One firearm that's stirred up a lot of scuttlebutt this year is the Mossberg 590 Shockwave. On pure intimidation factor alone, the abbreviated pump-action is worth jawing about. But there's more to this little black demon than just its devilish good looks.
As Mossberg‘s Linda Powell explains in the above video, there is plenty of innovation that has gone into the Mossberg 590 Shockwave. First and foremost is its overall configuration, which allows the scattergun to escape NFA regulation. The 590 Shockwave's technical classification with the ATF is as a firearm — not a short-barreled shotgun — given its overall length and the fact it never had a buttstock, instead boasting a factory-installed pistol grip. By ATF definition, a shotgun is “designed or redesigned, made or remade, and intended to be fired from the shoulder…” These details have allowed Mossberg to save shooters the headaches of paperwork, wait times and taxes.
The Connecticut gunmaker has also produced a relatively comfortable firearm to shoot in the process, despite the Shockwave's wrist-snapping appearance. This is due to the gun's most prominent feature — the bird's head grip, which more readily dissipates recoil compared to a traditional pistol grip.
To discover all the features of the Mossberg 590 Shockwave and to see why its flying off shelves, watch Gun Digest Digital Editor Luke Hartle's conversation with Powell above. And get more great gun reviews and top-notch shooting tips by checking out Gun Digest's YouTube channel.
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