Courtesy of Tactical Life
Short-barreled shotguns look serious and intimidating. They’re handy in tight spaces and pack a punch well above their weight class in most cases. Traditionally, they’ve also been National Firearms Act (NFA) regulated items that require a $200 tax stamp, all of the associated paperwork and wait times of six months or longer, depending on how quickly the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (BATFE) can process requests. So, while a stubby scattergun is appealing to many shooters for defense work, their appeal is somewhat limited due to the additional cost and paperwork that has always gone along with them. But what if you could legally get a similar class of weapon without all of the extra cost and paperwork? Then you’d have the new Mossberg Shockwave.
Defying Labels
When I wandered up to the Mossberg shooting line during Industry Day at the 2017 SHOT Show, I was greeted by three stubby, pistol-gripped shotguns. I first thought it was neat to see Mossberg jumping into the factory short-barreled shotgun (SBS) and “any other weapon” (AOW) game. But as it turned out, I was only partially correct. There were indeed two AOWs there—the 590 and 500 Compact Cruisers—with pistol grips and 10.25- and 7.5-inch barrels respectively, but the third gun had a 14-inch barrel and sported a Shockwave Raptor bird’s-head grip.
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Photos courtesy of Tactical Life
