[Review] Mossberg 500 Persuader: Best 20-Gauge PGO?

Have you ever seen a type of firearm you just thought was cool? Guns that might not be the next best thing, but as Nutnfancy would say, it’s the second kind of cool?

That’s how I feel about pistol-grip-only shotguns.

I recognize their inherent limitations, but every few years I get one, shoot it a bit, add a stock, or sell it. I relearn the lessons about traditional pistol grip shotguns. However, that’s all changed with my recent acquisition of a Mossberg 500 Persuader in 20 Gauge.

After shooting a fair bit of buckshot and birdshot, I’ve come to realize that the 20 gauge seems to be the perfect cartridge for the Mossberg Persuader.

We are going to dig into the why, the performance of this gun, and even discuss why one might pick the Persuader over the Shockwave.

Mossberg 500 Persuader Specs & Features

Specs

• Caliber: 20 Gauge
• Capacity: 5+1
• Overall Length: 29 inches
• Barrel Length: 18.5 inches
• Weight: 5.5 pounds
• Comes with: Gun lock

Features

• Heat shield
• Gen 2 safety

Mossberg 500 Persuader

$399

at Palmetto State Armory

Prices accurate at time of writing

$399 at Palmetto State Armory

GrabAGun (see price)

Sportsman's Warehouse (see price)

The Persuader Backstory

Before the Shockwave was the non-NFA firearm to beat, the Persuader ruled. The Persuader is a bit of a weird marketing gimmick by Mossberg. Decades ago, they began calling their Mossberg 500s in a tactical configuration the Persuader.

Persuaders had stocks and pistol grips, but were more defined by the short barrel. Eventually, Mossberg started calling their pistol grip-only guns Cruisers. Later, they reverted to calling them Persuaders but marketed the guns as both Persuaders and Cruisers.

There is no hard and fast definition of the Persuader. These days, most Mossberg tactical shotguns are 590 series guns.

Mossberg doesn’t produce many 500 tactical models these days, but the two notable catalog items are the stocked Mossberg 500 Retrograde Persuader and the 20-gauge Persuader with a pistol grip.

Mossberg seemingly learned that dealing with a 12 gauge and a pistol grip isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Plus, the presence of the Shockwave and its numerous variants likely ate up sales of 12-gauge Persuaders.

Shooting the Persuader

My first Persuader was the Mossberg model that came with both a stock and pistol grip. I purchased fresh off my deployment to Afghanistan.

Funny enough, they had to remove the pistol grip and sell it to me as a shotgun because you have to be 21 to purchase a pistol-grip-only shotgun, similar to the laws regarding a Shockwave.

(Never mind the fact that I carried an M240 belt-fed machine gun across a hostile environment.)

I installed the pistol grip, and after a box of ammo, realized this sucked. I installed the stock and moved on. I’ve shot pistol-grip shotguns since, but after the Shockwave came out, I gave them up. I expected the 20 gauge to have less recoil, but the lizard part of my brain expected a lot of recoil, a sore wrist, and that a box of 20 shells would be enough to convince me to stock the gun.

I was wrong. The 20-gauge Persuader proved to be soft shooting, or softish shooting. No wrist pain, the gun didn’t try to punch me in the face, and I didn’t have to brace myself too much. I started with basic birdshot and moved to buckshot.

I fired a box of Monarch 20 gauge loaded with nine pellets of No.1 buckshot, and I was still feeling loose, and my wrist was still pain-free.

It’s not timid in its recoil, but it's not overly painful or difficult to control. You can aim the gun and put that buckshot where you want it.

I practiced shooting fast, as one would likely do in a defensive encounter.

With a little practice, I was able to place two rounds of that Monarch buckshot on target at 10 yards in under a second from the low ready. This encouraged me to try the Lucky Gunner Home Defense Skills Test.

Lucky Gunner Home Defense Skills Test

This involves stages that break down like this:

• Stage 1: One shot from the low ready at 15 yards.
• Stage 2: Two shots from the low ready at 10 yards.
• Stage 3: At 5 yards, gun starts "cruiser-ready" (3 rounds in the tube but no rounds in the chamber). Gun is placed on the table, on the beep, retrieve the gun and fire three rounds. Reload two rounds, then fire.
• Stage 4: Begin at compressed ready at a distance of 3 yards. O the beep, fire two rounds, then take a step back, aim, and fire.

First stage I accomlplished in 0.72 seconds while the second stage took only 0.97 of a second. The third stage is where things got interesting. I managed it in 10 seconds but it wasn't flawless.

Without the stock to brace against my shoulder, I had to hold the gun up with just my wrist. This created an unstable platform for reloading and slowed me down.

On the other hand, its super short design makes it easy to grab the barrel and start firing. I don’t have to shoulder it or deal with the stock, grab, shoot, and go! So, it's a trade-off.

The final stage is where the Persuader excelled. At only 3 yards, it’s nearly point-blank. A compressed position with a PGO gun is super easy to achieve. Overall, I achieved this drill in 2.3 seconds.

Patterning the Persuader

The patterns thrown by standard buckshot from a cylinder bore are predictable. The spread equals about 0.5 inch per yard with No. 1 Buckshot. At 10 yards, the patterns are somewhere between 4.5 and 6 inches.

Where I saw some impressive performance was with the Federal Flitecontrol 20-gauge buckshot. It’s absurdly tight, and at 10 yards, the group is smaller than the size of my palm. It’s incredibly tight, and the reduced recoil design makes it even easier to control.

If I were using this gun for any serious defensive task, it would be loaded with five rounds of Flitecontrol buckshot.

Without a stock and a cheek weld, your effective range will start to suffer past 15 yards. You can hit targets at longer ranges, but it takes more time and effort and is slower overall. Within 15 yards, you get the shotgun speed and decisiveness you want.

Your sights are a simple bead that works fine, and on a PGO pump, any other sight seems silly. It works, but Mossberg puts them on the barrel directly, which can make slugs and rounds like Flitecontrol appear to hit high. Luckily, it’s optics-ready, and you can attach a red dot.

The gun isn’t ammo picky. I’ve shot a hundred rounds of No.1 buckshot, 25 rounds of mixed No.2 buckshot from various companies, five rounds of Federal Flitecontrol, and about 250 rounds of 20-gauge birdshot without a problem.

Ergonomics: Fit and Feel

The pistol grip is the same one Mossberg’s always used. It’s not terrible, but it’s hard plastic, which doesn’t do much for recoil absorption. It’s got the dreaded finger grooves and is quite thick, but it’s completely usable.

The trigger is light, but a little spongy with both pre- and overtravel. On a pistol-grip-shotgun, it’s not going to matter much.

The mix of a pistol grip and a tang safety isn’t fantastic. It requires a big, broad movement of the thumb to reach the safety and activate it. The slide release is still easy to reach, and the pump is easy to work.

Like most Mossberg pumps, it’s a bit gritty and grindy with a bit of slop, but that’s all Mossberg.

The heat shield is nice on the PGO shotgun. Even if your fingers slip and you give the barrel a brush, the heat shield provides a layer of protection.

Improvements We’d Like to See

I would like to see Mossberg take the Remington route. By that, I mean adding a pedestal to the bead on the barrel.

If they don’t want to push the bead higher with a pedestal, then the Defender Tactical Highball bead is the way to go.

Who Is the Mossberg 500 Persauder For?

I still think the numerous Shockwave variants, including the 20-gauge, are the better gun for those seeking a pistol-grip-only shotgun. They are shorter, the Shockwave-style grip is better, and they interact better with Mossberg’s tang safety.

However, the 14-inch barrels on those guns are a no-go in certain states. That’s where something like the Persuader could step in. It’s still lightweight, maneuverable, and short if that’s what you’re looking for.

Additionally, there is something kind of cool about this old school pistol grip design. It’s an ’80s classic.

By the Numbers

Reliability: 5/5

The Mossberg 500 design has been tested extensively over its decades of service. It works and continues to work as evidenced by my example.

Ergonomics: 2/5

The pistol grip design will always be harder to aim and harder to shoot. Pair that with the tang safety difficulty, and we get a gun that scores low on the ergonomics.

Accuracy: 3/5

I’m comparing this gun to other shotguns. Anytime we have a pistol grip only design, we are going to see a weapon that's tougher to handle and with less range than a shoulder-fired design.

Customization: 4/5

The Mossberg 500 series has been around forever. It’s got a massive amount of customization options. The 12 gauge is a 5 out of 5, but the 20-gauge has a little less customization, so it gets the 4.

Value: 4/5

The Mossberg 500 Persuader can still be found for a hair more than the Maverick series. I found mine for 280 dollars, so the price isn’t out of this world.

Overall: 3.5/5

Mossberg 500 Persuader

$399

at Palmetto State Armory

Prices accurate at time of writing

$399 at Palmetto State Armory

GrabAGun (see price)

Sportsman's Warehouse (see price)

Upgrades & Accessories for the Persuader

Defender Tactical CoSight

$99

at Defender Tactical

Prices accurate at time of writing

$99 at Defender Tactical

The CoSight allows you to use Glock sights as a backup sighting option with any Trijicon RMR footprint optic. It attaches with ease and gives you both red dot and iron sight performance.

Holosun 507C X2 – ACSS Vulcan Reticle

$280

at Primary Arms

Prices accurate at time of writing

$280 at Primary Arms

OpticsPlanet (see price)

MidwayUSA (see price)

This multi-reticle red dot offers excellent performance and a solar-powered backup option. It fits the CoSight, and with the 32 MOA reticle, you’ll be able to quickly get on target.

Federal Premium Personal Defense 20 Gauge

$10

at Palmetto State Armory

Prices accurate at time of writing

$10 at Palmetto State Armory

Midway USA (see price)

Ammuntion Depot (see price)

This tight-patterning ammo is perfect for defensive use and ensures excellent terminal performance and excellent pellet accountability.

How We Tested the Mossberg Persuader 20 Gauge

I fired a little over 350 rounds of various 20-gauge loads through the Mossberg 500 in a mix of just shooting and running drills. I shot basic ready-up drills, double taps, and I ran the Lucky Gunner Home Defense Shotgun Skills Test.

I shot the gun at 10 yards, 15 yards, and even 25 yards to see how well it handles at various ranges.

Meet the Experts

Pew Pew Tactical author and gun writer Travis Pike took the lead on this review. Travis has written hundreds of articles for a variety of publications, including Pew Pew Tactical, Gun University, AmmoLand, Truth About Guns, The Armory Life, Task & Purpose, Recoil, GunMag Warehouse, and The National Interest. His experience as a Marine Corps machine gunner, NRA-certified instructor, and concealed carry trainer gives him unique insight into a wide variety of guns. Not to mention, Travis competes in 3-Gun competitions using shotguns, rifles, and pistols.

Final Verdict on the Mossberg Persuader

The Mossberg Persuader is a classic pistol grip pump with some of the classic pistol grip pump problems. The 20-gauge cartridge does a great job at reducing some of the problems, like recoil, but it can’t fix the range reduction or difficulty reloading the gun.

The Mossberg Persuader isn’t the best option for a super short shotgun, but for some people, it’s the only option. This will be the pistol grip pump action I end up finally keeping.

What do you think of the 20-gauge Mossberg Persuader? Let us know in the comments. For more PGO-style guns, check out our guide to the Best Pistol Grip Only Firearms.