Mossberg 500 Bantam Hushpower

A lot of my shotgun shooting nowadays is for pigeon and crow control. Some of the areas I shoot in are noise-sensitive, and a 12-bore is too loud. In the past, I would have avoided these areas because it is not worth the hassle of public complaints. However, the Mossberg 500 .410 Hushpower has changed the game.
I have been using this little moderated shotgun for some time now, and it has become an incredibly effective tool. The 14” sound moderator, combined with 3” subsonic cartridges, reduces noise to the point where the shot is virtually inaudible from 200m away. Some of you may be thinking that a .410 isn’t going to kill birds as well as a 12-bore, and this is exactly what I thought. But after using the Hushpower on quite a few outings decoying crows, I can tell you that this is absolutely not the case.

The gun
This gun is a pump-action shotgun that is available as either a wooden-stocked or black-composite model. It loads in a very similar fashion to a semi-automatic shotgun, so one cartridge in the chamber and two in the magazine underneath the barrel. It features a fixed full choke that throws a devastating pattern, and a fixed sound moderator that covers the barrel.
What I particularly like about this Hushpower is that the safety sits on the top of the receiver, rather than being positioned on the trigger guard like many semi-automatics. I find this a lot more practical, as it is in a similar position to most over-and-under shotguns, which I am used to.
The gun is very well-built and handles better than most of the .410s I have used, and it represents great value for money compared with other shotguns in this price bracket. Even though it realistically won’t have a lot of use, it isn’t a lot of money sitting in the cabinet, and it is there for when it is needed. The large sound moderator on the end makes the gun very front-heavy, but I don’t believe this is a bad thing. The gun only weighs 6lbs, and the extra weight at the front makes it a lot easier to control.
The biggest issue I have found with this gun is remembering to pump the fore-end after each shot. For those who don’t know what I mean by this, a pump-action is cycled by manually pulling back the fore-end to eject the spent case. You then slide it forward again to load the next cartridge. I found this very off-putting to start with because it disrupts my movement onto the next bird, or a follow-up shot. I also quickly learned not to be too quick when pumping the empty shell out. The problem I found was that if I was too quick, the extractor claw would slip over the brass of the cartridge, and I was left with an empty case stuck in the chamber, which, as you can imagine, is very frustrating.
It has been a very practical gun for hide shooting, as it is easy to load, and you do not need to break it over the hide like an over-and-under. A common issue that I, and a lot of others, have had with the chunky sound moderator, is that it blocks a lot of your view of the target.
As standard, this Mossberg has a very low comb height and a short stock, which meant it was a very poor fit for me. I resolved this issue by adding a rubber comb raiser, to increase the height, and a slip-on stock-extension pad. By doing this, I raised my eye over the barrel, giving me my desired point of impact, while also improving my view of the target. This is a really important point, as the .410 is an incredibly hard calibre to shoot effectively, and having good gun fit will help you perform to the best of your ability.

Out into the field
With the alterations I had made to the gun, I was happy with the fit and ready for action. Before heading out into the field to shoot crows, I tested a few different cartridges to see which performed best. I needed to find one that had a good pattern to dispatch the birds cleanly but also was quiet enough for the noise-sensitive areas.
The first cartridge I tested was the Eley Extra Long Magnum Subsonic (No.6, 18g, fibre wad), and it patterned really well at 30 yards. As for the noise, I genuinely could not believe how quiet these cartridges were. I would have liked to have tried another subsonic load as a comparison, but I couldn’t find any.
Other Hushpower users I spoke with recommended Hull’s High Pheasant (No.6, 18g, fibre wad) cartridges, and when tested, these patterned just as well as the Eley. However, because they are not subsonic, they are much louder. Knowing that both cartridges were going to be a solid choice, I chose the Eley cartridges because they were the quietest. I didn’t test any 2.5” loads, as I wanted as much lead in the cartridge as possible. If I was only using the gun to shoot clays, I would have tried some, but as I was intending to shoot live quarry, I wanted the densest pattern possible to dispatch them cleanly.
The first day on the crows with the Hushpower was on a failed crop of maize next to a dairy farm. Apart from not pumping to reload the gun on more occasions than I would like to admit to, it was a very successful trip. I managed to clear up 53 corvids for the farmer, who was working no more than 200 yards behind where I was shooting, and he didn’t hear a thing. The Hushpower I had on loan for this review convinced me so much that it was going to be an effective tool for my shooting trips, that I bought one the following week.

Out again
My second trip out with the Hushpower was one I will remember forever. If I hadn’t recorded the day, I doubt many people would have believed how amazing it was. You can check out the video on my ‘Fieldsports with Speed’ YouTube channel. I finished the day with 106 corvids and a magpie.
At the start of the day, I was cleanly dispatching birds at 20 to 30 yards to great effect, and then began to increase the range to what I felt the combination I was using could manage. I actually dispatched some crows cleanly out to 40 yards, which I didn’t believe was possible with this little calibre.
Based on my experience, I recommend starting with birds at no more than 25 yards when using a .410. These guns produce an incredibly tight pattern and a short string of shot, so beginning at closer range helps ensure clean kills and builds your confidence in the remarkable effectiveness of this small calibre.
Another key factor I have noticed when using the Hushpower is how the birds have continued to decoy for longer. Obviously, because the shots are so much quieter than the normal 12-bore loads I fire, the potential for birds staying in the area has been greatly increased. There have been multiple occasions where I have shot a bird over the decoys, and another group 100 yards behind continued on their flightline straight into the pattern.

Conclusion
This .410 Hushpower is an incredibly effective little tool for pest control in noise-sensitive areas. At £895, I think it is very good value for money and is guaranteed to put a smile on your face. The two drawbacks I’ve noticed are the need to take extra care when ejecting the empty cartridge to avoid it becoming stuck in the chamber, and the stock dimensions, which are completely wrong for most adult shooters. It is important that you make all alterations necessary to the gun before heading out to shoot, as without a good gun fit, you might as well not bother. The .410 is an incredibly challenging calibre to shoot, and you need good gun fit for the best results.
I do like how the gun handles. The extra weight of the sound moderator makes the gun front-heavy and increases the ability to control it. It is a lot lighter than most shotguns, so you need to slow down your hand speed and see the same sight picture you normally would. Also, one last thing – remember to pump the fore-end to reload! It is incredibly annoying when you go to pull the trigger, and nothing happens. I know someone who has done this a few times.