that use the Flite Control technology. So, if you cannot get your hands on Federal LE Tactical, the Vital Shok is just as good with a little more felt recoil.
In summary, the Mossberg 590 itself is a solid shotgun, I have no complaints. I chose that model over the famed and venerable 870 because of where the slide release button is located (behind and not in front of the trigger guard). I own both Mossbergs and Remingtons in 12 and 20 flavored models. Both are solid, it is simply a matter of personal preference.
Now, what round have I chosen?
Even though you cannot see the picture, the tight pattern of the Federal LE Tactical and what is pictured for the Federal Vital Shot (both with Flite Control), are clearly at the top IMHO. But if you noted, the Hornady TAP was a very solid second in my book. Hornady critical Defense and standard Winchester 00 buck are ones that I would not choose for my HD set up.
With that said, if that is what you have in your shotgun they will do the damage hands down. My test was simply about what I wanted to see in a pattern for my needs. This was a very un-scientific test conducted by a novice at such research (me). I hope that some of you found it interesting and maybe helpful in narrowing down what you may want to buy before doing your own testing. Premium shotgun ammo is not cheap at around $7-$8 per five rounds.
Regards to all, stay safe out there.
Fin
