American Shooting Journal – August 2019

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T

his year, one of America’s great firearms manufacturers turns 100 years

old. Founded in 1919, O.F. Mossberg & Sons grew a reputation for

producing quality, innovative guns for the civilian market at reasonable

prices. Their engineering creativity is in evidence in more than 100

design and utility patents they originated.

Since 1961 the product most readily associated with the company has been

their excellent Model 500 pump shotgun. In 1970, twin action bars replaced

the single one and this shotgun remains a flagship product to this day with over

12 million sold. The popularity of the Model 500 tends to obscure the fact that

Mossberg made just about everything at one time or another: self-defense pistols,

bolt-action, lever-action and semiauto rifles from .22 to .450 Bushmaster, and

bolt-action, pump and autoloading shotguns from .410-gauge to 12-gauge 3½

inch. In fact, Mossberg pioneered the latter powerful chambering to the delight

of turkey and goose hunters.

The Mossberg philosophy from

the start was to deliver, as a book

title described it, “more gun for the

money.” With efficient design and

manufacturing processes, they kept

costs low and put shooting sports

within the reach of people of modest

means without sacrificing their

products’ performance. No American,

whether they drove a Cadillac or rode

the bus to work, was embarrassed to

say, “I shoot a Mossberg.”

Today, O.F. Mossberg & Sons Inc.

is America’s largest manufacturer of

shotguns and, unlike other big name

American gun makers, the company

is still family-owned and -operated.

Fourth generation Iver Mossberg

is the CEO. He comes to work in

their North Haven, Connecticut,

headquarters every day.

And unlike some corporately owned

or publicly traded gun makers over the

years, Mossberg’s personal dedication

to defending the Second Amendment

has never been questioned. Despite

Connecticut’s firearms manufacturing

A family business with a family atmosphere – Mossberg’s 1945 company softball team.

“The Mossberg philosophy from the start was to deliver, as a book title described it, ‘more

gun for the money,’” writes author and historian Frank Jardim. “No American, whether they

drove a Cadillac or rode the bus to work, was embarrassed to say, ‘I shoot a Mossberg.’”