Best Mossberg 500 (and 590) Accessories and Upgrades
The Mossberg 500 and 590 series of shotguns are one of the most popular weapon platforms around. While they're most well known for their ability to function as a tactical pump-action shotgun, serving military and police around the world, this platform is also used by thousands for their home defense and hunting needs.
This popularity and versatility have led to tremendous aftermarket support for the platform, allowing you to set up your shotgun optimally for what you need out of it.
In this guide, I'll be covering the best Mossberg 500 accessories and upgrades to help you achieve the perfect shotgun. With 590 and 590A1 models essentially being a 500 with a thicker barrel, this list will also serve as our guide to the best Mossberg 590 upgrades.
Preview
There's more below, but here are our 3 favorite choices for the best Mossberg 500 upgrades if we had to narrow it down.
Streamlight TL-Racker Forend Light
$157.99 at Brownells
Prices accurate at time of publishing
MESA Tactical Rail & Shell Holder
$112.99 at Brownells
Prices accurate at time of publishing
Knoxx Specops Recoil Reducing Stock
$134.99 at Brownells
Prices accurate at time of publishing
Best Mossberg 500 Upgrades and Accessories
With so many potential accessories, it was tough to decide where to start. The best Mossberg 500 upgrade for you may not be useful to the next guy. Keep this in mind while reading our guide, and feel free to jump ahead if something doesn't interest you.
1) Streamlight TL-Racker (Forend With Integrated Light)
The Streamlight TL-Racker is the single best improvement I think can be made to a Mossberg 500.
$157.99 at Brownells
Prices accurate at time of publishing
For any home defense gun, a weapon light is a must-have accessory. This forend from Streamlight offers the ability to add a fantastic light that's easy to actuate with your natural grip. A large ambidextrous switch pad (where it's marked "Streamlight") runs along the side of the forend, offering both momentary and constant-on functionality.
850 lumens are output by the TL-Racker, which is generally perfect for home defense lights. The beam is reasonably focused and reaches 14,000 max candela.
The TL-Racker will easily light up any room in your house, and it's even useful past the effective range of buckshot. It's also powerful enough that it's no fun to have it shining in your eyes, making it likely to affect any would-be attackers' vision temporarily.
Not only is the TL-Racker an upgrade because of its light source, but it also drastically improves ergonomics and feel over stock Mossberg 500 forends. The concave section helps you gain leverage when moving it both backward and frontward. It also has a great "grippy" texture all along the forend.
The TL-Racker costs less than half of what its main competitor, the Surefire DSF-500/590, costs. It also puts out 250 more lumens.
As I've discussed in other guides on GunPros, like our guide to the best pistol lights, Streamlight makes fantastic products at reasonable prices. The TL-Racker is no exception and is my pick for the best Mossberg 500 upgrade for home defense.
Note that the TL-Racker is only compatible with Mossberg 500 and 590 shotguns with 7 3/4" slide action tube assemblies.
Streamlight TL-Racker
- 850 Lumens
- 14,000 Candela
- 1.5 Hour Run Time
- 10.78-11.08 oz
$157.99 at Brownells
Prices accurate at time of publishing
Surefire DSF-500/590
- 200/600 Lumens
- 13,000 Candela
- 3 Hour Run Time
- 18.2 oz
$355.99 at Brownells
Prices accurate at time of publishing
2) Magpul MOE M-LOK Mossberg 590/590A1 Forend
If the Streamlight TL-Racker is not in your budget, Magpul's MOE forend will allow you to easily attach any lights or other accessories via its M-LOK slots.
Unfortunately, it's only compatible with Mossberg 590 and 590A1 models with 7 5/8" action tube assemblies. This means it will not fit Mossberg 500 shotguns.
For those of you with a 590, however, it's a fantastic cheap Mossberg 590 upgrade.
$28.99 at Brownells
Prices accurate at time of publishing
3) Vertical and Angled Foregrips
The biggest reason I'd consider adding the MOE forend is that it lets you mount M-LOK angled and vertical foregrips to your forend. Though I'm not usually a huge fan of vertical foregrips, they can be a great way to gain tremendous leverage on pump-action shotguns.
$21.99 at Brownells
Prices accurate at time of publishing
4) UTG Picatinny Rail
In addition to weapon lights, you'll probably want to run a red dot sight on all of your home defense guns. If your shotgun doesn't already have a rail, the UTG Mossberg 500 picatinny rail mount is a super cheap and easy upgrade that will allow you to mount a red dot or any other optic.
It can be installed to the top of your 500's receiver in just minutes, allowing you to easily mount red dot sights, other optics, or other accessories. For around the price of a pizza, this is one of the best Mossberg 500 upgrades for the money.
5) MESA TACTICAL Rail and Shell Holders
Every shotgun needs a shell holder for quick reloads. If you want to add a rail to your Mossberg 500, you may want to consider a rail/shell holder from MESA Tactical.
Boom! Two of the best Mossberg 500 accessories you can add to your shotgun, wrapped into one product!
$112.99 at Brownells
Prices accurate at time of publishing
MESA TACTICAL offers a variety of configurations for Mossberg 500/590 shotguns, as well as other shotguns.
6) Red Dot Sight
Now that you've got the picatinny rail, it's time to choose a red dot sight.
While a red sight is one of the best Mossberg 500 accessories, it's tough to narrow it down to just one choice. With that in mind, I'll keep this section relatively short and encourage you to check out our guide to the best red dot sights for more information.
If you're looking for more robust red dot sights (often used on rifles), then the Trijicon MRO, Holosun HS403B, and Bushnell TRS-25 are some of our favorites at varying price points.
Trijicon MRO
$480.99 at Brownells
Prices accurate at time of publishing
Holosun HS403B
$169.99 at Brownells
Prices accurate at time of publishing
Bushnell TRS-25
$89.99 at Brownells
Prices accurate at time of publishing
Many, however, prefer to use a miniature red dot sight on shotguns. While you're making some sacrifices in terms of durability, miniature red dots are lighter weight and can sometimes allow you to get on target slightly faster.
I'd honestly say it's up to your personal preference, though there are less quality miniature red dot sights at budget price points. Personally, I'd only use high-end options like the Trijicon RMR or Trijicon SRO for home defense. I'd be okay with more affordable options, like the Vortex Venom, for hunting and skeet/target shooting.
Trijicon RMR
$509.99 at Brownells
Prices accurate at time of publishing
Trijicon SRO
$549.99 at Brownells
Prices accurate at time of publishing
Vortex Venom
$229.99 at Brownells
Prices accurate at time of publishing
7) Sight Upgrades
If you don't like red dot sights or don't plan to use one on your shotgun for any reason, you may at least want to consider upgrading your bead sight.
Our favorite Mossberg 500 sight upgrade is the XS Big Dot Front Sight. As the name suggests, it's huge! Its size, combined with the fact it has a tritium insert, will make it easy to see day or night.
It can easily be installed over your front sight using the included adhesive.
$63.90 at Brownells
Prices accurate at time of publishing
8) Blackhawk Knoxx Specops GEN III (Recoil Reducing) Stock
I'm sure you're super tough and 12 gauge feels like .22 LR... But if you want to reduce your felt recoil, there's the Blackhawk Knoxx Specops GEN III Stock.
$134.99 at Brownells
Prices accurate at time of publishing
As the cutaway image below shows, the Specops Gen III Stock for the Mossberg 500 has a "dual recoil-compensation system" in the stock and pistol grip.
The company claims it reduces recoil by up to 80%. I'm not sure if it's actually 80%, but it can definitely lead to a noticeable reduction in recoil.
In addition to reducing recoil, the 6-position adjustable stock also allows you to change your length of pull from 12.5"-15.2". Overall, the stock and pistol grip has a great feel and ergonomics. It can make your Mossberg 500 feel more like a rifle than a shotgun.
While I consider a weapon light and red dot sight my primary focus for upgrading a home defense gun, the Knoxx Specops GEN III stock is one of the next best Mossberg 500 accessories you can get to improve your shotgun.
Though the price tag of the Knoxx Specops GEN III may seem a bit high for a stock, it's actually priced very competitively with Mossberg 500 stock upgrades that offer fewer features.
Knoxx Specops GEN III
$134.99 at Brownells
Prices accurate at time of publishing
Magpul SGA Shotgun Stock
$126.99 at Brownells
Prices accurate at time of publishing
Wrapping Up
While I didn't cover every potential upgrade you could make, I think what's included on our list are the best Mossberg 500 accessories you can add to improve your shotgun's functionality and versatility.
If you aren't sure where to start, I'd prioritize a way to mount a weapon light to your shotgun. The Streamlight TL-Racker forend with an integrated light is my favorite way to go about this, but forends like the Magpul MOE can make it easier to mount external lights to your shotgun.
After a weapon light, my next focus would be adding a red dot sight. If you already have a red dot sight, all you need is a cheap rail (if your shotgun doesn't already have one) to make mounting your sight easier.
Beyond this, it comes down a lot to personal preference and what you want out of your shotgun.
Streamlight TL-Racker
Product Name: Streamlight TL-Racker
Product Description: The Streamlight TL-Racker is the best way to add a weapon light to your Mossberg 500/590. The incredibly ergonomic forend features an integrated 850 lumen light that's controlled by an oversized ambidextrous switch. The well thought out design allows you to easily actuate the light with your normal grip on the forend.
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Quality
(5)
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Durability
(5)
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Ergonomics/Feel
(4.5)
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Value
(5)
Summary
The TL-Racker forend with an integrated 850 lumen light is the single best Mossberg 500 accessory we thing you can make. Not only is it the best way to add a weapon light to your shotgun, but the feel of the forend is also a massive upgrade over the factory forend and most aftermarket options.
Pros
- Powerful light with good pattern (850 lumens, 14,000 max candela).
- Better ergonomics than most other forends.
- Way cheaper than its main competitor (Surefire DSF-500/590)
- Quality manufacturer with an excellent reputation.
Cons
- The large size of the switch can sometimes lead to it mistakenly being actuated.
