Mossberg International Silver Reserve II Field Over/Under Shotgun

DESCRIPTION

Mossberg International Silver Reserve II Field Shotgun- The Mossberg® International™ Silver Reserve II Field is a reliable, and value priced over/under shotgun that’s perfect for upland bird hunting, informal sporting clays, or a all-round shotgun. The Silver Reserve II features shell extractors and a tang-mounted safety that doubles as a barrel selector. The chambers and bores are chrome plated to ensure reliable function and tight shot patterns. A set of 5 flush-fitting, screw-in choke tubes comes with each gun, enhancing its versatility (F, IM, M, IC, C). Dual-locking lugs provide a solid lock-up. The 12- and 20-gauge Silver Reserve II Fields have 3″ chambers, and the 28-gauge has the standard 2-3/4″ chamber. The Mossberg Silver Reserve II Field Over/Under Shotgun has a beautiful black walnut, hand-checkered stock and forend, and a polished silver-finished receiver with wrap-around scroll engraving. The vent-ribbed barrels are deep blued and have a single bead front sight. The Silver Reserve II Field is light and trim enough to carry comfortably in the field all day, yet rugged enough for high-volume shotgun sports.

Perfect for upland birds and informal sporting clays
Tang-mounted safety/barrel selector
Chrome-plated chambers and bores
Checkered walnut stock and forend
Silver-finished engraved receiver
Shell extractors
Dual-locking lugs
Blued vent-rib barrels
Includes 5 screw-in choke tubes
Gun Review: Mossberg International Silver Reserve II Over/Under Shotgun

Think of those classic old photos you’ve seen of hunters in a South Dakota upland field in search of pheasant. They usually were carrying a break action shotgun, box-lock over/under or side-by-side. Those iconic scenes made other hunters want their own double gun, either for pheasant, ducks, sporting clays or skeet.

The problem was, the biggest cost in producing a shotgun is in the barrel(s) and a decent over/under or side-by-side field gun cost more than a lot of hunters wanted or were willing to spend. That situation led to a lot of gun makers sourcing much more affordable shotguns from overseas, usually Turkey. Enter O.F. Mossberg & Sons’ introduction of their Turkish-made Mossberg International Silver Reserve series back in 2013.

The line has been improved and expanded since it was first rolled out to include both field and sporting models in all four popular gauges and barrel lengths from 26 to 32 inches. They also offer a Bantam model for kids or smaller-frame shooters. All but one come with five-choke sets and Mossy even offers a couple of two-barrel packages; a 12/20 option and a 20/28 pair. Mine is the Silver Reserve II Field model with 28-inch tubes and extractors.

The Silver Reserve II is chambered for three-inch shells and the slim aluminum box-lock receiver is engraved with scrolling for a classic look. Mossberg International Silver Reserve II Field Shotgun

Mossberg has jeweled the monoblock and equips all of its field guns with extractors (the sport models have ejectors). For me, that’s a plus as I don’t have to chase my empties. Your mileage may vary.

There’s a combination barrel selector and safety switch on the tang, which is common on most over/under shotguns.

Happily, the safety isn’t automatic. Some makers design a safety that engages every time the shotgun is broken open. In my experience, that results in a lot of missed birds. I’d rather be responsible for engaging and disengaging my own safety. Mossberg International Silver Reserve II Field Shotgun

The Silver Reserve II has a checkered back walnut stock and fore end. The checkering isn’t aggressive, but provides the shooter with a solid enough grip on the gun. There’s a slim rubber butt pad that doesn’t snag when mounting the shotgun.

The wood-to-metal joins are clean and reasonably even, probably better than you’d expect in a budget priced over/under like this.

The Silver Reserve II’s chambers and barrels are chrome-lined.

I took the Silver Reserve II out and put a variety of loads through it. The 7.5 pound gun mounts easily, swings smoothly, tracks naturally and busts clays whenever I do my job of putting the bead on the (clay) bird. In short the Silver Reserve II Field model gives the average shooter an outstanding value in a full-featured shotgun that will do a variety of jobs and look good doing it.

Specifications: Mossberg Silver Reserve II Field

Gauge: 12
Chamber: 3 inches
Barrel finish: Blued steel
Stock Finish: Satin black walnut
Barrel Type: Vent Rib
Barrel Length: 28 inches
Weight: 7.5 pounds
Overall length: 45 inches
LOP: 14 inches
Chokes: Field set of five
MSRP: $773 (widely available for under $600)

Ratings (Out of five stars)

Style: * * * * *
This is an affordable over/under that features attractive scroll work on its silver receiver with nicely blued barrels. The black walnut stock looks good and the overall effect is stylish. The Silver Reserve II looks like it costs more than it does.

Ergonomics: * * * *
The checkering isn’t deep, but it works. The Silver Reserve II’s 14-inch length of pull might be a tad short for some larger shooters, but you can always shim the rubber but pad to add some length. At 7.5 pounds, the shotgun has enough heft to absorb some recoil while being light enough to carry in the field all day.

Build Quality: * * * *
Very good, especially for the price point. The finish on the walnut stock is smooth with a nice sheen. Bluing is even and un-blemished. The wood-to-metal joins aren’t sloppy or uneven.

Reliability and Accuracy: * * * * *
An over/under is kinda like a bolt action rifle. While it’s possible for something to go wrong, it rarely does. The Silver Reserve II reliably powdered everything I pointed it at. And with minimal cleaning and maintenance, I expect it to keep doing that.

Overall: * * * *
The Silver Reserve II field gun is a pleasure to shoot. After shooting semi-autos for years, I’d forgotten how much I like an over/under. The classic silver scrolled receiver looks good in contrast to those blued barrels and puts a reliable, attractive over/under within reach of just about any shooter.

Mossberg Silver Reserve II O/U Review

My oldest recollections of Mossberg are centered around my dad’s old Model 183 D-B .410 bolt-action shotgun. It had a pistol-grip buttstock, and part of the trigger guard extended down the grip to give it something sort of like finger grooves. It also had an internal three-round magazine and a screw-on (not screw-in) Full choke. When I was a kid, before I had my own gun, he would let me take it hunting, and I always thought it was kind of funny looking. But I sure liked the way it worked on the Bobwhite quail, rabbits, and squirrels that ran amok on my grandparents’ farm and in the surrounding timber. I like the looks of Mossberg’s new Silver Reserve II over-under shotgun a whole lot more, and it’s just as good of a performer as that old Model 183 — undoubtedly even better. Mossberg International Silver Reserve II Field Shotgun

Features

The Silver Reserve II is a boxlock over-under (there is also a Silver Reserve II side-by-side shotgun, but we’re not covering that one here). The over-under has a single trigger, a tang-mounted safety/barrel selector, a fine-line-checkered black walnut forearm, and a black walnut buttstock with rubber recoil pad. It’s made in Turkey, and it’s being offered in 12, 20, 28 gauges, and .410 Bore. Available barrel lengths include 32, 30, 28, and 26 inches. Receiver finish is polished silver with scroll engraving; barrels are blued and come with ventilated ribs and front bead sights. Chambers and bores are chrome plated. All versions come with a set of five screw-in choke tubes.

Shooting Times got a hold of a 12-gauge Sporting configuration gun for this report, but there’s also a Field model. The main differences between the Sporting and the Field configurations are the ribs (widths and heights) and the choke tube constrictions. The 12, 20, and 28-gauge Field guns come with flush choke tubes in Cylinder (C), Improved Cylinder (I-C), Modified (M), Improved-Modified (I-M), and Full (F). The .410 Field has fixed M and F chokes. There are also two-gauge Field Combo versions in 12/20 gauge and 20/28 gauge with 26-inch barrels. Suggested retail prices range from $693 to $1,042. Mossberg International Silver Reserve II Field Shotgun

The Sporting O/U is available in 12 gauge and features 28-, 30-, or 32-inch trap-style ported barrels with vent rib and dual bead sights (fiber-optic front bead). The extended choke tubes have silver finishes and knurled grips in Skeet, I-C, M, I-M, and F. There’s an optional adjustable-comb buttstock. Suggested retail prices range from $851 to $1,145.

Performance

Our in-house professional photographer, Mike Anschuetz (shown in the accompanying photo), is a budding wing shooter. He has some real potential there, too, because he beat all the InterMedia Outdoors editors and contributors in an informal shotgun match at a recent editorial roundtable. The prize was a Mossberg shotgun, and Anschuetz picked the 12-gauge Silver Reserve II Sporting version with 28-inch barrels and raised-comb buttstock. It’s the one shown in our photographs.

I pulled him in on this report because he’s been hitting the skeet range way more often than I have these days, and I wanted to get his thoughts on how the new O/U performs. He says he shot as good with it the first time out as he does with his regular gun — a semi-automatic Browning. He thinks the Silver Reserve II is easy to get comfortable with, and he especially likes the selector lever. The gun just has a good heavy feel, and he likes the extended chokes. The barrel ports seem to help manage recoil. Mossberg International Silver Reserve II Field Shotgun

His only complaints are with the trigger and the metal finish. He calls it “price-point” finish and wishes that it was more polished. He says the trigger is too heavy for his tastes, but all in all, he likes the gun and thinks it’s more of an intermediate-level gun rather than an entry-level one.

I like the Silver Reserve II as is. It has many features that my personal favorite O/U has, including a single trigger, vent rib with dual bead sights, and walnut stock. I’ve come to know — through far too many missed shots on upland birds — that I shoot a lightweight 28-gauge gun way better than a 12 or even a 20. So even though I like this 12-gauge Sporting version, I’ll hold off buying a Silver Reserve II until I can get my hands on a small-gauge gun. Maybe I’ll go for the .410 version in honor of that old bolt-action Mossberg I used when I was a kid.