In fact, this is a second life for the very popular and widespread American Mossberg 500 shotgun, which is popular not only in America, but also in many countries around the globe. This pump-action shotgun is a smooth-bore hunting shotgun that is the leading pump-action shotgun in the United States today. All shotguns of the Mossberg 500 series are distinguished by an affordable price and at the same time are renowned for their reliable operation even in conditions of severe pollution. The weapon was designed by OF Mossberg & Sons, also known simply as Mossberg, which was founded back in 1919 and is still considered the oldest privately owned American company specializing in the production of firearms. The new model inherited the main structural elements from the classic Mossberg 500 pump-action shotgun: the barrel, receiver, trigger mechanism and underbarrel magazine, while the rest of the shotgun parts are ATI products.
The ATI Scorpion version differs from the base model of a pump-action shotgun by the presence of three Picatinny slats (two located on the barrel, another on the receiver), an ergonomic pistol grip, a barrel thermal housing and a six-position telescopic butt that absorbs the recoil force. In addition, a cover with 6 removable holders of cartridges appeared on the receiver of the weapon. All of the above accessories are manufactured by ATI, and they are also on sale. Thanks to this, all owners of the Mossberg 500 pump shotgun can purchase them independently, having assembled the ATI Scorpion model in their homes. But in this case, tuning a gun will be released on 30-50% more than just buying an Mossberg 500 ATI Scorpion assembly, the price of a new shotgun in the US market is about 580-650 dollars (the manufacturer's recommended price is 588 dollars). At the same time, the weapon is produced only in the 12 caliber and is equipped with a barrel gantry designed for 6 cartridges.
The shotgun is equipped with a TactLite T4 butt, which is fully adjustable. The butt is equipped with a back plate and does not have elements that would cling to the equipment and the shooter’s clothing, plus the TactLite T4 offers double-sided QD attachment points and a sash designed for a gun belt, which is located above the pistol grip. The sling can be located on the left or on the right side for the convenience of the shooter. The ATI Halo free floating heat shield allows you to prevent any possible contact between the weapon’s owner’s arms and the barrel.
The standard, time-tested Mossberg 500 pump gun was taken as the basis for the creation of this modernization. A barrel with a 467 mm long cylindrical channel is placed on it, an ATI heat shield with two Picatinny strips is installed over the barrel, the length of the slats is 6,9 cm (located on each side of the shotgun). They are installed between the barrel and the magazine of the magazine, at a distance of approximately 4 cm from the muzzle of the weapon. 6 12 / 70 ammunition caliber cartridges easily fit into an existing magazine. It is possible to supply weapons with a magazine capacity limiter, but removing it is not a particular problem.
In addition, the side saddle (base) of ATI Halo Side Saddle was installed on the shotgun receiver, the element is made of anodized aluminum. You can attach to it without special problems up to 9 holders for ATI cartridges (3 on the right side and 6 on the left side). In addition, ATI Halo Side has holes for installation on top of another Picatinny rail. In the center of the slat was a groove that serves as a whole. It is paired with a rectangular-shaped front sight, which is located at the end of the heat shield.
All this splendor is completed by ATI's Akita polymeric handguard and the Scorpion TacLite stock produced by the same company. The shape of the forearm (its diameter is 5,71 cm) provides the shooter with a full grip, and the TacLite stock has an impressive range of adjustment of the distance from the butt pad to the trigger - 83,8 mm. Butt can be fixed in six positions, and also has an adjustable comb. Although it is not possible to adjust the position of the ridge as quickly as we would like, such an opportunity makes it possible to achieve the correct positioning of the shooter’s eye and open sights or an optical sight.
The butt of an ergonomic shape helps to soften a noticeable impact when fired, so shooting with a pumping rifle is quite comfortable. The shape of the forearm, butt, as well as the weight of the gun help the shooter quickly enough to make the second and subsequent shots from it. The weight of an unloaded weapon is 3,06 kg, according to information from the Mossberg website. In this case, experts note the convenience of the rubber lining, located on the back of the pistol grip. It can be called a pleasant feature of the Mossberg 500 ATI Scorpion model, it feels good with the palm and, of course, contributes to ease of operation and grip density, does not allow slipping.
Of the shortcomings of this weapon, experts point out that it is inconvenient to reach the fuse, which is located on the top of the receiver. This flaw applies to all Mossberg 500 pump guns with pistol grip. As satirically noted in some editions, if your palm is not the same size as a gorilla's paw, then you will have to loosen the grip in order to turn off or turn on the fuse. In addition, someone may not like the lack of a front swivel on a model. However, you can always buy a belt clip on the market, which you can install on the front plate yourself, so this is not the biggest problem.
Tactical and technical characteristics of Mossberg 500 ATI Scorpion:
Caliber - 12-th.
The type of mechanism - pump.
Length - 924 mm.
Barrel length - 467 mm.
Weight - 3,06 kg.
Magazine capacity - 6 cartridges.
Information sources:
http://sportingshot.ru/articles/mossberg_500_ati_scorpion
http://warspot.ru/4651-vtoraya-zhizn-legendarnogo-drobovika
https://www.all4shooters.com/ru/strelba/ruzhya/Mossberg-500-ATI-Scorpion-pompovyy-drobovik
Open source materials