Looking for any information that folks have using the 930 JM pro for 3-gun. It looks like a great gun and I have located one locally to buy, but would like some opinions before I purchase.
V /R
Bowietx
From what I have read its a good starter gun but they are hit/miss if they will be reliable. Seems that some run everything and others hiccup a lot. The ones that run good people enjoy them.
Thanks for the info, is the problem with moving from bird shot to slugs or just different manufacturers of ammo?
V/R
Bowietx
You hear a lot of negative reports but some people have great luck as well. They are a little finicky with some ammo, especially light loads. It’s worth a try though, you won’t have any trouble finding a buyer if you decide it’s not for you and need to sell it.
Do you want to buy once or twice? GH
How much is the JM pro locally to you? If its too much then go with something else.
I can buy the PRO for 600 which seems very reasonable compared to what I have seen online. I only like to buy once, that said what are you suggesting as an alternative? Since I am just starting out with this to see if it is something that I would like to participate in the 1500-2000 shotguns seem to be a little excessive.
Keep it clean and after it breaks in it should be fine.
The only ones I’ve seen personally have issues were not cleaned or broken in or both. And some bad ammo.
Mines run a handful of matches, not many, but never had a malf in the match.
mig1nc,
Thanks for the empirical data regarding your experiences with the gun. What type of ammo have you been using to this point and how long was the break in period?
Hah, well, I’d hardly call it empirical.
I’ve only shot cheap stuff from big box stores. Federal Champion, Winchester target loads, stuff like that. I’ve done some of the Olin “military grade 00 buck” and Breneke (sp?) slugs as well as one other brand of slugs that I forget.
Almost all of the birdshot is 7 1/2 - 1 1/8. I’ve seen too many shooters fail to knock over steel plates in a 3-gun match to want to shoot anything lighter than that.
I will tell you that the 930 seems to like the heavier birdshot, so ammo selection could be one of the problems people are reporting.
I don’t know what other people are using.
Basically, what I did was take mine out of the box and start shooting it out at a buddy’s place outside of town. Had a few failure to feed initially that were either caused by or caused a deformed round (I don’t know which is the truth). A quick rack always cleared it. I only ever had that problem with Federal Champion.
After a few hundred rounds, it was thoroughly cleaned. Haven’t had a single malfunction since, and that is 3 matches, a class, and some fun shooting later.
I have a buddy who also has not had any malfunctions (he has the shorter one, I think it is 22").
However I have seen a couple of people take it right out of the box and shoot it at a match or fun shoot and had failure to feeds with it. I don’t if it was ammo related, unclean, or operator induced.
There’s a pretty big thread on this issue on the Brian Enos forum. Lots of commentary on both sides of the argument.
If you are a gun gamer, you might want to check out Brian’s forum as it is specifically for gun gamers compared with here, which is more oriented to serving our brave Mil/LE community.
http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=176494&hl=
Want a more proven shotgun for just a little more here is a nice Fn SLP.
I have one, I like it, and it’s been reliable once Mossberg sent me a new trigger group because the first lifter was cocked to the side. I got the gun because it’s relatively inexpensive for something I don’t use much.
That being said, if you have the money, buy a better shotgun. I wish I had.
ETA: That SLP looks like a hell of a deal.
I was having issues with mine before I sold it… Mid-mag (around the 5th shot) regardless of ammo, the bolt would lock open and not chamber the next round. I’d hit the bolt release, and it’d spit out the next two rounds into my hand. I had about 200 rounds through it, so I took a file and buffed/sanded down the little claw that held the shells in the tube. Still didn’t fix it, and not being able to figure it out I lined up a sale in favor of getting a pump again.
Right before I met the guy I emptied the mag tube (kept it loaded/unchambered in the safe)… Got to about the 5th round (9 shot tube) of hand cycling, and the 5th round wouldn’t come out. In fact, it was lodged about 2 inches into the tube and the remaining rounds would slide back and forth in the tube without any spring pressure. I almost called the guy and said I wouldn’t sell it, now that I realized that the issue was not the claw thing in the receiver, but the mag follower was too wide and/or the mag tube narrowed in the middle of the tube. Buuut, had already bought a new 590 and so I kind of had to let it go for a loss.
Other than the aggravation of trying to diagnose the issues and dealing with the bolt sticking open about 50% of the time I shot it, I really liked the gun. I never got around to running it in competitions, but I’m assuming it’d be the bee’s knees if it ran right. I just got impatient, and prefer a pump gun.
Go to brianenos.com and read up the threads relating to the 930 JM in this sub forum http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showforum=49
Lots of info about the JM, good and bad points.
I purchased a 3rd gen 930 SPX and it has run like a clock for about 500 rounds.
I broke it down completely and cleaned it, lubed as per the manual. I then proceed to run about 100 each of Remington targetload, Winchester white box target load, then moved on to Low recoil 00 buck and slugs to see if the 930 would eat what makes alot of semi-auto shotguns choke. I didnt have one failure of any sort as far as the weapon firing or loading. I did have a couple of occasions where I could only feed 5 rounds into the tube. I also noticed that the finish on the receiver of the Mossberg seemed to be overly delicate and susceptible to abrasion all the way to the metal. Nothing a layer of cerakote wont take of though.
I was about to spring for the FN SLP but having to change pistons depending on the load you are using did not sound optimal for a shot costing over 1k. I am glad I spent $730 and not $1200. I bought a good flashlight and mount, tritium front sight insert plus some ammo with my savings and still have a solid dependable shotgun.
thanks for the additional information I am reading about the gun in the brianenos forums and I appreciate hearing about the experiences with 500rds so far and no malfunction. It appears that quality control may be an issue and has definitely given me pause on the purchase.
The major issues I have read about and experienced with my JM930 are: weak firing pin hits leading to failure to fire, fixed with a XP Ruger 1022 hammer spring, misfeeds from mags, often due to rough face of shell stop, and issues when gas piston and rings get dirty. Also, the JM tends to shoot slugs really high. Fixed with barrel bending by someone who has done this before, or in my case with a taller front bead. Also had a hole drilled and tapped for a mid rib bead.
I’ve been shooting 3 Gun for a year and a half now, and I have yet to see a Mossberg auto make it through a match without having problems. I don’t know what their problems are because I have never cared to ask the shooters, and I won’t speculate on what the problems “could” be, but based on what I’ve seen it’s not something I’d recommend to anyone.
As mig1nc, I’ve had very good luck with mine overall. Though learned some very important lessons setting it up. Keep the gas rings clean and dry is the most important and it will run 6 -7.5 Win Super target all day long. I paid $550 for my 22 inch OTD, added a XXL Nordic cap to make it 9 +1 capacity, I dremeled out the loading port myself and had C-Rums do the lifter slot and weld.
I think it’s all in the care you take to set it up, the guys I shoot with have all have a variety of shottys for 3-gun Benelli’s, FN SLP and Versa’s. They have all had there issues… no gun is 100% out of the gate. Though I do agree, you get what you pay for… I don’t believe the 930 Pro to be bad value at all.