34 American Shooting Journal // August 2019advantage of this.
The shorter barreled Shockwave
is much handier on the business end
than the old-style 18-inch-barreled
shotguns and it requires no NFA
registration or tax stamp. A 14-inch
barrel also puts your pumping hand
uncomfortably close to the muzzle, so
all Shockwaves come equipped with a
retention strap on the forend that you
slip your fingers through to hold them
out of harm’s way. They also use a
heavy-walled barrel like the standard
590 and have Mossberg’s familiar and
convenient sliding safety on the tang.
The 14.3-inch-barreled, 12-, 20- and
.410-gauge Shockwaves use a tubular
magazine with a five-round capacity
with 2¾-inch shells (four rounds with
3-inch shells).
For the most firepower for your
buck, the 590M Shockwave is designed
to feed from Mossberg’s patented
detachable box magazines available in
five-, 10-, 15- and 20-round capacities.
The Mossberg magazine is by far
the best designed and most rugged
on the market, made of polymer
and steel with a solid lock up in the
receiver, ambidextrous release, and a
surprisingly compact size because the
shells are double stacked.
Because it acts like a lever, the
Shockwave grip is much easier to
support and fire one-handed than
the old vertical pistol grip. However,realistically, one-handed shooting is
less than ideal with a 5-pound firearm
packing this kind of punch. Aiming
from the hip or chest provides better
accuracy, but the Shockwave, like its
vertical pistol-grip predecessors, was
still of limited practical use beyond
extreme close range. Fortunately, there
was a game-changing solution near
at hand in the Crimson Trace Laser
Saddle sight, which is now a factory
installed option.
Crimson Trace saw that laser
sighting was the Shockwave’s missing
component and designed a sight for
the application. Mossberg agreed
and was instantly on board. The red
laser dot takes the guesswork out of
aiming the Shockwave when held in
positions that don’t permit sighting
over the barrel. In other words, all
the positions that you would be able
to best control it and keep control
of it in a dangerous encounter. With
the laser sight, the 590 Shockwave is
a formidably accurate and powerfultool of self-defense that can be
effectively brought to bear by a person
with minimal firearms experience or
training. Home invaders beware!
The Crimson Trace Laser Saddle
fits closely over the receiver, has
three activation touch pads, is fully
adjustable for windage and elevation,
and has a long battery life extended
by its timed automatic shut-off
feature. It also fits any Mossberg
500 or 590 series shotgun. The 590
Shockwave has several other factory
options, like a five-round extra shell
carrier, breecher muzzle, barrel heat
shield, 18-inch barrel, Picatinny rail,
and even a chainsaw-style foregrip.
The MSRP on the 12-gauge 590
Shockwave is $455 without the
Crimson Trace Laser Saddle, and
$595 with it. Online retail is more like
$300 and $450, respectively. Editor’s note: For more information on
Mossberg products, contact your local
firearms retailer or visit mossberg.com.590 Shockwave with
Crimson Trace Laser
Saddle Option
590M Shockwave
Magazines for the
590M Shockwave are
available in five-, 10-,
15- and 20-round
capacities.